'Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey' Hong Kong Screening Canceled... Because of Xi Jinping?

Satirizing Xi Jinping through 'Gomdori Pu'
Chinese Authorities Also Censor Content Related to 'Gomdori Pu'

The release of the British horror film "Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey," which was scheduled to be screened in Hong Kong, was suddenly canceled.

According to foreign media on the 21st, Moviematic, which planned the screening of "Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey" in Hong Kong, announced on social media that the screening was canceled due to technical reasons.

In November last year in Bangkok, Thailand, a protester held a sign reading "Free Hong Kong" while hugging a "Winnie the Pooh" doll with a photo of Chinese President Xi Jinping attached. Photo by Reuters and Yonhap News Agency

So far, the Chinese government has restricted related content because President Xi Jinping of China was said to resemble Winnie the Pooh. In 2013, after images of President Xi walking with former U.S. President Obama were released, social media began satirizing President Xi by comparing him to Winnie the Pooh. Some even used the image of Winnie the Pooh as a symbol of opposition to the Chinese regime.

In response to these movements, Chinese authorities targeted the Pooh character for censorship. Since 2013, content related to Winnie the Pooh has been deleted from Chinese social media, and searches for the term were blocked ahead of the 2017 Party Congress. Additionally, in 2018, the film "Christopher Robin" (original title: "Winnie the Pooh, Happy to See You Again") was banned from screening in China.

Meanwhile, in 2021, Hong Kong passed an amendment to the ordinance allowing the ban of films deemed "contrary to the interests of national security." According to the amendment, authorities can revoke screening permits and prohibit the screening of films already approved if they determine that the films support or glorify actions that threaten national security.