The global distributor of the Aussie-made movie Together has responded after artificial intelligence was reportedly used to remove a queer character from its screenings in China.
Reports circulated earlier this week that Chinese audiences of the horror film — helmed by Melbourne director Michael Shanks and starring Dave Franco and Alison Brie — had noticed a change to a scene depicting a queer couple getting married.
While the two men appeared side-by-side on the altar in the original cut of Together, it seemed one of their faces was digitally changed to a woman’s when it was distributed in Chinese theatres.
Though it is not uncommon for China, where same-sex marriage is not recognised, to censor queer themes in movies, the use of AI appears relatively new, according to SBS. It’s reported that some of Together’s nude scenes were also edited to obscure Franco’s body.
The move received widespread backlash when news of the same-sex censorship began circulating. Reddit users described it as “pathetic”, especially given that the characters’ sexuality is “critical to the plot of the movie”.
Now, the global distributor behind the movie, Neon, has slammed the apparent AI alterations, saying they were made without permission and requesting that the new version be pulled from screens in China.
“Neon does not approve of Hishow’s unauthorised edit of the film”, a spokesperson told Deadline in reference to Together’s Chinese distributor. “[We have] demanded they cease distributing this altered version”.
It’s not the first time gay themes have been removed from screenings in China, with Bohemian Rhapsody and Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore receiving similar censorship in recent years.
Together again courted controversy in June, when it was accused in a lawsuit of stealing its idea from the micro budget film, Better Half. Shanks denied the allegations, saying they were “entirely untrue” and “devastating”.
The movie follows Franco and Brie as a couple who begin to experience supernatural forces that threaten their lives and romance.
Lead images: Neon and Reddit
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