W Washington, Jan 5 : Chinese censors have banned the producers of the sexually explicit film "Lost in Beijing" from making movies in the country for two years.  The film, which is set in a massage parlour in the city, had already been censored and released in cinemas prior to the ruling. It opened across the country on November 30, after scenes showing dirty streets, prostitutes and gambling were cut from the film, reports Variety. However, co-production company Beijing Laurel Films and producer Fang Li were banned from working in China, after authorities claimed that unapproved pornographic scenes were allegedly published on the internet and DVDs. The ruling also said the movie was promoted with "unhealthy, improper" advertisements, believed to refer to the words "indulgent body, lost soul" on posters. The 1.2 million dollar production was screened at the Berlin Film Festival in February 2007 and won a jury prize at July's Bangkok International Film Festival. Fang, however, has appealed the decision, saying: "We are the victims in this whole thing. One of our unprocessed, unedited images was stolen and distributed on the Internet," Fang said in a telephone interview." Set in contemporary China, "Lost in Beijing" follows the relationship between a Beijing massage parlour boss, played by actor Tony Leung, and his employee, played by mainland starlet Fan Bingbing. (ANI) © 2007 ANI TAGS: Movies  Lost in Beijing China
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