Hong Kong passes bill to ban films deemed threats to national security, increase penalty for unauthorised screenings

Hong Kong has passed a series of censorship law amendments that empower the city’s No 2 official to prohibit the screening of films deemed threats to national security and increase the maximum penalty for violations.

Lawmakers on Wednesday approved the Film Censorship (Amendment) Bill 2021, which also requires official censors to assess the impact of a production on national security during the approval process.