Cinema Department issues urgent directive on short films flooding the internet

Proliferation of short films on YouTube - Screenshot

On the morning of September 25, the Cinema Department issued Document No. 1919 regarding compliance with regulations on film distribution in cyberspace. This stems from the reality that film distribution in cyberspace has become increasingly diverse in its methods and has grown in volume recently. Among these, many products presented as "short films" are provided to viewers through online content platforms, applications, and services.

Through state management of cinema, the Cinema Department has observed a phenomenon where some organizations and individuals are distributing films online without fully meeting the conditions and procedures required by cinema laws.

This includes failure to fully comply with regulations regarding entities permitted to distribute films online, conditions for film classification, the classification and display of film classification results, notification of film lists and classification results prior to distribution, as well as other obligations of entities distributing films in cyberspace.

According to Clause 1, Article 21 of the 2022 Cinema Law, entities permitted to distribute films in cyberspace are enterprises, public service units, and organizations conducting film distribution activities in accordance with the Cinema Law and other relevant legal regulations.

The Cinema Department requests that organizations, enterprises, and individuals currently engaged in film distribution in cyberspace urgently review and ensure that the entities conducting these distribution activities comply with legal regulations.