The TV series Expats, produced by Amazon and set and filmed in Hong Kong, is not available in the city despite being advertised as a global release.
The Guardian reports it.
The first two episodes of the drama series, starring Nicole Kidman and directed by The Farewell's Lulu Wang, were released on Friday but are listed as "currently unavailable" to viewers in Hong Kong.
The series, based on a 2016 novel, The Expatriates, focuses on the lives of three American women in Hong Kong.
The unavailability of the first few episodes has been attributed by some observers to the setting of the penultimate episode, which takes place against the backdrop of the 2014 Umbrella Movement protests.
Since the Beijing government's repression against the pro-democracy movement intensified in 2020 - recalls the Guardian - the authorities have become increasingly sensitive to political or otherwise critical works of art.
Laws were introduced in 2021 that prevent broadcasts that violate the sweeping and draconian national security law, imposed in 2020. Censorship laws have resulted in filmmakers being ordered to cut works or entire films being banned from broadcast.
Authorities have said such laws do not apply to streaming services, but content like Expats is in a gray area as online platforms are still subject to national security law.
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