Chinese version of horror film alters gender of gay character

A gay couple in an Australian horror movie was digitally altered into a heterosexual one for its release in mainland China, a move that likely involved AI and signals a new frontier in censorship.

- STORY: JOSH XIAO / BLOOMBERG

Alison Brie and Dave Franco in Together.

In Together, the thriller starring Dave Franco and Alison Brie, one of the men in a same-sex relationship was replaced with a woman's face. The edit sparked backlash from viewers, many of whom only noticed after social media posts compared the altered scene with the original.

“This is disrespectful to the original work and another challenge to audience’s tolerance,” one user wrote on film rating and social networking website Douban. “They want our money but won't show us the complete version. It's also disrespectful to the LGBTI community.”

Four people who saw the film in China — where it began pre-release screening on Sept 12 — said that the version they watched showed a heterosexual couple in the minute-long scene. They said nothing seemed unusual at the time, and they only learned about the edits later through social media. All four asked not to be identified, fearing reprisal from authorities.