US EditionNeon Halts 'Together' China Release After Unauthorized AI Edit Erases Gay Couple
- The Australian horror film Together, featuring performances by Dave Franco and Alison Brie, underwent digital alterations to change a same-sex couple into a heterosexual pair during select screenings in China in September 2025.
- The change replaced a same-sex male couple with a heterosexual pair by using AI to swap one male actor's face for a woman's, complying with local censorship rules.
- Viewers noticed the alteration after side-by-side images circulated on social media, sparking backlash and alarm on platforms like Douban, where the film holds a 6.9 rating.
- Neon, the film's global distributor, condemned the unauthorized edit by Chinese distributor Hishow and demanded the cessation of distribution of the altered version.
- This event highlights China's ongoing censorship of LGBTQ+ content in media, reflecting broader policies restricting queer representation and leading to altered foreign films in the market.
64 Articles
64 Articles
In a scene of "Together" by Australian director Michael Shanks sees a marriage between men, but the face of one of them has been changed to that of a woman. Indignant spectators, blocked the spread of the film
Chinese Release of "Together" Edited Woman's Face Onto Gay Man to Censor Same-Sex Couple
Something weird is happening with the release of the Australian horror movie “Together,” starring Dave Franco and Alison Brie, and it’s not the plot in which — spoilers! — their bodies start fusing together after a night in the woods. No, it’s that the original version featured a gay couple getting married. But in the film’s Chinese release, someone digitally altered it — quite possibly using AI — and replaced one of the men with a woman, Bloomb…
Chinese Studio Criticized For Using AI To Make Gay Couple Straight In Body Horror Film
NBC News reports that a U.S. film distributor has criticized a Chinese studio for reportedly using artificial intelligence to make a gay couple straight when distributing the body-horror film “Together” in China. Read more at NBC News
Together pulled from Chinese cinemas after an “unauthorised” edit of a gay couple
Together has been pulled from Chinese cinemas after a local distributor edited a gay couple into a heterosexual couple. In July and August, moviegoers in the US, UK, and Europe were treated to the highly anticipated body horror film, starring real-life married actors Alison Brie (Community) and Franco (Now You See Me). Written and directed by Michael Shanks, the film follows Tim (Franco) and Millie (Brie), a couple who “find themselves at a cros…
U.S. film company condemns edit of horror film in China to make a gay couple straight
A Chinese film company is being criticized for an apparent edit of a scene in the horror movie Together that swaps the face of a man for a woman to make a gay couple appear straight. Editing films for Chinese distribution isn’t new — but one expert says this isn't how it's usually done.
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