Importer A-Some Pictures initially built up excitement among cinephiles by announcing the release of a 4K digital remastering version of ‘A City of Sadness’ on May 6. However, just two days before the premiere, the release was abruptly canceled due to “copyright issues.”
The controversy reportedly intensified after the original rights holder, Taiwan’s Era International Motion Picture Co., Ltd., strongly protested upon hearing news of the Korean screening. Producer Chiu Fu-sheng reportedly stated, “I have never sold the rights to a Korean distributor, and I cannot recognize the legitimacy of the screening copy,” and sent an official letter banning the screening.
In response, A-Some Pictures explained that they had legally purchased the rights through the French distributor FSF. However, FSF has a history of controversy regarding the distribution of classic Asian films with unclear rights, and as the backlash grew, the screening was completely canceled.
Warning signs were already visible during the pre-release preview. The version introduced as “4K digital remastering” showed distortions typical of AI upscaling. The number of fingers on characters changed from scene to scene, and mysterious characters floated across the screen as film noise was mistaken for text. Most notably, scenes appeared where Tony Leung’s face was blurred or distorted. Following the preview, SNS was flooded with criticism calling it a “fake painted over by AI.”
Taiwan also strongly criticized the situation. The influential local weekly Mirror Media defined the incident as a “technical disaster,” stating that ‘A City of Sadness,’ a source of pride for Taiwanese cinema, almost screened in an unrecognizable state due to clumsy AI restoration. TVBS also criticized the act of damaging a film containing a master’s breath as an “international discourtesy.” Taiwanese film critic Weng Huang-te pointed out on SNS that it was an “incident attempting to deceive audiences with technical tricks without respect for the work.”
This incident is being viewed as more than just a cancellation; it highlights the ethics and limitations of AI technology when used indiscriminately in the restoration of classic films. At the same time, the loose verification system for overseas rights trading has come under fire. Above all, it serves as a significant warning to the film industry, demonstrating the negative side effects that occur when restoration work, which should preserve a film’s history and artistry, focuses too heavily on commercial promotion like “4K remastering.”
