AI-Restored Film Screening in South Korea Banned After Severe Visual Distortions
A South Korean film distributor screened an unauthorized AI-restored version of the 1989 Taiwanese classic City of Sadness in test screenings, but it contained severe visual distortions such as fluctuating hand finger counts and morphing facial features. The film's producer demanded the screening be withdrawn, and the Korean Art-house Cinema Association ordered all member theatres to cease screenings.
What happened
South Korean distributor A-Some Pictures planned to screen the classic 1989 Taiwanese film City of Sadness in South Korean theatres on May 6, 2026, for the first time in 36 years.
Test screenings revealed the film had been processed with an AI restoration system that introduced severe visual distortions: characters' hand fingers changed in number throughout scenes, teeth and lips morphed into each other and oral cavity skin, and background elements were transformed into unintelligible characters described as 'alien language'.
On April 29, 2026, filmmaker Qiu Fusheng, the film's producer, sent a formal letter to South Korean theatres stating he had not authorized the screening and demanding it be withdrawn.
Reported impact
Viewers reported the visual distortions made the film unwatchable, with one observer stating the image quality was so poor that it was impossible to see lead actor Tony Leung despite attending specifically to watch him.
The Korean Art-house Cinema Association ordered all member theatres nationwide to cease screening the version on April 30, 2026, citing protection of copyright holders' rights and the principle that screenings cannot proceed without confirmed legal rights.
Index analysis
The distributor A-Some Pictures stated it had legally obtained the film from French film company Films Sans Frontiรจres, which reportedly purchased worldwide rights and copyright in October 1994.
Industry observers speculated the distributor may have possessed only rights to convert original film negatives to digital format, and upon discovering poor quality output from a 4K projector, independently applied AI restoration without authorization.
The film's producer and director denied they would have authorized AI restoration, with observers suggesting the distributor was either deliberately defrauding audiences or had itself been defrauded by an unauthorized licensing intermediary.
Governance controls
The Korean Art-house Cinema Association, representing art-house cinema operators nationwide, enforced a suspension of the screening, establishing the principle that screenings require confirmed legal rights before proceeding.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.