Outrage leads to cancellation of former prisoner's film screening.

The film "Mother Comes from Prison" had to cancel its theatrical release due to a wave of intense public outrage in China. Audiences argued that the film was deliberately trying to whitewash the crimes of its lead actress, a former prisoner convicted of murder.

As soon as the scheduled release date of May 30th was announced, "Mother from Prison" immediately faced fierce opposition. Hundreds of thousands of indignant comments appeared on Weibo, pushing the topic past 500 million views. The majority of netizens unanimously demanded that the project be stopped. The main reason stemmed from the fact that the film completely altered the actual plot, transforming a brutal crime into a tearful story.

Specifically, the character Liao Hong in the work is portrayed as a victim of domestic violence for a long period, forced to defend herself due to the unbearable suffering. However, actual court records show that the perpetrator, Zhao Xiaohong (who played Liao Hong), did not provide any evidence of being abused. Viewers harshly criticized this scriptwriting, considering it an act of "romanticizing crime."

Zhao Xiaohong previously received an acting award at a film festival in Spain. Life Week

Outrage intensified when the film's promotional team used language praising the female lead as a radiant hero, appreciating her perseverance and her willingness to bring light to others in their most painful moments. Even the real-life mother-in-law and son of the perpetrator participated in the project, recreating a scene of family forgiveness after the female lead's release from prison.

Under immense public pressure, actress Yao Chen had to delete a post praising Zhao Xiaohong's courage and apologize to the public for not fully understanding the truth behind the film. Currently, all of Zhao Xiaohong's social media accounts have been banned by the platforms with a notice of violation of laws or network regulations. Notably, "Mother from Prison" won the Best Actress award at the San Sebastian International Film Festival (Spain) in September 2025. At that time, the producers had not yet widely promoted the film in China, so it did not receive much attention.

Legal violations committed by the film crew.

Zhao Xiaohong's real-life story began in 2009 when she fatally stabbed her husband with a fruit knife following a domestic dispute. Despite mitigating circumstances such as confessing and calling for emergency medical assistance, she was sentenced to 15 years in prison for intentional infliction of injury resulting in death. Thanks to good behavior during her imprisonment, she received clemency and was officially released in 2019.

The most serious legal issue surrounding "Mother from Prison" lies in the production process itself. Director Qin Xiaoyu began filming in 2018, while Zhao Xiaohong was still serving his sentence. Under the guise of a documentary, the film crew obtained permission to enter the prison. However, during filming, the director simultaneously shot a commercial film version. It wasn't until 2021 that this project completed the registration process with the China Film Administration.

Regarding the matter, lawyer Zhou Zhaocheng in Beijing asserted that the law does not permit prisoners serving sentences to participate in commercial performances in any form, including filming or appearing on television. All filming activities inside prisons are only permitted for educational and rehabilitation purposes. Turning such footage into commercial publications is a violation of the law.

Sharing this view, lawyer Phó Kiện in Hà Nam province assessed that the producer's act of using the documentary genre to film a commercial work shows signs of deceiving authorities to obtain administrative permits. Furthermore, starting filming years in advance before completing the permit application process also demonstrates a disregard for mandatory procedures in film production.

The desire of those who have made mistakes to rebuild their lives is always a humane theme. However, from a legal perspective, exploiting family pain or the effort to reintegrate into society as a work of art must strictly adhere to current regulations.

Source: t/h

Source: https://danviet.vn/phan-no-khien-phim-cua-cuu-tu-nhan-huy-chieu-d1428051.html