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Hong Kong movie industry furious over court ruling on fake film notes

The Federation of Hong Kong Filmmakers, an industry body of Hong Kong directors, is furious over the city's recent court ruling to sentence two film staff for possessing banknotes used in a 2016 film, calling for more collaboration among government departments as a solution.

On May 31, Cheung Wai-chuen and Law Yun-lam were sentenced to four months in prison and suspended for two years by a Hong Kong district court which found British pounds, yuan, U.S. and Hong Kong dollars in their warehouse and car, respectively. The banknotes were props that were used in a crime thriller "Trivisa."

During the trial, the judge said that the props looked so real that "nobody could rule out the risk of people stealing these fakes and using them as real money."

The two film crew members were found guilty for keeping the prop notes without seeking permission from financial watchdog the Hong Kong Monetary Authority.

Under the city’s Crimes Ordinance, keeping counterfeit notes and coins without lawful authority is punishable by three years in prison.

In a statement to S&P Global Market Intelligence, a spokesperson from the Federation of Hong Kong Filmmakers expressed outrage with the sentence, stating that the prop money "is not counterfeit" but that it "is only a prop."

The spokesperson added that the federation will "liaise with relevant government departments so as to make a clear path for further productions."

In a statement released the same day as the court’s decision was made, the organization called the case an "international joke."

"This is against the industry’s dedication to professionalism in filmmaking. The authorities took on a case that case was unjust. Members of the Hong Kong film industry are not only disappointed and furious, it also sends shivers down our spines," the statement continued, according to a report from Variety.

Further, the Federation of Hong Kong Filmmakers said all of its 11 members wrote to the court testifying that the industry has not received any guidelines from the government regarding the way it should handle prop money. Pointing to the sentence, the industry body concluded that such decisions "will only kill the Hong Kong film industry."

Cheung and Law were first prosecuted for holding counterfeit cash five months ago, The Standard reported January 5. Police officers had reportedly seized 223,000 fake notes in 21 boxes from Cheung’s props store.