STARS ENDORSE MOVIE : LETTER SLAMS CHINA OVER DALAI LAMA FILM.

Byline: Renee Schoof Associated Press 

Hollywood stars have condemned China for trying to block a movie about the Dalai Lama, Tibet's exiled spiritual leader, accusing Beijing of attempting to ``impose worldwide censorship.''

Barbra Streisand, Paul Newman, Susan Sarandon and Oliver Stone were among 41 celebrities who signed a letter sent this week to Chinese Ambassador Li Daoyu in Washington.

China has told the Walt Disney Co. it opposes plans to distribute ``Kundun,'' a new film about the Dalai Lama, whom China accuses of trying to split Tibet from China. China annexed the Himalayan region in 1951.

China's objections were considered a veiled threat that Beijing would block Disney's plans to expand in the Chinese market if the company did not scrap the film. Last month, Disney said it would go ahead with the movie.

The celebrities' letter, released by Human Rights Watch-Asia, accused China of trying ``to impose worldwide censorship on any artistic production that does not meet with official approval.''

Government spokesman Shen Guofang said Thursday the letter's authors did not understand China's views or its film industry.

``The Chinese government and Chinese officials have never put any kind of pressure on Disney. We just hope Disney can carry out even better cooperation with relevant Chinese elements,'' he said.

Shen also added that in China, ``there is no system of film censorship. China produces many films every year without any censorship problems.''

The letter - also signed by Bernardo Bertolucci, Jonathan Demme, Richard Dreyfuss, Spike Lee and others - listed a dozen Chinese government attempts in recent years to ban films or prevent filmmakers from working.