About the film
Behemoth is a Chinese documentary film directed by Zhao Liang about the environmental, sociological, and public health effects of coal-mining in China’s Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. Loosely based on Dante Alighieri's Divine Comedy, Liang’s documentary has been lauded for its surreal cinematography and poignant imagery. The film was released in competition on September 11, 2015 at the 72nd Venice International Film Festival.
The film was banned in China. Liang commented on the ban, saying that "even though environmental protection is a national policy, but the regional government quite disliked this type of film (虽然环保是国家政策，但是地方政府对这种电影很反感)". This was not Liang’s first banned film, as his 2009 documentary Petition was also subjected to government censorship.
From the film's Wikipedia article (CC BY-SA 4.0).