Vietnamese 18+ film producer fined for illegal YouTube distribution Vietnam's Ministry of Culture fined an amateur film producer VND10 million (US$472) for releasing a racy sitcom episode on Youtube without permission from state management agencies. On September 4, ministry inspectors gave Nguyen Thanh Nam, the producer of Can ho so 69 (Apartment No. 69), 10 days to pay the fine for “publicly releasing films without permission.” Under Vietnamese law, filmmakers, organizations and individuals alike, are only allowed to produce films through authorized movie production companies. In addition, films must be reviewed by the National Film Examination Council before being released on any public channel by the culture ministry's Film Department under the cultural ministry. “We accept the fine and agree not to violate the law again,” Nam told news website VnExpress. A still from Apartment No. 69. Can ho so 69 was a 25-episode sitcom series for viewers aged 18 and older. It focuses on themes of love, sex, and friendship among a group of young adults, according to its producer. The first episode of the series, released in June, drew wide controversy due to its sexually provocative. The episode included largely comical scenes depicting a man masturbating on a sofa and at a public bus stop and a woman taking off her bra in front of the man. The producer suspended plans to release a new episode every month on Youtube, after inspectors from the Ministry of Culture opened an investigation.  Thanh Nien News