A Taiwanese movie with scenes of street violence, pollution and poverty has been banned after the national censorship board said it was bad for the country's image.

I Don't Want to Sleep Alone, by Malaysian director Tsai Ming-liang, was filmed in Kuala Lumpur and stars Taiwanese actor Lee Kang-sheng and Malaysian newcomer Norman Atun, The Star newspaper reported.

Lee plays a Taiwanese, Hsiao-kang, who gets robbed and beaten in the streets before he is rescued by immigrant worker Rawang, played by Norman.

Among the eight reasons the board listed for the ban were that the movie depicted Malaysians as cold-hearted in scenes showing locals beating up and deceiving foreign workers, producer Leonard Tee was quoted as saying.

Tsai told The Star from Taipei, where he is based, that he had done his best to abide by the rules of the Censorship Board.

"I'm Malaysian, so I do understand the sensitivities and rules and regulations in the country," he was quoted as saying.

"The film is not about Malaysia. The theme is about human relationships and the need for man to find love, warmth and someone they can depend on," he said.

Well received by audience

I Don't Want to Sleep Alone received a standing ovation when it premiered at the Venice film festival last year, The Star said.

"Everyone was moved and touched by the film. We wanted to share that glory with our fellow Malaysians," Tee was quoted as saying.

He said the film's backers appealed after receiving the Censorship Board's decision on Feb 1.

The film is to be released in Taiwan on March 23, later this month in Japan, and next month in Singapore and the United States, the newspaper reported.

Tsai's movie was the second film to be banned recently in Malaysia.

The documentary Apa Khabar Orang Kampung (Village People Radio Show) featured ex-members of the outlawed Communist Party of Malaya.

Censors accused it of being one-sided and pro-communist, said Amir Muhammad, who made the film.