The 21st century equivalent of Terry Gilliam's great dystopian fantasy, Brazil has yet to be made. However, when they do get around to making it, I suggest they set it in China. Better yet, in a delicious bit of self-referential irony, it could be about China's own movie industry, as is perfectly clear in this entertaining post from Danwei's Joel Martinsen:
The fate of the new movie Curiosity Kills the Cat (好奇害死猫) was in limbo recently after negatives were confiscated when it was discovered that some of the film's sex scenes may have stepped over the line.

Par for the course in Chinese media regulation, right? Except that instead of the watchdogs at SARFT laying down the law, it was one Mr. Zhao, an employee at the Beijing Film Developing and Printing & Video Laboratory, who refused to print the film or return the negatives.
You'll actually taste the frustration. Also, I had no idea that you couldn't exhibit a Chinese film overseas without permission, although, now that I think about it, it seems exactly like something the entertainment-challenged bureaucrats at SARFT would mandate.

Note to my brother, the filmmaker: you thought your life was rough.