On December 17th, BHUTAN became the first country to outright ban tobacco sales nationwide.
On October 20th HONG KONG finally voted on banned smoking in bars and restaurants.
In May, INDIA outlawed smoking in public.

I'm wondering if this will affect the films that are exported to these countries. BHUTAN is a large importer of KOREAN goods (I don't know about films), and the distaste for tobacco could easily become a portent for banning it's promotion in addition to its sale.
In Indian films I can scaecely recall people being shown to enjoy tobacco products beyond an unlit cigar. Hong Kong is a different story completely, but there is a push toward a national health agenda by parliament. There has been discussion about preventing the act of smoking or dipping from being shown on prime time television in the US and in several European countries during peak hours when children would be viewing, too. Will it be an act that all together disappears from cinema in an anticipation of legistaion? Maybe tobacco consuption will require a higher rating, like Cat II in Hong Kong, or R in America. It will be interesting to see what happens.

So such as this year's YESTERDAY ONCE MORE -- with its pair of cigar-smoking protagonists -- might well represent the last gasp (sorry, can't resist!) for those film-makers who can be quite flagrant about having smoking scenes galore in their movies?

Also, FWIW, have read that there are plans to outlaw smoking scenes from local films in Malaysia, whose national government's most recent budget included higher taxes on nicotine products to try to further dissuade people from smoking. OTOH, have not (yet) read of their being any plans to cut smoking scenes out of foreign films screened in the country (and, in all honesty, *really* would get irate if such a "development" were to come into being).

heh...toronto's banned from smoking in bars and restaurants too.
i've talked alot of smokers about this matter and they are all annoyed on the fact that they have to step outside for a smoke when they're in the bars, and strip bars and such.

as a smoker myself, i am a bit annoyed about it as well.

As a reformed smoker, I refuse to go to bars and clubs in order to avoid cigarette smoke. While I understand the smoker's addiction and unrelenting urge to light up, especially when drinking, I also understand that bar, club, and restaurant workers that don't smoke have a right to breathe clean air.

I don't support outright bans; it's my contention that adults have the right to enjoy carcinogens and carbon monoxide intake. I do support non-smoking bars, clubs, and restaurants as an alternative and feel this would be a step in the right direction as opposed to out and out banning public consumption.

I think someone forgot to tell Tsai Ming-liang--cuz Goodbye Dragon Inn is more or less a nonstop smokefest! ;)