With all of the media attention that China gets these days, I often forget that it is a very different place than North America. I’m not judging anyone… they are just different places. Take for example this story from M&C today about the film “Summer Palace”:
Acclaimed Chinese director Lou Ye and his producer Nai An have been banned from making films for the next five years after submitting a film to the Cannes Film Festival without government approval. According to the Regulations on Administration of Films, Lou may not make films for five years, and his film and five to ten times the film’s income will be confiscated.
“I feel sorry for him. He should have abided by the rules. I think the final aim of any Chinese film director is to shoot films for a Chinese audience rather than certain film festivals,” Lu Chuan, a Chinese director acclaimed for “Kekexili Mountain Patrol,” said in an earlier interview.
Like I said, I’m not trying to pass judgment on anyone. I’m sure there are things we do here in North America that repulse people in China with their different set of sensibilities. But the pure “reality” of this story really shocked me. You did something the government didn’t approve of… BANG… no making movies for you for 5 years. Ouch! The Irony is that I can see a movie being made about this situation.
I hate the Chinese governement!! Damn fools! And I dislike my own Swedish government!! I hope we have a new one within two weeks where there is election here.
Let’s see if the Cannes Film Festival has the guts to honor this director with any awards.
Thought of more to say;
What I mean by what I just said, that the Chinese government never would have approved it anyway, which I highly highly doubt it would have, as the Chinese government doesn’t want its citizens knowing Tiananmen Square even happened, is that I think I respect the director for making the decision that he did. He made his film, he knew it didn’t stand a chance of getting approved, so he decides screw it I’ll show it anyway and face the consequences. To me at least, that shows that the director, who had to know there would be consequences, was willing to face them and stand by his film.
From what I’ve read, the film is about a love story taking place at the same time as the Tiananmen Square crackdown, which means, the Chinese government never would have approved the film anyway.
I dunno what’s worse – the fact that they’ve infringed on this guys human rights or the fact that everyone is bending over backwards “not to judge” them.
It’s great to see that lowering all restrictions to imports from China has caused the great liberalization that the proponents of free trade promised.
Why can’t stuff like this happen to Uwe Boll? Except instead of 5 years, make it 8 years. Then when he’s covering his eyes to hide his tears of shame and embarassment, turn the 8 sideways.
Thats insane.
Wow! China is so GD sick! He should defect, and come to the US! C’mon Lou you can chill at my krib til you find a place.