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posted Friday, 6 January 2006
Organizers of the Cannes film festival took great pleasure, this week, in announcing the appointment of the renowned Chinese director 王家衛 (Wong Karwai), as the jury president for the 59th annual Cannes Film festival, which is scheduled to begin on 17 May and to run until 28 May this year.
While not extensively known in the west, 王家衛 (Wong Karwai) is widely regarded as being one of Asia's most noteworthy contemporary directory, and is himself, a former veteran of Cannes; having been awarded a coveted Best Director award in 1997, for his stirring portrayal of the relationship between two Chinese homosexuals in 春光乍泄 (Happy Together).
王 (Wong) will be the first Chinese director to head the jury at Cannes.
Questions
Despite 王 (Wong)'s undeniable directorial pedigree, some questions have however been raised in regard to the placement of a Chinese director at the head of the jury; Specifically, as to what might occur if he is paired up against a film that touches on Chinese sensitivities.
Cannes, Controversy, and China
Though questions have been raised in regards to 王 (Wong) and the judging of Chinese films, such questions mostly have had less to do with his honesty and integrity when judging, and more to do with Cannes' tendency to openly defy Beijing.
As such, questions regarding 王 (Wong) have largely been in relation to concerns that he might come under pressure form Beijing to come down against any productions that have been censored or banned in China, and fears that his career might suffer if he makes a decision that goes against the will of the state during the festival.
Previously, internationally acclaimed Chinese director 張藝謀 (Zhang Yimou) was twice censured for his involvement with the Cannes film festival. Once when his 1994 film 活着 (Lifetime/To live) was screened without approval from state censors, and once due to the use of his 1997 film 有話好好說 (keep Cool) as a political pawn by Beijing.
活着 (Lifetime/To live) - a depiction of the downfall of a wealth Chinese, was banned by Beijing for being 'anti-communist'. It was however show at Cannes without state permission, going on to win the Special Jury Prize and best actor award (葛優:Ge You).
It is widely believed that 有話好好說 (keep Cool) was banned from display at Cannes in order to pressure organizers into not displaying another, more controversial, Chinese films; 东宫西宫 (East place, West place); a rendition of the lives and treatment of homosexuals in modern day China.
As a result of his involvement with Cannes, and his film making, 張 (Zhang) was forbidden from filming outside China and from accepting external funding.
Despite actions by Beijing, including the prohibition on 有話好好說 (keep Cool) as bargaining tool, a copy of 东宫西宫 (East place, West place) was smuggled out of China by associates of its director 张元 (Zhang Yuan), who was under house arrest at the time in order to prevent his attendance of Cannes.
It went on be displayed at Cannes, and to win critical acclaim - much to the fury of Chinese officials.
More recently, Cannes caused outrage in Beijing in 2004, when it screen Ce qu'il reste de nous (What remains of us); a documentary depicting the repression of the Tibetan people, and the erosion of their culture, under Chinese occupation.
Ce qu'il reste de nous (What remains of us) was considered so controversial that attendants of its screening were stripped of cameras, video cameras, and tape recorder, in order to prevent them from revealing, to Beijing, the identities of the Tibetans who participated in the documentary.
Comically, Beijing was unable to publicly denounce Cannes' screening of Ce qu'il reste de nous (What remains of us) in China because doing so would have been tantamount to admitting the existence of dissent in Tibet; which Beijing claims as an integral, and willing, components of China.
王 (Wong) V Beijing
Though largely avoiding many of the stickier situations in China, by virtue of operating out of Hong Kong, 王 (Wong) has, himself, run up against a number of problems when attempting to work with Beijing, and has issued several vocal criticisms of Chinese tactics in regard to the Honk Kong films.
Notably, in 2001, 王 (Wong) struck out against the mainland's attitude towards free artistic expression through film, saying that, while Beijing had yet to directly censor the Hong Kong film industry in the same way as it has done with the mainland, it has gone out of its way to place barriers between the territory and the rest of China under which censorship could be enforced; specifically, that China persists in defining Hong Kong productions as being 'foreign'.
Though seemingly senseless, and in direct contradiction to Beijing's assertion that the territory is an integral part of China, this categorization allows Hong Kong movies to be restricted under the same system of censorship and quotas, that is used against films make outside greater China, without the need for Beijing to directly monitor or intervene with Hong Kong movie institutions, and to apply censorship to Hong Kong films in a way that is less likely to arouse the international community.
| "I am eager to share the dreams of the greatest talents of contemporary cinema with my jury comrades." 王家衛 (Wong Karwai), Director |
|
While not extensively known in the west, 王家衛 (Wong Karwai) is widely regarded as being one of Asia's most noteworthy contemporary directory, and is himself, a former veteran of Cannes; having been awarded a coveted Best Director award in 1997, for his stirring portrayal of the relationship between two Chinese homosexuals in 春光乍泄 (Happy Together).
王 (Wong) will be the first Chinese director to head the jury at Cannes.
Questions
Despite 王 (Wong)'s undeniable directorial pedigree, some questions have however been raised in regard to the placement of a Chinese director at the head of the jury; Specifically, as to what might occur if he is paired up against a film that touches on Chinese sensitivities.
Cannes, Controversy, and China
Though questions have been raised in regards to 王 (Wong) and the judging of Chinese films, such questions mostly have had less to do with his honesty and integrity when judging, and more to do with Cannes' tendency to openly defy Beijing.
As such, questions regarding 王 (Wong) have largely been in relation to concerns that he might come under pressure form Beijing to come down against any productions that have been censored or banned in China, and fears that his career might suffer if he makes a decision that goes against the will of the state during the festival.
Previously, internationally acclaimed Chinese director 張藝謀 (Zhang Yimou) was twice censured for his involvement with the Cannes film festival. Once when his 1994 film 活着 (Lifetime/To live) was screened without approval from state censors, and once due to the use of his 1997 film 有話好好說 (keep Cool) as a political pawn by Beijing.
活着 (Lifetime/To live) - a depiction of the downfall of a wealth Chinese, was banned by Beijing for being 'anti-communist'. It was however show at Cannes without state permission, going on to win the Special Jury Prize and best actor award (葛優:Ge You).
It is widely believed that 有話好好說 (keep Cool) was banned from display at Cannes in order to pressure organizers into not displaying another, more controversial, Chinese films; 东宫西宫 (East place, West place); a rendition of the lives and treatment of homosexuals in modern day China.
| "The Ministry of Radio, Film and Television and the Film Bureau will not allow Zhang Yimou's 'Keep Cool' to be sent to Cannes" Beijing |
|
As a result of his involvement with Cannes, and his film making, 張 (Zhang) was forbidden from filming outside China and from accepting external funding.
Despite actions by Beijing, including the prohibition on 有話好好說 (keep Cool) as bargaining tool, a copy of 东宫西宫 (East place, West place) was smuggled out of China by associates of its director 张元 (Zhang Yuan), who was under house arrest at the time in order to prevent his attendance of Cannes.
It went on be displayed at Cannes, and to win critical acclaim - much to the fury of Chinese officials.
More recently, Cannes caused outrage in Beijing in 2004, when it screen Ce qu'il reste de nous (What remains of us); a documentary depicting the repression of the Tibetan people, and the erosion of their culture, under Chinese occupation.
Ce qu'il reste de nous (What remains of us) was considered so controversial that attendants of its screening were stripped of cameras, video cameras, and tape recorder, in order to prevent them from revealing, to Beijing, the identities of the Tibetans who participated in the documentary.
Comically, Beijing was unable to publicly denounce Cannes' screening of Ce qu'il reste de nous (What remains of us) in China because doing so would have been tantamount to admitting the existence of dissent in Tibet; which Beijing claims as an integral, and willing, components of China.
王 (Wong) V Beijing
Though largely avoiding many of the stickier situations in China, by virtue of operating out of Hong Kong, 王 (Wong) has, himself, run up against a number of problems when attempting to work with Beijing, and has issued several vocal criticisms of Chinese tactics in regard to the Honk Kong films.
| "we wanted to make a film in Beijing and call it 'Summer In Beijing'. It was a love story about two homeless citizens working in Beijing. But because we had to shoot in Mainland China, we had to submit the script for approval from the censors, and they had problems with it" 王家衛 (Wong Karwai) |
|
Notably, in 2001, 王 (Wong) struck out against the mainland's attitude towards free artistic expression through film, saying that, while Beijing had yet to directly censor the Hong Kong film industry in the same way as it has done with the mainland, it has gone out of its way to place barriers between the territory and the rest of China under which censorship could be enforced; specifically, that China persists in defining Hong Kong productions as being 'foreign'.
Though seemingly senseless, and in direct contradiction to Beijing's assertion that the territory is an integral part of China, this categorization allows Hong Kong movies to be restricted under the same system of censorship and quotas, that is used against films make outside greater China, without the need for Beijing to directly monitor or intervene with Hong Kong movie institutions, and to apply censorship to Hong Kong films in a way that is less likely to arouse the international community.
| "On the good side, we can still make films the way we like. We don't have censorship problems in Hong Kong. On the down side, [Honk Kong Productions are] still considered foreign films ....... since Hong Kong films are considered imports, it's very difficult to get a film shown in China” 王家衛 (Wong Karwai) |
|
View Comments/Add a Comment (3)
1. Sarah left...
Saturday, 7 January 2006 2:50 am :: http://www.journalscape.com/rhubarb/
Did you know that Brokeback Mountain, a film up for many Golden Globe
Awards, was directed by Ang Lee? It has a strong homosexual theme. He has
been nominated for a Golden Globe Award as Director. The Golden Globes
often presage the Academy Awards. We shall see....
2. ACB left...
Saturday, 7 January 2006 3:48 am :: http://angrychineseblogger.blog-city.com
I'd heard about the film getting good reviews, I'd also heard a couple of
interviews with these 'cowboys' who said that 'it couldn't happen'.