Chinese Pull Two Films from Palm Springs Fest

by Anne Thompson
January 6, 2010 6:16 AM
1 Comment

According to the Palm Springs International Film festival, the reason why the China Film Group has pulled two films from the fest (which got under way Tuesday) is to protest the showing of Ritu Sarin and Tenzing Sonam's pro-Tibet doc The Sun Behind the Clouds: Tibet's Struggle for Freedom (trailer on jump). So China pulled the horrific Nanking film The City of Life and Death, which scored with audiences and critics at September's Toronto Film Fest; National Geographic Films is set to release it in March. The film's director, Lu Chuan, told the Hollywood Reporter that China is protesting the fest's inclusion of a film about the Dalai Lama.

China also pulled a second film, Ye Kai's short Quick Quick Slow Slow. “After meeting with representatives from the Chinese government regarding their request to cancel our screenings of The Sun Behind the Clouds: Tibet’s Struggle for Freedom, we have respectfully declined their request," Festival Director Darryl Macdonald said. "I’m saddened that the Chinese film authorities have chosen to withdraw their films from PSIFF, as the Festival is an international cultural event whose mandate is to present a wide cross section of perspectives and points of view. That said, we cannot allow the concerns of one country or community to dictate what films we should or should not play, based on their own cultural or political perspective. Freedom of expression is a concept that is integral both to the validity of artistic events, and indeed, to the ethos of this country.”

This is not the first time China has interfered with its filmmakers showing their work abroad.

More: festivals, Genres, Documentaries

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tom tom | January 6, 2010 8:36 AMReply

This kind of behavior is getting out of hand, recently samething happened in Australia's film festival and now here in the States.. this is another method that the Chinese gov't are using, they thing they own the world by behaving such childish manners... what is the logic behind this??? Well... the truth itself is very difficult to handle for China.. they cannot imagine that there's another side of the story! World needs to pay more attention to China's behavior... we cannot ignore their lack of sincerity and respect to the basic universal human rights.... I also think that these Chinese directors have to obey their gov'ts demand if they want the continue working in China - so they don't have much choice.

Chinese Pull Two Films from Palm Springs Fest

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