Post by stabcaesar on Mar 18, 2021 1:40:16 GMT
China Orders Media To Downplay Oscars Coverage After Chloé Zhao, Hong Kong Doc Noms
Hollywood either needs to wake the fuck up about their China self-censorship, or they will die a very slow and painful death.
The Chinese government has told local media to curb coverage of the Oscars ceremony next month due to its concerns over past comments made by Best Director nominee Chloe Zhao, as well as the nomination of a short documentary about the Hong Kong protests.
Bloomberg cited local sources in reporting that the Communist Party’s propaganda department issued the order to all media, stating that coverage should focus on the less controversial categories and that they should not broadcast the ceremony in real time. The news was also reported by Radio Free Asia and Hong Kong’s Apple Daily.
Zhao was initially heralded in China after the success of Nomadland at Venice, but that reception turned sour when comments she made in a 2013 interview resurfaced. In the article with Filmmaker magazine, the director referred to China as “a place where there are lies everywhere”; the article has since been deleted. For more on the Zhao reaction check out our deep dive into the subject from Monday.
The nominated short film, Do Not Split, is by Norwegian filmmaker Anders Hammer. It covers the anti-Beijing demonstrations in Hong Kong in 2019 and China’s growing influence in the territory.
No official statement has been made by the Chinese government. The Oscars ceremony has been streamed live in the country in the last two years, including on 1905.com, which is run by a subsidiary of state broadcaster China Central Television
Bloomberg cited local sources in reporting that the Communist Party’s propaganda department issued the order to all media, stating that coverage should focus on the less controversial categories and that they should not broadcast the ceremony in real time. The news was also reported by Radio Free Asia and Hong Kong’s Apple Daily.
Zhao was initially heralded in China after the success of Nomadland at Venice, but that reception turned sour when comments she made in a 2013 interview resurfaced. In the article with Filmmaker magazine, the director referred to China as “a place where there are lies everywhere”; the article has since been deleted. For more on the Zhao reaction check out our deep dive into the subject from Monday.
The nominated short film, Do Not Split, is by Norwegian filmmaker Anders Hammer. It covers the anti-Beijing demonstrations in Hong Kong in 2019 and China’s growing influence in the territory.
No official statement has been made by the Chinese government. The Oscars ceremony has been streamed live in the country in the last two years, including on 1905.com, which is run by a subsidiary of state broadcaster China Central Television
