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.
