Films from Asia are struggling to compete at this year’s major film festivals. That’s not necessarily a reflection on their artistic merits, but a symptom of a painful 2021 divide between the film …
Films from Asia are struggling to compete at this year’s major film festivals. That’s not necessarily a reflection on their artistic merits, but a symptom of a painful 2021 divide between the film industry’s East and West.Venice Film Festival
The heart of Asia’s festival troubles is a combination of COVID-related travel restrictions and a mistrust of hybrid and online festivals by rights holders and distributors. A change of direction by the Chinese industry adds another, smaller complication. “Online festivals don’t really work in Asia. Chinese and Korean rights holders are very protective. It is not the culture either,” says Mike Goodridge, artistic director of the International Film Festival and Awards Macao, which went online in 2020. “Negotiating rights is especially hard. We lost tentpoles and all the Chinese films. Theatrical is simply too precious.”
“We’ve had some issues with festivals. Some have been reluctant to put on individual watermarking [on digital prints]. We continually battle with problems of Chinese censorship and piracy. It is like some of the festivals still don’t get it.” Also, throughout much of Asia, many governments are still mandating prolonged quarantine periods regardless of vaccination status, or are operating return quotas . That means filmmakers and executives could conceivably travel out to the fall festivals, but they would be trapped in hotel lockdown on return, and turn a one-week trip into nearly a month.
Instead, the Chinese film industry is taking a more populist and propagandist direction that is less attractive to overseas festivals. “I don’t think Venice and Toronto have stopped looking at Hong Kong or Chinese films. Rather, China’s films are increasingly being made for domestic consumption. No major directors such as Chen Kaige are currently making festival films,” says Albert Lee, executive director of the Hong Kong Intl. Film Festival.
Australia Latest News, Australia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
'Shang-Chi' and what it took to finally get an Asian superhero into the MCUHow do you turn a cliché-ridden comic book character into a distinctly Asian American superhero? Tackle the tropes one by one.
Read more »
‘Hollywood Remixed’: Simu Liu on Portrayals of Asian Masculinity and Reclaiming the Martial Artist Trope in ‘Shang-Chi’In the '(Not) Everybody Was Kung-Fu Fighting' episode of THR's inclusion-themed podcast, Marvel's newest hero dives deep into the complicated relationship Asian American men have with martial arts: 'It can be a source of empowerment, but being the kung fu guy can also be a system of control for Asian men.'
Read more »
79 New Albums We May or May Not Hear This FallAlso, meet your new festival season. Dress accordingly.
Read more »
Kobe Bryant's Daughter, Natalia, Says Dad Inspired Her To Pursue Film CareerNatalia Bryant says her dad, Kobe, inspired her to pursue a career as a filmmaker ... and she's hoping to win an Oscar, just like him.
Read more »
‘Star Trek: Picard’: Annie Wersching To Recur As Borg Queen For Season 2 Of Paramount+ SeriesBosch and Runaways alum Annie Wersching will join the Season 2 cast of Paramount+’s and CBS Studios’ Star Trek: Picard. The series stars Patrick Stewart, Alison Pill, Isa Briones, Evan …
Read more »
These Are the Coolest Fall Denim Pieces You'll Ever Buy, and You Can't Tell Us OtherwiseLow-rise, crystal-embellished, and printed denim makes a comeback for fall 2021 — shop our editor's picks.
Read more »