Film

All news and posts of our editorial team on the topic

Box-office hit ‘Return to Dust’: Too authentic for Beijing
Against expectations, "Return to Dust," a movie about the troubles of the poor rural population, has become a box-office hit in China. But since its powerful images undermine Xi Jinping's success story of the fight against poverty in the countryside, it has now fallen victim to the censorship authorities. China's movie fans are outraged. continue reading →
End of Hong Kong film city
Hong Kong's film industry was once the third largest in the world. Even before the suppression of the democracy movement, the industry suffered from censorship and self-censorship. A few continued courageously with critical documentary films. That, too, is now over. continue reading →
No superheroes for China
With "Thor – Love and Thunder," another Marvel blockbuster has skipped China. Protectionist policies have prevented major US releases for years. Instead, patriotic Chinese productions are climbing the box office. The Chinese and global cinema markets are drifting further and further apart – a missed financial opportunity for both sides. continue reading →
Filmmaker C.B. Yi – ‘China’s male sex workers are unsung heroes’
Family gathering in the Chinese province. Five men are seated around a table, slightly drunk, waiting for their wives to serve the next dishes. With shot glasses at the ready, they question the youngest: “Fei, do you have a girlfriend yet? Your father has been waiting for a grandchild for a long time,” says one […] continue reading →
Movie star accepts government job
One of China’s most popular up-and-coming actors has closed his own entertainment company and taken a job with a state-sponsored theater: 22-year-old Jackson Yee (Yi Yangqianxi), who rose to fame as a member of the popular boy band TFBoys, has signed on as an actor with the National Theatre of China, according to the Ministry […] continue reading →
Philipp Niemietz – cinema for a more diverse image of China
Since 2019, he has been working as a cultural coordinator at the Leipzig Confucius Institute. The institute’s mission is to promote the Chinese language and culture. For Niemietz, that means he and his team organize the annual Chinese film festival “CHAI”. “We try to give a space to voices that are otherwise not heard,” he […] continue reading →
Hollywood’s red rag
Billionaire Wang Jianling wanted to compete with Hollywood and promised to build the most technically advanced and largest film studios in the world. Qingdao was to become the Chinese Cannes. Not much came of it. Nevertheless, many believed in him. continue reading →
Censors cut gay reference from ‘Secrets of Dumbledore’
China’s censorship authorities have removed references to a gay relationship in the movie “Fantastic Beasts: Dumbledore’s Secrets” for Chinese audiences. Six seconds of the movie were cut, according to media reports. In these, a romantic relationship is suggested between the characters Albus Dumbledore and Gellert Grindelwald. In the Chinese version, the line “because I was […] continue reading →
China purges movies starring Keanu Reeves
Chinese streaming platforms such as Iqiyi or QQ-Video have removed all movies overnight featuring Hollywood star Keanu Reeves, including popular blockbusters such as “Matrix” or “Speed”. Reeves’ Chinese name “Jinu Liweisi” no longer yields any search results on these channels. Only the animated film “Toy Story 4” can still be found, reports the LA Times. […] continue reading →
‘In China, they quickly say: we do this differently’
It took a lot of convincing. But now not only Hollywood but also more than 70 percent of movies and 80 percent of TV shows in China are produced with Arri camera systems. The success of the traditional Munich-based company in the People's Republic is also largely credited to Forest Liu. In today's interview, Liu explains why it is not always wise to follow the latest hypes and how the Chinese movie industry has changed. continue reading →
Propaganda films weaken the cinema market
In China, more propaganda films are being shown again. But although the "genre" appears with powerful images, they attract only a few viewers and thus damage distribution and cinema operators. It is not a risk-free business for production companies either, because historical content is subject to particularly close scrutiny. continue reading →
Opening of Universal Studios: More freedom for the park than for movies
The Chinese film market is becoming more and more important for Hollywood, but Beijing keeps Hollywood films on a tight leash. And so America's soft power is blazing a different trail: The world's largest amusement park of the American Universal Studios has opened its gates in China's capital. continue reading →
Hong Kong also censors older movies
Hong Kong is now moving closer to the mainland’s censorship methods in the movie industry. An amendment to the law passed on Tuesday provides for the immediate screening of older films for possible violations of the National Security Act before being shown to the public. This is to include movies that have already been given […] continue reading →
Jackie Chan: Wannabe Party Member
The relationship between action movie star Jackie Chan and his hometown of Hong Kong was once a very special one. People loved the actor for his martial arts, his move, and his role as an ambassador for the city, whose image he helped shape since the 1980s as a comedic gadfly with outstanding kung fu […] continue reading →
Pandemic drama tops box office chart
The pandemic movie “Chinese Doctors” topped the Chinese box office charts again this weekend, as the China Movie Data Information Network reported. It stars a number of superstars, including Zhang Hanyu and Yuan Quan. Since its release on July 9, the film grossed over ¥778 million yuan (€100 million), as news agency Xinhua reported. The […] continue reading →
Chloé Zhao
Chloé Zhao is the big winner of the 2021 Oscars: She has picked up two prizes at the Academy Awards gala with her film Nomadland. The social drama about nomadic laborers in the US wins the Oscar for Best Picture, and Zhao herself is honored for Best Director. In 93 years of Academy Awards, Zhao […] continue reading →
Propaganda offensive for the party’s birthday
On the occasion of the 100th birthday of the Chinese Communist Party (China.Table reports), cinemas in the People’s Republic are to show propaganda films twice a week. Until the end of the year, movie theaters “in every province, region, and city” are to show works that “revolve around love for the Party, love for the […] continue reading →
No Oscar broadcast for Hong Kong
For the first time in more than 50 years, the Academy Awards will not be shown in Hong Kong at the end of April. TVB, the largest television broadcaster in Hong Kong, will not air the Oscars gala “for purely commercial reasons,” a spokesman for the broadcaster said. The moves came after “Do not split” […] continue reading →