The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced on Tuesday (15) the shortlist for this year’s Academy Awards, including the Hong Kong social movement documentary “No Cut” and the Chinese-American director Ting Chiu, who directed “Land of the Unwanted”. Zhao Ting was thus shortlisted for six major awards, including Best Director and Best Picture. There are rumors that CCTV intends to cancel the live broadcast of the Oscars to avoid embarrassment.
Affected by the Xin Guan (Chinese Communist Party virus) Epidemic, the 93rd Academy Awards has been postponed to be broadcast live on April 25, 2021, about eight weeks later than the original plan on February 28. A number of mainland official media staff revealed to us that major media have received instructions from the Ministry of Propaganda, due to the Hong Kong public’s anti-Sino documentary film “not to cut the seat” and often make sensitive remarks of the Chinese director Zhao Ting were selected for the final five list, in order to avoid political problems, adhere to the absolute political correctness, the Ministry of Propaganda asked the official media to low-key coverage of this year’s Oscar ceremony and related content, requiring the media to choose to report on non-sensitive The Chinese Central Television (CCTV) cancelled its live broadcast of the Oscars.
The Chinese government has a long history of ideological control, and many believe this is to be expected. But in the age of the Internet, it is not easy for officials to block news and avoid causing embarrassment. In response, Guangzhou dissident Wang Aizhong told the station on Tuesday: “The Chinese side may have taken into account that it is afraid that the public will learn about real events, including those happening in Hong Kong or elsewhere. He took the step of not broadcasting the Oscars live. From his point of view, it is still to keep the public from knowing. From our point of view, this move is certainly not necessary”
Promotional poster for the Hong Kong social movement documentary “Do Not Split” (Do Not Split).
Netizen: CCTV stopping the broadcast is a sign of lack of confidence
Wang Aizhong believes that the official way of blocking information is extremely limited: “Especially the Chinese government, usually he thinks he is doing the right thing. Then since you think that the measures you take on the Hong Kong issue or other regional issues are right and there is no problem, then you don’t need to worry about outside criticism, comments. I think they are still not confident enough or think there are more or less a lot of problems with what they are doing, so he is more and more worried about the Chinese public understanding these things.”
Beijing has long been “familiar” with dealing with similar issues, and previous film awards have offended the Chinese government by mentioning Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan issue, as well as the Taiwan-Hong Kong issue. And comments by guests at film awards are often seen as provocative by Beijing, such as the 2018 Taiwan Golden Horse Awards’ Taiwan independence fiasco, which has led Beijing to block the awards to this day.
On February 28, 2021, Chinese-American director Ting Zhao won the Best Feature Film and Best Director awards for “Land of the Uninhabited” via video at the 78th annual Golden Globe Awards in New York, USA.
Comments made several years ago become today’s sins
In addition, Chinese-American director Zhao Ting commented on social phenomena in China many years ago, and her comment that “China is full of lies” sparked a firestorm among Chinese netizens. Her film “Land of the Unwanted” was nominated for five awards at this year’s Academy Awards, and although it tells an American story, it was still “criticized” by Chinese “pinkies” and the official media. Ms. Zhang, a commentator on the Internet, said to this station that in the last year, the tightening of public opinion in China has surprised many people: “Now it’s really like the past, a little bit can not be said, the film is actually not negative, from the matter itself, just like Pan Rui was wanted, in fact, nothing at all, it is a civil Boxer action plus the official wind direction. “
At the Oscars, award winners and honorees often use the stage to express their personal political views, such as racial issues, human rights declarations, anti-war rhetoric, feminism, etc., and also remarks involving China. At the 1993 Academy Awards, American actor Richard Gere criticized the Chinese government for using force to rule Tibet and violating human rights in Tibet. When Shanghai TV broadcast the Academy Awards live that year, it immediately cut the signal. Since then, CCTV has often used taped broadcasts of various overseas award ceremonies.
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