Tibet kicks Chinese movies out of US film festival
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Dharamsala, Jan 6, By Phurbu Thinley: Two Chinese movies have been pull out of the Palm Springs International Film Festival in the United States in protest over its screening of a documentary on Tibetan freedom struggle, Chinese state-run news agency reported Wednesday.
The Sun Behind the Clouds: Tibet’s Struggle for Freedom
Chinese filmmaker Lu Chuan was upset when informed about the inclusion of “The Sun Behind the Clouds: Tibet’s Struggle for Freedom” and immediately cancelled the screening plan of his “Nanjing! Nanjing!” or “City of Life and Death”, about the brutal 1937 capture of the city of Nanjing by Japanese forces, Xinhua said. “All activities overseas of my film should serve the country’s interests and safeguard the national sovereignty and territorial integrity,” it quoted Chuan as saying over his decision to quit the film festival. The report said another Chinese film entry “Quick, Quick, Slow” was said to quit the annual festival too, but gave no further details. The Chinese state media said the makers of the two Chinese movies viewed “The Sun Behind the Clouds: Tibet’s Struggle for Freedom” a “Tibetan independence” film, saying it “tells mainly of the Dalai Lama’s secessionist activities in 2008.” Officials at the studios that made the Chinese films — Stellar Megamedia Films and DFM Films Shanghai, respectively — either declined comment or could not be reached, AFP said in its report on the story. “The Sun Behind the Clouds: Tibet’s Struggle for Freedom” is one of the five films from India selected to compete at the “21st Annual Palm Springs International Film Festival” at Palm Springs, California (USA) from January 5-18, 2010. The documentary by a Tibetan filmmaker Tenzing Sonam and his Indian wife Ritu Sarin is among a total of 188 films from 70 countries that has made it to the prestigious international film festival. The film was selected to be screened under ‘True Stories’ section. “With unusual intimate access, filmmakers Sonam and Sarin find a unique perspective on the Dalai Lama’s trials and tribulations and follow him over an eventful year, including the 2008 protests in Tibet, the long march in India, the Beijing Olympics and the breakdown of talks with China,” the festival’s website said. Phayul.com [Wednesday, January 06, 2010 16:08] For more details, Please visit Woeser’s blog! |
