New | Jackie Chan, artists launch tirade against film censorship during CPPCC meeting
Authorities urged to allow artistic freedom after delegates spot censorship clause in work report
What was meant to be a run-of-the-mill panel discussion on the government’s work report among art experts in the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference’s (CPPCC) turned into a grumbling session this week, as personalities like actor Jackie Chan and award-winning filmmaker Feng Xiaogang criticised censorship in the country.
Feng urged the authorities to give directors more freedom, saying: “Don’t make directors tremble with fear every day like [they’re] walking on thin ice.”
Is their [censors'] patriotism, political judgment and artistic taste better than ours, the directors?
Feng quoted a section of the central government’s work report – delivered by Premier Li Keqiang – as “clearly” saying, “We will cancel or delegate to lower-level governments an additional 200-plus items requiring State Council review and approval.”
“Who do you think this message is for?” Feng said at the meeting at Beijing International Hotel. “For the State Film Administration and those who conduct censorship as well.”
“We don’t have a ‘film censorship law’; to kill a film or not depends on examiners. Is their patriotism, political judgment and artistic taste better than ours, the directors?" he said.
“We, as directors, on one hand have to rack our brains to cope with the authorities. On the other hand, we also need to ingratiate ourselves with [the] consensus. Exhausted!”