FOR MOST FILMMAKERS outside America who crave worldwide commercial success, the chance to represent their countries at the Oscars is like a ticket to fame and fortune. They view a place at the annual Academy Awards as a place in the industry's premier shop window, through which audiences - and most importantly, film distributors - spot the latest non-western director to emerge from Hollywood's shadows.
To Chen Kaige, however, the inclusion of his latest film, The Promise, in the race for a best foreign film nomination next year means more than money.
It was the vindication of a career blighted by censors and bureaucrats in his home country, where his films were banned as recently as a decade ago.
'I was there once before with Farewell My Concubine - but it was nominated as a Hong Kong film,' says Chen, referring to the historical epic that made it to the Academy Awards final shortlist in 1993. While lauded by critics at film festivals around the world - it shared the Palme d'Or with Jane Campion's The Piano - Farewell My Concubine fell foul of mainland censors and was never released there. 'This time round, it's submitted by [mainland] China. Of course it's a good thing,' he says of his latest Academy Awards entry.
If Chen sees the irony in how The Promise now finds favour possibly among the same batch of apparatchiks who banned his films years ago, he's not showing it. Given the campaign across China to crown The Promise a classic, it's not surprising that Chen is eager to appear accepting of this recent recognition in his homeland.
Although The Promise is not on general release until this week, the film has generated immense momentum on the mainland. Chinese film-related websites have been flooded with commentary about the blockbuster - which with a budget of $340 million, is one of the most expensive Chinese films made - and special screenings have created a stir among fans.
