The momentous events which took place in China in
2008 had an enormous influence on the nation’s collective
psyche. They therefore affected all the films produced
and distributed over the course of the year.
Preparations for the most ambitious Olympics in history
consumed the entire country. The film industry, too,
was called on to contribute to the Olympic propaganda
campaign. It did so with enthusiasm, rushing to meet the
government’s expectations.
First in line was Zhang Yimou, director of the spectacular
ceremonies which opened and closed the games.
Many other producers and filmmakers contributed with
films about the Olympics and the Special Olympics. There
were feature films, animations and documentaries of
various genres. They all had a common objective: to
deliver the message of unity and national pride represented
by the games, and to encourage people to
behave with tolerance, civility and solidarity towards the
disabled. This gave rise to an unprecedented number of
films about physical and mental handicaps featuring both
professional and amateur actors. Even in selecting a
candidate for the Oscars, the government chose to stay
on message and present a documentary about the
preparations for the Olympic games, Dream Weavers -
Beijing 2008.
At the same time, government censors cracked down
heavily on anything that could compromise that year’s
triumphal atmosphere. Many film projects were suspended,
and websites, newspapers and cultural events
were censored or suppressed. Horror films and ghost
movies were explicitly prohibited from showing violent
monsters, ghosts, demons or other negative supernatural
beings. To date, over ninety websites have been
shut down due to content considered “vulgar” or
pornographic.
Under such conditions, the independent film industry
nearly ground to a halt while it waited for censors to alleviate
the pressure. As of early 2009, the situation seems
to have improved, judging from the SARFT’s long delayed
presentation to the State Council of a law on the classification
of films into categories. Debated for years, the
proposal was never taken into serious consideration,
and further compromised by the controversy surrounding
the film Lust, Caution by Ang Lee. However, it remains
uncertain whether the proposal will pass into law in
2009, a year packed with politically charged commemorations
such as the 60th anniversary of the founding of
the PRC - the celebration of which will again be directed
by Zhang Yimou - and the 20th anniversary of the massacre
in Tiananmen Square.
The second major event was the earthquake in May
which devastated the province of Sichuan. The earth-quake triggered an unprecedented outpouring of solidarity
that reached almost excessive extremes. It will
take years to understand what transpired in the country’s
collective consciousness in this year of national
pride and natural disaster. Once again, the film industry
did its part, with filmmakers like Jia Zhangke organising
special screenings of his film - coincidentally set in
Sichuan - to raise money for earthquake victims. Zhang
Ziyi enjoyed a rare moment of undisputed celebrity following
the statements she made in Cannes on hearing
news of the earthquake, while many other artists contributed
to the relief efforts or raised funds for reconstruction.
At times, the patriotic fervor unleashed by the earthquake
bordered on the absurd. This was the case with
Zhao Bandi, an artist known for using images of pandas
in his work. He sued Dreamworks for exploiting a Chinese
national icon for the gain of American cultural imperialism
in the film Kung Fu Panda.As pandas live primarily
in the province of Sichuan, the artist contended that the
humiliation was particularly offensive for the victims of
the earthquake. The vehemence of the accusations,
together with the volatile climate at the time, persuaded
the SARFT to postpone the film’s release in the province
of Sichuan. This sparked a heated debate that forced the
government to backtrack on its decision.
Many have observed that the real problem posed by
the Kung Fu Panda’s enormous success around the
world - and also in China, where it made RMB 180 million
at the box office - is that a film dealing with Chinese
martial arts in such a creative, funny and culturallysensitive
way emerged from Hollywood rather than
China. Why is China’s growing political and economic
importance around the world not reflected in its cultural
products? Among industry experts debating the
issue was director Lu Chuan, who praised the film on
his blog and recounted how government interference
forced him to abandon work on an animated film for the
Olympics.
The government issued a decree ordering a period of
national mourning for the earthquake victims which
lasted until early July. But box office remained satisfactory.
Total revenues in 2008 amounted to RMB 4.2 billion,
an increase of 27% compared to the year before.
In 2008, domestic films - about 400 movies were produced,
out of which approximately 100 were released
- outdid films from abroad and took over 60% of the
box office total. A total of eight films came in with
receipts over RMB 100 million. These included Red Cliff
by John Woo, CJ7 by Stephen Chow, Painted Skin by
Gordon Chan, The Forbidden Kingdom with Jet Li and
Jackie Chan, Kung Fu Dunk starring Jay Chou and If You
Are The One by Feng Xiaogang, and Mei Lan Fang
(titled Forever Enthralled in English) by Chen Kaige.
Though a number of these films were directed by filmmakers
from Hong Kong, the fact that they were coproductions
shot in China qualifies them as products of
the Chinese film industry.
The lion’s share of sales went to Red Cliff, which is to
date the most expensive film ever made in Asia (US$80
million). It’s also the highest-ever grossing film in
China. Part one took RMB 320 million, while the sequel,
Red Cliff II - released in January 2009 - has already
made RMB 200 million in China alone. A pared-down
version combining the two parts will be released internationally
later this year. Feng Xiaogang broke another
record in becoming the first Chinese director to top
career earnings in excess of RMB 1 billion. His return
to the tradition of New Year’s films, the famous hesuipian
which crowned him the nation’s comedy king, was
rewarded at the box office with RMB 310 million for If
You Are The One. The film is a satire about loneliness
and the contradictions between love and marriage, and
has some dramatic moments. Audiences flocked to cinemas
to show their loyalty to the country’s most popular
director.
Another director who manages to tuned into the tastes
and mentality of the people passed away last year. Xie
Jin, who died at 83 years of age, was a filmmaker of the
so-called third generation, and was a leading figure of
his time. Xie Jin succeeded - while navigating the turbulent
and limiting waters of the politically correct - in
depicting human beings in their universality. A crowd of
ordinary people attended his funeral, along with members
of the film industry elite. This demonstrated how
there can be a strong mass identification with a public figures able to express the feelings and desires of ordinary
people without elevating themselves above them.
Another director whose popularity continues to grow is
Ning Hao. His new film Silver Medalist, in cinemas in
January 2009, has been enormously successful with
receipts topping RMB 70 million so far. For medium
budget films, black comedies represent the most popular
genre at the moment. Big production companies continue
to move in this direction. Producers have learnt
that a convincing story is more necessary to success
than action sequences and special effects. They’ve also
learned that it’s vital to support medium-budget films
with adequate promotion campaigns. The Equation Of
Love And Death by Cao Baoping, an extremely dark film
which won praise from critics and audiences alike, benefitted
from this approach.
The current economic crisis is bound to affect the private
film industry, which has in a large part been funded
with capital from other sectors of the economy - the
real estate market in particular. But indicators have not
been especially worrisome so far. In fact, a growing
number of production companies are preparing for
launches on the stock market.
One area of the industry growing exponentially is the
multiplex circuit. The number of screens in China
increased by 16% this year. Also under development are
new means of distribution, principally via internet. These
allow users to watch films for free provided they’re also
willing to watch the advertisements that come with them.
2008 presented a wide array of genres. There were
historical films such as Red Cliff, an epic set in a period
of ancient history with which all Chinese are familiar.
Mei Lan Fang, the biography of the greatest star of the
Peking Opera, saw director Chen Kaige praised by audiences,
film bureaucrats and the national cinema elite
alike. In the romance genre, a number of films centred
around female characters. First and foremost among
them was Desires Of The Heart by director Ma Liwen, a
bittersweet comedy about the emotional struggles of
five women in search for love. It received a great deal
of media attention, some of which was down to the disagreements
between actor Ge You and the director.
Tsui Hark’s All About Women, a comedy about the
romantic entanglements of three contemporary young
women in Beijing, was considered a remake of Tsui
Hark’s film, Peking Opera Blues (1986). This film
received considerable attention in the media because
of its various titles. It was originally entitled She’s A
Hooligan. This was later changed to She Ain’t Mean.
Both came under fire for being politically incorrect.
Other romantic comedies included Fit Lover by Zhang
Jianya , and the period film Almost Perfect by young
director Wang Yuetai. The latter was surprisingly successful
at the box office. There were also films like Feng
Xiaoning’s Super Typhoon, which was China’s first natural
disaster film. Its success at the box office was
determined largely by the trauma of the earthquake.
There were also musicals like Kung Fu Hip Hop by Fu
Huayang and Happy by Ah Gan, which was influenced by
Bollywood.
All things considered, China’s film industry maintained
the positive trend established in the previous years.
Despite the difficulties posed in 2009, the hope is that
the Chinese public, in need of distraction from the worries
created by the economic crisis, will continue to seek
relief in the welcoming arms of cinema.
Maria Barbieri