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 earthquake 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 culturally-sensitive 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 Meil 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 co-productions 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 hesuipians 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. The biography of Mei Lan Fang, 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