China raises movie quota; Hollywood on best behavior
One deliverable from Xi Jinping’s trip to America seems to be a new deal to allow more U.S. films — at least 3-D ones — to be distributed in China. The Guardian reports:
China currently permits only 20 big foreign films a year to be released there, to the frustration of US studios. The pact allows in an extra 14 films each year, provided they are in Imax or 3D formats.
It also allows foreign film-makers to keep a bigger share of box office takings: they will receive 25% instead of 13%.
“This is a very big deal,” said Chris Dodd, chairman of the Motion Picture Association of America.
“The industry has been living with the numbers in terms of percentages and quotas for 20 years … it begged for a conclusion.”
Though the Hollywood films released in China are few in number, they account for about 40% of the country’s box office takings.
This is obviously a big deal for Hollywood’s bottom line. But as a recent article in the Diplomat pointed out, China’s growing importance as a market for Hollywood could affect the kinds of films that studios make:
Critics claim that studios will be pressured to produce works that depict China in a sympathetic light, a fear prompted by China’s strict controls over film importation, distribution and production, along with the rebuffing of recent WTO rulings to allow foreign distribution and expand a 20-a-year cap on foreign movies.
“They made it very clear in their last congress meeting that the overriding theme would be projecting an image overseas that they want projected, while Hollywood’s No.1 concern has always been the bottom line,” says Michael Berry, a lecturer of East Asian Languages and Cultural Studies at University of California, Santa Barbara.
“U.S. producers are taking an ultra-conservative route, and self-censorship is happening at a very early stage. In concept development there’s already an understanding of what will fly in China, and that gets concentrated by the time it gets to a screenplay.”
And what flies in China today isn’t very much.
Beijing’s thumbscrew restrictions include: No sex, religion, time travel, the occult, or “anything that could threaten public morality or portray criminal behavior.”
All film scripts have to be signed off by a government censor and anything that depicts Tibet, Tiananmen Square, the Dalai Lama, Falun Gong, Uyghur separatists or Taiwan favorably is typically banned.
In the late 1990s, Tibet was the cause of choice for Hollywood stars. The world’s biggest bands were playing the Beastie Boys-organized Tibetan Freedom Concerts, studios were releasing films like Seven Years in Tibet and Kundun and magazines were running earnest headlines like “Can Hollywood Save Tibet.”
Richard Gere may still be a dogged advocate for Tibetan independence, but for the most part, Hollywood seems to have moved on and its hard not to imagine that the potential Chinese market has something to do with it. As the Diplomat recalls, the fallout over Kundun put Disney on Beijing’s blacklist for years. The company had to go as far as to hire Henry Kissinger to smooth things out. Today, studios seem a bit more cautious, even completely re-dubbing a planned Red Dawn remake to change the bad guys from Chinese to North Korea.
Given the experience of actors like Brad Pitt, who is reportedly still banned from entering China, 15 years after Seven Years in Tibet came out, I doubt any more Dalai Lama-themed stories will be coming to a screen near you in the next few years.
Source: http://blog.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2012/02/22/china_raises_movie_quota_hollywood_on_best_behavior
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Its a interesting post with 2 giants countries discussing over movie market. Hollywood producers who are increasingly looking to tap the country’s fast-growing box office into China market.However there is restriction .They hopes China will increase the quota and the share of revenues more in line with international markets. And even has openly criticized China on trade.China is likely to raise the quota of imported films as part of recent trade talks.
China are trying to protect its growing domestic film industry from Hollywood domination. The most best measure is the strict quota limiting the number.
Brad Pitt was back in China nearly 20 years after being baned over a film about Tibet .Time has changed China policy on celebrities entering China.
Thank you Pastor Loh Seng Piow for sharing.
This is an interesting post. Yes Hollywood is a big fat political propaganda machine that subtly creates subliminal messages about the situation the world is in now. Well if they wish to make that 40%, they will have no choice to follow the rules of the world’s no.1 super power nation at this moment. Of course I do believe time will change and their hard and fast rules will also slowly become more lenient especially we are seeing the interesting change in their new president, nothing is permanent. Well Brad Pitt is now allowed back in China and there is a huge hoo haa about it all. So yeah things will change… and one thing is for sure… the more advance any country gets, the higher the mental depression and stress increases… they will need to look in to nurturing the spiritual side of their people. And I am glad to see that China is allowing monasteries and temples to resume its activities again… though on a watchful eye… but still better than nothing.
In Chinese people say: China is a huge fat meat!” means China is an ideal market to make money from according to their 1.34 billion people and it is still increasing. Looking at this population, the government has no choice but to set many rules to the overseas investors and ban in order to protect their people’s mind.
From China itself produced many good films that shake the world and win many awards such as “Raise the Red Lantern,” “Hero” and “House of Flying Daggers.” By Zhang Yimou the famous Chinese film director.
Yes even hollywood is looking to the east now to make it money, Asia especially China is going to be next big market largely untapped by the American movies and producers.
It is often irritating to watch Hollywood blocbusters as they are almost exclusively pro-American and often racist. No wonder they can’t find much inroad into China. Don’t blame the authorities. What are they really churning out in the first place that can be globally palatable? It’s time to take a hard look. There is this common theme. Asian A-list stars (with very few exceptions) that get a “coveted” part in a Hollywood movie gets relegated to a stereotypical role worthy only to be scoffed at, dumb-damsel-in-distress, triad boss, illegal immigrant/refugee types that finally experience civilization, those that get killed off in the end. One big name in Asian film recently turned his back on Hollywood after repeatedly getting parts that insulted his intelligence & ability, ie. cartoon & caricature. He was always the lead actor. Well, movies are a means to brainwash & dominate.
China next President is expected to be shaping an image very different from that of the current leader. Xi Jinping, whose activities suggest that when he takes over the helm of the World’s second largest economy, he is expected to do that. He looks confident, affiable and boosts a ready smile. He has expressed his fondness for U.S. war movies, and said to have praised the edgy indepent filmmaker Jia Zhangkee. It is also indicated that his system “is in favour of moderation, and nothing can change that quickly. Steady as it goes, the political rythym first has to be installed…..significant shifts will come later”, as expressed by Dr. David Kelly, Director of the Beijing-based Political Think-Tank,China policy. Some think Xi’s network may strike out more confidently and be able to win support for more “Bold Decisions” for those important long outstanding issues requiring urgent settlements! Therefore, let us all pray for the better.
China policy makers are getting more liberal. Its restriction of of US films to China will eventually decrease or when they deem certain films will not pose any threat or in any way hurt china. I foresee before the end of this decade films like Kundun and Seven Years in Tibet will be screened in China as historical or once upon a time tale.
Thank you for sharing this article. People think that Hollywood produce ‘truth’ movies but actually they don’t. Most of the Hollywood blockbusters are pro-America and anti another country. It used to be the KGB until the Soviet Union was no more. Then it became Islamic terrorists and China, although as China’s economic might grew, it became politically expedient to change the nationality of their ‘bad guys’. There is no real ‘truth’ because everyone has a vested interest, economic or political. It’s not a wrong or right thing but just the way it is. It will be interesting to see the direction of the US movie industry for those wanting a piece of the renminbi pie 🙂
Thank you for sharing Rinpoche.
With this new ruling, it is highly possible that many Hollywood’s movies may switch its “American Hero” imagine to “Chinese Hero” theme. In fact recently they are more and more Chinese actresses in their productions.
Since Hollywood can’t save Chinese by producing the “truth” movie, perhaps we need religion bodies to do so but must move very carefully in mainland China. Based on past history, whichever organization that getting too many followers from public or able to change/control public’s mind (for instance Falun Gong practice) then the Chinese authority will use excuse like “threatening public safety” to ban the body. By the time many lives may be at risk of getting unreasonable punishment from the authority.
Therefore personally I humbly think inner meditation could be dangerous to teach there whereas outer meditation such as doing charity works would be safer at the moment, just like Tzu Chi which is doing well in mainland China.
Thank you and take good care.
With Love,
VP
A lot of things just scream “1950 in the US” for China here. I have faith in the Chinese people and in globalization. Pretty soon it will be “1960s” for China I think: civil rights movement, bizarre transgressive filmmaking, raids at movie theatres, glam rock, no more government witch hunts, etc. I’m hoping that the current Chinese government is more impermanent than it appears.
Intelligent Chinese people with the number 1 or 2 world economy will not sit around being told what to do, say, watch, for very long.
This is very saddening… When truth can be covered with money.