Hong Kong film industry put on spot by China’s boycott of ‘Chinese Oscars’ in Taiwan1 min read
Reading Time: < 1 minuteHong Kong filmmakers have been dragged into a political minefield and forced to take sides following Beijing’s boycott of Taiwan’s Golden Horse Film Awards, known as the “Chinese Oscars”, this year.
China Central Television said the ban was a reaction to last year’s Golden Horse Awards ceremony, during which Taiwan-born documentary director Fu Yue spoke of her desire for the island to one day become an independent country. She was speaking after winning best documentary for her film Our Youth in Taiwan.
Taiwanese news website Line Today reported that Hong Kong film production companies had been warned by Beijing that films can’t go on release in China if they apply for the Golden Horse Awards. Hong Kong stars who attended the event would be put on a watch list, it quoted Beijing as telling them.
Founded in 1962, Taiwan’s Golden Horse Awards are the most prestigious in the Chinese-language film industry, with entries coming primarily from China, Taiwan and Hong Kong.
The Golden Horse Awards do not place restrictions on which films can compete for honours. The Golden Rooster Awards, held every two years, are open to Chinese-language films from all over the world, but competing films must obtain a licence for release in China from the China Film Administration.
Photo credit: South China Morning Post
