Inside the Censorship Battle Over Oscar Nominee 'Better Days': "It Was a Tug-of-War"

Rebecca Davis editorChinese authorities have issued warnings of a new crackdown on entertainment industry financial practices and astronomical star salaries in wake of another high-profile celebrity tax scandal.

There are many poignant moments in 76 Days, Hao Wu’s moving documentary about medical workers in Wuhan, China and the patients they treated as the city went through lockdown last year over Covid-19.

Rebecca Davis editorMove over, “Nomadland” — Italy’s “Pinocchio” is now set to become the first film nominated at this year’s Oscars to hit China.Although Chloé Zhao’s film nabbed best picture and two other major prizes at the Academy Awards on Sunday, it was pulled quietly from its planned China release on April 23 in the wake of nationalist backlash against her there.

Rebecca Davis editorChinese authorities are investigating top Chinese actor Zheng Shuang for tax evasion and a sky-high salary exceeding government-approved limits, the Xinhua news agency said Wednesday.

Academy Awards to win the award and the first woman of color.Only Kathryn Bigelow, 11 years ago for “The Hurt Locker,” had previously won the award. The win, widely expected, caps the extraordinary rise of the China-born Zhao, a lyrical filmmaker whose “Nomadland” is just her third feature.

Rebecca Davis editorWhile the world celebrated China-born director Chloé Zhao’s historic three Oscar wins for best picture, best director and best editing, China’s censors were busy trying to wipe any trace of the Academy Awards from the web.An initial burst of celebration and congratulatory messages appeared on Chinese social media just after the ceremony, which aired Monday morning Beijing time.

Chloe Zhao made Oscar history over the weekend when she won the Best Director award, as well as Best Picture, at the 2021 Oscars.

win an Oscar for best director for her film Nomadland. But in China, Zhao’s country of birth, posts about her victory were removed and Weibo searches for her Chinese name returned results about a low-level official who had volunteered to promote a local Covid-19 vaccination drive.

Road movie Nomadland won the top prize at the Oscars, where director Chloe Zhao made history as the first woman of colour to win the award. The ceremony also saw Sir Anthony Hopkins win the best actor Oscar, defeating the late Chadwick Boseman, while Daniel Kaluuya won the best supporting actor prize.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefSouth Korean media were quick to celebrate the Oscar win, as best supporting actress in “Minari,” for veteran Yuh-jung Youn. It was a first ever acting win for a Korean actor.

TAIPEI, Taiwan -- Chloe Zhao's history-making Oscars sweep, winning best director and best picture, is being met with a muted response in her country of birth, and even instances of censorship.Zhao's “Nomadland” is the second film directed by a woman to win a best picture Oscar. She is the first woman of color and second woman ever to win the Oscars for best director.Yet, in China, where Zhao was born, her history-making success has not been trumpeted or celebrated.

Nomadland, directed by the Chinese filmmaker Chloé Zhao, is part of a long lineage of non-American American art, from Wim Wenders’ Paris, Texas to Andrea Arnold’s American Honey. It grapples with grief, the betrayals of capitalism, and the lure of the open road.

Chloe Zhao completed her awards season sweep on Sunday, taking home the Academy Award for Best Director for her stunning 2020 film, “Nomadland”. With the win, Zhao becomes the first woman of colour, and second woman ever, to take home the Oscars’ top directing honour.

Chloe Zhao completed her awards season sweep on Sunday, taking home the Academy Award for Best Director for her stunning 2020 film,.