Zhang Yimou’s ‘One Second’ Finally Passes Chinese Censorship

Rebecca Davis editorAfter a long tussle with China’s censorship authorities, director Zhang Yimou’s Cultural Revolution-set film “One Second” will finally hit local cinemas on Nov. 27, more than a-year-and-a-half after it was first set to debut.The title was originally to premiere in competition at the Berlin Film Festival in February 2019, but was abruptly yanked from the lineup just days before due to “technical reasons,” a common euphemism for state censorship in China.

Renowned Chinese director Zhang Yimou's love letter to cinema, the period drama One Second, is finally headed to cinemas. Beijing regulators have approved the film for release on Nov.

The Vatican is in the process of renewing a deal with the Chinese Communist Party, raising concerns among U.S. officials and human rights advocates who note that China is one of the most dangerous places on the planet to be Christian.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefIQIYI’s drama series “The Bad Kids” has landed a slot on Japanese pay-TV platform Wowow, a first for a contemporary, mainland Chinese show. It is expected to play out from early 2021.Where many Chinese dramas run for between 40 and 80 episodes, “The Bad Kids” comprises 12 50-minute episodes, structred as a suspense series that tells the story of three youngsters in a small coastal town.

The live-action remake of “Mulan” has not been the wide success anyone expected, especially Disney. Not only did the film get a lukewarm critical reception, but the film was met with political controversy nearly as soon as “Mulan” debuted on Disney+ last month, when viewers noticed the end credits included “special thanks” to several government entities in the Xinjiang region in China, which has been the site of several human rights abuses.

Rebecca Davis editorDisney’s president of film production Sean Bailey defended the controversial credits for the new live-action “Mulan” film, which thanked Chinese government entities directly involved in perpetuating human rights abuses in Xinjiang, as being part of “standard practice across the film industry worldwide,” according to a letter addressed to and posted online by prominent British politician Iain Duncan Smith.The reply from @DisneyStudios regarding the filming of #Mulan in

Peter Debruge Chief Film CriticYou may not have noticed it, what with so much content coming out on Netflix each week, but the company has been ramping up big time on original animation over the past two years. From last year’s Oscar nominee “I Lost My Body” to internal productions “The Willoughbys” and “Klaus,” Netflix’s cartoon offerings have already reached a point to rival Pixar and DreamWorks.

HONG KONG -- A 700-year-old Chinese painted scroll from the Yuan Dynasty fetched 306.6 million Hong Kong dollars ($41.8 million) at a Sotheby’s auction in Hong Kong.The 6.6-feet scroll, titled “Five Drunken Princes Returning on Horseback” is by Ren Renfa, a renowned Chinese artist and government official.The painting depicts the princes riding horses, together with four attendants.

Rebecca Davis editorThe Pingyao International Film Festival, founded by Chinese helmer Jia Zhangke and former Venice head Marco Muller, has released its full lineup of global and local films. The selections in the two main sections focus on first or second features.

Rebecca Davis editorChinese audiences didn’t fall in love with Disney’s live-action “Mulan,” but a Chinese firm is betting that its own retelling of the famous ballad may storm the box office in its stead with depictions of traditional values that better appeal to mainland viewers.Gold Valley Film is set to release its feature animation “Kung Fu Mulan” over the National Day holiday from Oct.

Peter Debruge Chief Film CriticLike “Ne Zha” — 2019’s monumental computer-animated box office hit — similarly spectacular CG epic “Jiang Ziya” concludes with nearly 10 minutes of credits: a dense scroll of names amounting to a virtual army of animators, punctuated by extra scenes and teasers for upcoming projects from Chinese distributor Beijing Enlight Pictures.

Rebecca Davis editorThe fourth annual Pingyao International Film Festival will run as an in-person event from Oct.

Dominic Patten Senior Editor, Legal & TV CriticOn Wednesday, five Republican Senators fired off a letter to Netflix’s Ted Sarandos over the streamer service’s plan to have the executive producers of Game of Thrones  adapt Chinese author Liu Cixin’s sci-fi trilogy The Three-Body Problem.

Will Thorne Staff WriterNetflix has issued a firm response to the five Republican senators who questioned its decision to adapt “The Three-Body Problem” sci-fi novel trilogy by Liu Cixin.In a Sept. 24 letter, the senators, led by Sen.

Nancy Tartaglione International Box Office Editor/Senior ContributorAfter U.S. politicians called out Disney over the filming of Mulan in the Xinjiang region of China, it’s now Netflix’s turn in the crosshairs.

Netflix's high-profile plan to have Game of Thrones creators David Benioff and D.B. Weiss adapt Chinese writer Liu Cixin's bestselling sci-fi trilogy The Three-Body Problem is getting a challenge from a group of Republican Senators.

Gene Maddaus Senior Media WriterFive Republican senators have sent a letter to Netflix Co-CEO Ted Sarandos, challenging the streamer’s decision to adapt “The Three-Body Problem,” a Chinese sci-fi trilogy.The senators, led by Sen.

Normally, news of a brand-new film from Ron Howard would garner happy reactions from film fans. Though he doesn’t always wow us with his films, when Howard is on his game, the filmmaker has the chance of turning in something special.