CHINESE CALL FOR END OF CENSORSHIP FOLLOWING LEE’S OSCAR WIN

Ang Lee’s selection as the winner of the Best Director Oscar of 2012 for his The Life of Pi has triggered controversy on the Chinese mainland over the country’s tight controls on filmmaking, the Indian newspaper The Hindu reported today (Tuesday), noting that film regulators SARFT had just two days earlier passed new rules dealing with documentary films. The Hindu quoted designer Paris Feng, who posted this message on Sina Weibo, China’s equivalent of Twitter: “Taiwan has Ang Lee, Hong Kong has Wong Kar-wai. And the mainland?” To which one blogger replied: “China only has SARFT.” According to the newspaper, Lee’s win was the most-discussed topic on Sina Weibo on Monday, generating more than 30 million posts. Chinese banker Wang Ran, who has 2.6 million followers on Weibo, was among the commenters. “The same day [sic] that a Chinese director, Ang Lee, won an Oscar, SARFT issued new requirements making documentaries, like films and television shows, go through reviews,” he said. “The Chinese government is only helping Hollywood maintain its global monopoly.”