China's assault on artists and the entertainment industry continues. The latest comes in the form of persecuting a specific filmmaker. The Hollywood Reporter says the Chinese government has banned critically acclaimed director Ye Lou from making movies for 5 years, to punish him for submitting his movie Summer Palace to the Cannes Film Festival.
Apparently, the Chinese regime requires that artists get government approval before submitting their films. Lou submitted his film without getting it, and now must suffer the oppressive ire of a totalitarian regime.
When corporate America looks at China they see nothing but dollar signs, but it's still a backwards ass, semi-communist country. No matter how much money we poor into it and no matter how many American jobs are lost to the Chinese, that doesn't look like it's going to change any time soon. Rather than pressuring them to shape up, American companies like Google cave to pressure and allow them to merge their scare tactics with free business. There's no winning in China.
Lou Ye has now not only been barred from creating art, he's been banned from making a living. It's not the first time he's gone head to head with his home country either. In 2000 he endured a two-year blacklisting for his film Suzhou River, which won at the Rotterdam Film Festival.
So not only does China censor what material gets in to their country from the outside world, they seem to have a problem with Chinese art getting out as well. Where's the sense in that?
If I were Lou, I'd give serious consideration to seeking political asylum. Enduring a two-year ban is one thing, but sitting on your hands for five-years is something else. This time, he may be out of options.
Just remember folks, this is the real China. Not the business friendly, Western culture welcoming place that money-hungry corporate America seems intent on selling it as.
