The Kaohsiung Film Archive and the organizing committee of the 2009 Kaohsiung Film Festival yesterday announced it would go ahead with plans to screen The 10 Conditions of Love, a documentary about exiled Uighur rights activist Rebiya Kadeer, during the festival beginning on Oct. 16.
The documentary has raised political issues, as well as allegedly spurring a wave of cancellations from Chinese tourists.
Kadeer is the president of the World Uyghur Congress, which advocates the rights of the Uighur ethnic minority in China. She has been living in Washington since 2005 after China released her from prison and travels the world to campaign for the Uighur cause.
China portrays her as a separatist and accused her of plotting the July 5 riots in Xinjiang’s capital, Urumqi, a charge she denies.
Concerns about the effect the screening would have on the city’s tourism sector caused the Kaohsiung City Government to hold four screenings of the documentary last Tuesday and Wednesday in a bid to minimize controversy, but film buffs wanted the work screened during the official film festival from Oct. 16 to Oct. 29.
The organizers have already decided to purchase additional screening rights for the film to be played during the festival.
Liu Hsiu-ying (劉秀英), director of the archive, said the location and movie times have not yet been finalized, but those interested in the film can reserve their tickets through the event Web site, which will post movie times soon.
When asked for comment, Premier Wu Den-yih (吳敦義) said the government would not prohibit the screening of the film in order to protect freedom of speech.
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