China’s tightening supervision of its film and television industries has widened the gap between Chinese and Western content, and has led to a loss of funding and talent in the country, a report by the Mainland Affairs Council said.
China’s Film Administration on Nov. 9 last year released a five-year plan for the development of Chinese films, saying that all films should “praise the Chinese Communist Party [CCP], praise the motherland, praise the people and praise the heroes,” aiming to establish China as a center for filmmaking by 2035.
Movies nominated for Best Picture at the Golden Rooster Awards last year mostly reflected the CCP’s dominant ideology, the council said in its Fourth Quarter Report on the Situation in Mainland China.
Photo: Reuters
The Golden Roosters are China’s top film awards.
The nominations sparked debate on China’s Sina Weibo social media platform, with people voicing concern over the future of Chinese movies, the report said.
The Chinese government has increased its effort to prevent the infiltration of Western values through film and television programs, especially those considered to offend China, the report said.
Tightened restrictions on content also affect the local industry, as Chinese studios interested in telling the stories of the country’s history and people are deterred by unreasonable demands from the government to present its ideology, it said.
Additionally, film and television professionals in China said that as the regulations are unpredictable, promoting the productions in line with the government policies is the only way to guarantee profits, narrowing the development of the industry, the report said.
Professionals in the Chinese film industry said that box-office revenue dropped by one-third last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, while TV drama productions had come to a virtual halt, the report said, adding that filmmakers and TV producers were deterred from taking advantage of online platforms as their freedom was curtailed by government regulations.
Chinese over-the-top operator iQiyi lost a significant number of subscribers due to a lack of new films, caused by the suspension or termination of drama productions, it said.
Other platforms such as Tencent, Kuaishou Technology and TikTok were also significantly affected, and many industry professionals changed careers, it added.
The five-year plan aims to extend China’s influence in the global film community, but it is not possible in the current industry environment, it said.
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