The Chinese director Zhang Yimou, second from left, receiving an award at the Venice International Film Festival last year. His film “One Second” has been pulled from the Berlin Film Festival for “technical reasons.”
BEIJING — A Cultural Revolution-era film by a celebrated Chinese director has been withdrawn from the 69th Berlin Film Festival, where it was set to show in the festival’s main competition.
A statement posted Monday on the film’s official Weibo account said the film by Zhang Yimou, “One Second,” had been pulled for “technical reasons,” a term often used in China as a euphemism for government censorship.
A statement posted Monday on the film’s official Weibo account said the film by Zhang Yimou, “One Second,” had been pulled for “technical reasons,” a term often used in China as a euphemism for government censorship.
Festival organizers confirmed the withdrawal, stating that the film had been pulled from the competition “due to technical difficulties encountered during postproduction.”
The sudden withdrawal of Zhang’s film is a major setback for the 68-year-old filmmaker, who is best known for directing art house classics like “Raise the Red Lantern” and for being the creative force behind the dazzling opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympic Games in Beijing.
While China’s strict oversight of films is well known, it is rare to see a film pulled so close to its festival premiere.
The sudden withdrawal of Zhang’s film is a major setback for the 68-year-old filmmaker, who is best known for directing art house classics like “Raise the Red Lantern” and for being the creative force behind the dazzling opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympic Games in Beijing.
While China’s strict oversight of films is well known, it is rare to see a film pulled so close to its festival premiere.
The abrupt reversal caused a stir within film circles in China, and it added to worries about the Chinese Communist Party’s broadening crackdown on dissent and discussion of sensitive subjects.
Neither Zhang nor the film’s producers could be reached for comment on Wednesday.
Neither Zhang nor the film’s producers could be reached for comment on Wednesday.
Festival organizers declined to offer more details.
The withdrawal of the film has left many wondering how such a fate could have befallen a veteran filmmaker like Zhang, who is intimately familiar with the complex workings of China’s film bureaucracy and what passes muster with censors.
Some have pointed to the political sensitivity of “One Second,” which tells the story of a man who escapes a Chinese prison farm during the Cultural Revolution in search of a newsreel and encounters an orphan girl along the way.
The Cultural Revolution — the tumultuous decade that roiled China from 1966 to 1976 — has long been a delicate subject for the Communist Party.
The withdrawal of the film has left many wondering how such a fate could have befallen a veteran filmmaker like Zhang, who is intimately familiar with the complex workings of China’s film bureaucracy and what passes muster with censors.
Some have pointed to the political sensitivity of “One Second,” which tells the story of a man who escapes a Chinese prison farm during the Cultural Revolution in search of a newsreel and encounters an orphan girl along the way.
The Cultural Revolution — the tumultuous decade that roiled China from 1966 to 1976 — has long been a delicate subject for the Communist Party.
Nonetheless, over the years, filmmakers have found ways to portray the era.
Notable examples include Wang Xiaoshuai’s “Red Amnesia” (2014) and Zhang’s “Coming Home” (2014).
The difference this time is that the film bureaucracy has undergone a major shift since oversight of the industry shifted last year to the Chinese Communist Party’s Propaganda Department.
The difference this time is that the film bureaucracy has undergone a major shift since oversight of the industry shifted last year to the Chinese Communist Party’s Propaganda Department.
The change was part of a broader government effort to tighten controls on the media and the internet in China.
Another factor may have been new requirements that films get an official “dragon seal,” or certification of approval by censors, as well as a travel permit to show at international film festivals.
As a result, people with knowledge of the industry say, many films — particularly those that deal with delicate topics — are having a harder time getting through China’s byzantine bureaucracy.
“Supervision has become stricter,” said Zhang Xianmin, one of China’s foremost independent film producers.
Another factor may have been new requirements that films get an official “dragon seal,” or certification of approval by censors, as well as a travel permit to show at international film festivals.
As a result, people with knowledge of the industry say, many films — particularly those that deal with delicate topics — are having a harder time getting through China’s byzantine bureaucracy.
“Supervision has become stricter,” said Zhang Xianmin, one of China’s foremost independent film producers.
“The space for independent films is shrinking.”
While Zhang Yimou is arguably China’s most acclaimed filmmaker, he has also been in and out of the good graces of the authorities.
While Zhang Yimou is arguably China’s most acclaimed filmmaker, he has also been in and out of the good graces of the authorities.
In 1994, his film “To Live” was banned in China.
In 2014, Zhang and his wife were ordered to pay a $1.24 million fine for violating the one-child policy by having three children.
Xi Jinping has himself been critical of Zhang.
Xi Jinping has himself been critical of Zhang.
According to a 2007 WikiLeaks cable, Xi, who was then party secretary of Zhejiang Province, criticized Chinese filmmakers for not promoting the right values, and cited Zhang in particular.
“Some Chinese moviemakers neglect values they should promote,” Xi said, according to the cable.
Zhang’s film was withdrawn just days after another Chinese film, “Better Days,” was pulled from the Berlin festival’s Generation section.
“Some Chinese moviemakers neglect values they should promote,” Xi said, according to the cable.
Zhang’s film was withdrawn just days after another Chinese film, “Better Days,” was pulled from the Berlin festival’s Generation section.
Producers of the film, which tells the story of disaffected youth, said it hadn’t been finished in time to get approval from censors.
But Variety, citing industry sources, said the film had failed to receive the necessary permissions from the Chinese authorities.
Despite the last-minute withdrawals, Chinese filmmakers are still making a strong showing at this year’s Berlin festival.
Despite the last-minute withdrawals, Chinese filmmakers are still making a strong showing at this year’s Berlin festival.
Wang Xiaoshuai’s “So Long, My Son” and Wang Quan’an’s “Öndög” are both in contention for the Golden Bear award, the festival’s top prize, while Lou Ye’s “The Shadow Play” is being shown in the Panorama section.
Speaking at a news conference at the Berlin festival on Monday, Lou said the process of getting “The Shadow Play” past Chinese censors had been longer and more complex than he had ever faced before in his career.
Speaking at a news conference at the Berlin festival on Monday, Lou said the process of getting “The Shadow Play” past Chinese censors had been longer and more complex than he had ever faced before in his career.
“My attitude toward censorship in the movie industry has never changed,” said Lou.
“Movies should always be free.”
Instead of “One Second,” festival organizers said they would screen Zhang Yimou’s 2002 martial-arts epic “Hero” out of competition.
Instead of “One Second,” festival organizers said they would screen Zhang Yimou’s 2002 martial-arts epic “Hero” out of competition.
Zhang was the first Chinese director to win the Golden Bear award at the Berlin Film Festival, in 1988, for the film “Red Sorghum.”
Accustomed to censorship, some Chinese were quick to see through the explanation that “One Second” had been pulled for “technical difficulties.”
“This film was about the Cultural Revolution,” one person wrote on Weibo.
Accustomed to censorship, some Chinese were quick to see through the explanation that “One Second” had been pulled for “technical difficulties.”
“This film was about the Cultural Revolution,” one person wrote on Weibo.
“Seems like that decade is now having some ‘technical difficulties.’ ”
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