As Oscars Fever Builds in China, Some Ask: ‘What About Our Films’

BEIJING â€" As “Oscar fever” grows around the world with the 85th Academy Awards due to begin in Los Angeles just hours from now, excitement is building here in China even though it has no films in competition. Also a sense of frustration: why aren’t our movies nominated for the world’s biggest awards

China thinks of itself as advancing in many ways, growing richer and more powerful all the time, so its inability to come up with serious Oscars contenders rankles.

Yet the most popular answer to the question, held by ordinary Chinese and film experts alike, is: “Too few good films. That’s the real reason in recent years Chinese films have moved further and further away from the Oscars dream,” wrote the International Herald Leader newspaper, in a story carried on the country’s popular Tencent entertainment site.

An article by the Economic Daily, carried on People’s Daily Web sie, gave another interpretation: “the Oscars have never been a communal forum, the films taken seriously have only the responsibility to portray the North American world view and the lives they’re willing to see.”

As I’ve explored elsewhere, strict censorship hobbles the Chinese film industry. Directors are increasingly voicing their frustration in public yet there’s little they can do against the directives of the state. One result of this hamstringing of talent is it’s virtually impossible to make probing films about contemporary society, which has many social tensions the government doesn’t want openly explored. Instead, filmmakers retreat to the safety of historical themes, with tales of warring dynasties commonplace.

! Also, strict import rules governing overseas movies mean few may be shown here. As a person with the handle LA-YIN wrote on their Sina Weibo, or microblog: “with the exception of Ang Lee’s ‘Life of Pi,’ none of the nominated films has screened in China.”

As the awards draw near, much attention is focused on a prediction of winners in an annual list drawn up by the actress Zhang Ziyi. Ms. Zhang starred in “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon,” a 2000 hit by the Taiwan director Ang Lee (whose drama of survival and belief, “Life of Pi,” is nominated this year). She is also “the first Chinese star” from the People’s Republic of China “to be listed on the jury for the Oscars,” in 2005, Xinhua, the state news agency reported.

Many netizens are pointing out that Ms. Zhang’s list runs at a “90 percent” accuracy rate. So what’s she tapping

Best Director Mr. Lee and Steven Spielberg (“Lincoln”) are in tiht competition, she writes. “Emotionally, I’m drawn to Ang Lee. Intellectually I’m drawn to Spielberg. These are the two films I’ve liked most this year.”

Best Film “Lincoln. Whether you like the movie or not, it gives off glamor and radiance. I salute Spielberg’s youthfulness,” she wrote.

China is 16 hours ahead of Los Angeles, so watching will be tricky for people headed into a normal working Monday. As -Mostro- wrote on a microblog site, “It’s the Oscars today!!!!!!! But it’ll only be on tomorrow, Beijing time ….I can’t watch it,” followed by four yellow, grimacing emoticons.