MCLC: director Ying Liang threatened

[Denton, Kirk]

MCLC LIST
From: kevin lee (kevin at dgeneratefilms.com)
Subject: director Ying Liang threatened
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Source: dGenerate Films:
http://dgeneratefilms.com/china-today/director-ying-liang-threatened-by-pol
ice-is-safe-in-hong-kong/

Director Ying Liang Threatened by Police, Is Safe in Hong Kong
By Maya E. Rudolph

Ying Liang, the director of Taking Father Home, Good Cats, and The
Other Half and a leading figure in the world of independent Chinese
cinema, has reportedly had police visit his family in Shanghai. Ying,
who is in Hong Kong, has been threatened with arrest if he returns to
China. The harassment began following a screening of his most recent
narrative feature, When Night Falls at the Jeonju Film Festival in
South Korea. Writing for The New Yorker, Richard Brody reports:

The film that got Ying in trouble is his latest, ³When Night Falls,²
which, according to [Malaysian filmmaker and blogger Edmund] Yeo, was
shown in the Jeonju film festival, in South Korea. Yeo¹s post has a
wide range of details about the film and the case. The movie is based
on the true story of a man who was ³executed in 2008 for murdering six
policemen with a knife in a Shanghai police station after being
arrested and beaten for riding an unlicensed bicycle.²

Yeo quotes from Ying¹s post on Facebook, which states that, after the
film was shown in Jeonju, his family, in Shanghai, and his wife¹s
family, in Sichuan, were visited and intimidated by the Chinese
police, who then tried ³to buy the copyright of the film² in Korea for
an extraordinarily high price. Ying adds that he returned to Hong Kong
(where he is currently working) and learned that he would be arrested
if he goes back to China.

Since the incidents, Ying has been active on facebook and twitter,
commenting on the evolving situation and assuring concerned friends
and fans alike that his family ³are ok.² Ying has also released a
series of statements on facebook, some of which have been made public
to non-²friends². In a most recent facebook post, dated May 9th, Ying
clarifies some of the conditions surrounding the harassment:

³My parents and my wife¹s parents were harassed by policemen at the
early of this April. The last time, I got the info, the policemen from
Police Department, National Security, and National Protection had
visited my family in Shanghai at least seven times. Their main work
were helping my parents to understand ³my case²: such as the film
exposed the eyesore of them, nobody could be allowed to touch the case
about Yang Jia, and I wouold be arrested once I come back. The day
before yesterday, my friend gave a call to my home; she said my
mother¹s voice and emotion sound ok, but telephone always discontinue,
maybe phone was being eavesdropped.

When the Policemen from National Security visited me in HK, they
didn¹t use true identity, just said they from the Foreign Office of
Shanghai Government. Because of my families¹ troublesome, I thought I
must see them. They told me my film didn¹t meet the true, and violate
somebody¹s emotion. Then they request me to cancel all screening plan,
or re-edit the film.² [sic]

As friends and supporters of Ying Liang, we at dGenerate Films extend
our great concern to Ying and his family. Ying Liang is not only a
remarkable director, but a leader, teacher, and role model in the
Chinese independent film community‹a true symbol of independent
thought and artistic practice. Our thoughts are with Ying and his
family. We will be following this situation as more information
becomes available.