MCLC: Ying Liang statement

[Denton, Kirk]

MCLC LIST
From: Kevin B Lee <alsolikelife at gmail.com>
Subject: Ying Liang statement
***********************************************************

Source: dGenerate Films:
http://dgeneratefilms.com/china-today/nothing-about-cinema-everything-about
-freedom-by-ying-liang/#more-9872

Ying Liang has issued the following statement regarding his film When
Night Falls and the recent police threats made to him and his family
regarding the film. The Chinese version of the statement can be seen
Here.

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150768282276642&set=a.101502925066
71642.323636.667186641&type=1

Nothing about Cinema, Everything about Freedom
A Statement from Ying Liang

I’m experiencing quite a unique campaign for “film marketing”: every
time when I finish a new film, I’d send some film stills and relevant
materials to the media. But this time, what is in focus here is not
the film itself. Most interview requests are not from the film-related
media. It’s not that I don’t want to talk about other topics, but that
the attention now is not directed to the quality of my new work.

For a filmmaker, the fact that the film has become a topic as such
can’t be more embarrassing and unfortunate. What I have experienced
and what I envision will happen in the future have made me to accept
such a fact: “JUST CINEMA”, which indicates on the one hand that the
power of cinema shouldn’t be over-evaluated, and on the other hand,
cinema could achieve everything. I cannot totally agree with the
latter opinion about the importance of cinema—- at least I don’t
“simply”, “solely” or “absolutely” believe in such a statement. But
there are people who insist that films could be so important that they
would do everything to prove and guard this claim via public power and
public instrument, which corners me, a negligible filmmaker, to a
political or politicized predicament.

When receiving the invitation from the Jeonju Digital Project (JDP) by
Jeonju International Film Festival (JIFF), I was experiencing my
bottleneck period. For more than two years I haven’t shot any new
work. The JDP has given me the chance to relish in the freedom and joy
in filmmaking again. In recent eight and nine years, I have altogether
shot four features and several short films, ending up getting lost in
the search for motivations. Every time upon finishing shooting a new
story, I’d be soon taught a lesson by actual events in life, of which
the degree of absurdity, cruelty and sense of black humor usually
exceed that of film stories, and they are way beyond our imagination
too.

At the same time, I have come to the realization that a film made
purely out of personal interest and likes could do nothing to help
friends around me, and it may even push them to a worsened
condition—–in this way, I’ve been cast spell by both cinema and life.
Feeling confused, I have to stop and grope for an answer. ”When Night
Falls” tells the story about the mother of a murderer. She has been
kept away from the legal proceedings so that she has no idea about her
son’s death penalty. It’s based on a real case in 2008. It is from the
perspective of a mother that I shot this film for the JDP. It turns
out that the curse works again, here goes the details:

November 29, 2011

I received the invitation from Jeonju International Film Festival to
participate in the Jeonju Digital Project of 2012. At that time I had
already worked for 3 months as an artist in residence at the School of
Film and Television, Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts.

February 20, 2012

The shooting of “When Night Falls” was done, and we started to edit.
The film was then scheduled to premiere at Jeonju on April 28.

February 24, 2012

Friends of mine at Hangzhou and Shanghai were approached by people
sent by the National Security Bureau from Shanghai. Because of my
friends’ identities as teachers and students, the Ministry of
Education also intervened to inquire them.

April 7 , 2012

When calling my parents at Shanghai I learnt that there were policemen
inquiring about “When Night Falls” two days ago at home. They wouldn’t
believe that my parents didn’t know about it. They required that the
film should not be screened and it should be re-edited, and they could
compensate for my loss. They also took away the DVDs of my previous
works from my parents’ home.

April 14, 2012

The post-production of “When Nights Falls” completed, and the length
is 70 minutes. The screener was sent to JIFF.

April 16, 2012

My wife Peng Shan’s mother told us via QQ that the policemen from
Shanghai arrived at Zigong, Sichuan Province and approached Peng’s
father. Their intention was to push the families to persuade me to
pull out the film from the festival or re-edit the film. And Peng’s
father added via QQ that he was approached by the policemen several
times, and they hope it would be made clear to me that the official
believes that this film has twisted the facts about Chinese legal
systems, and has hurt the feelings of Shanghai police. If the film is
screened, negative international impacts would be expected, and if we
don’t pull out the film, we wouldn’t end up well. If we accept their
offer, the police could compensate for any loss, and in the future
when I shoot film in the mainland the  would support us.

The police even asked Peng Shan’s parents to take them to visit me at Hong
Kong.

April 18, 2012

I received an email from my Shanghai’s families which says, “Your new
film touched the nerves of Shanghai, and during the past 12 days, they
visited us at home for 7 times. The public security bureau is watching
you closely, and you would have difficulties crossing the
borders…unless you pull out the film or change your name. They would
take hard stance. You cannot come back to Mainland in the future.” My
families also told me that the policemen had already read the film
script.

April 19, 2012

I received several unidentified calls, and once it was connected, the
caller would not directly speak to me but would hand the phone to my
mother. My mother would try to persuade me not to show the film or
re-edit it. I reminded them that the new film has nothing to do with
my parents and the policeman should directly approach me. At night,
there was someone who claimed that he was sent by the Office of the
Foreign Affairs of Shanghai Municipality calling me, and they hoped
that on the second day I would be able to meet their “cadre” at the
Saiwan area of Hong Kong Island. I replied that they approached me in
such a hurry that we should just meet near my university. They agreed
after discussion among themselves.

April 20, 2012

At 10 am at the Chifu Plaza near Pokfulam Village I met up with the
two sent by the socalled “the Office of the Foreign Affairs of
Shanghai Municipality”. One of them calls himself Director Zhang, and
another is Xiaochen. Their accusation had two parts:

1) The film has twisted the facts about the case;

2) The film has offended the feelings and rights of the people involved.

My response:

1) I will consult with the lawyers about the legal issues;

2) The copyright of my film belongs to JIFF, and you should approach them;

3) As the director of the film, I don’t want to pull out my film or
re-edit it.

That afternoon my wife consulted with a rights lawyer, and they told
me both charges were simply absurd.

1) If the government doesn’t believe the film is based on facts of the
case, then they should make public the details of the case, and all
the lawyers with professional integrity are waiting for this day to
come;

2) If the film does hurt the feelings of people involved in the case,
then the charges should be raised by them. And that should be a civil
lawsuit which doesn’t involve arrest.

Between April 21-23, 2012

Xiaochen from “the Office of the Foreign Affairs of Shanghai
Municipality” texted me and kept calling me 2-3 times per day. I
picked up one phone call once and he tried again to persuade me to
approach the JIFF so they wouldn’t screen the film anymore. Suffering
from the harassment I blacklisted his number.

April 27, 2012

A SINA WEIBO (micro blog) user called “Ni Jiu Shi Ta” posted,”#When
Night Falls# before its opening, the JIFF was threatened by the CCP
official, which requested them to stop screening Ying Liang’s part in
the Jeonju Digital Project. But the demand was turned down by the
festival. Then the CCP offered that, they would purchase the copyright
of the film with 10 billion Korean Won so the festival won’t screen
the film. The festival still downed them down”.

In this message the weibo user also provided the web link from a news
site of South Korea. However this post was instantly deleted at WEIBO.
This user again uses the English title of the film “When Night Falls”
to repost, which was finally deleted on May 13. The item of “When
Night Falls” at DOUBAN.COM (web 2.0 social network site in Chinese
language) was deleted (http://movie.douban.com/subject/10465114/)

April 28, 2012

“When Night Falls” was premiered at Jeonju, with around 1100 audience.
One of the coordinators of the festival Ji-Hoon Jo also confirmed that
there was a Korean young man who approached the city council and the
festival office on behalf of a Chinese film company. He wanted to buy
the copyright of the film and required them to cancel the screening.
But Jo refused him.

May 5, 2012

My families sent me two emails to convey the intention of the Public
Security and National Security, which says, if I return to Mainland
China, I would be arrested, and there is no space for negotiation. The
branch bureau could arrest me without asking for authorization from
the higher levels, and my filmmaking has been filed as one of  those
“serious and important cases”, so it would be dealt with differently.
Also the branch bureau seemed to imply that I would be OK if I give up
to be a Chinese.  Also, I hear from my friend that the order was given
by the head of The Public Security Bureau of Shanghai Municipality.
For the first time I mentioned at Facebook that my security was under
threat and freedom was limited.

May 8, 2012

One of my cousins told me that when she called my mother, she sounded
calm, but the call was discontinuous, so she was suspicious that the
call was intercepted.

Between May 11-12, 2012

After two days’ communication with Ji-Hoon Jo via email, Ji-Hoon
clarified the fact about the circulating news on the 10 billion Korean
Won (50 million RMB). Ji- Hoon told me that the news was not accurate.
The director of the festival at the opening ceremony mentioned, “Even
if Chinese government offers us 10,000,000,000 won to buy the film, we
surely will screen the film in our festival.”  And it is where the
misinterpretation came from. But Ji-Hoon emphasized that the proposal
of purchase and the added conditions indeed existed. But they never
mentioned about the price. Also the details about the “young Korean
guy” are,

1)he repeatedly points out that he is not sent by the government,

2) he only knows that the film is made by Ying Liang, while having no
idea about the Korean or English title of the film.

3)he claims that he has business relationship with some rich
businessmen in Shanghai, who asked him to purchase the copyright at
Jeonju

May 13,2012

My cousin again called my parents’ home at Shanghai, and they said
they were no longer approached by the Shanghai police, and they
guessed it was because the police believed I had already understood
their intention. This cousin also told my parents about how I dealt
with this situation by mobilizing Facebook and WEIBO, and then she
sent my best regards to my mother for Mother’s Day. It was said that
my parents seemed to be more relaxed, and they were from time to time
laughing.

In the future with the screening of “When Night Falls” at other
places, the timeline above would be constantly updated—I simply feel
sad, and I am reminded of what Yang Jia said, “in a country run by
these policemen, even a law abiding citizen who’s obedient for more
than 20 years would be sentenced to prison ”

What I have written above has nothing to do with my filmmaking. To be
honest, in these years, except love letters, I have got few chances to
write about anything irrelevant to cinema. At the end of the
statement, I shall protest against Shanghai police and the CCP
government on the following issues:

Give back the independent filmmakers’ dignity!

Give me back the freedom for creation and speech, and also personal
freedom!

Stop harassing and threatening my families and friends!

Stop all the ridiculous acts hindering the screenings of “When Night
Falls” !

Make public the facts about Yang Jia’s case!

Cancel the surveillance around Yang Jia’s tomb, stop restricting Mrs.
Wang Jingmei’s
freedom of speech and personal freedom!

Compensate for Mrs. Wang Jingmei’s loss and give her a reasonable
explanation!

Ying Liang

May 14,2012 Hong Kong