MCLC: Jia Zhangke on injustice

[Denton, Kirk]

MCLC LIST
From: pjmooney <pjmooney at me.com>
Subject: Jia Zhangke on injustice
***********************************************************

Source: The Guardian (6/24/13):
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/jun/24/jia-zhangke-china-film-violence

China must end silence on injustice, warns film director Jia Zhangke
Jia Zhangke, whose film A Touch of Sin won best screenplay at Cannes, says
China must tackle social ills or face more violence
By Tani Branigan

A leading Chinese director has warned the country faces a rising tide of
violence unless it tackles its social problems, as he discussed his
graphic new film.

While A Touch of Sin's themes of injustice and exploitation are familiar
territory for Jia Zhangke, its style is a stark departure from his usual
contemplative tone. Critics have described it as "ultra violent" and
compared it to Quentin Tarantino's work.

The slight, unassuming 43-year-old said he drew inspiration from morally
inflected westerns and martial arts movies. His four tales, which draw on
real events, include that of a spa receptionist fighting off a lecherous
customer and a miner armed with a gun and intent on revenge against
corrupt officials. "I don't admire or worship violence," Jia said. "To
fight violence with violence is a tragedy. This film seeks the roots of
violence."

In the past, he said, social changes had led to personal crises, but the
problems had been partially hidden. "Partly it's that social problems have
been more intense than before … In the past, the corruption was not beyond
imagination, but now, the reality is surreal to us … The [former] minister
for railways went on trial and it was said he had more than 300 properties.

"The gap between rich and poor is also increasing," Jia said. "The bigger
the difference is, the more [these] hidden, disturbed emotions grow."

But ordinary people were also increasingly aware of the injustices, he
said, and their tolerance was shrinking. "In recent years people have
chosen to solve [their personal crises] in a violent way," the film-maker
added.

This month, 47 people died in a bus fire that police say was started by a
suicidal man after a long dispute with local officials over welfare
payments. "In China there is more and more [violence]. You just saw the
bus case. Last year in Guangdong a man didn't get his salary from the boss
and set fire to an underwear factory [killing 14 young female workers," he
noted.

Jia sees silence in the face of wrongs as a sin, but not everyone agrees,
he said: "Chinese society is strange: people feel if you talk about sad or
tragic things it will have even more of a negative impact on society. It's
really strange logic. If you can't even face it in a film, how can you
face it in reality? If even films cannot refer to [violence], it will
always be unfamiliar to us and violent incidents will increase."

A Touch of Sin scooped the best screenplay award at Cannes last month. Jia
has long received international acclaim for films such as Still Life,
which won the Golden Lion at Venice, and 24 City. But the reaction of
authorities at home is perhaps more remarkable. His producer urged him not
to make the movie because it would be banned, like his early works.
Instead, it has been approved for release later this year with only minor
changes.

Jia Zhangke and the actor Zhao Tao arrive at the Shanghai international
film festival this month. Photograph: Aly Song/Reuters"Chinese censorship
means a policeman has to be a good man; you can't change that," he said.
"But more important is self-censorship."

Jia has been a vocal critic of controls, but said these days he could talk
to censors and explain why he wanted to include particular aspects.

Not everyone approves of his decision to work within the existing system.
In 2009 he withdrew from a film festival where the exiled Uighur leader
Rebiya Kadeer was speaking, though he said it was his own choice
<http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/evanosnos/2009/07/jia-zhangke-rebiya
-kadeer.html>.

But he has also tested its boundaries and continues to press for more
space. Real cultural reforms are urgently needed, including "media
freedom, freedom for writers … how we face history … The cultural system
is the basis for reforms to the political system", he said.

The director, who grew up in the countryside and was rejected twice by the
Beijing Film Academy before his acceptance, has always been drawn to those
on the margins. His first film, Xiao Wu, was about a pickpocket. He has
described his home province of Shanxi as "my true China", pointing out
that only a minority of the population live in Beijing and Shanghai.
Studying at university in the 1990s also exposed his generation to new
ways of thinking, teaching them to be alert to power and to respect
justice, he said.

Though perhaps better appreciated abroad than at home, he does appear to
have one unexpected admirer domestically. China's new leader, Xi Jinping,
reportedly noted  one of his films approvingly at a private dinner
<http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/us-embassy-cables-documents/100934> with
the then US ambassador some years ago.

"Whether it's a Chinese citizen or the Chinese leader, we all live in the
same country and face the same life. I'm happy it aroused the same
feelings," Jia said.