Chinese film director hits out at state censorship – Arts & Entertainment

When Shanghai-based expat Jakob Montrasio first told me he was directing a spaghetti western set in his adopted city, I'm sure I blinked uncomprehendingly. The movie, Shangdown: The Way of the Spur is an east-meets-west kung fu cowboy mashup.

In part one of this two-part interview, conducted at MoMA in New York City, Jia discusses the current state of film production in China, his personal experiences as a young director in Beijing in the mid-’90s and support of young directors there today, and the difference between being an “underground” director and one who operates within China’s state film system.

Original film soundtracks have never been considered a potential source of profit by mainland Chinese filmmakers. Their movies, especially the big-budget blockbusters, favour orchestral scores to leave the viewer breathless with emotion during key scenes. Taiwanese and Hong Kong films tend towards gentle, sweet tunes to convey more subtle sentiments.

Ever since Anna May Wong became the first Chinese movie star to appear in a Hollywood film in the 1930s, Chinese actresses have been trying to crack America.