Lingyun Zheng
May 2016
Under China’s quota system, it’s difficult for foreign films’ theatrical opening in China. Since 2012, China’s quota system allows foreign movie imports to 34 titles every years, and 14 of the 34 movies must be shown in 3D, IMax or other enhanced formats. Even a Hollywood blockbuster has to compete intensely win a position in China’s mega-plexes, let alone low-budget independent films.
In addition to quota system, a film’s theatrical opening must go through censorship. China does not have film rating system, which means all films will be inspected by State Administration of Radio Film and Television. Only films that receive “ dragon seal” (Chinese censors’ official stamp of endorsement) from State Administration of Radio Film and Television are permitted to be shown in theaters. The regulation also applies to the 34 imported films.
However, if your films cannot be one of the 34, you still have chance to show your works on some alternative independent platforms. The platforms include film festivals, nonprofit organizations, bookstores, galleries, bars and coffee, and online video sites. It’s true that these platforms seems unprofitable, but it may be one of the practicable choices to circumvent the quota system and censorship. The following will introduce some alternative distribution strategies, which may be helpful for low budget and independent projects.
Let Chinese Audience Know Your Project
Before looking for a screening platform, you can build the ID of your project at the film section of
DOUBAN, a online database functions like IMDb in China. The website is similar to IMDb, where registered users can create content related to films, videos and television programs, including production crew, cast, plot summaries and reviews.
DOUBAN provides rich information for users to find introductions and reviews of independent films. Although it is known by all that State Administration of Radio Film and Television prohibits the dissemination of criticism of Chinese government, ghost, religion, obscenity, drug abuse, sexs, violence, criminal activities, information about films at the edge of this strict system can be found at DOUBAN. For example, Nitrate Kisses by Barbara Hammer, which seems to touch the baseline, has an ID at DOUBAN, including its plot, poster, IMDb link, and short reviews from the registered users.
Apart from DOUBAN, you can spread information of your films via other unofficial media, such as WeChat and Weibo. For example, Deep Focus, a site ran by Chinese film students and fans, publishes reports of major film festivals around the world, reveiews of films on their official website, WeChat (deep_focus) and Weibo. Under the support of students from film schools in Europe and North America, the site puts together interesting reviews of films in different languages and various styles.
This kind of exposure can benefit the theatrical distribution of your projects latter, since independent film fans in China relays on these online spaces to get informed and decide what films they want to watch. Unofficial but relatively unrestricted, these media collects and updates information quickly and follows the trend of global independent films closely.
Also, there are authoritative film scholars and critics in China who are committed to the development of independent films, such as Zhang Xianmin and Li Xianting . Zhang teaches at Beijing Film Academy, and he’s one of the funding organizers of Chinese Independent Film Festival. He founded Beijing Indie Workshop in 2005, which is an organization that promotes independent films, and provides facilities and and consulting to the curators, programmers and academics. Li is an independent art critic and curator of contemporary Chinese art. He is the director of Songzhuang Art Museum and Li Xianting’s Film Fund. Making your projects shown at major film festivals around the world is a shortcut to be recognized by authoritative film scholars and critics. Some Chinese known curators and scholars are committee members of major film festivals, for example, Zhang Xianmin is in the selection committee of Asian Cinema Fund at Busan International Film Festival.
Microcinema — Small And Relatively Private Screens
After introducing the basic information of your projects, you can try to find physical screening space or cyber screening space. Physical screening space refers to microcinemas, such as the screenings at universities, nonprofit organizations, bookstores, galleries, bars and cafes. Although Chinese government interferes with independent film festivals all the times, these smaller and relatively private screens provide possibilities to stay away from censorship.
Some film schools of Universities has microcinemas ran by students and staffs, such as KINO-VISION at Beijing Film Academy, TSINGYING FILM at Tsinghua University and Black Box Projection Room at the film school of Nanjing University. Black Box Projection Room organized a screening of Mr. Zhang Believes on April 16th, 2016. Made by Qiu Jiongjiong, Mr. Zhang Believes involves taboo topics in China’s history, such as Cultural Revolution and AntiRightist Movement. In addition to Chinese independent films, these microcinemas also organize screenings of from other countries. TSINGYING FILM held a screening of How I Came to Hate Math by Olivier Peyon on April 23rd, 2016.
Moreover, there are some nonprofit organizations that are committed to the screenings and discussions of independent films. The nonprofit organizations rely on screens at bookstores, bars and cafes to organize screenings for audience across China. Qi Fang (Cinephile Collective, a self-organizedscreening program, initiated by Indie Workshop and supported by dozens of screening communities, venues and private organizers) held retrospective screenings of Li Luo’s films, including I Went to the Zoo the Other Day (2009), Rivers and My Father (2010), Emperor Visits the Hell (2012) and Li Wen At East Lake (2014). The alternative screenings platforms for these retrospective screenings consist of Echo Bookstore at Da Lian, Ginkgo Trees Cafe at Chang Chun, and Bush Definition at Cheng Du, and other cities in China. Although sometimes shut down by the authorities, the screenings make use of every bit of time and space to create opportunities for filmmakers and audience.
Other microcinemas may include studios and galleries ran by established Chinese independent filmmakers and scholars, such as Wu Wenguang’s Caochangdi Station , Li Xianting’s Film Fund and Fanhall Center for Arts . For documentary films, the nonprofit organization at Beijing, IDOCS International Documentary Film Forum also supports screenings of independent films all around the world. IDOCS has held screenings of A River Changes Course, The Closer We Get, A Strange Love Affair With Ego and many other independent documentary films this year.
Cyber Screening Space Video Sites and Online Storage
It’s known by all that China prohibits Youtube and Vimeo. However, there are some website that you can upload your videos to share with Chinese audience. Youku Tudo is the mainstream video hosting services, which has more restricted regulations compared with Bilibili and AcFun. Online videos are also under the same censorship as theatrical released films, especially videos on Youku Tudou and other major video hosting service. If you’re not confident that your projects can pass all the inspections, you can share your videos via private links on Baidu Yun, 360 Yun Pan and other online storage services. Some Sina Weibo users are voluntary to share the free sources on this microblogging website. For example, RareMovie, who has 14724 followers shares a lot of resources every day, including new films like Rolling Papers (2015) by Mitch Dickman and early avant-garde films like Hand: The Life and Loves of The Gentle Sex (1928) by Stella Simon and Miklos Bandy. If you just want your film seen by audience, not considering about the profits, online space is a practical platform that can reach grassroot audience quickly. Many users, like RareMovie, are active at Sina Weibo to spread out the good films that cannot get official theatrical distribution in China.