CANNES - The Hollywood Reporter

theREPORT
OUI,
I DID
SAY
THAT!
A look at who’s saying what
in entertainment
“Omg! The power went out
in my hotel half way thru
getting my hair curled.
This is a nightmare.”
PARIS HILTON
The socialite, tweeting about electricity
issues at her hotel
“Red carpet
pink shirt !!
I know … Sorry”
DAVID HASSELHOFF
The Knight Rider star on
his fashion choice for Thursday’s
Jeune et Jolie premiere
“For a complete alien in the
midst of Cannes to be
acknowledged, is the proudest
moment for me as an Indian.”
AMITABH BACHCHAN
The Bollywood veteran and Gatsby co-star, who
opened the festival with Leonardo DiCaprio, on the fest
celebrating 100 years of Indian cinema
“Cannes hit
by $1 million
jewelry heist.
All jewelry is
real; only the
boobs are fake.”
BETTE MIDLER
The singer-actress, commenting
on the Chopard heist
Competition Entries
From Iran and China
Stir Censorship Debate
Jia Zhangke’s A Touch of Sin challenges
restrictions bluntly, while Asgar Farhadi’s
The Past takes a more subtle approach
By Scott Roxborough and Patrick Brzeski
Censorship — both state-run and selfimposed
— was the focus in the Cannes
competition Friday with the screenings
of two films already tipped as Palme d’Or contenders:
A Touch of Sin from Chinese director
Jia Zhangke and The Past from Iranian Oscarwinner
Asgar Farhadi.
Touch of Sin has already stunned audiences
with its bracingly violent and direct depiction
of contemporary social ills in China. So bru-
tal, in fact, many are questioning how
the film can get by China’s censors. It was
violence that recently derailed Django
Unchained’s hopes for a lucrative Chinese run.
In addition to the blood, Jia’s film also directly
confronts the very same hot-button political
issues, including widespread political corruption
in China, that are often censored in
Chinese social media. In China, where censors
tightly control the topics addressed onscreen,
touching such topics is unheard of in a mainstream
release.
Following the film’s press screening, many
Chinese reviewers noted A Touch of Sin didn’t
carry the so-called “dragon stamp,” the official
seal of approval from China’s film regulators.
That set off discussion on Chinese social media
that Jia screened a version of the movie in
Cannes that wasn’t preapproved.
The Past
Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter,
Jia denies that: “Many people have been
asking, and the answer is: Yes, it will be
released in China.”
Jia insists the version of the film showing
in Cannes has already been approved for
release back home. Many are skeptical, but if
this turns out to be true, it would mark a sea
change for the country’s media climate.“In
the past, because of the censorship system, a
lot of directors play along and self-censor,”
Jia says. “I refuse to do that. I want to follow
my impulses and tell the stories that I feel
are important.”
While A Touch of Sin pushes the boundaries
of what is allowed under China’s state censors,
the situation is reversed in the case of The Past.
After making all his previous films under the
strict eye of Tehran’s censors, Farhadi had
complete freedom for his new movie, which was
made in France. But Farhadi says after years
under the Iranian system, he has internalized
their restrictions.
“It would be a lie if I said that because I work
in a country without state censorship that I am
suddenly free. I think I may have assimilated
many of the restrictions,” Farhadi says.
The Past has not been banned in Iran nor was
Farhadi’s last film, the Oscar-winning A Separation.
But in recent years Iran has been brutal
in its crackdown on local filmmakers. Last year
Tehran shut down the country’s independent
director’s guild the House of Cinema, claiming
it was a front for foreign governments wanting
to destabilize the regime.
Despite the difficulties censorship poses,
Farhadi remains optimistic. “I try and see it
not as an obstacle but as an asset, to use the
censorship as a tool for creativity.”
MIDLER: GETTY IMAGES
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