The filmmaker of Nomadland, Chloé Zhao, is the new Hollywood nobility. She became the first woman of color to win Best Director at the Oscars in April. Eternals, her big-budget Marvel film, will be released in theatres in November. She has so much respect in the industry right now that she can get away with wearing jeans on the red carpet of a movie premiere.
For a time, Zhao was just as well-liked in China. She was born in Beijing and has ties to Chinese entertainment royalty: her stepmother, Song Dandan, is one of the country’s most well-known comedy actors. Zhao became a model of a crossover artist in Hollywood, integrating Chinese characteristics into American movies. In March, the Communist Party-controlled Global Times dubbed her “China’s pride.’
However, an eight-year-old interview in which Zhao described the country as ‘a place where lies are rampant’ went viral. Beijing retaliated by banning social media posts congratulating her on her Oscar triumph and postponing the premiere of her film Nomadland. Eternals, which should have been a slam dunk for Chinese audiences, is now in danger of being banned. Zhao’s birth country appears to have quietly and swiftly disowned her—at least for the time being.
The Chinese film market officially overtook North America as the world’s largest box office in 2020, ensuring that Hollywood studios will continue to do everything they can to gain access to the country. This also means China will be more assertive in its control of Hollywood.
Because of celebrations for the 100th anniversary of the Communist Party’s foundation, the country, which already has a quota on the number of foreign films that can be played each year, prohibited them for nearly two months this summer.
Today, cinema censorship has become one of the most conspicuous examples of American firms bending their beliefs to appease China and a frightening foreshadowing for every company seeking access to the country’s consumers. For Hollywood, China has simply become too profitable to ignore.
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