Source: The Chna Project (1/20/23)
Finished Chinese films that we might never get to see
From Cultural Revolution dramas to China’s answer to ‘The Lord of the Rings,’ censors have stopped these movies from being screened in China, and many are not available elsewhere either.
By Amarsanaa Battulga

Illustration for the China Project by Derek Zheng
Last week, we introduced The China Project’s ten most anticipated Chinese movies of 2023. With sweeping lockdowns gone and people gradually learning to coexist with COVID-19, the country’s film sector is ready to throw away its crutches and run again.
But not all films — albeit completed — get to participate in this race. For Chinese films aiming for domestic distributions, one of the most crucial qualifying conditions is a greenlight from the China Film Administration(CFA), which oversees all aspects of filmmaking in the country. Far more long-term and harmful — both creatively and financially — than the COVID-zero policy, the Chinese film censorship is among the strictest in the world and has only gotten more rigid, extensive, and unpredictable in recent years.
It should also be noted that some films are not approved for public screening not necessarily because of their content but because they were at the “wrong” festival or had the “wrong” actor or for other reasons, as you will find out below.
Here are ten recent Chinese films — out of many more — that might never see the light of the day. Continue reading