Row Over Citizenship, Interview: China Censors Zhao's 'Nomadland'

Filmmaker Chloe Zhao's 2013 interview with an American magazine and the row over her citizenship have led to her Golden Globe-winning movie, Nomadland, being censored in China, as per a report by Variety. Some time back, the Chinese state media and people celebrated Zhao's Golden Globe win. She became the first Asian woman to lift the trophy for Best Director.

But many people on the internet asked about Zhao's citizenship before her interview with Filmmaker magazine further escalated the issue. Not only was the film's promotional material wiped out from the Chinese internet, but even key search terms related to Nomadland on Weibo — China's major social media platform — fetched the message, “The topic’s page cannot be shown due to related laws, regulations and policies”.

The images of the film's posters have also disappeared from another social media platform called Douban.

Zhao was born in Beijing but had moved to the US. In 2013, Zhao had described China as “a place where there are lies everywhere”. Nomadland is scheduled to release in China on 23 April. The magazine had deleted the quote in February just days before Nomadland was allotted 23 April as the release date in China, Variety reported.

After the censorship, many social media users have started wondering if the decision is temporary or it could affect Zhao's future prospects as well.

(With inputs from Variety)

Also Read: Chloe Zhao – 2nd Woman Ever to Win Best Director at Golden Globes

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