On Sunday evening, Chloé Zhao became the first woman of colour to be named best director for her feature film Nomadlandwhich itself won the Oscar for Best Film. A double victory celebrated here as in the United States in the name of diversity, which has been called for for years on both the small and the big screen. But in China, his country of origin, his victory was greeted with a repressive silence.
On Chinese social networks, articles and messages about the ceremony and Mme Zhao were quickly silenced. A keyword entitled "Chloé Zhao wins the Best Achievement Award" was censored from digital platforms. When users typed in the keyword, they were met with an error message stating that "in accordance with the laws, regulations and policies in force, the page cannot be found". The two state media, CCTV and Xinhua, also remained silent about his victory.
Not by chance
For researcher Gabrielle Gendron, of the Raoul-Dandurand Chair's Observatory of Multidimensional Conflicts, it is no coincidence that this event is taking place just a few months before the 100th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.e anniversary of the Chinese Communist Party, on 1er July.
"In the run-up to the centenary, China has set in motion a series of political defences to strengthen the loyalty and unity [of its citizens] around the Communist Party", explains Mr. Kouchner.me Gendron. For example, the Chinese authorities have ordered cinemas to show at least two propaganda films a week by the end of the year. They have also encouraged the public to denounce "malicious defamation, attacks and distortions" against China.
On the one hand, Beijing is much quicker with its repression and censorship, and on the other, Chloé Zhao represents treachery in China's eyes.
Researcher Gabrielle Gendron
She is referring to the controversy caused by the director last March. Remarks she made to the American magazine Filmmaker in 2013, describing China as a country "where there are lies everywhere", resurfaced in the midst of the promotional campaign for his film.
"I suddenly went to England and relearned my history. Studying political science at a liberal university was a way for me to understand what was real," she told Filmmaker.
The initial release date of Nomadland in China was 23 April, but the film was never released in cinemas.
"It could have been China's child prodigy. It only took one criticism for it to become a political tool to rally the Chinese people under the Communist government", notes Mme Gendron.
Deleted from social networks
Beijing's reaction comes as no surprise to Guy Saint-Jacques, Canada's former ambassador to China. It is part of a decade of authoritarian repression, marked by Xi Jinping's rise to power. "Before 2013, citizens could still express personal opinions. Today, the government would make their lives unbearable", says the diplomat.
And that's what he believes happened to Chloé Zhao. Not only has she become a persona non grata in the eyes of the Chinese government, but the latter has completely erased it from social networks.
A post announcing the director's victory published by the film magazine Watch Movieswhich has over 14 million followers on the Weibo social network, was censored a few hours after it was published on Monday morning. Doubanan application popular with film fans, has banned searches for Nomadland, stating that "the search results could not be displayed in accordance with the laws and regulations in force".
The Chinese regime is extremely authoritarian, but it is also very effective. It can literally wipe out a person's existence.
Guy Saint-Jacques, former Canadian ambassador to China
On social networks, users were creative in congratulating the filmmaker. Some used the initials "zt" (Zhao Ting, her full name in Chinese) to evade the censors.
Tense Sino-American relations
During her acceptance speech on the stage set up at Los Angeles' Union Station, Chloé Zhao quoted a line from a poem she had memorised with her father when she was a child, which translates as: "People, at birth, are good."
For London-based journalist and China specialist Amy Hawkins, Mme Zhao testifies that a dialogue between the United States and China is still possible. "The Chinese government and the recent Trump administration have pushed China and the West into increasingly polarised political spheres. Chloé Zhao's success in the West and her adoption by Hollywood undermine the Chinese government's claim that America is fundamentally hostile to the Chinese people," she says.
In this regard, the Global Timesa conservative Chinese newspaper, broke the media silence on Monday by urging Mr. Mme Zhao to play a "mediating role" between China and the US and "avoid being a point of friction". "We hope that she can become increasingly mature", wrote the newspaper in an editorial that is no longer accessible.
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