After not airing the 2021 Oscar ceremony, China is believed to be sitting out this weekend’s event as well. The motivations behind last year’s move were understood to be related to specific films and filmmakers, and while China released fewer Hollywood movies than usual in 2021, the reasoning behind a decision to not to show the Oscars this year is somewhat unclear.
Last March, the Chinese government told local media to curb coverage of the 2021 Oscars due to what were understood to be its concerns over past comments made by then-nominee Chloe Zhao who went on to win the Best Director prize for Nomadland which also scooped the Best Picture trophy. China was also thought to have issues with Do Not Split, a Documentary Short nominee about the Hong Kong protests.
Hong Kong’s leading broadcaster, TVB, also did not air the Oscars in 2021 — for the first time in over five decades — having maintained it was a commercial decision. Currently, there is no mention of the Oscars on TVB’s Monday schedule. Deadline has reached out to TVB.
A story in The Hollywood Reporter cites sources close to China’s state television CCTV saying there are no plans to air the ceremony there this year. However, Communist Party mouthpiece, The Global Times, is carrying a wire report from AFP that talks up the number of Oscar nominees who hail from Spain, so it appears mention of the awards has not entirely been scrubbed from local media. Still, on a geopolitical level, China and Russia are strategic partners — and Beijing has not condemned Russia’s invasion of Ukraine — so a move to not show the Oscars could be construed as a means to avoid exposure to pro-Ukraine speeches at the Dolby.
When the Oscars were held in April 2021, Chinese state media largely ignored the outcome, with no discernible mention of the ceremony or its historic victories for China-born Zhao. But The Global Times ran an op-ed titled “Nomadland Reminds Those Caught Between US-China Rivalry To Keep Faith,” and called Zhao’s wins “good,” but noted, “Worsening bilateral ties are squeezing the room for cultural exchanges between peoples from the two countries. People who are trying to explore opportunities in this field will encounter troubles and disturbances unseen in the past. They will find it hard to please both sides.”
Nomadland was never released in China, and neither was Zhao’s Marvel debut, The Eternals. No film featuring a Marvel character has been approved for cinemas in China over the past year.
The only Hollywood films that have more than one nomination in this year’s Oscar race and which have been theatrically released in China are Dune, No Time To Die, Encanto and Cruella. More recently, although China is dealing with a Covid spike, studio films have been dated with more frequency.
Interestingly, local media reports that two-time nominee, Joachim Trier’s Norwegian pic The Worst Person In The World, has resonated with younger audiences in the market despite not having been released there.
No official statement has been made by the Chinese government, and it is unlikely that one will be forthcoming. The Oscars ceremony had previously been streamed live on 1905.com, which is run by a subsidiary of the state broadcaster.