Via a Private Link: Film Censorship and Underground Streaming in China
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.22235/d.v37i2.3346Keywords:
Chinese cinema, censorship, underground cinema, film regulation, alternative mediaAbstract
This essay examines the interplay between law, technology, and culture in the distribution and consumption of censored films in China. It begins by analyzing the relevant laws and regulations in the industry and explores the various ways that underground cinema circumvents government restrictions. It highlights the independent filmmakers' use of new technologies and alternative media as strategies to publish their censored works. During the pandemic, director Jiang Nengjie shared his documentary Miners, Groom, and Pneumoconiosis (2019) via private links on cloud services, leading to its online virality and earning him the nickname “cloud drive director”. Streaming via video conferencing apps has also created new opportunities for independent films to thrive in China. The emergence of underground cinema online has created an ongoing social movement, providing independent films with the chance to prosper outside of mainstream media.
Downloads
References
Chen, C. (2022). My E-friend Jiang Nengjie. Inter-Asia Cultural Studies, 23(1), 121-133. https://doi.org/10.1080/14649373.2022.2026585
Chin, Y.-C. (2016). Television Regulation and Media Policy in China (1.a ed.). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203798751
China says pirated DVD production lines smuggled in. (2007, 25 de julio). Reuters. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-china-piracy-idUSPEK27128920070725
China. (1981, 13 de octubre). Measures for Control over Imported Films. http://www.asianlii.org/cn/legis/cen/laws/mfcoif421/
China. (2000, 1 de octubre). Measures for Managing Internet Information Services. http://www.asianlii.org/cn/legis/cen/laws/mfmiis499/
China. (2001, 13 de diciembre). Regulación sobre la administración de la contratación de personal creativo principal extranjero para participar en la producción de películas nacionales. https://www.beijing.gov.cn/zhengce/zhengcefagui/qtwj/201912/t20191212_1085837.html
China. (2016, 7 de noviembre). Film Industry Promotion Law of the People's Republic of China. https://www.chinalawtranslate.com/en/film-industry-promotion-law-2016/
Fiscalía Popular Suprema. (2021). Interpretación e identificación específica de la connotación de ganancias ilícitas. https://www.spp.gov.cn/spp/llyj/202103/t20210326_514034.shtml
iiMedia Consulting. (2022). Informe de investigación de mercado de discos de red personal de China 2022. https://www.iimedia.cn/c400/84607.html
International Intellectual Property Alliance. (2008). IIPA’s 2008 Special 301 Report. https://ustr.gov/archive/assets/Trade_Sectors/Intellectual_Property/Special_301_Public_Submissions_2008/asset_upload_file141_14486.pdf
Joyce, D. (2020). Informed Publics, Media and International Law. Hart Publishing.
Kachuriak, K. M. (1995). Chinese Copyright Piracy: Analysis of the Problem and Suggestions for Protection of U.S. Copyrights. Penn State International Law Review, 13(3), 599-621. http://elibrary.law.psu.edu/psilr/vol13/iss3/10
Organización Mundial del Comercio. (s.f.). El Acuerdo sobre los ADPIC y los instrumentos internacionales a los que hace referencia. https://www.wto.org/spanish/tratop_s/trips_s/ta_docs_s/1_tripsandconventions_s.pdf
Statista. (2023). Number of Netflix paid subscribers worldwide from 1st quarter 2013 to 2nd quarter 2023 (in millions). Recuperado el 10 de septiembre de 2023 de https://www.statista.com/statistics/250934/quarterly-number-of-netflix-streaming-subscribers-worldwide/
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
The reproduction rights of the article are granted under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
(CC BY 4.0), open access system.
