China erases Taiwan at Venice International Film Festival
For the first time in decades, Taiwan wasn’t represented at the Venice International Film Festival (VIFF). In a new development in Cross-Straits relations, Taiwan’s capital city of Taipei occupied a commanding presence at the 78th Biennale, but only under the banner of the People’s Republic of China (PRC). Rather than relying on military force, China is utilizing a softer approach in appropriating Taiwan’s culture, including its Virtual Reality (VR) breakthroughs, as part of a larger strategy to undermine its sovereignty.
In August, controversy emerged when VIFF organizers were asked to change “Taiwan” to “China’s Taipei” as the country of origin for the Taiwanese productions that were scheduled to play at the Venice festival. Essentially, VIFF was asked to omit “Taiwan” from this year’s Biennale.
Taiwanese officials demanded a correction after it was revealed that VIFF organizers listed the country of origin as “Chinese Taipei” for two of their productions. When the festival commenced, every Taiwanese film had “Taipei*(as per institutional practices)” listed next to it.
The 78th VIFF program featured “Taipei*(*as per institutional practices)” as the source for Taiwanese-produced films at this year’s Biennale in Italy.
Chinese Communist Party (CCP) officials, instead of calling upon VIFF to omit “Taiwan” themselves, enlisted its filmmakers whose work was scheduled to play at the Venice festival to do the job for them.
Hsiao-Ching Ting, chairwoman of the Taiwan Creative Content Agency (TAICCA), told the Hollywood Reporter, “In Venice this year, the organizers received a lot of pressure and requests from the Chinese participants, and they also reached out to us in advance to express how they feel sorry and have regrets about this.”
Had Mainland filmmakers not complied, the consequences would have been disastrous for their careers and livelihoods. By asking the festival to use “Taipei” instead of “Taiwan,” the PRC wasn’t only laying claim to the island nation but where VIFF was concerned, also seizing credit for its VR technology.
“No other country manifests such a commitment in VR as Taiwan,” said Venice VR Expanded Programmer Michel Reilhac.
The Venice VR Expanded is a series that tours the world showcasing the latest VR films from the Biennale. In 2020, the NW Film Center at the Portland Art Museum in Portland, Oregon offered the series to the public for the first time. The event’s program credited Taiwanese VR films as Taiwan productions.
Screenshot from the NW Film Center program for Taiwanese filmmaker Hsu Chih Yen’s VR film “Jiou Jia.” In 2020, Portland Art Museum’s NW Film Center acknowledged Taiwan in their Venice VR Expanded program. For the 2021 series, “Taiwan” had been replaced with “Taipei.”
A closer inspection of the 2021 VIFF program reveals other discrepancies involving Taiwanese productions and filmmakers. According to Ming Liang Tsai’s bio, he was the “first director in China to have a VR film.” This isn’t true. Tsai’s first VR film, “The Deserted,” was a Taiwanese production that received some assistance from a Mainland Chinese company.
Ming-liang Tsai’s bio on the 2021 VIFF website incorrectly states that he was the “first one in China to make a VR film.”
“We will continue to tell everyone who we are, and we are grateful to the people around the world who also speak out for us regarding this unfair treatment from China,” said Ting. Meanwhile, international celebrities have been reprimanded for acknowledging Taiwan’s status as a sovereign nation.
In May, American action star John Cena was forced to apologize to China after he said Taiwan was a country. Cena made his remarks during a promotional tour for his film “F9,” which would earn $135 million at the Chinese Mainland box office. Had Cena not apologized, Chinese officials could have easily pulled the film. Hollywood celebrities, known for their public concerns over human rights abuses, have remained reticent to speak about Cross-Straits relations, the COVID-19 pandemic, human rights abuses against Uighurs in Xinjiang, and even ignored the Hong Kong Democracy protests in 2019.
In 2016, Forbes reported that Imax would begin developing VR setups at its multiplexes worldwide. The biggest obstacle then and just as it is now, was content. Film director Steven Spielberg said VR films were “dangerous” as they allowed the viewer to “forget the story,” which isn’t a concern for China as the country would rather have IP than “E.T.”
Taiwanese smartphone manufacturer HTC is a pioneering force in VR technology. In 2017, HTC’s President of Vive Originals, Szu-Ming Liu, said a “parallel universe created by VR will soon be the way we all communicate.” Unfortunately for Mainland China, VR advances may experience a slowdown as the country recently banned minors from playing video games for more than three hours a week. China’s National Press & Publication Administration (NPPA) also recently announced that video games were “electronic drugs” and compared them to “spiritual opium.”
At this year’s Biennale, the VR category included 37 titles in competition, featuring seven from Taiwan. In an apparent act of defiance against Chinese Mainland censorship, the VR category featured films from Taiwan including “In the Mist,” a gay-themed story set in a male sauna (LGBTQ themes are banned in China), and “The Sick Rose,” a story of survival in a pandemic-crazed world.
The VIFF has partnered with art museums worldwide to showcase the best in VR filmmaking from the Biennale. As the festival was underway on the Lido, for the second year in a row, NW Film Center hosted the Venice VR Expanded 2021 series. Coincidentally, the NW Film Center omitted “Taiwan” from its program and instead listed Taipei as the country of origin for Taiwanese VR productions.
The NW Film Center’s Venice VR Expanded series followed VIFF’s lead in omitting “Taiwan” from its program. In 2020, when the film center offered the VR program, Taiwan was credited as the country of origin for Taiwanese productions.
Beijing also had leverage at this year’s VIFF with the sci-fi epic, “Dune: Part One.” The $165-million Warner Bros. production was financed by Legendary Pictures, which is owned by China’s Wanda Group. Had festival organizers failed to comply with Beijing’s demands in omitting “Taiwan” from the festival, it would have jeopardized the “Dune” premiere at VIFF and possibly its Mainland box office release.
After the 78th VIFF winners were announced, Taiwan, or in this case, “Taipei,” had been surprisingly shut out of the winner’s circle. The Grand Jury Prize for Best VR Work was awarded to “Goliath: Player with Reality,” a UK-France coproduction. The Best VR Experience for Interactive Content prize went to “Le Bal de Paris de Blanca Li,” from France, Germany, and Luxembourg. Best VR Story was awarded to “End of Night,” a Danish-French production. With Taipei failing to take home a VR trophy, the festival was sending a message to Beijing that the PRC shouldn’t take credit for something it didn’t create.
The power play that unfolded at the 79th Venice International Film Festival was another attempt by China to show the world that Taiwan belongs to them. It was a soft invasion strategy that offered an incremental victory for Beijing. Until institutions like the VIFF stand up to China, the PRC will continue to advance toward its ultimate goal of world dominion through any avenues available, including prestigious cultural and artistic forums.
