Janet Yang and Michael Berry on the state of cinema in a time of souring U.S.-China ties

This week on Sinica, Kaiser continues his California series with a conversation with Janet Yang, one of the legends of the U.S.-China film world, and Michael Berry, a professor at UCLA and a leading expert on Chinese cinema. They discuss how politics and other factors have taken the shine off the initial promise of U.S.-China film collaboration, but how some bright spots remain. 

This episode is part of the California series of podcasts, made possible by the Serica Initiative.

6:07: The Golden Horse and Golden Rooster Awards

11:41: A “perfect storm” for Chinese film industry disruptions

23:12: Sentiments of Chinese filmmakers in the current moment

39:29: Censorship, film, and the era of hypersensitivity

Recommendations:

Janet: An animated movie that she created, based on a story about Cháng’é 嫦娥, the Chinese goddess of the Moon. Set to be released in fall 2020. 

Michael: The bands Plini and The Aristocrats. 

Kaiser: A book by Timothy C. Winegard, The Mosquito: A Human History of Our Deadliest Predator.

This podcast was edited and produced by Kaiser Kuo and Jason MacRonald.