On the evening of the 23rd, the 61st Golden Horse Awards ceremony was held at the Taipei Pop Music Center. Chinese director Lou Ye’s film “An Unfinished Film” about the Wuhan pandemic won two major awards for Best Drama Film and Best Director, attracting widespread attention.
“An Unfinished Film” was directed by Lou Ye, who co-wrote the script with his wife, Ma Yingli. The film stars Qin Hao, Leung Ming, Mao Xiaorui, Qi Xi, Huang Xuan, and Zhang Songwen. The story revolves around a film crew that resumes shooting a movie in Wuhan that had been on hold for ten years, coinciding with the sudden outbreak of the COVID-19 virus that led to the city’s lockdown.
In addition to reflecting on Lou Ye’s previous film “Spring Fever,” the movie also touches on significant events during the pandemic, including the whistleblower Dr. Li Wenliang and the Urumqi residential fire. Due to crossing the so-called “red line” set by the Chinese Communist Party, the film was unable to obtain the “dragon seal” (screening permit) for release in mainland Chinese theaters. The Golden Horse Awards jury praised the film for its courage and creativity.
Lou Ye was unable to attend the ceremony as he was serving as a jury member at the Tokyo Film Festival. His wife, Ma Yingli, who is also a producer of the film, accepted the awards on his behalf and expressed her gratitude, saying, “I am honored and proud to have gone through that difficult time together with my team, actors, and everyone involved in making this film. It is a collective honor for all participants.” She also thanked all the people involved in the film industry.
“An Unfinished Film” was selected for the “Special Screening” section of the 77th Cannes Film Festival in May this year. After the premiere, the audience gave a standing ovation for several minutes, with some fans shouting, “Lou Ye is the greatest director in China,” praising his creative courage and talent.
Subsequently, tens of thousands of people on the major Chinese movie community site Douban marked the film as “want to see.” However, discussions related to the film on platforms such as Douban and Weibo were heavily censored and deleted.
Lou Ye has previously been nominated three times for the Best Director award at the Golden Horse Awards for his films “Mystery,” “Blind Massage,” and “Spring Fever,” the latter winning the Best Drama Film award in 2014. This time, he competed for the Golden Horse Awards with “An Unfinished Film.” When Ma Yingli accepted the award from the presenters, Japanese actor Koji Yakusho and Taiwanese actress Sylvia Chang, a mix of emotions overwhelmed her.
The Chinese Communist Party has established a long-standing and strict censorship mechanism for films. Lou Ye’s films often fail to pass the scrutiny of the State Administration of Radio, Film, and Television of China due to their subject matter, content, and style. As a result, he has been dubbed the “king of banned films,” and Chinese movie enthusiasts often have to resort to watching his works through pirated online sources.