Because of the Ukraine war? China stops showing a film

The film “Olga” has suddenly acquired oppressive topicality. It tells the story of a young Ukrainian gymnast who trains in Magglingen while the Euromaidan coup is underway in Kyiv in 2013. On her cell phone, she follows how the law enforcement officers are brutally cracking down on the protests. The teenager was torn between her sporting goals and what was happening at home, wrote the “NZZ am Sonntag” in her review. The film is a reminder that the current crisis began with peaceful protests and a commitment to European-Western values.

The Swiss embassy in Beijing wanted to show “Olga” to 66 invited guests, including ten foreign ambassadors, as part of the “Month of Francophony” last Thursday. Several of the diplomats were already sitting in a hall of the “Poly” cinema when the Chinese authorities prevented the performance at short notice.

The China correspondent of the French newspaper “Le Monde” made this public on Twitter. According to his own statements, the journalist was invited to the screening and was present in the hall.

Content of the film disturbs Beijing

The Swiss foreign department (EDA) confirmed on request that the Chinese local authorities intervened. The reason they initially gave was the corona pandemic and then the content of the film, says Lea Zürcher, spokeswoman for the FDFA. “The Swiss embassy immediately protested the unexpected cancellation to the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Culture.”

According to the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, the premises of an embassy are inviolable. Representatives of the receiving state may only enter with the consent of the head of mission. However, the Swiss embassy wanted to show the film in a rented cinema hall in Beijing.

The private event corresponds to the usual practice of foreign missions in China, says Zürcher. The broadcast of the film, the Swiss contribution to the “Month of Francophony”, had been planned since last November – i.e. before Russia began invading Ukraine. The film should also be shown in other Chinese cities.

No comment on the intervention was available from the Chinese embassy in Bern on Saturday. However, the reason given to the Swiss representation suggests that the film was too sensitive for the authorities because of its relevance to current affairs. China maintains a close partnership with Russia despite Putin’s brutal war in Ukraine.

Beijing officially takes a neutral stance, but has repeatedly adopted the Russian narrative. It blamed the US and NATO and their eastward expansion for fueling the conflict. Just last Friday, the EU tried unsuccessfully to persuade Chinese leaders to distance themselves from Moscow – and to condemn the war.

State censorship

China has strict censorship. The state authorities screen all foreign films and control which are allowed to be shown in the country’s more than 750,000 cinemas. Criticism of the government is a red line. In addition, the official narrative of the Communist Party must not be questioned. Because China is an important market, Hollywood has repeatedly adapted films for the country to avoid censorship.

The film drama “Olga” was awarded the Swiss Film Prize 2022 last week in the presence of Minister of Culture Alain Berset. The director Elie Grappe was born in France but has been living in western Switzerland for a long time. «Olga» is his debut and a Swiss-French co-production.

The selection of the film was based on its quality and the subject, says EDA spokeswoman Zürcher. This fits perfectly with this year’s motto of the “Month of Francophony”, “Switzerland surpasses itself”. The Swiss Ambassador to China currently chairs the Group of French-speaking Heads of Mission.