Chinese pull films from festival to protest Uighur

Hong Kong: Two Chinese directors have pulled their movies from an Australian film festival to protest the planned appearance by an exiled Uighur activist Beijing blames for recent ethnic riots in its far west, a producer said Friday.Venice Film Festival winner Jia Zhangke and Emily Tang have withdrawn their films from the Melbourne International Film Festival because Rebiya Kadeer is attending the event to promote a documentary about her, producer Chow Keung told The Associated Press in a phone interview.

The filmmakers believe Kadeer`s appearance is offensive to Chinese people, said Chow, who served as producer for both of the movies. The Chinese government has accused Kadeer of instigating recent protests by minority Muslim Uighurs in western Xinjiang region that devolved into the country`s worst unrest in decades. Kadeer has denied the accusations. The demonstrations on July 5 — prompted by the deaths of two Uighurs at a southern Chinese factory — turned violent after police intervened, with mobs of Uighurs rampaging through the streets, burning cars and attacking mostly Han Chinese — China`s ethnic majority. In subsequent days, angry groups of up to 1,000 Han men, wielding homemade weapons, took to the streets seeking revenge. The government says 197 people died, and more than 1,700 were wounded. "The protests happened not too long ago. So many people died. And I understand the views of ordinary Chinese people. Kadeer`s appearance deeply offends the feeling of the Chinese people," producer Chow said, adding her presence would "politicize" the Melbourne film festival. The Uighur activist is scheduled to attend a question-and-answer session after the screening of the documentary "10 Conditions of Love" on Aug. 8. Jia was not immediately available for comment. One of China`s top young directors, Jia is known for his movies portraying the struggles of the country`s working class. In 2006, he won the top prize at the Venice Film Festival — the Golden Lion — with "Still Life," about demolition workers dismantling a Chinese village to make way for the Three Gorges Dam. Jia pulled his 19-minute short "Cry Me a River," and Tang withdrew her feature film "Perfect Life." Festival spokeswoman Louise Heseltine said organizers have not endorsed Kadeer`s views and are not paying for her trip from the U.S. She said the filmmakers of "10 Conditions" organized the trip. Calls to Kadeer`s Washington, D.C.-based Uyghur American Association seeking comment went unanswered. The Melbourne festival, which kicked off Friday and ends on Aug. 9, has been hit by a series of pullouts. Chinese director Zhao Liang pulled his documentary "Petition" — about ordinary Chinese who travel to the capital Beijing to voice their grievances to the central government — and British director Ken Loach withdrew "Looking for Eric," which stars French football great Eric Cantona. Zhao`s producer, Sylvie Blum, told festival organizers he was pressured to drop out but didn`t say who asked him to do so, while Loach was protesting Israeli treatment of Palestinians, Heseltine said. The Melbourne festival receives some funding from the Israeli embassy in Australia. Bureau Report