Oscars: the triumph of "Nomadland" ignored in China

On Douban, one of the main social networks in China, a search carried out in Beijing on April 26, 2021 on a smartphone with the keyword "Nomadland" displays the following message: "The search result cannot be displayed in in accordance with the laws and regulations ".

AP - Ng Han Guan

Text by: RFI Follow

3 min

Director Chloé Zhao won this Sunday, April 25 the Oscar for best director for her film

Nomadland,

which won the statuette for best feature film.

She is the first Asian woman to win this award.

But in China, his country of origin, not a word is officially spoken about this historic coronation.

The director pays for past criticisms against the regime.

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With our correspondent in Beijing,

Zhifan Liu

This Monday morning, while the media around the world reported the historic victory of Chloé Zhao: her Oscar for best director accompanied by two other statuettes for best film and best actress for Frances McDormand.

The official Chinese press, for its part, remained silent on the subject.

Not a single line is given to the director born in Beijing 39 years ago. 

Yet last March, the

Global Times 

boasted

of Chloe Zhao's victory at the Golden Globes

.

The screenwriter was even described as "the 

pride of China

 " by the nationalist daily and spokesperson for the Chinese Communist Party. 

At the time, congratulatory messages were raining in the thousands on social networks.

But this Monday morning, the name of the winner is absent from Weibo, the Chinese Twitter.

 To read also: Oscars of cinema: the triumph of “Nomadland” and Anthony Hopkins, the tribute to the octopus

Ubiquitous lies

The day after the Golden Globes ceremony, Chinese internet users unearthed an

interview with Zhao granted in 2013 to

Filmmaker in

which she criticized the ubiquitous lies in her country of birth. 

In

another interview with Australian site News.com.au last March

, she said she now

sees

the United States as her own country.

Words that earned Chloe Zhao to be seen as a traitor to her nation by some Chinese Internet users. 

His film

Nomadland

was also penalized.

Its theatrical release was slated for last week, but since winning the Golden Globes, the film's name has also disappeared from the internet and promotion has been suspended. 

► 

To read also: Venice Film Festival: Golden Lion for “Nomadland”, by Sino-American Chloé Zhao

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Venice Film Festival: Golden Lion for “Nomadland”, by Chinese-American Chloé Zhao