Ai Weiwei bemoans censorship in the case of “Berlin, I Love You”

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A movie sequence of the Chinese artist in “Berlin, I Love You” has been removed from the Film. Ai Weiwei suspected of political pressure from China. Even the Berlinale’ve got to get thrown out of the scene.

The eight-minute autobiographical Episode of the Chinese dissidents had been removed from the final version of the episode film “Berlin, I Love You”, was a political decision, Ai Weiwei, and the producers of the film agreed.

“They (the producers, note d. Red.) told me that my political Status is the reason that the scene was cut out with me,” said Ai Weiwei, the DW-reporter Melissa Chan. “He’ll make it to the production team otherwise difficult to get further funding.”

He had first noticed after the release of the film, that the scene is missing. The Berlin episode of the film is the latest in the series “Cities of Love”. In addition to the German capital in New York, Paris, and Rio were portrayed. One of the production managers of the series plans, according to Ai Weiwei is a continuation in Shanghai.

“I can only confirm – it told me the producers of “Berlin, I Love You” that @post?’s true claim. The scene with him was cut due to concerns that the artist may be politically inconvenient, future funding, and access to China is harmful, including the planned Film “Shanghai, I Love You,” tweeted DW-reporter Chan.

Film producers of Ai Weiwei confirm statements

Also, the Berlinale had exercised pressure to prevent its contribution, complained of Ai Weiwei more in an interview with DW. “I asked my producer. The told me that the Berlinale would not have accepted the Film, if I had been a part of it.”

The artist criticized the Chinese government again and again, violently. In his home he was four years under house arrest before he was allowed to leave in July 2015, is the country. He chose Berlin as their new residence.

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Ai Weiwei: ‘The purpose is to censor every piece of art’

Edda Reiser and Claus Clausen, the producers of the film, confirmed to DW that Ai Weiwei did not correspond to allegations of truth – the Berlinale is concerned. He had no choice, as the scene cut out, so Clausen. With artistic differences that have nothing to do; on the contrary, it is Ai Weiwei’s participation is welcomed: “We were faced with the choice. We wanted the scene with the Ai in any case. But in the end, we saw us forced you to take it out.”

The scene with Ai Weiwei emerged as early as 2015, as one of the first of the movie “Berlin, I Love You”. At that time the artist was still under house arrest, therefore, was filmed via video chat. His participation gave the project more weight, so that well-known Directors were aware of and involved in.

Berlinale denies allegations

Compared to the DW wanted to give the Berlinale a comment about a Film that ran at the Festival. The organizers rejected Ai Weiwei’s allegations, but It was not at all a criterion for the choice of a film to the Festival, whether Ai Weiwei will participate or not.

“Berlin, I Love You” does not seem to be the first movie that needs to bend to China’s long Arm. Renowned Chinese Director Zhang Yimou withdrew his competition entry in the race for the Golden bear, “One Second” is set during the time of Mao Zedong’s cultural revolution, 2017 during the ongoing Berlin film festival – allegedly because of technical problems. It is generally assumed that China has exercised effectively censorship.


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