Five movie theaters have cancelled planned screenings of a Chinese director's award-winning documentary about Yasukuni Shrine, leaving the opening date in Japan up in the air.
The five theaters had planned to begin screening "Yasukuni," by Chinese filmmaker Li Ying, on April 12, but by Monday they had decided to scrap screenings, saying the film could cause a disturbance.
Li spent 10 years filming the documentary about the shrine, which honors the war dead including convicted war criminals. It includes interviews conducted on the anniversary of the end of World War II, and shows people lined up dressed in military uniforms, as well as demonstrations by the bereaved families of people from Taiwan and South Korea. This year, it won a best documentary award at the Hong Kong International Film Festival.
The film had received a 7.5 million yen grant from the Japan Arts Council, which operates under the jurisdiction of the Agency for Cultural Affairs. However, after a tabloid magazine described its content as "anti-Japanese," some Liberal Democratic Party legislators questioned the appropriateness of providing a grant, and a rare special screening was held for all Diet members.
On March 18, the Wald9 cinema in Shinjuku decided to cancel screenings. Later, Ginza Cinepatos, Shibuya Q-AX cinema, Cinemart Roppongi and Cinemart Shinsaibashi also decided to cancel screenings of the film.
"We had phone calls requesting cancellation of the screenings, and there were protests in the surrounding area," said a representative of Humax Cinema, the operator of Ginza Cinepatos. "We decided to cancel it as it would cause trouble in the vicinity and for other filmgoers."
A representative of the operator of Shibuya Q-AX, said screenings were cancelled as a precaution. "There were no concrete protests or harassment, but it's a facility where a large, unspecified number of people gather, so we can't have anything going wrong," a theater representative said.
Distributor Argo Pictures expressed anger at the theaters' move.
"We feel angered that screenings have been cancelled. It is endangerment of free speech and expression," a representative said. The representative said that cinemas in Osaka and Nagoya had indicated they were willing to screen the film, and added that the company would continue to search for theaters in Tokyo where it could be shown.
The Directors Guild of Japan has released a protest over the cancellations, saying they could constitute a violation of freedom of expression.
21 cinemas agree to screen controversial documentary 'Yasukuni'
http://mdn.mainichi.jp/entertainment/archive/news/2008/04/20080405p2a00m0et004000c.html
The distributor of "Yasukuni," a Chinese director's controversial documentary about Yasukuni Shrine, has announced that 21 cinemas in areas including Tokyo and Osaka will screen the film.
Argo Pictures said the film by director Li Ying would be screened in early May. It is withholding the names of the theaters, saying that announcing the screening locations could cause a disturbance.
"There are fears that theaters could be flooded with phone calls and inquiries, creating a disturbance," the distributor said.
Earlier, at least five theaters scrapped plans to screen the documentary. Argo Pictures said that it had been looking for new cinemas to screen the film, and later found 21 cinemas that could screen it starting in early May. The names of the theaters are expected to be announced in late April.
Ten organizations including the Japan Newspaper Publishers and Editors Association and the Directors Guild of Japan sent letters of support and encouragement to Argo Pictures, the company said.
"We will step up our efforts so that this film is released without problems and people can see it," a company representative said.
On Friday, Matsumoto Cinema Select, a nonprofit organization in Matsumoto, Nagano Prefecture, announced that it would screen "Yasukuni" in the city in August.
"We decided to screen it in December last year," the organization's director said. "We will go ahead with the screening as long as there are no major incidents."