China film about woman whose killing of husband framed as result of domestic violence banned

A feminist film which won an award at an international film festival last year has been ordered to withdraw its coming release for violating the law in China.The film Her Heart Beats in Its Cage was scheduled to be screened in mainland cinemas on May 30.But on May 21, Shanghai Film Bureau announced the release should be stopped because the film had breached the law when applying for its production and for its public release.The authority said it had recently launched an investigation after receiving a large number of tip-offs from the public about the film.Zhao Xiaohong, above, started working on the film while she was still in prison. Photo: HandoutThe production team applied to the Shanghai authority in July 2021 for approval to shoot the film.The bureau said it would impose a “serious punishment” without explaining the details of the penalty.The film has been boasting that it is the adaptation of the “true story” of a woman who killed her husband by accident while fighting against his long-term domestic violence.The actress who stars in the film, Zhao Xiaohong, is portrayed as a real-life domestic abuse victim.In the film, Zhao serves 10 years in prison. After her release from jail, she worked hard to win back the understanding of her mother-in-law and her son, both of whom also acted in the film.Zhao pictured beside a promotional poster for the film. Photo: HandoutIn September last year, Zhao won the Silver Shell award for Best Leading Performance at the 73rd San Sebastián International Film Festival in Spain.Further ReadingHowever, as the film came under scrutiny in China in recent months, internet users found it problematic, the Dahe News reported.The verdict in Zhao’s trial found that she used a fruit knife to stab her husband to death in their rented home in northwestern Shaanxi province in April 2019, during a quarrel over trivial matters.No domestic violence was mentioned in the actual verdict, in contrast to Zhao’s persona in the film, that of a heroine resisting domestic violence.Zhao was sentenced to prison for 15 years for the crime of intentional assault. She was released from prison in 2020, after her jail term was reduced.Zhao started work on the film in 2019 when she was still an inmate.The film’s director Qin Xiaoyu once told the media that they obtained the approval from the prison to let Zhao play in the film by saying that they were preparing a “documentary”, the news portal Sina reported.But what they produced turned out to be a commercial film.This is against the law because the China Prison Law stipulates that all prison activities must only serve the goal of education.A staged image of domestic violence, above, of which no mention was made during Zhao’s real-life trial. Photo: ShutterstockIn early May, the famous Chinese actress Yao Chen, who is well known for focusing on feminist topics, supported the film by praising it as “the bravest performance I have ever seen”.“Not because of her acting skills, but her life itself. She stood up from the ruins, living her life as a ray of light,” wrote Yao.Yao soon deleted her post amid the wide controversy the film triggered.Zhao’s social media accounts have also been banned.The film has generated substantial discussion on mainland social media.“We have banned those entertainers with previous misdeed records from appearing in public shows. Why did the authority allow a prisoner to play in a film?” asked one internet user.Another person said: “I think the director and the investors behind it should all be punished.”