China gives ‘Slumdog’ a thumbs-up
Academy Award-winning “Slumdog Millionaire” has secured a coveted slot as one of 20 major foreign movies that China will import this year, a distributor said today.
Many Hollywood movies miss out on the booming Chinese cinema market because of the annual quota, and others are weeded out by the censorship process.
Chinese censors are wary of unflattering portrayals of the country and its people, explicit sex and violence and sensitive topics like Tibet.
But “Slumdog Millionaire” cleared Chinese censors easily, Zhang Hongyan, a publicist for the distributor, Hong Kong-based Edko Film, told the Associated Press in a phone interview.
Director Danny Boyle will attend the movie’s premiere in Beijing next week, with the film going into general release in at least 2,000 theaters across China the next day, Zhang said.
“Slumdog Millionaire” tells the story of an 18-year-old orphan who rises from the streets of Mumbai to become the biggest winner ever on India’s version of “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire.”
It won eight Oscars, including best picture and best director for Boyle.
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