A new Hollywood documentary called Nanking, about Japan’s actions in China during World War II, has been approved for full release with no edits from the State Administration of Radio Film and Television. It will also be shown on CCTV. The producer, Ted Leonsis, who is also a vice-chairman of America Online, explains to AP why he thinks the film won the full approval of the Chinese government:
“I do think politically, the Chinese say ‘OK, someone else is saying that this incident happened. It’s not our word against the Japanese word,'” said Leonsis, who is also vice chairman of the American Internet company AOL.
The film, which was partly shot in the former capital of Nanjing, tells the story of a handful of Western expatriates who used the U.S. flag and the Nazi arm band to shield huge numbers of Chinese in a safe zone when the Japanese took over the city. It mixes archival footage and dramatic readings of original diary entries and letters by actors, including Woody Harrelson and Mariel Hemingway. [Full text]