Chinese cinemas will have to show propaganda films at least twice a week starting this week to celebrate the Communist Party’s 100th anniversary in July. The aim was to “create a great and warm atmosphere for the festival”, according to an instruction that can be found today on the website of the national film administration.
By the end of the year the light theaters “in every province, region and city” should show outstanding works that revolve around “love for the party, love for the country and love for socialism”, announced the film authority. The films should sing the praises of the party, the fatherland, the people and their heroes.
Films must also be well attended
It must also be ensured that the cinemas are well attended during the performances. For this, party members, officials and other spectators would have to be mobilized, ordered the office. Advertising, discounted tickets and “other ways” were named. It is about „reliving the classics“ and „preserving patriotism and traditional, revolutionary upbringing“.
The first season of twelve films shown this month begins with the nearly 70-year-old 1952 film “Nan Zheng Bei Zhan” (“Fighting North and South”) about the war of resistance against the Japanese. The list published by the state TV also includes „The Red Women’s Battalion“ („Hongse Niangzijun“) from 1960.
The more recent films include the war drama „Jingang Chuan“ („The Sacrifice“) from 2020 about a battle in the Korean War in 1953. At that time, China had „volunteers“ on the side of North Korea against the United States-led UN troops in the south Koreas fought.
