
Why China isn't airing this year's Oscars
CNN
One of this year's Oscar nominees, "Do Not Split," is a documentary about the 2019-2020 Hong Kong protests. But residents of Hong Kong who participated in — or were affected by — the movement cannot watch the awards ceremony this year.
That's because Hong Kong's leading broadcaster, Television Broadcasts Limited (TBL), is not airing the Academy Awards for the first time in more than 50 years. A TBL spokesperson told CNN last month that it was "purely a commercial decision." But that decision comes in the same year as "Do Not Split" and Chloe Zhao, the Beijing-born film maker who wrote and directed the Best Picture-nominated drama "Nomadland," both faced criticism in mainland China. Speaking with CNN's John Avlon on "Reliable Sources" Sunday, "Do Not Split" director and co-producer Anders Hammer said his team expected the Chinese government to react to the documentary, but not in this way.More Related News