Gay Sexual Politics and Film in China: Spring Fever opens at Cannes

The last time Chinese film director Lou Ye made a movie, the Chinese communist dictatorship banned him from making films for five years. What was the last film about that got their knickers in a twist? Well, of course, it was about the Tiananmen Square protests and the deadly crackdown by cowardly party bosses. Do I have an opinion here? I hate the bastards. Well, clearly Lou Ye is not afraid of what will happen next, since his new film, Spring Fever" was shot covertly with hand held cameras. Yes, he's still under tha ban. So what was the subject matter of the new film?  Relationships between gay men in Nanjing and the gay underground life there. You can see an interview with this courageous director here. I don't know what, if any, political subtext there may be to this film, which can't be shown in China until at least 2011 because of the ban. But if it is anything like the groundbreaking East Palace, West Palace, Chinese cinema has a sophistication and depth in its exploration of where the personal and political meet for all people even as it shows gay lives. In fact, EPWP was so smart it got past the censors because they didn't understand it.