Indeed, as US box office attendance slipped to the lowest levels in decades, foreign attendance figures, with China leading the way, have never been better.Īs Hollywood has come to depend on China as both a market and a source of investment, filmmakers and studios have increasingly not only tailored storylines to appeal to the Chinese government, but also engaged in direct self-censorship in terms of themes they will deal with. Before dropping significantly after Trump’s election, Chinese investment in Hollywood had reached several billion dollars. In recent years, China has become a major player in Hollywood, both as a source of revenue for, and investment in, films. So as we keep the pressure up with #OscarsSoWhite, #MeToo and #TimesUp, it’s time to add #OscarsSoRed to the discussion.

More than ever before, Hollywood appears to be addicted to funding from some of the most brutal regimes on earth, whether in the form of reaching into lucrative new markets, securing new investment streams, or developing creative content. Hollywood clearly still has a long way to go in combating racial and gender discrimination, but at least discussions are being held and some measures are being taken.īut another equally pernicious aspect of the US film industry has remained largely ignored: blood money. While several wins by people of colour were widely celebrated, the awarding of the Oscar for Best Picture to the film, Green Book, caused much outrage among many racial justice activists for the problematic portrayal of its main black character. Although over the past year the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences put some effort into addressing the traditional lack of diversity in its structures and film award selection, this year’s Oscars did not go by without controversy.

Blood money movie documentary