Talking Entertainment: China Film Executive Robbed at Cannes
There was scandal at the Cannes Film Festival this year. The Vice President of the China Film Group, Zhang Qiang, was robbed there last week. Thieves broke into his beach residence and gutted the room of the poor bugger’s possessions.
Needless to say, Zhang Qiang was pissed and he posted on his weibo account, “This film festival is not worth mentioning!” His comment was widely retweeted and he also called the French “impolite” and said, “I’d like to remind compatriots to take note of how to protect their own rights when traveling abroad for business and leisure.” Eventually the festival organizers, hotel, and municipality had to apologize to the irate film executive.
Reeling from the crime, Zhang Qiang also pulled out of a press conference on Keanu Reeves’ directorial debut Man of Tai Chi. The film, which is set in Beijing, will see an early release in China in July.
This burglary was a bit of a hiccup for Zhang and the China Film Group, who have a large stake in the production, but the release shouldn’t be affected. The Cannes thieves, however, are still on the loose after a series of burglaries, making for quite the caper. The silver lining on all of this: Zhang and Reeves now have a plot for their second film.
Here are some arts and culture events this week: