Oscars are a great way of giving recognition to those films which are way beyond excellent. Each year thousands of movies get released worldwide, but only a few of them are said to be pure art country tries to make some sort of movies that represent their culture, art, and creativity.
China today has a growing cinema industry the highest grossing movie during the pandemic year is THE EIGHT HUNDRED' released on 21st August 2021. China has submitted more than twenty films for Oscar consideration. Two got nominated for Oscars. Zhang Yimou, whose films have been submitted six times by China, produced both of these films. The other Chinese director who has been considered for Oscar several times is Chen Kaige. Here are the top Ten Chinese movies submitted for the Oscars.
1. Ju Dou
A 1990 film directed by the famous director Zhang Yimou is the first Chinese film to be nominated for the Oscars, focusing on the story of Ju Dou, a young, beautiful woman sold to an old cloth dyer named Jinshan. The film was banned earlier in China, but now its ban has been lifted by the Chinese government. The film is visually stunning and shows violence.
2. Genghis Khan
As the name speaks, this movie is about the most feared and successful commander, Genghis khan. In addition to creating the most powerful emperor, he also won numerous wars. The movie will interest those who want to know about Genghis khan. The film is directed; by Saifu and Mai Lisi and has won other awards and been given positive reviews by the critics, but sadly the movie wasn't nominated for the Oscars.
3. The Birth Of New China (1989)
Directed by Li Qiankuan in 1989, the birth of new China is about how the People's Liberation Army launched an offensive attack under the orders of Mao Zedong and Zhu De. It's a significant film that had been selected as the Chinese entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 62nd Academy Awards but didn't get accepted as a nominee; one must see how Mao Zedong solemnly declared the foundation of the People's Republic of China.
4. Hero (2002 film)
Another piece of art by the famous, acclaimed director Zhang Yimou, the film revolved around the period of ancient China, when China; was divided into seven countries. The story has this famous incident about Jing Ke's assassination of the King of Qin. Hero got released in China on 24 October 2002. At that time, it was the most expensive project and one of the highest-grossing motion pictures in China. Even the famous American director Quentin Tarantino convinced an American distributing company to open the film in American theaters, and later it was released on 27 August 2004 in the US. The film got positive reviews and collected a handsome amount from the American box office but ultimately lost the Oscar award from Nowhere in Africa.
5. House Of Flying Daggers
One of the most visually astonishing films directed by Chinese director Zhang Yimou is a treat to the eye. The film is more about a love story than about martial arts, which tells the plot about a police captain who breaks a beautiful member of a rebel group out of prison and helps her rejoin her fellows. The film received a nomination for best cinematography.
6. My Memories Of Old Beijing
My Memories of Old Beijing, a feature film based on Lin Haiyin's novel of the same title and directed by Wu Yigong in 1982, is called a prose-like film for its unique artistic pursuit. The film shows the miserable life of society in the 1920s. This film shows the character's psychology and features great music. It got selected as China's entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 56th Academy Awards but failed to get selected for nomination.
7. Hibiscus Town
A beautiful film that shows how love, humiliation, and politics play out in a distant land during the cultural revolution. The film was released in 1986 by the director Xie Jin, this Shanghai studio-produced film won Best Film for 1987 Golden Rooster Awards and Hundred Flowers Awards, as well as Best Actress awards for Liu Xiaoqing at both ceremonies. It was also selected as the Chinese entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 60th Academy Awards but wasn't accepted in nominations.
8. Curse Of The Golden Flower
This film is not just known for its best costume design but makeup as well, directed by Zhang Yimou; 2006 drama film is about a Chinese emperor who returns to his palace to discover his wife is having an affair with her stepson. The story then revolves around the emperor and his cruelty. The film got nominated for Costume Design. In 2007 it received fourteen nominations at the 26th Hong Kong Film Awards.
9. The Knot (2006 film)
Looking for a film to feel depressed, then this is a very great choice where two lovers get separated due to the Korean war. The film is realistic as it fails to get a happy ending. The film is by Li Yin and screened at the Shanghai International Film Festival in June 2009. It was China's submission to the 80th Academy Awards for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film but was not nominated.
10. The Story Of Qiu Ju
Once you watch the movie, you will pause for a moment and think about the story, a pregnant woman takes action against the village head who kicked her husband; will justice be served, and how far will she go for an apology? The film was selected as the Chinese entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 65th Academy Awards but did not receive a nomination. The film was a hit at film festivals and won the Golden Lion award at the Venice Film Festival in 1992.
