Disney Criticized for Filming ‘Mulan’ in Xinjiang Where Uighurs Are Detained
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Walt Disney Co.’s big bet on “Mulan,” a $200 million live-action remake of a Chinese folk tale, is facing fresh criticism days after its North American streaming debut and just before its planned premiere at cinemas in China.
A newspaper columnist and social media commentators have faulted Disney for filming in the Chinese province of Xinjiang and for thanking Chinese government departments from the region in the film’s credits. As many as 1 million ethnic Uighurs in Xinjiang have been detained in camps that China calls “voluntary education centers.”
“Mulan” is crucial to Disney’s recovery after the pandemic forced cinemas around the world to close or operate under tight restrictions this year, prompting delays of the originally planned March debut. The Uighur human rights issue adds to other political opposition the film has sparked, including calls for a boycott after Liu Yifei, who stars as the title character, voiced support for the police last year amid pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong.
Read more: Activists Call for ‘Mulan’ Boycott Over Star’s Hong Kong Stance
Disney didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
In July, the U.S. sanctioned a top member of China’s ruling Communist Party and three other officials over human rights abuses in Xinjiang, a major escalation in the Trump administration’s tensions with the country.
Mulan specifically thank the publicity department of CPC Xinjiang uyghur autonomous region committee in the credits.
You know, the place where the cultural genocide is happening.
They filmed extensively in Xinjiang, which the subtitles call “Northwest China”
#BoycottMulan2:37 AM · Sep 7, 2020
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