Prominent Chinese movie director Jia, Zhangke withdrew his film from Melbourne International Film Festival, and issued a statement

Quoting 'New Yorker'

"The film director Jia Zhangke, ..., has pulled out of the Melbourne International Film Festival to avoid appearing beside Rebiya Kadeer, the exiled Uighur leader whom the Chinese government has accused of instigating the recent riots in Xinjiang. (Kadeer is the subject of a documentary, “10 Conditions of Love,” which will also be shown at the festival.) Jia and his production company, Xstream productions, released a statement in Chinese this week, portions of which I’ve translated:

1. We have no interest in meddling with the festival’s freedom of artistic exchange. Withdrawing from Melbourne is, rather, a kind of self-restraint. Xinjiang history is not something I’m well acquainted with, but the recent Urumqi violent incident was only two weeks ago, and I, at a minimum, should take a cautious approach. I don’t want to do anything that would tarnish those who died.
2. I have a sense that the political overtone of this year’s Melbourne festival is getting more and more intense. [First the British director Ken Loach questioned the funding sources of the festival, accusing the organizers of using 'money tainted with blood'] (I find it rather interesting that 'New Yorker' left this particular sentence out in the translation, and I'll try to put it back). [Then by] putting the documentary “10 Conditions of Love,” in which Rebiya [Kadeer] plays a key role, on the playbill, the organizers organized a series of publicity activities for her.
3. We feel that appearing with Rebiya in a thoroughly politicized festival crosses the line of what our emotions and behavior can accept and is not appropriate. Therefore, Xstream unanimously decided to withdraw, in order to express our attitude and position."

The original statement in Chinese can be found here

The 'New Yorker' article didn't end here but I didn't quote the rest because I can't help the disgust I feel every time I come across an article written by western journalists wearing tinted glasses. Will any American movie director not pull his/her film out if, say, the Cannes International Film Festival invites Osama Bin Laden as an 'honorable' guest? That's how the Chinese people feel, and we don't need the government to tell us what to do on this one. Open your eyes and ears, ask any Chinese at home and abroad whether they support the actions of Jia and other Chinese directors who pulled their movies out. And better yet, see for yourselves what thousands of Chinese have achieved in less than 24 hours, who circulated emails sharing techniques to 'bombard' the festival's online booking service with phony purchases, and eventually paralyzed the whole online booking system. I happened to see how the whole initiative started on a U.S. based forum among a few Chinese living abroad and I can assure you it is pure spontaneous and passionate grass root revenge. These actions of the directors, the hackers and these volunteers make me proud to be a Chinese living in a new era and I'm sure we Chinese can solve our own problems with our own efforts, even with western 'help'!