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TAIPEI: A Taiwan film festival has put a biopic about exiled Uighur leader Rebiya Kadeer back into its official programme, an organiser of the event said on Monday, defying a stern warning from China.
The decision was announced just days after Taiwan's China-friendly government said it would not issue a visa to Kadeer, reviled in Beijing as a "criminal" and a mastermind of deadly unrest in her home region of Xinjiang.
"Many have urged us not to yield to any outside pressure as this is an independent film festival," said Liu Hsiu-ying, chief organiser of the October 16-29 festival in Taiwan's second-largest city Kaohsiung.
"The 10 Conditions of Love" was screened in Kaohsiung four times last week, as officials placed it outside the festival programme in an attempt to reduce Chinese anger.
However, following higher-than-expected interest during the four screenings, the organisers have decided to put the hour-long movie back into the festival programme, giving the film a much higher profile.
"The public has expressed great interest in the film, complaining about the limited seats available at the four screenings last week," said Liu, adding 800 saw the film last week, while many others had to be turned away.
When plans to show the movie first became widely known earlier this month, China urged Kaohsiung "not to cause trouble" and apparently ordered tour groups to cancel trips to the city.
Taiwan's government said last week it had decided not to allow Kadeer to visit, two days after she expressed a wish to travel to the island.
However, Taiwanese pro-independence campaigners vowed on Sunday to push for the visit, blasting the ban which they said was made to please Beijing.
China says Kadeer orchestrated ethnic unrest in the northwest Chinese region of Xinjiang in July, leading to the death of about 200.
- AFP/so
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