Ang Lee joins the fight

Oscar-winning director Ang Lee added his name to the growing list of critics of the federal government’s proposed Bill C-10 during a visit to Vancouver this weekend.
If passed, Bill C-10 would retroactively deny tax credits for movies that do not reflect “Canadian values,” as determined by the Tory government.
Lee, who won an Oscar for directing Brokeback Mountain, a movie about gay cowboys filmed in Calgary, said the bill would kill free speech.
“People should be free to say anything,” Lee told a gathering of local filmmakers on Saturday. Lee was in Vancouver for personal reasons, but accepted an invitation by City Coun. B.C. Lee to speak to local filmmakers. The two were film students together in Taiwan and B.C. Lee played a waiter in Pushing Hands, Lee’s first feature film.
Jacqueline Samuda, president and chair of the board of directors of Pacific Cinémathèque, said yesterday that Lee showed great interest in communicating with young filmmakers in the audience.
“We all talked about the fact that he crosses genres so regularly,” Samuda said. “Then he surprised us by saying he’d like to make a hockey movie.”
For budding filmmakers, Lee’s visit was inspirational, Samuda said, adding that the director was gracious, eloquent and posed for photos with audience members.