Hi everyone! I'm a rising sophomore at Georgetown University studying Science, Technology, and International Affairs (STIA) with minors in Economics and Film & Media Studies. My interests lie broadly at the intersection of film and international relations. My research this summer more specifically centers on how CCP censorship influences global film production. From the root of the filmmaking process -- budgeting, screenwriting, and storyboarding -- all the way until a film is exhibited on the big screen or a TV show is streamed online, China's market power has enabled its leaders to authoritatively blockade certain stories from being told, edit out crucial plot points in others, and altogether reshape business operations in and content exports from Hollywood. 

            China's newfound dominance in the global film industry can be best explained in three parts. Part I: before the "open door" reforms of Deng Xiaoping, much of China's cinema had been confined to kitschy propaganda films. These films were used to rile up nationalistic sentiment, primarily to mobilize masses of people in support of the central government and Communist ideologies. But after China opened its markets to the world, foreign films such as Singin' in the Rain (1952) and The Fugitive (1993) started making their way into the psyche of Chinese audiences. Part II: simultaneously as Chinese audiences demanded and received more foreign imports, the CCP also identified the importance of developing a homegrown film industry. Through lucrative contracts and promises of substantial creative freedom, China attracted the cream of the crop in foreign talent such as Jean-Jacques Annaud and Steven Spielberg to produce their own films and train new Chinese talent in the cinematic arts. At this point, foreign media executives also increasingly pressured their governments to formalize the film distribution process into China through securing meaningful trade deals (such as the one negotiated between Xi Jinping and then Vice President Joe Biden in 2012). Part III: China has now reached a stage where it not only no longer requires foreign film imports to satisfy its domestic audience, but produces enticing original content that it is now seeking to export into the global film market. 

      I want to give a big shoutout to my faculty mentor Professor Elyse Kelly, who is incredible in every way. I'm also extremely grateful for Georgetown's Center for Research & Fellowships and the Laidlaw Foundation's support of my studies this summer and look forward to interacting with all my fellow Laidlaw Scholars around the globe!