Did anyone spot La La Land director Damien Chazelle and actor Ryan Gosling out last night in Beijing? They were here yesterday to promote their new film so it’s pretty likely they had a moment of celebration after the modern day musical landed a record-tying 14 Academy Awards nominations, matching it with Titanic.
As we reported earlier, that film will be hitting Chinese cinema screens on Valentine’s Day, February 14. While there are plenty of nominated films that are probably not going to make it to theaters or legal streaming services here (Fences, Hidden Figures, Lion, Manchester by the Sea, and Moonlight to name some) there are a few.
The films you’re most likely to be able to see legally in China generally fall into the categories of ‘Best Picture’ and ‘Animated Feature Film’. Here are the nominees you can watch before the winners are announced at the 89th annual Academy Awards on February 26:
Best Picture
Arrival (降临): Currently in theaters
Hacksaw Ridge (血战钢锯岭): Currently in theaters, but probably not for much longer
La La Land (爱乐之城): In theaters on Valentine’s Day, February 14
Hell or High Water (赴汤蹈火): Available to stream on bilibili (registration required)
Animated Feature Film
Kubo and the Two Strings (魔弦传说): Currently in theaters
The Red Turtle (红海龟): Available to stream on AcFun观看
ootopia (疯狂动物城): Currently available to stream on Youku (First 10 minutes are free, register to watch the rest for free)
Unfortunately, Moana (海洋奇缘) is no longer in theaters. There’s no indication at the moment that other nominated films such as My Life as a Zucchini will get a cinematic release in China this year.
Source: The Beijinger by Fergus Ryan