Another writers' strike? Following the end of a three-month strike led by Hollywood screenwriters, Chinese film and TV writers are petitioning for better recognition.

About 80 notable Chinese writers of films and television dramas gathered in Beijing on Sunday to discuss how to better protect themselves from rights infringement. Attendees included Wang Xingdong, the president of the Chinese Film Literature Association, and Cheng Qingsong, renowned playwright and film critic.

Gathering together the Chinese screenwriters for this meeting became necessary because the role played by playwrights has been significantly downplayed in recent times, Wang Xingdong told the Metro Express newspaper. "The Hollywood strike ended with an increase in writers' pay. The message I learned from it is 'no effort no gain.'"

But compared to their US counterparts, Chinese writers are less focused on payment and more concerned about keeping their rights of authorship.

At the Sunday meeting, a half-hour documentary was screened, in which dozens of infringed writers narrated their stories.

Wang Xingdong also wrote a letter on behalf of all screenwriters to the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television (SARFT), China's broadcasting watchdog. In the letter he asked the SARFT to enhance the examination of whether film and television products infringe on the rights of playwrights, and if so, he asked that the products be blocked from airing.

The attending writers on Sunday signed a petition urging the Full Blossom Awards, a major honor for Chinese films, to add an award for outstanding screenplays. They also hope that other film awards that already have this category can include an additional honor for adapted screenplays, so that "the original writer is respected."

(CRIENGLISH.com February 25, 2008)