Chinese director Zhang Yimou’s recent historical drama “Shadow” has encountered fresh trouble, with a music college teacher and her team filing a lawsuit on November 16 accusing the film’s production studio of music theft. Dong Yingda, a composer and teacher of the Central Conservatory of Music, participated in the composition and performance of the film’s music score with her team. In a long post on her Weibo microblog account, she said Zhang Yimou had commissioned her in February 2017 to create the score. However, Dong Yingda said she was told they could not be credited in the final cut of the film as the studio had hired another musician, Wu Liqun, to create the score. However, Dong said part of their music was used in promotional materials, and even as an alternative version in the final cut of the film. The composer and her team became very angry after watching the film, which debuted in China on September 30. After several communications with the film’s major producer Le Chuang Entertainment, Dong failed to produce any result as she and her team were still not listed in the film credits. The composer filed a lawsuit against the studio, seeking the deserved credit, damages and compensation. Le Chuang said it understood and respected the demands of Dong regarding intellectual property rights, and would actively deal with the lawsuit and cooperate in any investigation launched by appropriate parties.

Source: Chinadaily