Chinese Director Jia Zhangke Apologizes Over Unauthorized Poster for Brazilian Film 'The Spy'

Chinese filmmaker Jia Zhangke issued an apology on Weibo yesterday over a copyright dispute involving the release poster for the Brazilian film "The Spy," which his company is distributing in China.

The film was scheduled for a March 27 release, with the date announced on March 16. However, Internet users soon pointed out that the official Chinese release poster appeared to infringe on existing artwork, and the original designer confirmed no authorization had been granted.

In his statement, Jia took full responsibility. He explained that his team had asked him to approve the poster ahead of the release date.

"I selected one image from a folder on my computer containing materials for 'The Spy.' I mistakenly assumed all files in the folder were authorized by the international distributor for Chinese localization. I forgot the folder also included posters I had personally collected online," Jia wrote.

His team, following his instruction, presumed he had verified copyright clearance, leading to the unauthorized use.

Jia added that his team had emailed the original designer overnight to apologize and discuss compensation or potential cooperation, and they are awaiting a response.

"I admire this film and I like this poster very much. The mistake was mine, and I apologize," he said, vowing to push his team to resolve the issue promptly with the designer.