Director Ang Lee said Sunday he was disappointed that his new spy thriller "Lust, Caution" was withdrawn as Taiwan's entry in the best foreign film category at next year's Oscar awards.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences rejected the entry last week because not enough Taiwanese participated in the film's production, violating a rule that requires foreign countries to certify that local people "exercised artistic control" over their submission.
Lee said he respected the Oscar rule but believed the requirement was unfair because Taiwan and Hong Kong customarily pool their resources and talent in film production.
"With Chinese-language films, their production systems and audiences are spread out wide," Lee told Taiwan's CTI Cable News in London, where he attended the film's premiere.
"This rule does not work well for the working environments of Taiwan and Hong Kong, and is unfair to them," he said.
"Lust, Caution," about a relationship between an undercover activist and an intelligence chief in World War II-era Shanghai, won the top Golden Lion prize at this year's Venice Film Festival.
In 2001, Lee's kung-fu hit "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" won an Oscar for Taiwan for best foreign language film, although it also featured talent from Hong Kong and China.
Hong Kong's Tim Yip and Peter Pau collected the best art direction and best cinematography awards respectively for the kung-fu hit, and China's Tan Dun won the award for best original musical score.
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