MOVIES - Aug. 31, 1992

Sign of Openness: Director Zhang Yimou, who has received two Oscar nominations but has had difficulty getting his movies screened in China, has won the top prize at the Changchun Film Festival in northeastern China. His win for “Qiuju Goes to Court” is seen as another sign that the Chinese government is easing up on censorship. Zhang’s two Oscar-nominated films, “Raise the Red Lantern” and “Ju Dou,” were banned by the Chinese government, presumably because of subtle messages about authority and rebellion, and sexual content. Last month, “Raise the Red Lantern” was approved for screening in China beginning in September. Zhang’s new film is about a peasant’s efforts to get judicial redress for injuries her husband suffered at the hands of a village leader.