'Better Days' director hopes Oscar-nominated film inspires Chinese peers to tackle hard topics

Hong Kong: "Better Days" director Derek Tsang said his Oscar-nominated film could inspire other Chinese artists to pursue difficult topics despite the challenges in getting works past censors in China.

Adapted from Jiu Yuexi's novel "Young and Beautiful", the movie tells the story of a bullied schoolgirl who develops a strong bond with a boy when they get caught up in a murder case. The romantic crime film, shot in mainland China and the first by a Hong Kong-born director to receive an Oscar nomination, is shortlisted in the best international feature film category. Hong Kong TV audiences won't be able to watch a win in real time, though, because free-to-air broadcaster TVB won't air the Academy Awards for the first time in more than 50 years. TVB, which has broadcast the Oscars every year since 1969, said it won't carry the ceremony this year for "commercial reasons".