Loud Murmurs

This week's episode is all about the "R" word: R-E-P-R-E-S-E-N-T-A-T-I-O-N.The casting of Chinese actress Liu Yifei (Crystal Liu) as Mulan in the upcoming Disney live-action movie and the trailer have drawn lots of criticisms in both the U.S. and in China (for obviously different reasons.) Some criticized it for historical inaccuracies, some take issue with the casting of Crystal, who has since voiced her support for Hong Kong police and the crack down on protesters by the government. It's not just Mulan, the entire Hollywood-centric American movie industry is engulfed in a debate over cultural, racial and political representation. In today’s episode, our hosts Afra and Diaodiao are joined by our guest, cinema studies Assistant Professor Ling Zhang from SUNY Purchase College to discuss the recent controversies around the casting for the Little Mermaid, the James Bond series, and Marvel’s Shang Qi. The trio use these current events as a springboard for in-depth analysis on how cultural represent