Recent from talks
Cinema of East Asia
Knowledge base stats:
Talk channels stats:
Members stats:
Cinema of East Asia
The Cinema of East Asia refers to the film industries of countries located in East Asia. The most significant film industries that are categorized as East Asian cinema are the industries of Mainland China, Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan. The term is sometimes confused with Southeast Asian cinema, as the cinematic traditions between the two Asian sub-regions have their own uniquely distinct markers that are often conflated and incorrectly referred to as such, which include the likes of Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand, and the Philippines.
East Asian cinema is responsible for several genres distinct from the cinema of other regions. These genres include Martial arts films and Anime. While East Asian cinema was initially relegated to local audiences, its global influence steadily increased. Each country included in East Asian cinema has its own prominent directors, actors, and actresses.
The scope of East Asian cinema is huge and covers a vast array of different film styles and genres, as the region's rich cinematic traditions are particularly well-known internationally for its production of the following types of genres:
Even as Hollywood began dominating cinemas worldwide, receiving 80% of its revenue from screenings abroad, East Asian film industries were largely able to hold their own against foreign imports. Local audiences tended to favor domestic films over glamorous Hollywood products, allowing East Asian producers to develop their own forms of artistic expression. Japan, for example, had grown a vibrant film industry by the Roaring 20s, despite its first film production studio only opening in 1909. The popularity of East Asian films and directors rarely extended beyond the region itself, with films seldom exported. In this relative isolation, several distinctive genres and styles developed, such as the growth of martial arts movies in 1930s-40s Hong Kong.
East Asian cinema has—to widely varying degrees from nation to nation—had a global audience since at least the 1950s. At the beginning of the decade, Akira Kurosawa's Rashomon (1950) and Kenji Mizoguchi's Ugetsu (1953) both captured prizes at the Venice Film Festival and elsewhere, and by the middle of the decade Teinosuke Kinugasa's Gate of Hell (1953) and the first part of Hiroshi Inagaki's Samurai Trilogy (1954) had won Oscars. Kurosawa's Seven Samurai (1954) became a global success; Japanese cinema had burst into international consciousness.
By the end of the decade, several critics associated with French journal Cahiers du cinéma published some of the first Western studies on Japanese film; many of those critics went on to become founding members of the French nouvelle vague, which began simultaneously with the Japanese New Wave.
By the late 60s and early 70s, Japanese cinema had begun to become seriously affected by the collapse of the studio system, with audiences decreasing from 1.2 billion to 0.2 billion from 1960 to 1980. As Japanese cinema slipped into a period of relative low visibility, the cinema of Hong Kong entered a dramatic renaissance of its own, largely a side effect of the development of the wuxia blending of action, history, and spiritual concerns. Several major figures emerged in Hong Kong at this time, including King Hu, whose 1966 Come Drink With Me was a key influence upon many subsequent Hong Kong cinematic developments. Shortly thereafter, the American and Hong Kong actor Bruce Lee became a global icon, beginning a new wave of popularity for martial arts movies. However, the 1970s were also the death knell of Cantonese cinema, with the Hong Kong film industry switching to larger, commercialized Mandarin films. The Korean film industry also experienced a golden age during the 1960s, producing iconic films such as The Housemaid, Aimless Bullet, and The Devil's Stairway.
As the popularity of East Asian films has endured, it is unsurprising that members of the Western film industry would cite their influences (notably George Lucas, Robert Altman and Martin Scorsese citing Akira Kurosawa; and Jim Jarmusch and Paul Schrader's similar mentions of Yasujirō Ozu), and—on occasion—work to introduce less well-known filmmakers to Western audiences (such as the growing number of Eastern films released with the endorsement "Quentin Tarantino Presents").
Hub AI
Cinema of East Asia AI simulator
(@Cinema of East Asia_simulator)
Cinema of East Asia
The Cinema of East Asia refers to the film industries of countries located in East Asia. The most significant film industries that are categorized as East Asian cinema are the industries of Mainland China, Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan. The term is sometimes confused with Southeast Asian cinema, as the cinematic traditions between the two Asian sub-regions have their own uniquely distinct markers that are often conflated and incorrectly referred to as such, which include the likes of Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand, and the Philippines.
East Asian cinema is responsible for several genres distinct from the cinema of other regions. These genres include Martial arts films and Anime. While East Asian cinema was initially relegated to local audiences, its global influence steadily increased. Each country included in East Asian cinema has its own prominent directors, actors, and actresses.
The scope of East Asian cinema is huge and covers a vast array of different film styles and genres, as the region's rich cinematic traditions are particularly well-known internationally for its production of the following types of genres:
Even as Hollywood began dominating cinemas worldwide, receiving 80% of its revenue from screenings abroad, East Asian film industries were largely able to hold their own against foreign imports. Local audiences tended to favor domestic films over glamorous Hollywood products, allowing East Asian producers to develop their own forms of artistic expression. Japan, for example, had grown a vibrant film industry by the Roaring 20s, despite its first film production studio only opening in 1909. The popularity of East Asian films and directors rarely extended beyond the region itself, with films seldom exported. In this relative isolation, several distinctive genres and styles developed, such as the growth of martial arts movies in 1930s-40s Hong Kong.
East Asian cinema has—to widely varying degrees from nation to nation—had a global audience since at least the 1950s. At the beginning of the decade, Akira Kurosawa's Rashomon (1950) and Kenji Mizoguchi's Ugetsu (1953) both captured prizes at the Venice Film Festival and elsewhere, and by the middle of the decade Teinosuke Kinugasa's Gate of Hell (1953) and the first part of Hiroshi Inagaki's Samurai Trilogy (1954) had won Oscars. Kurosawa's Seven Samurai (1954) became a global success; Japanese cinema had burst into international consciousness.
By the end of the decade, several critics associated with French journal Cahiers du cinéma published some of the first Western studies on Japanese film; many of those critics went on to become founding members of the French nouvelle vague, which began simultaneously with the Japanese New Wave.
By the late 60s and early 70s, Japanese cinema had begun to become seriously affected by the collapse of the studio system, with audiences decreasing from 1.2 billion to 0.2 billion from 1960 to 1980. As Japanese cinema slipped into a period of relative low visibility, the cinema of Hong Kong entered a dramatic renaissance of its own, largely a side effect of the development of the wuxia blending of action, history, and spiritual concerns. Several major figures emerged in Hong Kong at this time, including King Hu, whose 1966 Come Drink With Me was a key influence upon many subsequent Hong Kong cinematic developments. Shortly thereafter, the American and Hong Kong actor Bruce Lee became a global icon, beginning a new wave of popularity for martial arts movies. However, the 1970s were also the death knell of Cantonese cinema, with the Hong Kong film industry switching to larger, commercialized Mandarin films. The Korean film industry also experienced a golden age during the 1960s, producing iconic films such as The Housemaid, Aimless Bullet, and The Devil's Stairway.
As the popularity of East Asian films has endured, it is unsurprising that members of the Western film industry would cite their influences (notably George Lucas, Robert Altman and Martin Scorsese citing Akira Kurosawa; and Jim Jarmusch and Paul Schrader's similar mentions of Yasujirō Ozu), and—on occasion—work to introduce less well-known filmmakers to Western audiences (such as the growing number of Eastern films released with the endorsement "Quentin Tarantino Presents").