Asia produces more films than any other part of the world. With chapters on Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam, Thailand, the Philippines, India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Korea, Mainland China, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Japan, the book presents the most authoritative assessment of contemporary Asian cinema available.

Each chapter describes the cultural aspects of popular film production, analyzing key films in the context of the national, the regional and the global. Topics covered include: film theory and Asian cinema, popular film genres, major industry figures, the "art film", connections between the state and commercial interests, cultural policies, representations of national identity, trends in international co-production, transnational and diasporic dimensions of Asian filmmaking and viewing, the politics of language choice, the impact of emerging technologies on filmmaking practice, and modes of exhibition.

This book is ideal for students, scholars, and anyone interested in popular culture and Asian films in a changing world.

About the author

Anne Tereska Ciecko is Associate Professor in the Department of Communication at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst. Her work on Asian and Asian diaspora cinemas has appeared widely in journals and anthologies.

Contents

Introduction to Popular Asian Cinemas by Anne T. Ciecko (University of Massachusetts-Amherst, USA)
1. Film Theory and Asian Cinemas by Anne T. Ciecko
2. Indonesia by Krishna Sen (Curtin University of Technology, Australia)
3. Malaysia by William van der Heide (University of Newcastle, Australia)
4. Singapore by Jean Jan Uhde Yvonne Ng Uhde (University of Waterloo, Canada)
5. Vietnam by Panivong Norindr (University of Southern California, USA)
6. Thailand by Anchalee Chaiworaporn Adam Knee (Film critic, Bangkok, Thailand; Ohio University, USA)
7. Philippines by Jose B. Capino (Ateneo de Manila University, Philippines)
8. India by Corey K. Creekmur Jyotika Virdi (University of Iowa, USA; University of Windsor, Canada)
9. Sri Lanka by Wimal Dissanayake (University of Hawaii, USA)
10. Bangladesh by Zakir Hussain Raju (Independent University, Bangladesh)
11. Korea by Hyangjin Lee (University of Sheffield, UK)
12. Mainland China by Augusta Lee Palmer (Brooklyn College, USA)
13. Taiwan by Emilie Yueh-yu Yeh (Hong Kong Baptist University)
14. Hong Kong by Anne T. Ciecko
15. Japan by Darrell William Davis (University of New South Wales, Australia)
Conclusion