Hong Kong's New Indie Cinema

by Ruby Cheung

Overview

This book explores 2010s Hong Kong film industry, focusing on its (presumably) independent sector. Although frequently mentioned in global film industry studies, the term ‘independent film’ does not always carry a clear meaning. Starting with this point, this book studies closely Hong Kong’s new indie cinema of the 2010s from political, economic, social, cultural, and film industrial perspectives, arguing that this indie cinema was vital to the long-term sustainability of the city’s film industry.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9783031257667
Publisher:	Springer International Publishing
Publication date:	06/28/2023
Series:	East Asian Popular Culture
Edition description:	2023
Pages:	248
Product dimensions:	5.83(w) x 8.27(h) x (d)

About the Author

Ruby Cheung is Associate Professor in Film Studies at the University of Southampton, UK, where she leads international film industry studies at undergraduate, postgraduate (taught) and PhD levels. Ruby is an internationally recognized specialist in the study of contemporary Hong Kong cinema, Chinese-language film industries, as well as film festivals. She is the author of New Hong Kong Cinema: Transitions to Becoming Chinese in 21^st-century East Asia (2016), and the main editor/co-editor of six other books.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1. Introduction: Hong Kong’s Indie Films of the 2010s and Film Independence.- Chapter 2. The Fabric of 2010s Hong Kong Film Industry.- Chapter 3. Creative Labour.- Chapter 4. Subject Matter.- Chapter 5. The Use of Language.- Chapter 6. Distribution and Exhibition.- Chapter 7. Conclusion: A New Start or an Endgame?.

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

“This is an important book that elucidates a new perspective and moment in Hong Kong cinema culture. Cheung’s positioning is clear, and her grounding of the introduction frames the book well. The precision of expression and the patience with which terminology and argumentation are presented is second to none. The range of approaches that make up the discussion of new indie work well. We found this a pleasure to read. Highly accomplished, generous to the reader in its accessibility and hugely interesting due to its broad contextual framing and the precision with which the films are analysed.” (BAFTSS judging panel)

“This volume provides readers with detailed information and analysis on Hong Kong’s independent film movement in the 2010s, a turbulent period in Hong Kong’s recent history when its filmmakers met with many problems as well as opportunities. Cheung’s careful study draws together facts, context and theories to provide credible support for optimism about Hong Kong’s independent film movement going forward.” (Prof. Stephen Teo Kian Teck, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore.)

“A member of a rapidly growing Hong Kong diaspora, Ruby Cheung offers us a moving and deeply engaged account of Hong Kong’s independent cinema. Focusing on films produced in the second decade of the 21st century, Cheung probes the meanings of the very concept of independence, teasing out the complexities of Hong Kong and its cinema in key years following the city’s return to China. Capturing the richness of Hong Kong’s cinema and the courage and tenacity of its filmmakers, HongKong’s New Indie Cinema deserves a wide audience.” (Mette Hjort, Professor of Film and Screen Studies, Head of the Lincoln School of Film, Media and Journalism, University of Lincoln, UK)