Exploring 'Chinese' art film aesthetic influences on independent Chinese Malaysian filmmakers / Gaik Cheng Khoo

Independent Chinese Malaysian films have been associated with the work of Tsai Ming Liang, Hou Hsiao Hsien, Wong Kar Wai and others. James Lee, Tan Chui Mui, Ho Yuhang, Khoo Eng Yow, Woo Ming Jin and now Liew Seng Tat and Brando all favour focusing on the everyday life of marginal or working class c...

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Main Author:	Gaik, Cheng Khoo
Format:	Article
Language:	English
Published:	UPENA 2008
Subjects:	Chinese Malaysia Production and direction
Online Access:	http://ir.uitm.edu.my/id/eprint/11620/ http://ir.uitm.edu.my/id/eprint/11620/1/AJ_GAIK%20CHENG%20KHOO%20JSM%2008%201.pdf

id	uitm-11620
recordtype	eprints
spelling	uitm-116202016-06-20T07:57:32Z http://ir.uitm.edu.my/id/eprint/11620/ Exploring 'Chinese' art film aesthetic influences on independent Chinese Malaysian filmmakers / Gaik Cheng Khoo Gaik, Cheng Khoo Chinese Malaysia Production and direction Independent Chinese Malaysian films have been associated with the work of Tsai Ming Liang, Hou Hsiao Hsien, Wong Kar Wai and others. James Lee, Tan Chui Mui, Ho Yuhang, Khoo Eng Yow, Woo Ming Jin and now Liew Seng Tat and Brando all favour focusing on the everyday life of marginal or working class characters, minimal dialogue and subtle storytelling. Lately, the films may be said to have more in common with the work of the 6th Generation mainland Chinese filmmakers who also shoot on digital. This paper seeks polemically to explore whether there is indeed such a 'Chinese film aesthetic,' tracing its influences through Italian social realism and other trends through film history to more current trends. Aside from favouring the works and styles of specific directors, are these filmmakers also influenced by the desires of film festival programmers and film curators looking for 'difference,' as well as the commodification of the art film market overseas? For example, Liew, who counts Stephen Chow (of Kungfu Hustle fame) among his favourite directors, for his debut feature Flower In The Pocket (2007), chooses an aesthetic quite opposed to that of Chow, one closer to home and to his Malaysian Independent Film (MIF) collaborators. What is going on? While the focus on the everyday and the mundane is realistic given the low-budgets they are working with, that still leaves aside the question of filmmaking style and aesthetics. How much of it is derivative of external influences, whether one is drawn to the style of art cinema, or one is rejecting classic Hollywood narrative styles? And how much of it is reflective of the filmmaker's personality, individual circumstance and habitus? UPENA 2008 Article PeerReviewed text en http://ir.uitm.edu.my/id/eprint/11620/1/AJ_GAIK%20CHENG%20KHOO%20JSM%2008%201.pdf Gaik, Cheng Khoo (2008) Exploring 'Chinese' art film aesthetic influences on independent Chinese Malaysian filmmakers / Gaik Cheng Khoo. Jurnal Skrin Malaysia, 5. pp. 43-54. ISSN 1823-1020
repository_type	Digital Repository
institution_category	Local University
institution	Universiti Teknologi MARA
building	UiTM Institutional Repository
collection	Online Access
language	English
topic	Chinese Malaysia Production and direction
spellingShingle	Chinese Malaysia Production and direction Gaik, Cheng Khoo Exploring 'Chinese' art film aesthetic influences on independent Chinese Malaysian filmmakers / Gaik Cheng Khoo
description	Independent Chinese Malaysian films have been associated with the work of Tsai Ming Liang, Hou Hsiao Hsien, Wong Kar Wai and others. James Lee, Tan Chui Mui, Ho Yuhang, Khoo Eng Yow, Woo Ming Jin and now Liew Seng Tat and Brando all favour focusing on the everyday life of marginal or working class characters, minimal dialogue and subtle storytelling. Lately, the films may be said to have more in common with the work of the 6th Generation mainland Chinese filmmakers who also shoot on digital. This paper seeks polemically to explore whether there is indeed such a 'Chinese film aesthetic,' tracing its influences through Italian social realism and other trends through film history to more current trends. Aside from favouring the works and styles of specific directors, are these filmmakers also influenced by the desires of film festival programmers and film curators looking for 'difference,' as well as the commodification of the art film market overseas? For example, Liew, who counts Stephen Chow (of Kungfu Hustle fame) among his favourite directors, for his debut feature Flower In The Pocket (2007), chooses an aesthetic quite opposed to that of Chow, one closer to home and to his Malaysian Independent Film (MIF) collaborators. What is going on? While the focus on the everyday and the mundane is realistic given the low-budgets they are working with, that still leaves aside the question of filmmaking style and aesthetics. How much of it is derivative of external influences, whether one is drawn to the style of art cinema, or one is rejecting classic Hollywood narrative styles? And how much of it is reflective of the filmmaker's personality, individual circumstance and habitus?
format	Article
author	Gaik, Cheng Khoo
author_facet	Gaik, Cheng Khoo
author_sort	Gaik, Cheng Khoo
title	Exploring 'Chinese' art film aesthetic influences on independent Chinese Malaysian filmmakers / Gaik Cheng Khoo
title_short	Exploring 'Chinese' art film aesthetic influences on independent Chinese Malaysian filmmakers / Gaik Cheng Khoo
title_full	Exploring 'Chinese' art film aesthetic influences on independent Chinese Malaysian filmmakers / Gaik Cheng Khoo
title_fullStr	Exploring 'Chinese' art film aesthetic influences on independent Chinese Malaysian filmmakers / Gaik Cheng Khoo
title_full_unstemmed	Exploring 'Chinese' art film aesthetic influences on independent Chinese Malaysian filmmakers / Gaik Cheng Khoo
title_sort	exploring 'chinese' art film aesthetic influences on independent chinese malaysian filmmakers / gaik cheng khoo
publisher	UPENA
publishDate	2008
url	http://ir.uitm.edu.my/id/eprint/11620/ http://ir.uitm.edu.my/id/eprint/11620/1/AJ_GAIK%20CHENG%20KHOO%20JSM%2008%201.pdf
first_indexed	2023-09-18T22:48:17Z
last_indexed	2023-09-18T22:48:17Z
_version_	1777417372809822208

Exploring 'Chinese' art film aesthetic influences on independent Chinese Malaysian filmmakers / Gaik Cheng Khoo

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