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Independent Chinese Cinema

Introduction

Chinese Indies has been playing a hide-and-seek game with the government since early 1990’s. Although regulatory punishments and laws have been announced on numerous occasions, it is imperative to note that the moviemakers in china have somehow managed to press on. Yet the devastating suppression on the Independent Film Festival in Beijing in the year 2014 marked a turning point since it made individuals to wonder whether the government was indeed serious with its threats. Furthermore, the establishment of the first Film Regulatory Act seemed to have had an additional implication on the matter. Independent of Chinese Cinema is an important topic because since its existence in 1900’s, the Indie Film industry is slowly suffering as a result of intensifying censorship and extensive money that is attracting top talent away from the region. Although the growing level of censorship and commercial pull as made the Indie Industry to diminish, Indie Movies that possess the look and feel of China may end up seeing a renaissance because of the growth and diversity of the tastes of the audience.

Description of Research

The Central Concern

The major concern of this research will revolve around the distinct trajectory of Independent Chinese Cinema. Relative to the United States where the category was seen as an opponent to the extensive Hollywood studios, in China, the film has historically been on the opposite end of the government. As such, all the films in China must go through strict censorship where they are issued a dragon seal before getting commercial release. However, most independent Chinese films opted against this idea. As a result, it has made them to occupy a space in the industry that is classified as an underground cinema. With the occurrence of extensive government supported private studios, there has been a growing concern of what exactly defines Indie movies in Chinese context. Questions have been raised on whether the definition of Indie movies lies in the mode of financing, the lack of the dragon seal or the style and content. Irrespective of the government stance, a growing number of individuals are of the opinion that other than the documentary realm, Chinese film or Indie movies in the correctest manner; referring to films that are financed independently but lack the dragon seal are slowly disappearing. As a result, Young talented actors are no longer attracted y true Indie films anymore as evidenced by the fact that some of the remaining Indie festivals have been stamped out by the state. In any case, that remaining have lacked Indie films to showcase. Some of the primary grassroots festivals such as Beijing Independent Film Festival have already been eliminated with authorities literally putting an end to the festival in the year 2014 and all the attendees were detained. For this reason, the research will seek to answer and respond to various concerns revolving around Independent Chinese Movie in the wake of government censorship.

Literature Reviews

According to Davis, apart from the issue of government censorship, it is believed that the expanding growth of Chinese market has also contributed to moving individuals away from the Indie sector since most filmmakers tend to prefer settling on the illusion of fast fortune. In essence, with enormous finances competing for few projects, most filmmakers in the contemporary society are left with a lot of options to ponder (Berry). As a result, established studios snap up most of them as soon as they graduate. For instance, Zhang Xianmin one of the greatest Indie directors believes that commercial cinema is slowly killing Indie film making since it tends to tap new blood and top talent from the country. However, Davis in his article points out that in 2019, such issues are likely to end as soon as new tax policies deflate much of the commercial finances and reduce budgets revolving around film production.

Overall, it is imperative to note that there is a growing demand of non-blockbuster and diverse content in China that even government restrictions cannot manage to stop. Berry in his article argues that although some investors are unwilling to make investments in projects lacking dragon seals, some of them are eager to meet it. As a result, the opportunities have increased for Indie-like, less commercial films with documentaries and movies on less political themes getting theatrical releases on the contemporary era. Nonetheless, promotion and distribution of independent Chinese films is still a Challenge. Movies only last one moth in theatres (Davis). They can only get special government permission if the movie attendance is exemplary. Normally, if the movie fails to sell enough tickets in a span of a week, there is a high chance that they will be denied screening slots in the next phase. Some Cinema chain operators argue that for Indies, a lot of time is wasted for spreading the reviews and getting individuals to want to watch the movie again.

Clearly, although a number of extensive film festivals in China have been banned, Zhang Xianmin confirmed that a number of non-commercial screening activities and clubs are still showcasing Indie movies. Independent festivals that do not future Indie Films have not yet disappeared such as “The First International Film Festival”. The event concentrates on young filmmakers in China .For this reasons it is clear that the current situation remains challenging for Independent Cinema World. Yet, the energy and driving force behind the Independent Scene is still attracting new programs elsewhere. The art World is an enormous place. Berry in her article argues that the fact that some events and festivals are still existing in China does not intend to despise the implication of censorship on Independent Chinese Films. There has been an enormous revolution as the Independent Film scene has slowly diminished. Nonetheless, to assume that China will no longer produce alternative and exciting moving image works would be insane.

Hypothesis

Methodology

Works Cited

Berry, Chris. The Death of Chinese Independent Cinema? Asia Dialogue. 2017. Accessed on 13th November 2019 from: https://theasiadialogue.com/2017/07/03/the-death-of-chinese-independent-cinema/

Davis, Rebecca. The Death and Revival of Independent Film in China. 2019. Accessed on 13th November 2019 from: https://variety.com/2019/film/asia/china-independent-film-changing-1203131772/