A new definition for today’s Chinese independent cinema

Different terminologies have been used to characterize the Chinese independent cinema in the 1990s. These definitions focus on the experimental practices outside the official production system and independent of official ideology. The film industry has had distinctive development since the entry of WTO in 2001. Private investors have played essential role in cinematic economy; strict censorship has been obviously relaxed; the film industry is being divided into two opposing extremes. Thus, it is necessary to give a new definition of the Chinese independent cinema. The definition of independent cinema in today China I suggest in the light of American independence is that any film that has not been financed, produced and distributed by majors is independent. At least four corporations are majors in the Chinese film industry. They are China Film Group Corporation, Huayi Brothers Corporation, PolyBona Film Distribution Corporation and Shanghai Film Group Corporation. Except the four majors, all the other film production or distribution companies are independents.

Independent cinema in the Chinese film industry

Chinese independent cinema has developed for more than twenty years. Two sorts of independent cinema exist in China. One is underground cinema, which is produced without official approvals and cannot be circulated in China, and the other are the films which are legally produced by small private film companies and circulated in the domestic film market. This sort of ‘within-system’ independent cinema has played a significant role in the development of Chinese cinema in terms of culture, economics and ideology. In contrast to the amount of comment on underground filmmaking in China, the significance of ‘within-system’ independent cinema has been underestimated by most scholars. This thesis is a study of how political management has determined the development of Chinese independent cinema and how Chinese independent cinema has developed during its various historical trajectories. This study takes media economics as the research approach, and its major methods utilise archive analysis and interviews. The thesis begins with a general review of the definition and business of American independent cinema. Then, after a literature review of Chinese independent cinema, it identifies significant gaps in previous studies and reviews issues of traditional definition and suggests a new definition. After several case studies on the changes in the most famous Chinese directors’ careers, the thesis shows that state studios and private film companies are two essential domestic backers for filmmaking in China. After that, the body of the thesis provides an examination of the development of ‘within-system’ independent cinema. Specifically, three factors: government intervention, the majors’ performance (state studios and, later, the conglomerates) and the market conduct of independent cinema at various points in their trajectories are studied. The key findings of the study are as follows: First, most scholars have overlooked the existence and the significance of within-system Chinese independent cinema. Drawing on an American definition of the independent sector, this thesis proposes a definition of the sector in China: namely, any film that has not been financed, produced, and/or distributed by majors. The thesis also notes important contradictions in applying this definition: i.e. film-making is still dependent on policies that frame industry development. The thesis recognises that major tensions apply to filmmaking in China, which significantly differentiates the Chinese independents from those in the US. Second, the development of Chinese independent cinema is the result the rise of the private sector and the decline of the state studio system. As state studios encountered difficulties the private sector moved forward; consequently the environment improved for independent cinema. Third, before 2003, the film industry in China had little commercialisation. The government controlled independent cinema by means of license and censorship. State studios produced main melody films and Hollywood attracted most of the audiences. Many independent filmmakers focused on commercial films, thus contributing to film commercialisation. Fourth, after 2003, the film industry became increasingly fragmented. The government created distribution and exhibition opportunities for main melody films; conglomerates collaborated with Hong Kong players; Hong Kong co-productions and Hollywood occupied the film market; and small private film companies produced main melody films in order to earn meagre profits. The original contribution of the thesis is to advance the study of Chinese independent cinema. The study suggests a reasonable and practical definition of Chinese independent cinema. It shows how the Chinese government authorities have implemented economic measures to gain ideological control in the film industry. Finally, this the first study on Chinese independent cinema applying a synthesis of economic, political and historical perspectives.

Identidty, displacement and embodiment in women's independent cinema

Ma thèse examine les déplacements multiples – déportation, exil, voyage – et l‟expérience diasporique de différentes communautés ethniques dans le cinéma indépendant de trois réalisatrices et artistes contemporaines : Julie Dash, Rea Tajiri et Trinh T. Minh-ha. J‟analyse la déconstruction et reconstruction de l‟identité à travers le voyage et autres déplacements physiques ainsi que les moyens d‟expression et stratégies cinématographiques utilisées par ces artistes pour articuler des configurations identitaires mouvantes. Je propose de nouvelles lectures de la position des femmes dans des milieux culturels différents en considérant la danse comme une métaphore de la reconfiguration de l‟identité féminine qui se différencie et s‟émancipe des traditions culturelles classiques. Les expériences de l‟histoire et de la mémoire, qui sont vécues dans les corps des femmes, sont aussi exprimées par le biais des relations intermédiales entre la photographie, la vidéo et le film qui proposent des images de femmes variées et complexes.

'The comfort lies in all the things you can do': the Australian drive-in: cinema of distraction

Contrary to the claims of some film historians, the drive-in was not a uniquely American invention. Australian drive-in cinemas were, at least in the 1950s and 1960s, distinguishable from their American counterparts by virtue of the profusion of additional amusements (or distractions) they offered alongside film-viewing. This article traces the history of Australian drive-ins as ‘entertainment centres’ and ‘high temples of modernity’. It argues that the drive-in can usefully be understood as a mid-point between the domestic and public spheres, and a powerful symbol of post-WWII Australia, signifying prosperity, gathering consumer confidence and, in metropolitan areas, marking the path of urban development through its concentration in new, outer suburban areas.

O som ao redor do baile: retomada e pós-retomada no cinema produzido em Pernambuco

This dissertation uncovers the path of Pernambuco’s independent cinema of the Retomada, of its production in the second half of the 1990s until mid 2012 when the sector manages to secure a funding edict (Funcultura) for its films and at the same time establishes a few symbolic mechanisms which contributed to the consolidation of a new cycle, the post-Retomada, namely: cinephilia and brodagem. Because it is a cinematography (pernambucana) outside the Rio-São Paulo axis, that is, outside the great center of the brazillian culture industry, the cinema produced in Pernambuco built a very specific modus operandi, in which a material basis, the consolidation of Funcultura, intercrossed with two symbolic practices feeding on each other, cinephilia and brodagem. In this regard, we seek not to establish the material perspective as the primary determination as opposed to the symbolic one. Futhermore, we followed the path of cinephilia in its direct commucation with the brodagem, and how both these logics pressured authorities to institute an incentive funding separated from other artforms in the state. From this point of view, we attempted to trace the trajectory of this cinematography in its external nuances, but also taking into account the internal nuances of its works of art (films). Following this, we created categories to define and distinguish the nuances of the Retomada and post-Retomada productions regarding ethical and aesthetical choices made by directors from both generations.

O som ao redor do baile: retomada e pós-retomada no cinema produzido em Pernambuco

This dissertation uncovers the path of Pernambuco’s independent cinema of the Retomada, of its production in the second half of the 1990s until mid 2012 when the sector manages to secure a funding edict (Funcultura) for its films and at the same time establishes a few symbolic mechanisms which contributed to the consolidation of a new cycle, the post-Retomada, namely: cinephilia and brodagem. Because it is a cinematography (pernambucana) outside the Rio-São Paulo axis, that is, outside the great center of the brazillian culture industry, the cinema produced in Pernambuco built a very specific modus operandi, in which a material basis, the consolidation of Funcultura, intercrossed with two symbolic practices feeding on each other, cinephilia and brodagem. In this regard, we seek not to establish the material perspective as the primary determination as opposed to the symbolic one. Futhermore, we followed the path of cinephilia in its direct commucation with the brodagem, and how both these logics pressured authorities to institute an incentive funding separated from other artforms in the state. From this point of view, we attempted to trace the trajectory of this cinematography in its external nuances, but also taking into account the internal nuances of its works of art (films). Following this, we created categories to define and distinguish the nuances of the Retomada and post-Retomada productions regarding ethical and aesthetical choices made by directors from both generations.

"Created in China" : l'émergence de nouvelles subjectivités dans l'industrie du cinéma indépendant chinois en contexte postsocialiste

In the current contemporary Chinese context, still caught up with a governmental censorship of the media productions as well as information circulation, creators must find diverse ways to express themselves freely. Several styles of cinemas cohabit in this country hustled by political ideologies. Two main categories are divided, opposed and intermingled, the “mainstream” cinema and the “independent” cinema. It is via the medium of cinema and more particularly that of the present generation of Chinese directors that will be highlighted the emergence of new creative subjectivities. These subjectivities are in a constant dance with the State in the reaching of professional achievement while maintaining the status of artistic independence. The author will look into the evolution of the notion of Chinese identity from the 1990s until today. Rising from an opposition between tradition and modernism, the formation of new subjectivities is founded on a constant negotiation with the imposing forces of globalization but also in relation with the Chinese State. One currently speaks about an easing of communist rigidity and even the emergence of neoliberal tendencies. This would lead to the creation of a Chinese identity, brought up to date in tune with the assertion of individual desires at the expense of the community. The collective experiment is set aside to make room for the subjectivity of creative individuals, who create while positioning themselves as a unit in interrelationship with society.

Decisiones estratégicas en el campo del arte : análisis del discurso : a partir del texto de Justo Pastor Mellado, curador independiente latinoamericano

En el trabajo que sigue presento un ejercicio de aproximación al análisis del discurso, en este caso el ejercido por el crítico curador chileno Justo Pastor Mellado. El objetivo del mismo es sintetizar los puntos clave de sus aportes teóricos para la construcción del campo crítico actual, en particular: la gestión de las artes visuales contemporáneas. La labor del autor se enmarca en un esfuerzo por sumarse, junto al trabajo de otros intelectuales coetáneo,s al ejercicio de una teoría crítica (acerca de la praxis de gestión cultural, en el ejemplo que nos ocupa) que instale una producción de sentido del “nosotros", propia del campo cultural latinoamericano a partir de formatos y herramientas teóricas que posibilitan comprender la situación que se afronta y sus desafíos, en el marco del desarrollo descomunal de la llamada industria cultural neoliberal, que sin duda afecta nuestras prácticas diarias.

La presencia del cine en las literaturas hispánicas de comienzos del siglo XX : Tres escritores pioneros : Ramón Gómez de la Serna, Francisco Ayala y Horacio Quiroga

Fil: Hafter, Lea Evelyn. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Humanidades y Ciencias de la Educación; Argentina.

La presencia del cine en las literaturas hispánicas de comienzos del siglo XX : Tres escritores pioneros : Ramón Gómez de la Serna, Francisco Ayala y Horacio Quiroga

Fil: Hafter, Lea Evelyn. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Humanidades y Ciencias de la Educación; Argentina.

La presencia del cine en las literaturas hispánicas de comienzos del siglo XX : Tres escritores pioneros : Ramón Gómez de la Serna, Francisco Ayala y Horacio Quiroga

Fil: Hafter, Lea Evelyn. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Humanidades y Ciencias de la Educación; Argentina.

How Commerce Trumped Art at Miramax

Louis Proyect documents the role of corporate decision-making and profit in the undermining of ostensibly "independent" cinema. He focues on Miramax and its history of tampering with the work of writers and directors.

Interpreting independence in Latin American cinema today: the digital option

Globalisation has transformed “independence” into, at best, “inter-dependence”. In Latin American film, this process has been experienced as a decline in the national productions, now usually co-productions, and a tendency towards the self-exoticising as films cater for a festival-circuit global audience; similarly, theatrical exhibition takes place in one of a handful of the global multiplex complexes. Moreover, narrative film itself has long been regarded as inherently “dependent”, on the conservative sectors that have provided its finance, with the word “independent” referring to authorial features only. However, the very same processes that have allowed for such an unprecedented corporate control of these film industries have also spawned a parallel network of local, regional and national filmmaking, distribution and exhibition through digital media. From the “Mi Cine” project in Mexico to the “Cine Piquetero” in Argentina, digital filmmaking is empowering viewers and restoring agency to local filmmakers. In this paper I argue for this understanding of “independence” in the contemporary cinematic spheres of Latin America: the re-appropriation, amidst the transnationalism of the day, of the democratising potential of cinema that Walter Benjamin once thought was inherent to the medium.

From Aussiewood Movies to Guerrilla Filmmaking: Independent Filmmaking and Contemporary Australian Cinema

Independent filmmaking within the context of Australian cinema is a multifaceted subject. In comparison to the United States, where production can be characterised as bifurcated between major studio production and so-called “indie” or independent production without the backing of the majors, since the 1970s and until recently the vast majority of Australian feature film production has been independent filmmaking. Like most so-called national cinemas, most Australian movies are supported by both direct and indirect public subvention administered by state and federal government funding bodies, and it could be argued that filmmakers are, to a certain degree, “dependent” on official mandates. As this chapter demonstrates national production slates are subjected to budget restraints and cut-backs, official cultural policies (for example pursuing international co-productions and local content quotas) and shifts in policy directions among others. Therefore, within the context of Australian cinema, feature film production operating outside the public funding system could be understood as “independent”. However, as is the case for most English-language national cinemas, independence has long been defined in terms of autonomy from Hollywood, and – as alluded to above – as Australia becomes more dependent upon international inputs into production, higher budget movies are becoming less independent from Hollywood. As such, this chapter argues that independence in Australian cinema can be viewed as having two poles: independence from direct government funding and independence from Hollywood studios. With a specific focus on industry and policy contexts, this chapter explores key issues that constitute independence for Australian cinema. In so doing it examines the production characteristics of four primary domains of contemporary independent filmmaking in Australia, namely: “Aussiewood” production; government-backed low-to-mid budget production; co-productions; and guerrilla filmmaking.

A comparison of two fishery-independent survey programs used to define the population structure of American lobster (Homarus americanus) in the Gulf of Maine

The population structure and abundance of the American lobster (Homarus americanus) stock in the Gulf of Maine are defined by data derived from a fishery-independent trawl survey program conducted by the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS). Few sampling stations in the survey area are located inshore, in particular along coastal Maine. According to statistics, however, more than two thirds of the lobster landings come from inshore waters within three miles off the coast of Maine. In order to include an inshore survey program, complementary to the NMFS survey, the Maine Department of Marine Resources (DMR) initialized an inshore survey program in 2000. The survey was modeled on the NMFS survey program, making these two survey programs comparable. Using data from both survey programs, we evaluated the population structure of the American lobster in the Gulf of Maine. Our findings indicate that lobsters in the Gulf of Maine tend to have a size-dependent inshore-off-shore distribution; smaller lobsters are more likely to stay inshore and larger lobsters are more likely to stay offshore. The DMR inshore and NMFS survey programs focused on different areas in the Gulf of Maine and likely targeted different segments of the stock. We suggest that data from both survey programs be used to assess the lobster stock and to describe the dynamics of the stock in the Gulf of Maine.