New Taiwanese Cinema in Focus

Places Taiwanese cinema from the 1980s onwards in both national and transnational contexts. In the Taiwanese film industry, the dichotomy between art house and commercially viable films is heavily emphasised by both scholars and the local media. This stems from two separate desires on the part of filmmakers: art house filmmakers in Taiwan are largely dependent on international distributors for funding, and, as a result, they aim to reach international audiences. On the other hand, mainstream commercial films in Taiwan tend to be produced without international export in mind. On a textual level, however, this dichotomy is not so clear cut. Although the difference between art house and commercial film may be very real in financial terms, this is not necessarily the case in the context of the films themselves. These relationships create the need for a new way of thinking about transnationalism altogether. It provides a nuanced picture of the Taiwanese film industry since democratisation and isolation from the Peoples Republic of China; features close readings of the films of Tsai Ming liang, Edward Yang, Hou Hsiao hsien, and Ang Lee; connects Taiwanese cinema to the global cinema landscape more generally and refines the study of transnationalism by positing a new mode for viewing contemporary national cinema movements.