Choose ONE of the following essay questions:
1. Oliver Dew notes that brands such as Asia Extreme “are not merely a passive expression of Japanese cinematic culture, but are in part constructed by traditions of marketing and watching foreign language film in Anglophone territories.” (Dew, 2007: 56) Discuss this statement in relation to at least two films released under the Tartan Asia
Extreme brand.
2. To what extent can contemporary mainland Chinese cinema be said to reflect upon processes of globalisation – be that directly or indirectly? Discuss with reference to Suzhou River and at least one other contemporary mainland Chinese film.
3. Ackbar Abbas argues that “It is in the images of the new cinema that the history of contemporary Hong Kong with all its anxieties and contradictions can be read.” (Abbas, 1997: 17) Discuss this argument in relation to In the Mood for Love and at least one other Hong Kong film.
4. Jeeyoung Shin argues that “contemporary Korean cinema is both an effect of and a response to media globalisation.” (Shin, 2005: 52) Discuss this argument in relation to Old boy and at least one other South Korean film.
5. Kaushik Bhaumik states that although Bollywood films are “shown in considerable numbers in mainstream cinema halls in the West as well as readily available in subtitled video and DVD formats they have not succeeded in attracting non-diasporic Western audiences.” (Bhaumik, 2006: 188) Discuss this statement in relation to Queen and at least one other Indian film.
6. Azadeh Farahmand has argued that “[s]ocio-economic factors and institutional politics contribute to the elevations of films, filmmakers and national cinemas to the level of high art” (Farahmand, 2002: 87). Discuss this argument in relation to No One Knows About Persian Cats and at least one other Iranian film.
7. What are the benefits and what are the limitations of the concept of nationhood in helping us to think about African cinema? Discuss in relation to A Screaming Man and at least one other African film.
8. To what extent can Argentine cinema be understood as reflecting upon recent Argentine history? Discuss with reference to The Headless Woman and at least one other Argentine film.
9. To what extent do cinematic depictions of the favela run the risk of exoticising that which they portray – particularly when the films in question are screened all over the world? Discuss in relation to Elite Squad and at least one other Brazilian film.
