FM4204 Asian Cinemas
Academic year
2026 to 2027 Semester 1
Curricular information may be subject to change
Further information on which modules are specific to your programme.
Key module information
SCOTCAT credits
30
SCQF level
SCQF level 10
Availability restrictions
Not automatically available to General Degree students
Planned timetable
To be confirmed.
Module coordinator
Dr P C Lovatt
Module Staff
Dr Philippa Lovatt
Module description
Hollywood may be the global box office champion among the world's film industries for now, but it is far from being the industry that produces the most films. In 2012, India's various industries produced nearly four times as many films as Hollywood. Adding in production numbers from China, Japan and South Korea, that figure rises to six and a half times, and is not including many other industries in South Asia (Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka), East Asia (Hong Kong, Taiwan, Philippines) and Southeast Asia (Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam). Asian Cinemas will explore this most prolific, diverse and exciting area of world cinema by scrutinising it in various ways. Topics may include the cinemas of certain regions (Southeast Asia), languages (Chinese-language cinemas, including Singapore), pan-Asian production practices and stardom, the close relationship between cinema and popular music in Asian cinemas, Asian genres (martial arts, New Years films, gangster films), and the recent migration of art cinema's global centre of gravity from Europe to Asia (Hong Kong, Taiwanese and South Korean new waves) among others. By discussing how the different aesthetics created by these cinemas are specific to their contexts, this module questions and challenges the universal applicability of concepts previously developed in Film Studies. For 2023/24, the module will focus on southeast Asian film.
Relationship to other modules
Pre-requisites
BEFORE TAKING THIS MODULE YOU MUST PASS FM2002 AND PASS FM2003
Assessment pattern
Coursework = 100%
Re-assessment
Take Home Examination (48-hour slot) = 100%
Learning and teaching methods and delivery
Weekly contact
2-hour weekly seminar plus screening (up to 4 hours).
Scheduled learning hours
66
Guided independent study hours
234