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Asian cinema refers to thefilm industries andfilms produced in the continent ofAsia. However, in countries like theUnited States, it is often used to refer only to the cinema ofEast Asia,Southeast Asia andSouth Asia.West Asian cinema is sometimes classified as part ofMiddle Eastern cinema, along with thecinema of Egypt. Thecinema of Central Asia is often grouped with the Middle East or, in the past, thecinema of the Soviet Union during theSoviet Central Asia era.North Asia is dominated bySiberianRussian cinema, and is thus considered part ofEuropean cinema.
East Asian cinema is typified by thecinema of Japan,China,Hong Kong,Taiwan andSouth Korea, including the Japaneseanime industry andaction films of Hong Kong.[1]Southeast Asian cinema is typified by thecinema of the Philippines – one of the pioneers in Asian cinema,Thailand,Indonesia, and other Southeast Asian countries.
South Asian cinema is typified by thecinema of India, thecinema of Pakistan, thecinema of Bangladesh, and thecinema of Nepal.
Thecinema of Central Asia and thesouthern Caucasus is typified byIranian cinema and thecinema of Tajikistan.West Asian cinema is typified byArab cinema,Iranian cinema,Israeli cinema (which may overlap withJewish cinema), andTurkish cinema.
A 5,200-year-old earthen bowl found inShahr-i Sokhta,Iran, has five images of a goat painted along the sides. This is believed to be an example of earlyanimation.[2][3][4]
Mo-Ti, aChinese philosophercirca 500 BC, pondered the phenomenon of inverted light from the outside world beaming through a small hole in the opposite wall in a darkened room.Shadow plays first appeared during theHan dynasty and later gain popularity acrossAsia. Around 180 AD,Ting Huan (丁緩) created an elementaryzoetrope in China.
The first short films from Asia were produced during the 1890s. The first short films produced in Japan wereBake Jizo (Jizo the Spook) andShinin no Sosei (Resurrection of a Corpse), both from 1898.[5] The first Indian short film was also produced in 1898,The Flower of Persia, directed byHiralal Sen.[6]
In the early 1900s,Israeli silent movies were screened in sheds, cafes and other temporary structures.[7] In 1905, Cafe Lorenz opened on Jaffa Road in the Jewish neighborhood ofNeve Tzedek. From 1909, the Lorenz family began screening movies at the cafe. In 1925, the Kessem Cinema was housed there for a short time.[8] The first East Asianfeature film was Japan'sThe Life Story of Tasuke Shiobara (1912). It was followed by India's first feature-length silent film, theperiod piece dramaRaja Harishchandra (1913), byDadasaheb Phalke, considered the father ofIndian cinema. By the next decade, the output of Indian cinema was an average of 27 films per year.[9]
In the 1920s, the newbornSoviet cinema was the most radically innovative. There, the craft of editing, especially, surged forward, going beyond its previous role in advancing a story.Sergei Eisenstein perfected the technique of so-calleddialectical or intellectual montage, which strove to makenon-linear, often violently clashing, images express ideas and provoke emotional and intellectual reactions in the viewer.
Sound films began being produced in Asia from the 1930s. Notable early talkies from thecinema of Japan included Kenji Mizoguchi'sSisters of the Gion (Gion no shimai, 1936),Osaka Elegy (1936) andThe Story of the Last Chrysanthemums (1939), along withSadao Yamanaka'sHumanity and Paper Balloons (1937) andMikio Naruse'sWife, Be Like A Rose! (Tsuma Yo Bara No Yoni, 1935), which was one of the first Japanese films to gain a theatrical release in the U.S. However, with increasing censorship, the left-leaningtendency films of directors such as Daisuke Ito also began to come under attack. A few Japanese sound shorts were made in the 1920s and 1930s, but Japan's first feature-length talkie wasFujiwara Yoshie no furusato (1930), which used the 'Mina Talkie System'. In 1935,Yasujirō Ozu also directedAn Inn in Tokyo, considered a precursor to theneorealism genre.
Ardeshir Irani releasedAlam Ara, the first Indian talking film, on March 14, 1931. Following the inception of 'talkies' in India some film stars were highly sought after and earned comfortable incomes through acting. As sound technology advanced the 1930s saw the rise of music in Indian cinema with musicals such asIndra Sabha andDevi Devyani marking the beginning of song-and-dance in India's films.[10] Studios emerged across major cities such asChennai,Kolkata andMumbai as filmmaking became an established craft by 1935, exemplified by the success ofDevdas, which had managed to enthrall audiences nationwide.[11]
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Following the end ofWorld War II by the mid-1940s, the period from the late 1940s to the 1960s is considered the 'Golden Age' of Asian cinema.[12][13][14] Many of the most critically acclaimed Asian films of all time were produced during this period, includingYasujirō Ozu'sLate Spring (1949) andTokyo Story (1953);Akira Kurosawa'sRashomon (1950),Ikiru (1952),Seven Samurai (1954) andThrone of Blood (1957);Kenji Mizoguchi'sThe Life of Oharu (1952),Sansho the Bailiff (1954) andUgetsu (1954);Satyajit Ray'sThe Apu Trilogy (1955–1959),The Music Room (1958) andCharulata (1964);Guru Dutt'sPyaasa (1957) andKaagaz Ke Phool (1959); andFei Mu'sSpring in a Small Town (1948),Raj Kapoor'sAwaara (1951),Mikio Naruse'sFloating Clouds (1955),Mehboob Khan'sMother India (1957), andRitwik Ghatak'sSubarnarekha (1962).[12][13]
DuringJapanese cinema's 'Golden Age' of the 1950s and 1960s, successful films includedRashomon (1950),Seven Samurai (1954) andThe Hidden Fortress (1958) byAkira Kurosawa, as well asYasujirō Ozu'sTokyo Story (1953) andIshirō Honda'sGodzilla (1954).[15] These films have had a profound influence on world cinema. In particular, Kurosawa'sSeven Samurai has been remade several times asWestern films, such asThe Magnificent Seven (1960) andBattle Beyond the Stars (1980), and has also inspired severalBollywood films, such asSholay (1975) andChina Gate (1998).Rashomon was also remade asThe Outrage (1964), and inspired films with "Rashomon effect" storytelling methods, such asAndha Naal (1954),The Usual Suspects (1995) andHero (2002).The Hidden Fortress was also the inspiration behindGeorge Lucas'Star Wars (1977). TheJapanese New Wave began in the late 1950s and continued into the 1960s. Other famous Japanese filmmakers from this period includeKenji Mizoguchi,Mikio Naruse,Hiroshi Inagaki andNagisa Oshima.[13] Japanese cinema later became one of the main inspirations behind theNew Hollywood movement of the 1960s to 1980s.
DuringIndian cinema's 'Golden Age' of the 1950s and 1960s, it was producing 200 films annually, whileIndian independent films gained greater recognition through internationalfilm festivals. One of the most famous wasThe Apu Trilogy (1955–1959) from critically acclaimedBengali film directorSatyajit Ray, whose films had a profound influence on world cinema, with directors such asAkira Kurosawa,[16]Martin Scorsese,[17][18]James Ivory,[19]Abbas Kiarostami,Elia Kazan,François Truffaut,[20]Steven Spielberg,[21][22][23]Carlos Saura,[24]Jean-Luc Godard,[25]Isao Takahata,[26]Gregory Nava,Ira Sachs,Wes Anderson[27] andDanny Boyle[28] being influenced by his cinematic style. According to Michael Sragow ofThe Atlantic Monthly, the "youthfulcoming-of-agedramas that have flooded art houses since the mid-fifties owe a tremendous debt to the Apu trilogy".[29]Subrata Mitra's cinematographic technique ofbounce lighting also originates fromThe Apu Trilogy.[30] Satyajit Ray's success led to the establishment of theParallel Cinema movement, which was at its peak during the 1950s and 1960s. Other famous Indian filmmakers from this period includeGuru Dutt,[13]Ritwik Ghatak,[12]Mrinal Sen,Bimal Roy,K. Asif andMehboob Khan.[31]
Thecinema of China experienced a 'Golden Age' in the late 1940s. In 1946, Cai Chusheng returned to Shanghai to revive the Lianhua name as the "Lianhua Film Society."[32] This in turn became Kunlun Studios which would go on to become one of the most important Chinese studios of the era, putting out the classics,Myriads of Lights (1948),The Spring River Flows East (1947), andCrows and Sparrows (1949).[33] Wenhua's romantic dramaSpring in a Small Town (1948), a film by directorFei Mu shortly prior to the revolution, is often regarded by Chinese film critics as one of the most important films in the history of Chinese cinema, with it being named by theHong Kong Film Awards in 2004 as the greatest Chinese-language film ever made.[34]
Thecinema of Malaysia also had its 'Golden Age' in the post-war period of the 1950s and 1960s. The period saw the introduction of the studio system of filmmaking in Malaysia and influx of influences fromHollywood, the emergingcinema of Hong Kong, and particularly the Indian and Japanese film industries which were themselves experiencing a Golden Age.[35][36]
The late 1950s and 1960s was also a 'Golden Age' forPhilippine cinema, with the emergence of more artistic and mature films, and significant improvement in cinematic techniques among filmmakers. The studio system produced frenetic activity in the local film industry as many films were made annually and several local talents started to earn recognition abroad. The premiere Philippine directors of the era includedGerardo de Leon,Gregorio Fernandez,Eddie Romero,Lamberto Avellana, andCirio Santiago.[37][38]
Thecinema of South Korea also experienced a 'Golden Age' in the late 1950s and 1960s,[39] beginning with director Lee Kyu-hwan's tremendously successful remake ofChunhyang-jon (1955).[40] That year also saw the release ofYangsan Province by the renowned director,Kim Ki-young, marking the beginning of his productive career. Both the quality and quantity of filmmaking had increased rapidly by the end of the 1950s. South Korean films, such as Lee Byeong-il's 1956 comedySijibganeun nal (The Wedding Day), had begun winning international awards. In contrast to the beginning of the 1950s, when only 5 movies were made per year, 111 films were produced in South Korea in 1959.[41] The year 1960 saw the production of Kim Ki-young'sThe Housemaid andYu Hyun-mok'sAimless Bullet, both of which have been listed among the best Korean films ever made.[42]
The 1960s is often cited as being the 'golden age' ofPakistani cinema. Many A-stars were introduced in this period in time and became legends on thesilver screen. As black-and-white became obsolete, Pakistan saw the introduction of its first colour films, the first being Munshi Dil'sAzra in 1962, Zahir Rehan'sSangam (first full-length coloured film) in 1964, andMala (first coloured cinemascope film). In 1961, the political filmBombay Wala was released, based on the city of Bombay in neighbouring India, in the wake of the growing tension between the nations.[43] In 1962,Shaheed (Martyr) pronounced thePalestine issue on the silver screen and became an instant hit, leading to a changing tide in the attitude of filmmakers.[citation needed]
The 1960s was the "golden age" ofCambodian cinema. Several production companies were started and more movie theaters were built throughout the country. More than 300 movies were made in Cambodia during the era.[44] A number ofKhmer language films were well received in neighbouring countries at the time.[45] Among the classic films fromCambodia during this period wereLea Haey Duong Dara (Goodbye Duong Dara) andPos Keng Kang (The Snake King's Wife) by Tea Lim Kun and Sabbseth, andAn Euil Srey An (Khmer After Angkor) by Ly Bun Yim.
In 1966, 2.6 million Israelis went to the cinema over 50 million times. From 1968, whentelevision broadcasting began, theaters began to close down, first in the periphery, then in major cities. 330 standalone theaters were torn down or redesigned as multiplex theaters.[7]
By the late 1960s and early 1970s,Japanese cinema had begun to become seriously affected by the collapse of the studio system. As Japanese cinema slipped into a period of relative low visibility, the cinema of Hong Kong entered a dramatic renaissance of its own, largely a side effect of the development of thewuxia blending of action, history, and spiritual concerns. Several major figures emerged in Hong Kong at this time, includingKing Hu, whose 1966Come Drink With Me was a key influence upon many subsequent Hong Kong cinematic developments. Shortly thereafter, the American-bornBruce Lee became a global icon in the 1970s.
From 1969 onwards, theIranian New Wave led to the growth ofIranian cinema, which would later go on to achieve international acclaim in the 1980s and 1990s. The most notable figures of the Iranian New Wave areAbbas Kiarostami,Jafar Panahi,Majid Majidi,Bahram Beizai,Darius Mehrjui,Mohsen Makhmalbaf,Masoud Kimiay,Sohrab Shahid-Saless,Parviz Kimiavi,Samira Makhmalbaf,Amir Naderi, andAbolfazl Jalili. Features of New Wave Iranian film, in particular the works of Kiarostami, have been classified by some aspostmodern.[46]
The 1970s also saw the establishment ofBangladeshi cinema following thecountry's independence in 1971. One of the first films produced inBangladesh after independence wasTitash Ekti Nadir Naam (A River Called Titas) in 1973 by acclaimed directorRitwik Ghatak, whose stature inBengali cinema is comparable to that ofSatyajit Ray andMrinal Sen. Another great film of Bangladesh is Mita's 'Lathial' (The striker), were the best movies of the year of 1975. 'Lathial' got first National Award as the best film, and mita got first National Award as best director.
In thecinema of India, the 1970s saw a decline in 'Parallel Cinema' and the rise of commercialHindi cinema in the form of enduringmasala films, a genre largely pioneered by screenwriter duoSalim–Javed, with films such as theMumbai underworld crime dramaDeewaar (1975) and the filmSholay (1975), which solidifiedAmitabh Bachchan's position as a lead actor. Commercial cinema further grew throughout the 1980s and the 1990s with the release of films such asMr. India (1987),Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak (1988),Tezaab (1988),Chandni (1989),Maine Pyar Kiya (1989),Baazigar (1993),Darr (1993),Hum Aapke Hain Koun..! (1994) andDilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge (1995).[47] By this time, the term "Bollywood" was coined to refer to theHindi-languageBombay (now Mumbai) film industry. By the early 2020s,S. S. Rajamouli's epic duologyBaahubali, and alternate history filmRRR received theAmerican Saturn Award nominations in various categories, the only Indian films to have garnered the honors.[48][49][50] Rajamouli's success played a role in the broader growth of theSouth Indian film industries,[51] which now are on par with Bollywood films in terms of box office revenue.[52]
During the 1980s, Japanese cinema – aided by the rise of independent filmmaking and the spectacular success ofanime – began to make something of an international comeback. Simultaneously, a new post-Mao Zedong generation ofChinese filmmakers began to gain global attention. Another group of filmmakers, centered aroundEdward Yang andHou Hsiao-hsien, launched what has become known as the "Taiwanese New Wave".[citation needed]
The 1980s is also considered the Golden Age ofHong Kong action cinema.Jackie Chan reinvented themartial arts film genre with a new emphasis on elaborate and dangerous stunts and slapstick humour, beginning withProject A (1983).John Woo began the "heroic bloodshed" genre based ontriads, beginning withA Better Tomorrow (1986). TheHong Kong New Wave also occurred during this period, led by filmmakers such asTsui Hark.
With the post-1980 rise in popularity of East Asian cinema in the West, Western audiences are again becoming familiar with many of the industry's filmmakers and stars. A number of these key players, such asChow Yun-fat andZhang Ziyi, have "crossed over", working in Western films. Others have gained exposure through the international success of their films, though many more retain more of a "cult" appeal, finding a degree of Western success through DVD sales rather than cinema releases.In the modern era,Israeli cinema has seen a wave of success in the 21st century, with several Israeli films winning awards in film festivals around the world. Prominent films of this period includeLate Marriage (Dover Koshashvili),Broken Wings,Walk on Water andYossi & Jagger (Eytan Fox),Nina's Tragedies,Campfire andBeaufort (Joseph Cedar),Or (My Treasure) (Keren Yedaya),Turn Left at the End of the World (Avi Nesher),The Band's Visit (Eran Kolirin)Waltz With Bashir (Ari Folman), andAjami. In 2011,Strangers No More won the Oscar for best Short Documentary.[53]
In 2020, the South Korean filmParasite become the first non-English language film to win the Academy Award forBest Picture at the92nd Academy Awards.[54]
One of the most famous Asian film festivals inEurope is theVesoul International Film Festival of Asian Cinema, founded in 1995.
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