The scope of East Asian cinema is huge and covers a vast array of differentfilm styles andgenres, as the region's rich cinematic traditions are particularly well-known internationally for its production of the following types of genres such as:
Unlike the film industries in the Western world, East Asian film industries in its early days were not dominated by American distributors, and developed in relative isolation from Hollywood cinema; while Hollywood films were screened in East Asian countries, they were less popular than home-grown fare with local audiences. Thus, several distinctive genres and styles developed.
By the end of the decade, several critics associated with French journalCahiers du cinéma published some of the first Western studies on Japanese film; many of those critics went on to become founding members of the Frenchnouvelle vague, which began simultaneously with theJapanese New Wave.
By the late 60s and early 70s, 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.
As the popularity of East Asian films has endured, it is unsurprising that members of the Western film industry would cite their influences (notablyGeorge Lucas,Robert Altman andMartin Scorsese citingAkira Kurosawa; andJim Jarmusch andPaul Schrader's similar mentions ofYasujirō Ozu), and—on occasion—work to introduce less well-known filmmakers to Western audiences (such as the growing number of Eastern films released with the endorsement "Quentin Tarantino Presents").
Cai Chusheng (1906–1968) — Influential Chinese director of the 1930s and 1940s. Best known for his filmSpring River Flows East, which is frequently regarded as one of the masterpieces of Chinese cinema.
Jia Zhangke (born 1970) — One of the most prominent Sixth-Generation Chinese film directors. His most renowned works includes the highly acclaimedPlatform,Unknown Pleasures, andThe World.
Fei Mu (1906–1951) — Pioneering Chinese director in the 1940s. Best known for the filmSpring in a Small Town, which is considered by many to be the best Chinese film ever made.
Tsui Hark (born 1950) — Major commercial Hong Kong director; Hark attended film school in the U.S. Best known forZu, theOnce Upon A Time In China series, andGreen Snake, among many other films.
Ann Hui (born 1947) — Hui emerged from the late 1970s Hong Kong new wave, gaining attention forSpooky Bunch andBoat People.
Stanley Kwan (born 1957) — Director ofRouge,Center Stage andLan Yu. Kwan is notable as one of a small number of directors who have successfully blurred the boundaries between "art" and "popular" cinema.
Susumu Hani (born 1928) — Prominent independent filmmaker during the 1960s Japanese new wave, known forShe and He andNanami, First Love. After a retreat from feature filmmaking in the 1970s, Hani subsequently gained renown as a nature documentarian.
Tadashi Imai (1912–1991) — Imai emerged during the postwar years as a pioneering independent filmmaker, usually working outside the studio system and preferring an approach and viewpoint greatly influenced byItalian neo-realism.Night Drum (1958) andMuddy Waters are two of his best known films.
Hiroshi Inagaki (1905–1980) — Historical melodramatist and former child star best known for theSamurai Trilogy (1956–58),Rickshaw Man (1959) andChushingura (1962).
Ryuhei Kitamura (born 1969) — A former director of pop music videos and television commercials, his films have a distinctly modern style and includeVersus,Azumi and the most recent incarnation of the giantKaiju reptile,Godzilla: Final Wars.
Takeshi Kitano (born 1947) — A gifted, multi-faceted artist and performer, Kitano's best-regarded directorial efforts includeSonatine andHana-bi. Kitano is also known for his acting, in such films asBattle Royale andTaboo.
Mikio Naruse (1905–1969) — Influential director ofFlowing (1956) andWhen a Woman Ascends the Stairs (1960). His 1935Wife, Be Like A Rose was among the first Japanese films to gain an American theatrical release.
Kihachi Okamoto (1923–2005) — Prolific director. Best known in the West for his nihilistic samurai film "The Sword of Doom" (1966)
Shirō Toyoda (1906–1977) — Satirist and dramatist best known for a 1959 adaptation ofYasunari Kawabata'sSnow Country.
Sadao Yamanaka (1909–1938) —Humanity and Paper Balloons, one of very few surviving works directed by Yamanaka, who was acknowledged as an influence by both Yasujirō Ozu and Akira Kurosawa.
Kang Je-gyu (born 1962). Director of the hit Korean film,Shiri and the war filmTaegukgi (a.k.a.Brotherhood), one of the highest-grossing films in Korea.
