Call For Papers – Rethinking Film Genres: East Asian Cinema and Beyond (University of Hull, 14-15 September 2017)

What is film genre? Does it still matter in today’s film production, distribution and consumption? How have some film genres become so closely associated with a nation or region, such as Chinese martial arts films, Japanese horror, and Korean melodrama? The fact that genre is widely discussed by the general public suggests that it is still important. However, the examination of genre theory and the scholarly discussion of genres have remained predominantly focussed on Hollywood and European cinemas, as exemplified by the work of scholars such as Thomas Schatz, Steve Neale, Barry Keith Grant, Rick Altman, Belén Vidal, and Antonio Lázaro-Reboll. Despite their rich screen culture and their influence within and beyond the Pacific region, East Asian cinemas remain under explored. In today’s context of increasingly international filmmaking, we would aim to explore the ways in which film genres underpin cultural translation between East Asia and beyond.

As the theme of ‘Rethinking Film Genres: East Asian Cinema and Beyond’ suggests, the conference intends not only to celebrate cinematic creativity through the interrogation of the narrative and aesthetics of film genres developed in East Asian (including mainland Chinese, Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwanese, Japanese, and Korean) cinemas, but also seek to expand scholarly discussion of the rich heritage and fast changing landscape of filmmaking of East Asian cinemas by examining the international co-production and cross-cultural consumption of film genres.

We therefore invite papers based on either theoretical research or on case studies to address any of following themes:

• Narrative, style and aesthetics of various genres of East Asian cinemas
• Film genre and local, regional, national and global identities of East Asian cinemas
• Cross-cultural consumption of East Asian film genres
• Fandom and East Asian film genres
• Creative professionals (e.g. stars, directors, producers, production designers) and film genres of East Asian cinemas
• Cross-border mobility (e.g. talents, finance, ideas) and the development of film genres in East Asian cinemas
• International filmmaking, coproduction and genre crossing between East Asian cinemas and other screen cultures
• Remaking and adaptation of East Asian films
• Sound, music and language (e.g. dubbing, subtitles, dialects) of East Asian film genres
• International distribution and exhibition of East Asian film genres
• Genre as a reflection of cultural flow, social economics, media policies, and political history

This is not an exhaustive list of thematic strands that we hope to explore at the conference. We particularly encourage submissions from those whose papers promote cross-disciplinary dialogue and critical debate in area studies, genre theory, film studies and cultural studies.

Confirmed keynote speakers:

Professor Chris Berry, King’s College London

Professor Michael Berry, University of California, Los Angeles

Professor Shaoyi Sun, Shanghai Theatre Academy

Please submit your proposal (maximum 250 words), together with a short biography (maximum 50 words) and affiliation information to Dr. Lin Feng at Eastasiancinema@hull.ac.uk by 15 April 2017.