Hong Kong Screenscapes: An Introduction

Abstract:

This book situates Hong Kong’s independent spirit within the context of global mediascapes. Hong Kong’s wealth of art films, documentaries, experimental productions, digital arts, and videos constitute its screenscapes, offering multifaceted ways to look at the city’s rich screen culture beyond the confines of the local, commercial film industry, making its connections to world film/screen culture clear. Just as the architects of Hong Kong’s cityscape work independently to create a distinctive built environment in harmony with global architectural concerns, Hong Kong’s media architects construct unique screenscapes which blend with transnational flows, but remain subject to local conditions. Hong Kong’s screenscapes also draw attention to issues of personal liberation and social justice. As Hong Kong moves into its second decade as a Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China (PRC), it seems apposite to take a close look at the ways in which a range of provocative screenscapes continue to thrive in Hong Kong.

Written by Esther M.K. Cheung, Gina Marchetti and Tan See-Kam
Published in Hong Kong Screenscapes: From the New Wave to the Digital Frontier, eds. Esther M. K. Cheung, Gina Marchetti and See-Kam Tan, Hong Kong: Hong Kong University Press, 2011, pp. 1-14.