Hong Kong cinema highlighted at festival

The Center for East Asian Studies and the Center for Film and Theater Research will spotlight the vibrant filmmaking and popular culture of Hong Kong in events scheduled March 1-3.

“On the Edge, Over the Edge” brings together a distinguished panel of scholars and an outstanding Hong Kong filmmaker to consider the past and future of this most energetic of media forms. Scholars from Asia and North America will present lectures on martial arts cinema, the relation of film to popular Chinese literature, and the emerging pan-Asia media culture.

Also present will be Shu Kei, director of acclaimed films about the Tiananmen Square demonstrations and about gay life in Hong Kong.

“Hong Kong movies and the popular culture they come out of are central to world media,” says professor David Bordwell, one of the event’s coordinators. “The films travel all over Asia, and the stars also participate in television, pop music, and other media. Japan, Taiwan, and other countries are throwing their talents and money into the mix, creating a pan-Asian popular culture.”

The lectures will be held in Vilas Hall and the Pyle Center; the films are screened in conjunction with the Cinematheque in Vilas Hall March 2-3.