With the popularity of US cinema on the wane and the advent of digital technology, Asian film- making is gaining in stature and popularity.
At Cannes this year, Asian filmmakers received numerous awards. Altogether, six of the twenty movies selected for Cannes’ iconic Palme d’Or award were from Asian directors. Nations such as India and China have transformed themselves into cinematic powerhouses recently. There were also four films hailing from the Philippines, including Mendoza’s Kinatay.
Unlike in the US, Asia’s domestic movie market is growing stronger every day and is gaining worldwide appeal and support.
However, apart from the impediments that the global economic crisis brings and the battle against piracy, the real challenge for Asian films is to connect with Western audiences.
Another obstacle that is especially prevalent in China is the heavy-handed approach towards censorship of the nation’s studio system. This can stifle freedom of expression and creativity. However, despite this, China’s box-office receipts increased by twenty-seven percent in 2007.
Korean director Park Chan Wook’s success in Cannes with a priest-turned-vampire film, Thirst, demonstrates that the Korean film industry is finally starting perform. Movie-making in Korea has been plagued by overproduction and low margins in recent years. This was also the first South Korean movie to be co-produced by a large Hollywood studio.
Warner’s launch of the Chinese film Chandni Chowk in the US was, for the most part, a flop. However, the movie was groundbreaking in that it launched on 125 screens in the US, making it the largest-ever Hindi language release on that continent. Sony Pictures has already produced its own Hindi-language musical, Saawariya. The Indian movie Slumdog Millionaire was a huge success and shows that Western audiences can embrace movies with Asian settings.
There is no doubt that in the future, there will be many more Slumdog Millionaires and you would expect that Hollywood studios will increase their involvement in this region.