Asian Cinema and the Use of Space ─ Interdisciplinary Perspectives

Asian cinemas are not only connected to a global network and participate in producing an international film history, but are also influenced by particular spatial, cultural, social and political movements and transformations. This interdisciplinary study forwards a productive pairing of Asian cinema and space, in which space is used as a discursive tool to understand Asian cinema.

Concentrating on the performative potential of cinematic space in Asian films, the contributors discuss how space (re)constructs forms of identities and meanings across a range of cinematic practices. The variety of spaces examined includes buildings, cities, and landscapes, both urban and rural. The essays are structured around the spatial themes of ephemeral, imagined and contested spaces. They deal with struggles for identity, belonging, autonomy, and mobility within different contexts across Asia (including Southeast Asia), which are complicated by micro-politics, sub-cultures, as well as global interventions and interests.

Lilian Chee is Assistant Professor in the Department of Architecture at the National University of Singapore.

Edna Lim is Senior Lecturer in the Department of English Language and Literature at the National University of Singapore.