New Chinese Cinema

by Kwok-kan Tam and Wimal Dissanayake

Published December 1998
The success of the Fifth Generation directors in the 1980s returned Chinese cinema to international prominence after decades of obscurity. Focusing on the work of six directors - Chen Kaige, Zhang Yimou and Tian Zhuangzhuang; Taiwan's Hou Hsiao-hsien and Edward Yang; and Hong Kong's Stanley Kwan - this work discusses the themes and stylistic characteristics of the new cinema. Illustrated with movie stills and location shots, and drawing on interviews with many of the featured film-makers, this book brings new insight to the discussion of one of the most vibrant and influential of the world's cinematic traditions.