British Chinese short films : challenging the limits of the Sinophone

Willis, ATJ; Chan, F

Abstract

In an article published in a special issue of the Journal for Chinese Cinemas, considering the possibility of shifting transnational Chinese film studies from a diasporic framework to a Sinophonic one, we argued for the retention of the former against the latter on grounds that the notion of diaspora continues to speak to the historical and geographical dimensions of Chinese cinemas outside of China, whereas the notion of the Sinophone, delineated according to linguistic communities, may further marginalise non-Chinese-language Chinese film-making, such as films addressing the British-born Chinese experience (Chan and Willis, 2012). In that article we discussed two relatively unknown, but nevertheless significant, feature films made by or about British Chinese people: Ping Pong (dir. Po-chih Leong, 1986) and Soursweet (dir. Mike Newell, 1988). In this chapter, we extend the argument further by offering an analysis of four short films produced in the UK: Chinese Whispers (dir. David Yip, 2000), Blue Funnel (dir. Paul Mayeda Berges, 1997), Red (dir. Rosa Fong, 1995), and Granny’s Ghost (dir. Lab Ky Mo, 2008). Each of these works, despite their limited exposure at film festivals and occasionally on television, clearly speak to the challenges of minority cultural representation in British film-making.

• Publication Date: Jan 1, 2014
• Deposit Date: Sep 12, 2014
• Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan
• Pages: 169-184
• Book Title: Sinophone Cinemas
• ISBN: 9781137311191
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137311207_10
• Publisher URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1057/9781137311207_10
• Related Public URLs: http://www.palgrave.com/page/detail/?K=9781137311191; http://www.palgrave.com/gb/