Hong Kong's New Indie Cinema

‘A member of a rapidly growing Hong Kong diaspora, Ruby Cheung offers us a moving and deeply engaged account of Hong Kong’s independent cinema. Focusing on films produced in the second decade of the 21st century, Cheung probes the meanings of the very concept of independence, teasing out the complexities of Hong Kong and its cinema in key years following the city’s return to China. Capturing the richness of Hong Kong’s cinema and the courage and tenacity of its filmmakers, Hong Kong’s New Indie Cinema deserves a wide audience.’

—Mette Hjort, Professor of Film and Screen Studies, Head of the Lincoln School of Film, Media and Journalism, University of Lincoln, UK

‘This volume provides readers with detailed information and analysis on Hong Kong’s independent film movement in the 2010s, a turbulent period in Hong Kong’s recent history when its filmmakers met with many problems as well as opportunities. Cheung’s careful study draws together facts,context and theories to provide credible support for optimism about Hong Kong’s independent film movement going forward.’

—Stephen Teo Kian Teck, Professor, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore

This book explores 2010s Hong Kong film industry, focusing on its (presumably) independent sector. Although frequently mentioned in global film industry studies, the term ‘independent film’ does not always carry a clear meaning. Starting with this point, this book studies closely Hong Kong’s new indie cinema of the 2010s from political, economic, social, cultural, and film industrial perspectives, arguing that this indie cinema was vital to the long-term sustainability of the city’s film industry.

Ruby Cheung is Associate Professor in Film Studies at the University of Southampton, UK, where she leads international film industry studies at undergraduate, postgraduate (taught) and PhD levels. Ruby is an internationally recognized specialist in the study of contemporary Hong Kong cinema, Chinese-language film industries, as well as film festivals. She is the author of New Hong Kong Cinema: Transitions to Becoming Chinese in 21st-century East Asia (2016), and the main editor/co-editor of six other books.