TTLV: Characteristics of New Taiwanese Cinema through Hou Hsiao-Hsien's Films

1. Student's name: Nguyen Tuyet Ngan 2. Gender: Female

3. Date of birth: August 28, 1995

4. Place of birth: Hanoi

5. Decision on recognition of students No. 1765/2018/QD-XHNV dated June 28, 2018 of the President of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University, Hanoi

6. Changes in the training process(record the forms of change and the corresponding time): Are not

7. Thesis topic: Characteristics of New Taiwanese Cinema through Hou Hsiao-Hsien's films

8. Major: Theory, history of cinema and television; Code: 8210232.01

9. Scientific advisor: Dr. Dieu Lan Phuong, Faculty of Literature, University of Social Sciences and Humanities

(Clearly state scientific title, academic degree, full name and working organization)

10. Summary of thesis results:

(summarize the results of the thesis, emphasizing new results if any)

New Taiwanese cinema, as has been demonstrated, has formed and developed in many diverse and complex directions, so that its nature transcends the boundaries of a mere film movement.New Taiwanese cinema is a very clear result of changes in all aspects of Taiwan, from politics, economy, society, culture to the entire film industry system in the 70s and 80s of the 20th century.. New Taiwanese cinema would hardly have been born without political changes, shifts in thinking towards Taiwanization - democratization. Economic development is the stepping stone for the supply and demand for New Cinema to form and develop. Historical - cultural relationships and new cultural movements in Taiwan contribute to creating the face of New Cinema. And a film system with all the factors: the influence of the state, competition with foreign films, the role of public film studios, the support or opposition of the audience, the system of critics, film festivals and finally filmmakers - the relationship of all these factors has created a multi-dimensional movement, "contradiction for development".

The emergence of Taiwanese New Cinema has many symbolic meanings in culture and politics. Internally, New Cinema is an autonomous cultural realization and a political breakthrough, in line with the cultural aspirations and subjective consciousness of the Taiwanese public. Externally, New Cinema with its internationalized humanistic language has become an understanding of Taiwanese society outside the island. The cinematic prism has opened up people's imagination of Taiwanese society with a unique form of political power. On the one hand, films reflect the common, universal experience of society, on the other hand, they embody individual experiences and express the psychology and aspirations of each individual in society.

New cinema is also a proud milestone of Taiwanese cinema thanks to its innovations and breakthroughs in technique, style, content and ideology. With Hou Hsiao-Hsien as the representative and his three outstanding films, we can see how changes from real life have shaped works of art, and how a true scholar can apply it to create works of art. The humanistic spirit and deep awareness of the homeland and people of Taiwan are expressed through both aspects of Hou Hsiao-Hsien's films: form and content.

The realistic style, full of personality and balance between subjectivity and objectivity, is skillfully and subtly interwoven through the language of cinema: narration, sound, editing, genre. These technical elements are not decorative vases, but play an important role in conveying the author's ideological content. It is the feeling, thinking, understanding of the homeland and people of Taiwan; it is the way to rewrite a painful history; and it is the way to perceive a multi-dimensional and diverse Taiwan.

Like other art forms, the seventh art contributes significantly to the development of a territory, not only because it can be a mirror reflecting contemporary society, but also because of its potential to shape the image and culture of that place. Studying and analyzing a cinematic, cultural and political phenomenon such as New Taiwanese Cinema requires a comprehensive and multidimensional perspective. From the above studies, the thesis hopes to open up valuable issues and perceptions, not only to correctly perceive film as an art, but also to see cinema as an element that can change the way people think about the world and help people's lives become better and more humane.

11. Practical application: (if any)

The first fundamental academic study on Taiwanese cinema (specifically the 1980s) in Vietnam

12. Further research directions: (if any)

- Comparative study with Vietnamese cinema

- Comparative study with Chinese (mainland) cinema

13. Published works related to the thesis:

(list projects in chronological order if available)

INFORMATION ON MASTER'S THESIS

1. Full name: Nguyen Tuyet Ngan 2. Sex: Female

3. Date of birth: August 28, 1995 4. Place of birth: Hanoi.

5. Admission decision number: 1765/2018/QD-XHNV Date June 28, 2018.

6. Changes in academic process: None

(List the forms of change and corresponding times)

7. Official thesis title: The characteristics of Taiwanese New Cinema through the films of Hou Hsiao Hsien

8. Major: Theory, History, and Criticism of Film and Television

9. Code: 8210232.01

10. Supervisors: Dieu Lan Phuong, PhD, Faculty of Literature.

(Full name, academic title and degree)

11. Summary of the findings of the thesis:

(Summarize them with stress on thenew findings, if any)

As Taiwanese new cinema was shaping and growing from different complex factors, it did not limit itself from being just a cinema movement.Taiwanese new cinema is the result of a profound change that was taking place in Taiwan at the 70s and 80s. It would rather hard for Taiwanese new cinema to have happened without an evolution in political background as well as the transition in ideology towards democracy. Economic development is also the stepping stone that gave Taiwanese new cinema a required backdrop for its advancement. Cultural and social tensions made Taiwanese new cinema to be what it turned out to be. And last but not least, in the whole picture of Taiwanese film industry, including the role of management's policies, film industries competition, investments of party-owned film companies, audience reception, film festivals, film makers – all had contributed itself to creating a dynamic sensation that kept pushing for new grounds.

Taiwanese new cinema can be seen as symbolic in terms of politics and culture. Internally, it is the realization of cultural autonomy and revolutionary political moves which was aligned with Taiwanese subjective consciousness. Externally, it has given Taiwan outsiders new understanding of the island thanks to the universal language of cinema. It was cinema that helped create an imagination of Taiwan with an unique political power. On one hand, the films reflect the common experience, on the other hand, it is the manifestation of personal experience and showing the psyche – aspiration side.

The new cinema is also a celebrated milestone for Taiwan due to its ground-breaking sense of style, technique and ideology. With Hou Hsiao Hsien (and his films) being the representative of the movement, we can see how current changes can shape art pieces, and how a real artist can make use of all of the changes to create art. The humane spirit and local consciousness had been demonstrated in two aspects: form and content

Realism style that highlights personal experience, balancing between subjective and objective view was cleverly, prepared through different film grammars: narrative, sound, editing, genre. These technical factors weren't used just for the sake of style, it played an important role in delivering the director's thoughts and desires, which was his sense of Taiwan as a hometown and the meaning of being Taiwanese; his way of re-writing Taiwanese past; and his view on a hybrid culture and society.

Like other art forms, the seventh art also contributes greatly into the development of a nation or a territory, not only because it can be a reflection of the contemporary society, but also thanks to its potential to create a new image, a new culture for such place. To analyze and to interpret a cinematic, cultural and political phenomenon that is Taiwanese new cinema requires comprehensive understanding and perspectives. Hopefully, the thesis' research can lead up to new knowledge that sees film not only as a true form of art but also an influence that may change world view and create a more sympathetic, gracious and beautiful life.

12. Practical applicability, if any: The first foundation study on Taiwanese cinema (in the era of the 80s in particular) in Vietnam

13. Further research directions, if any:

- Comparative study with Vietnamese Cinema

- Comparative study Chinese (mainland) cinema

14. Thesis-related publications:(List them in chronological order)