Contemporary Asian Cinema - Historical, Aesthetic and Stylistic Issues

Since 2005, in the trend of innovation and integration of social sciences and humanities in general and arts in particular, the University of Social Sciences and Humanities has been the beneficiary of a film project sponsored by the Ford Foundation. Over the past 7 years, this project has played an important role in training short-term courses for screenwriters and critics, linking research and production activities, creating conditions for many research staff to exchange with scientists from the US and other countries in the region, thereby improving professional qualifications... From these activities, the University has gradually built and developed the Department of Art Studies and starting from the 2013-2014 school year, the University has been officially assigned to train a Master's program in Film Theory, History and Criticism. This is a big step forward in the development process of the University towards the goal of building a multidisciplinary and multi-field research university linking training with the needs of society.

In that context, the Conference "Contemporary Asian Cinema: Historical, Aesthetic and Stylistic Issues" was hosted by the School with the desire to contribute to the initial assessment of some outstanding achievements and issues of Asian cinema practice, thereby drawing experiences and implications for research, training and development of cinema in Vietnam.

The workshop focused on analyzing and discussing key issues:

- The formation and development, outstanding characteristics, and contributions of "Asian cinema", especially from the 1990s until now? The position of Asian cinema in multi-dimensional interactions with other film centers in the world (Europe, Hollywood, ...) and the relationship between regional cinemas with each other?

- Issues that are “intrinsic” to Asian films: aesthetics and style in cinema; issues of adapting/reforming literary and theatrical works; the development of genres; authors with outstanding styles; urgent issues of history, politics, culture, identity, etc.

- How to further strengthen exchanges and cooperation with regional cinema, what experiences, suggestions and proposals are there for Vietnamese cinema, for a cinema that is innovative, modern, integrated and has its own identity.

There were 41 scientific reports presented in 2 subcommittees: "Issues of national history and cinema" and "Issues of aesthetics and authorial style".