Prof. Kenko Kawasaki1
1Rikkyo University
The purpose of my research is to offer a new perspective on Japan-China film negotiation history research. This presentation is an attempt to re-examine the history of the correlation between Japanese and Chinese films from the 1930s to the 1950s in the “trans-war regime”. Previous studies have often positioned Japanese and Chinese film making as in opposition as Japanese vs. Chinese, or as Manchuria Films vs. Shanghai Films and firmly categorised films made during the Sino-Japanese War period vs. after the war. Yet this approach follows a binary conflict framework which renders invisible the conflicts and collaborations between Japanese and Chinese filmmakers. I argue it is not sufficient to discuss the difficulties and achievements of Japanese-Chinese filmmakers in terms of binary confrontation, whether it is submission or resistance to military propaganda in the empire. Chinese filmmakers reorganized and sometimes also migrated to Japan after the Sino-Japanese War. Furthermore, Japanese filmmakers collaborated on Hong Kong movies after the Sino-Japanese War. Focusing on the films of the Chinese filmmaker Li Xianglan I will offer new insights into Japan-China film making in the trans war period.
Biography:
Kawasaki Kenko, Ph.D., is Specially Appointed Professor of the Rikkyo University. Her research field is in the historical study of modern Japanese culture, film. She is interested in propaganda and censorship. Major publication: Mō Hitori no Kanojo Ri Koran/Yamaguchi Yoshiko/Shirley Yamaguchi(Another her persona, Li Xianglan, Yamaguchi Yoshiko, Shirley Yamaguchi 2019)