Course Description
Film, like other forms of cultural production, has long been dominated by men. Although women remain underrepresented in the global film industry, the increasing visibility of women cineastes in international festivals has diversified cinematic voices and challenged the conventions of commercial and art‑house production. Rather than simply reversing the hierarchy between center and periphery, women’s cinema in East Asia often works to redirect attention—bringing marginalized perspectives into view while interrogating the structures that marginalize them. Many women directors are acutely aware of how recognition, awards, and festival circulation shape their perceived credibility, and their films frequently reflect on the burden of being positioned as “exceptional” within a male‑dominated field.
This course examines women’s filmmaking in East Asia over the past two decades. We will explore how women directors approach themes such as sexuality, labor, family, state violence, disability, and healing. Can a film be labeled “feminine” or “feminist” based solely on the director’s gender identity? How does the category of “women filmmaker” both constrain and empower directors in their creative and political expression? How do East Asian women filmmakers intervene in and challenge the Eurocentric assumptions of global arthouse cinema—whether through alternative temporalities, localized aesthetics, or critiques of the festival circuit’s gendered and racialized hierarchies? Through these questions, the course invites students to consider how women filmmakers simultaneously reproduce, negotiate, and critique gendered concepts of authorship, nationalism, family, and ableism.
Designed to build foundational skills in film analysis and cultural/political interpretation, the course follows a film‑per‑week model (with occasional in‑class screenings of short films) and emphasizes intensive discussion. Students are strongly encouraged to watch the assigned film before engaging with the supplementary readings. To ensure a shared analytical vocabulary, we will practice core cinematic terminology and techniques throughout the quarter. By the end of this course, students will be able to identify and apply core cinematic terminology (e.g., mise‑en‑scène, editing, sound, framing) in written and oral analysis, and conduct close readings of film sequences and explain how formal choices shape meaning, representation, and narrative.
Content Note: Some films include depictions of domestic violence, sexual assault, child abuse, suicide, homophobic or queerphobic language, racism, and other sensitive topics. Students are encouraged to maintain critical distance and care for their well‑being while engaging with these materials.