Published by De Gruyter

Ahead of Print / Just Accepted

Issue of Journal of Chinese Film Studies

Contents
Journal Overview

July 4, 2022

The “Collapsing Ending” as a Turning Point in Contemporary Cinematic Narrative

Jianhua Xie

Abstract

More and more salient in recent cinematic productions have been the related phenomena of the “anti-ending”, the “zero ending”, and the “multiple ending”. The ending, in other words, appears to have forfeited the authority it once had to terminate a history and the power it once enjoyed to move people’s hearts. Today, more and more, stories cease abruptly, with no sign to warn of, or mark, their end. The “collapsing ending”, however, should not be seen as a simple change occurring at one particular locus in the stories told in cinema today but rather as a symptom of an important turning point in contemporary cinema’s very notion of narrative. That the traditional ending is collapsing indicates: firstly, that the interest of stories in contributing to knowledge-production is decreasing and that narrative is shifting, in its very nature, from being a type of demonstrative, to being a type of descriptive discourse; secondly, that audiences have begun to experience, vis-à-vis the various versions of “structured time”, a certain aesthetic fatigue, so that the demands typically made on narrative are just now in the process of shifting out of the cognitive realm, and into the realm of “gaming” and the pleasure of “gaming”; and thirdly, that the narrative authority of the creator/filmmaker is just now entering into an anxiety-driven state of self-undermining and that the power and predominance over discursive mechanisms which had once been the prerogative of the narrator is just now shifting into the hands of the narrative’s audience.

June 17, 2022

Study on the Phenomenon of Film Rereleasing in China in the Post-Pandemic Era: Cultural Significance and Industrial Mechanisms

Zhaopeng Kong, Yinong Li

Abstract

This paper discusses the value and significance of classic film rereleases in Chinese movie theaters in the post-pandemic era. From the perspectives of rereading standards, collective memory, and emotional identity, the rerelease of classic films is a way to pursue the spiritual and cultural continuity of human beings in an open-ended dimension of history. In considering the rerelease of classic films in Chinese movie theaters in the post-pandemic era, we should not only systematically study internal demands such as content and value judgment, but also analyze external factors such as the development of the film industry and evolutions in audience demand, so as to promote the sustainable development of rerelease mechanisms for Chinese films.

About this journal

Objectives

Journal of Chinese Film Studies (JCFS) is a peer-reviewed scholarly journal which focuses on the history, theory, criticism, practice and industries of Chinese film and provides a platform for cutting-edge academic research and debate. It is committed to advancing interdisciplinary approaches to the analysis of Chinese films and cinematic practices across multiple genres and platforms.

The journal is open to all areas of scholarship in Chinese film studies. We welcome academic work from multiple critical, cultural, and theoretical perspectives.

The journal seeks original research articles that pursue innovative research directions and methodologies or engage with significant historiographical or interpretive issues of films from mainland China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and the Chinese diaspora. The journal also welcomes reviews of books and films of significance to the focus of the journal, as well as interviews with filmmakers and film scholars. It will showcase research both from established scholars and emerging new voices of Chinese film studies. Authors who have had their articles accepted are encouraged to submit video abstracts.

Our journal offers:

Cutting edge research results in Chinese film studies
Interdisciplinary approach and emphasis
Comprehensive outlook on Chinese films and cinematic practices
Latest developments of Chinese film industries
Direct and close contact with Chinese filmmakers and researchers
English translations of high-impact research in non-English languages
Inclusive and positive scholarly environment
Conversations and collaborations between researchers and professionals inside and outside of China

JCFS publishes articles in the following categories:

• articles of original research
• editorial
• book review
• film review
• interview

Submission can include, but are not limited to the following fields:

Chinese film history
Chinese film industries
Auteurs in Chinese cinemas
Stardom in Chinese cinemas
Film genres of Chinese cinemas
Chinese cinematic practices
Chinese cinemas, culture, and society
Reception of Chinese cinemas
Multilingualism in Chinese cinemas
Gender/class/sexuality in Chinese cinemas
Chinese films on ethnic minorities
Transnational Chinese cinemas

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Ahead of Print / Just Accepted

Issue of Journal of Chinese Film Studies

The “Collapsing Ending” as a Turning Point in Contemporary Cinematic Narrative

Abstract

Study on the Phenomenon of Film Rereleasing in China in the Post-Pandemic Era: Cultural Significance and Industrial Mechanisms

Abstract