28th Apr (Sun), 3:30pm-5:30pm

Anxiety in “Malaysian Cinema”

有關「馬來西亞電影」的焦慮

講者 Speakers:

Norman Yusoff, Khoo Gaik Cheng, Tee Kim Tong張錦忠, Lim Kien Ket林建國

主持 Moderator: Show Ying Xin

What makes the “Malaysian Cinema”? Beyond the framework of the national narrative, from what aspects can we undertake to understand its complicated contents? In terms of temporality, is “Malaysian Cinema” the art of image making which responds to the notion of modernity? Or, is it a product of contemporaneity, or even a possible carrier that could possibly traverse the homogenous, empty time? As far as language is concerned, the Malaysian Cinema at least straddles Malay cinema, Tamil cinema, Sinophone/Chinese cinema, and dialect cinema. What kind of visions, imaginations, and audiences are projected differently or similarly by movies from different linguistic spheres? What problems or issues do they intend to tackle through the cinematic languages? In terms of subject matter, how do moving images capture and present the marginality and anxiety triggered by differences in ethnicity, religion, gender, class, and generation? If we adopt the term “cosmopolitanism”, one that shares the notion of universality, to decipher this postcolonial nation, can we better understand the life and stories which live interdependently in this place, or does the term obscure the conflicts and anxiety instead? As far as genre is concerned, is the Malaysian Cinema armed with dynamics of resisting mainstream, commercial genre films, or does it manifest potent creativity while framing itself in genres? The “Malaysian New Wave” that started over a decade ago had, in the spirit of independence, successfully caused a stir with their strong, individual creative ruminations, despite in a relatively small circle. Nowadays, with the advancement of technology in image-making, the definitions of independent films, arthouse cinema and mainstream commercial films are no longer clear cut. In what ways has contemporary Malaysian cinema changed in terms of creative orientation? This panel invites film scholars based in Taiwan and in Malaysia to problematize the poetics and politics of Malaysian cinema from the aspects of geography, history, society, aesthetics, language, affective feelings, etc.

「馬來西亞電影」是如何構成的？在國族敘事的框架之外，我們還能從哪方面來理解它的複雜內容？就時間性而言，馬來西亞電影指涉的是具現代意涵的影像藝術，還是富有當代性的產物，抑或是超越同質空洞時間的可能？就語言而言，馬來西亞電影在馬來電影、淡米爾語電影、華語電影、方言電影等場域跨度，不同語言群體製作出的「馬來西亞電影」在視域、想像和對象上有何等差異和共通性？他們試圖藉由電影語言探索哪些不同問題？就題材而言，關於這片土地的種種人事物，那些因族群、宗教、性別、階級、世代等身份造成的邊緣性和緊張感，如何透過影像捕捉與呈現當中的張力？若以「世界性」（cosmopolitanism）這樣的普世概念來解釋這個後殖民國度，是否更能理解在此依存共生的生命與故事，抑或是模糊了衝突與焦慮？就類型而言，馬來西亞電影是否存在超越主流類型商業片的動能，或是在類型片基礎上展現創意？十餘年前的「馬來西亞電影新浪潮」以獨立、風格強烈的個人創作意念在小圈子中泛起不小漣漪。如今，在影像技術更加精進的當下，獨立電影／藝術電影和商業電影的界限不再壁壘分明，當代馬來西亞電影的創作取向發生了怎樣的變化？這場主題論壇邀請在馬和旅台的馬來西亞電影學者，從地理、社會、歷史、美學、語言和情感等角度切入，思考影像的詩性與政治性。