Hong Kong New Wave


The Hong Kong New Wave was a movement in Chinese-language cinema that emerged in the late 1970s and 1980s.

Origins of the movement

The Hong Kong New Wave started in 1979. During the 1980s, the film industry began to flourish; many Chinese households did not have a TV at the time. Film served as the primary source of entertainment. Many of the New Wave directors had a Western-style education and thus, were influenced by western filmmaking and culture.
The films of the New Wave, stylistically, lacked coherence; rather the term was used to make the distinction between new filmmakers and studio filmmaking. These films utilized new technology, like synchronous sound, new editing techniques, and filming movies on location.

Second Wave

In 1984, the New Wave began to gain attention from international audiences, thus prompting what became known as the "Second Wave". These directors include Stanley Kwan, Wong Kar-wai, Mabel Cheung, Alex Law, Fruit Chan, Peter Chan, and Tammy Cheung.

Major figures