Independent Film In Current China And Its Independent Spirit

Independent film, as one of the newly-born cultural phenomena in China, is becoming more and more foregrounding since the late 1980s. Those works attract the attention from all over the world by their colorful and multifarious creation style and their independent spirit. The independent films discussed here include fictional and non-fictional independent films, i.e. the fictional films produced by individual's funds, and documentaries including documentary films and TV documentaries. After close-reading the independent films, interviewing the Chinese independent films producers, investigating their current situation, analyzing and studying large amount of foreign and domestic film reviews and cultural studies, the author believes that: individualized thinking, personal perspective and individual style are inspiring the China film creation whose development has been hindered by the Chinese system; in the background that the mass culture has been undermining the elite culture, the elite culture reflected by the independent films is more than valuable; folk narration with personal point of view is of special significance in creating a benign public sphere for the society. There is another thing worthy mentioning: some vulgar and pornographic films are misleading the public in understanding the meaning of "independence" under the pretence of "independence", this article is intended to correct the misunderstanding. This article first interprets the aesthetic quality and ideological gist of the independent films, then analyzes the social context and cultural context that drove the independent producers to create their works, gives novel interpretation of the independent spirit behind the independent films, and finally draws the conclusion: independent film is not only a rare cultural phenomenon, it is not simply an issue of aesthetic evolution or an issue of style and genre, either, it but also is a symbol of tolerance and progress in Chinese society, a symbol of cultural prosperity and harmony, which will be protruding.