This course aims to present students with a larger picture of how film has developed from 1895 to today as both a popular medium and an art form, and how cinemas of the West and the East have influenced each other’s aesthetics and cultural visions from the earlier years to present days. Students are expected to define basic terminologies in cinema history, to name representative directors and works from each country and/or period, and to describe major events and trends in the world of film. In addition to appreciation of film works, formations of Hollywood, Hong Kong and other film industries, as well as the evolution of their business models will also be discussed. Through a component of independent cinema and its dissemination outside the mainstream film industry, the social functions of film/video work will also be analyzed.

By covering significant ideas, movements, trends and new forms of cinema, the course will also enhance students’ general knowledge on visual media and cultural history and provide them a vocabulary with which they can further explore in the field of visual media studies and topics related to socio-cultural issues.