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East Asia The contemporary film cultures of East Asia reflect the times of the region today: vital, diverse, and changing. It is generally recognized that South Korean cinema is experiencing unprecedented international recognition and success making production money for Korean filmmakers relatively easy to access, in spite of overall profits being down in 2006. Perhaps not as widely known is that Japan released over 400 theatrical productions in 2006, garnishing its best domestic box office share since 1988. Meanwhile, the Chinese film cultures of Hong Kong, Mainland China, and Taiwan continue to capture the world's imagination as their visual stories unspool in international film festivals and cinemateques. Trans-Chinese Cinemas PAST AND PRESENT  Chinese cinema was born in Shanghai in the 30s and soon acquired the name, ‘Eastern Hollywood’. During the 30s and 40s, the Chinese film industry continued to expand and, in spite of the Sino-Japanese War and the ensuing civil conflict, bred such talents as directors Sun Yu, Fei Mu, Wu Yong Gong, Cai Chu Sheng and actors Ruan Lin Yu, Zhao Dan, Shi Hui, etc. These two decades are now regarded as the Golden Age of Chinese cinema. However, films were made, distributed, and consumed by audiences only in the big cities. While some were feeble imitations of Hollywood, others displayed originality, sophistication and, most prominently, a collective concern for the fate of a nation in crisis. At the end of the 1940s, the Communist Party, led by Mao Zedong, rose to power, resulting in the exodus of millions of Chinese to British Hong Kong and Taiwan. Thus Chinese language cinema was split into three different factions, although it shared the same origins...
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