Market forces: China's ‘fifth generation’ faces the bottom line

The genesis, structure and transformation of the contemporary Chinese cinematic field: Global linkages and national refractions

“…Red Sorghum won the Golden Bear Award for Best Film at the Berlin International Film Festival (1988). In particular, the Golden Bear, the highest prize in one of the ‘big three’ international festivals of Berlin, Cannes and Venice, was ‘unquestionably the highest award any Chinese film has ever received’ (Berry, 1991: 123), and the achievement was extensively reported in the Chinese domestic media (e.g. Li, 1988).…”

“…Li, 1988). Moreover, due partly to its global legitimation, ‘ Red Sorghum was a major box-office success in China’ (Berry, 1991: 123). In other words, the emergence of the contemporary cinematic field was the result of a combination of domestic struggle for autonomy and global legitimation by audiences abroad, including international film festivals.…”