Resumen de Nurturing cinephile: A strategic examination of a Chinese film-viewing community
Qi Wang, Md Azalanshah Md Syed, Muhamad Shamsul Ibrahim, Sicheng Liu
Purpose: With the rapid development of mainland China’s film market and the increasing enrichment of cultural life, film-viewing groups of varying purposes have emerged. Film-viewing groups are generally initiated by film critics, industrial professionals, scholars, or fans, and the audience is organised to watch specific films together. Generally, there are two types of film-viewing groups: one focusing on commercial films and the other on arthouse and independent films. The commercial film-viewing groups organise screening events in long-term partnerships with film distributors and production companies due to the accumulation of word-of-mouth and promotional support for the cinema but put limitations on the choice and agenda of the film screening. Method: This article uses a non-profit arthouse film-viewing group as a case, discussing its trajectory, the hierarchical constitution of spectators, its impact on the local cinephilic circle, operating models, and the proposed renovation to lucubrate some aspects of contemporary Chinese fandom culture. Finding: Film-viewing group organizers aim to transform the annual film festival into a daily ritual. Groups in small and medium-sized cities undergo transitions, with founders working tirelessly to align events with the festival format for an enhanced filmgoer experience. Implication: This study is of benefit to curators, filmmakers, and film fans. Film, especially arthouse film mentioned in this article, can promote aesthetic education. Arthouse films and blockbusters constitute the industrial system of film, and they are indispensable. The fandom communities studied enrich local cultural activities and increase people’s perspective on the world. This paper examines the development and changes in the Chinese cinephile community. These findings will also be important in the history of Chinese film.
