Mapping Taiwanese Cinema, 2008-20

Mapping Taiwanese Cinema is an exciting breakthrough – the first book on Taiwanese cinema since 2008, with an original approach to cinema as not just including maps but itself a mapping technology, and combining analysis of poetics with the practices of filmmaking. A must-read. -- Chris Berry, King’s College London
Christopher Brown analyzes Taiwanese cinema, 2008-2020, by way of well-curated mise en scène, soundtrack, and cartographic imaginary. Maps are defined as "instruments of power" and are meticulously traced through multiple scenes like Wordsworthian "spots of time," or Brown’s spots in space. -- Sheng-mei Ma, Michigan State University
Focuses on the concept and practice of mapping to investigate a substantial number of Taiwanese cinematic products. Post-2008 Taiwanese cinema has often been examined and studied with its commercial orientation and genre diversification in mind, in witness to the proliferation of film productions featuring a myriad of themes, styles, and narratives. In this book, Brown looks deeper into a broad range of filmmaking practices, employing mapping as his approach and trying to identify the aesthetic results of these oft-cited commercial successes. -- Yayu Zheng * Taiwan Lit and the Global Sinosphere *
The author excels in combining detailed film analyses with broader sociocultural contexts, providing a multifaceted understanding of recent transformations in Taiwanese cinema. One major achievement is its in-depth case studies that highlight the diversity of Taiwanese cinema, covering various genres, themes, and stylistic approaches. The book also examines the resurgence of rural settings and the representation of indigenous cultures and critically addresses regionalism and land rights. Overall, Mapping Taiwanese Cinema, 2008–20: Environments, Poetics, Practice is a meticulously researched work that significantly contributes to film studies. -- Ronald S. Green * ASIANetwork *