The Captive Audience and Albanian Films in Mao’s China

Main author: Lu, Xiaoning
Format: Journal Article           
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id eprints-33437
recordtype eprints
institution SOAS, University of London
collection SOAS Research Online
language English
language_search English
description The ironclad alliance between the People’s Republic of China and Albania during the 1960s is often taken as the unquestioned starting point of transnational film exchanges between the two fraternal socialist states. This article delineates the presence of Albanian cinema in the People’s Republic of China (PRC) from 1949 to 1976, when geopolitical realignments reconfigured the socialist camp, with special attention to Albanian cinema’s position within the filmscape in Mao’s China. Drawing on official news reports, movie reviews and recently published personal reminiscences, and employing the lens of the captive audience, it teases out the multifaceted reception of Albanian films, including the types of engagement that deviate from and challenge the then-prevailing revolutionary discourses. The study thus helps to demystify a reductive understanding of the socio-political significance of Albanian cinema in China.
format Journal Article
author Lu, Xiaoning
author_facet Lu, Xiaoning
authorStr Lu, Xiaoning
author_letter Lu, Xiaoning
title The Captive Audience and Albanian Films in Mao’s China
publisher Taylor and Francis
publishDate 2021
url https://eprints.soas.ac.uk/33437/