The course centres on various Asian cinemas and is designed to introduce students to a basic understanding of this unique cluster of cinemas, particularly their respective industrial, directorial and stylistic features. Focus is on Orientalism, modernism, colonialism and post-colonialism of Asian Cinema (and culture and society), also on the relation between cinemas in Asia and cinemas of the West. The areas covered in this course range from major film production centres of Japan, South Korea, India to marginal cinemas such as Singapore and the Philippines; feminist, diasporic and independent filmmaking will also be included in our topics.