Declaration of war on American cultural imperialism

class=”sc-3778e872-0 cKDKQr”>

The name stands for glamorous movie stars and movie hits like no other: Hollywood. But the luster of the dream factory is crumbling. While Hollywood is constantly being criticized for its lack of diversity, film production in the Far East is booming. All of a sudden, during the coffee break, everyone was talking about the South Korean Netflix series Fame or the popular movie All, Everywhere, All at Once with Oscar-winning Malaysian actress Michelle Yeoh.

The current Asian boom is a declaration of war on the American cultural imperialism that the public has been subjected to for decades. What a pleasure to discover new places and cultures! Instead of seeing the New York skyline flickering on screen for the hundredth time, you see the backdrops of Seoul or Tokyo in a hit new series. If American formats are still mostly about the struggle between good and evil, then Asian productions are much freer in the narrative structure.

It remains to be seen what implications a strong Eastern influence will have on Western film culture. But one thing is clear: Hollywood is under pressure. In 2022, Janet Young became the first Asian American to serve as president of the Academy, the home of the Oscars. Yang wants to make the dream factory more diverse. But Asian cinema already seems to be leaving Hollywood behind.

Source: Blick