Transnational Affects Reprised: Korean Cinema's Negotiations With Systems of World Cinema Yoonbin Cho

Format:

Book

Thesis/Dissertation

Author/Creator:

Cho, Yoonbin, author.

Contributor:

University of Pennsylvania. Comparative Literature and Literary Theory., degree granting institution.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Film studies.

Asian studies.

Comparative literature.

0900.

0342.

0295.

Local Subjects:

Film studies.

Asian studies.

Comparative literature.

0900.

0342.

0295.

Physical Description:

1 electronic resource (231 pages)

Contained In:

Dissertations Abstracts International 86-12A

Place of Publication:

Ann Arbor : ProQuest Dissertations and Theses, 2025

Language Note:

English

Summary:

This dissertation examines film adaptations, remakes and transmediations in Korea from 2016 to 2025 to explore the types of affect that emerge from the friction between two texts, media and cultures. I argue that such affects have catalyzed the transnational turn in Korean film culture by eliciting sensations of connectivity and mobility as well as detachment and embeddedness, which give rise to relational subjectivities. By bringing affect theory to industry studies and reception studies in addition to the studies of film form and content, I thoroughly weave affect into the processes of production, circulation and consumption of cinema. Using this approach, I propose that affect is an overlooked but important means through which Korean film culture has negotiated with systems of power structuring global cinema, such as film festivals, Hollywood and streaming platforms. Aligned with the emergent use of "the transnational" as a critical concept to rethink the national model, I maintain focus on notions of interconnection and transmission; and to get at their vitality and elusiveness, I further scale down to the energy underlying them, which I propose is manifested as affect. The four chapters of my dissertation develop this concept of the transnational as a method by examining cases of filmic repetition in Korea that foster transnational networks among audiences or industries while aesthetically simulating border-crossing. The first two chapters on The Handmaiden's (2016) adaptation of a British novel and the tripartite connection of Italy's Perfect Strangers (2016), its Korean remake Intimate Strangers (2018) and the Korea-Vietnam co-produced remake Blood Moon Party (2020) offer new perspectives on traditional concerns of national cinema studies and adaptation studies, particularly the figure of the auteur and the impact of film festivals. The latter two chapters on the 4D exhibition of the live-action remake Aladdin (2019) in Korea and the transmediation of global cinema in the edutainment show Movieroom (2018-22) further expand the horizons of existing discourse by considering the rise of convergence culture. By taking Korea as a vantage point to rethink world cinema, I challenge the hierarchies and borders constituting global popular culture, and contribute to a broader decolonizing effort

Notes:

Source: Dissertations Abstracts International, Volume: 86-12, Section: A.

Advisors: Kano, Ayako Committee members: Alekseyeva, Julia; Lee, So-Rim

Ph.D. University of Pennsylvania 2025

Local Notes:

School code: 0175

ISBN:

9798280762619

Access Restriction:

Restricted for use by site license