COMPLETION REPORT
Study on the Influence of Ogawa Shinsuke on the Independent Documentary in China and Hong Kong
Dr. Tiecheng. LiLecturer
Department of Cultural and Religious Studies
The Chinese University of Hong Kong
Events attended:‧ Visited 2015 Yamagata International Documentary Festival
During the festival, I’ve discussed with the directors from different countries and China, such as Feng Yan and Du
Haibin, and talked deeply with the festival organizers. I’ve attended the forum, held by the Japanese scholar
Akiyama Tamako, talking about the Chinese independent documentary. I’ve also watched many international
documentaries, especially the film The Wages of Resistance: Narita Stories made by Koshiro Otsu. From these
events, screenings and activities, I opened my mind on global documentary perspective and accumulated manyfirst hand data on this project.
I realized that the festival very well continues Ogawa Shinsuke’s original intention, building up a platform tosupport the young Asian documentary directors to communicate and study from each other, to bring the newinternational thoughts and ideas in, and to promote the Asian directors to the entire world. The directors who
influenced by Ogawa are not only from China, but from Taiwan, Singapore and other places in Asia. I began tounderstand the festival organizers’ operation modes. From the film The Wages of Resistance: Narita Stories I
grasped the updated situation of Narita, and also found what the core of “Ogawa’s spirit” followed by many
Chinese independent documentary directors is “insistence on what you believe”. Actually, this kind of spirt raised
from the villagers and students of 1980s, influenced Ogawa and his filmmaking as well.
‧ Visited Kobe Planet Film Archive
Interviewed Yasui Yoshio in the film archive and got many first hand data, including some documents of the film
Red Persimmons.
‧ Visited the Exhibition of the History Museum of Narita International Airport
Totally went through the whole history of Narita International Airport and realized the background of Ogawa’s
documentary making. Besides above, I was surprised to find the villagers and the students of that time also
influenced by Mao Zedong of China. Sometimes we could call it “left-wing” or “communism”, which also
stimulated my new understanding on Ogawa’s spirit.
‧ International Conference Presentations:‧ 11/2015, The Asian Conference on Film and Documentary (in Kobe, Japan), presentation title: Independence orInstitutionalization: Study on the Influence of Ogawa Shinsuke on the Chinese Independent Documentary‧ 10/2016, Narratives of Displacement International Conference (in Warsaw, Poland), presentation title:
Rebuilding Historical Narrative: From Independent Documentary to Documentary Theatre in China.
I presented two related papers in above conferences in which I discussed thoroughly with the international scholars
on my project. In Kobe conference, most of the scholars came from Asia. They were all interested about whyOgawa could push thought Chinese new documentary movement, and why the institutionalization phenomena
could happen in China. Meanwhile in Poland conference, most scholars came from Europe. Based on my firstthough, I further researched a special Chinese case in this conference: Wen Hui’s creations and her performing
arts. The European scholars were more interested in the ecology of independent documentary in China and thecurrent situation of the independent documentary directors. After these discussions, my project’s structure andmain body became more distinguishable. At the same time, I realized what the different perspectives andpsychological expectations of my project’s audience have, therefore, I could build up the target and goal moreaccurately.
Interviewed people:
Fuseya Hrioo (伏屋博雄) , Yasui Yoshio (安井喜雄), Feng Yan (馮艷)， Wu Wenguang (吳文光)， Zhou
Hao(周浩)， Du Haibin(杜海濱)， Zhang Zanbo(張贊波)， Wen Hui(文慧)， Cheung TitLeung(張鐵梁)，
Wong OiLing（ 黃愛玲）I’ve interviewed above Japanese and Chinese filmmakers, Hong Kong film festival curators and documentary
scholars. From these interviews, I found in three aspects:
1. The Chinese independent documentary director’s experience and memories related to Ogawa. How Ogawa orOgawa’s spirit supported them. Based on Ogawa’s spirit, how they solved the problems when they weremaking their own documentary. Especially Wu Wenguang and Feng Yan contributed their experience anddocumentary making abilities in teaching and sharing, they organized diverse actives, independent screenings,
documentary workshops, and even independent film school (Li Xianting independent film school) . So
Ogawa’s spirit was not only the insistence or follow thought the main character in the documentary, but also
like the candle to spread documentary to Asia.
2. From the Japanese filmmakers, I found Ogawa’s personality and the details of his working habits which could
help me to analyses and deal with the issues: how to effectively copy and spread Ogawa’s spirit.
3. Hong Kong film festival curators and documentary scholars told me more about the event experience once
Ogawa visited Hong Kong in the late last century. Meanwhile they related his documentaries to Hong Kong’s
current special social reality and citizen’s activism, the young Hong Kong filmmakers were influenced verymuch by Ogawa’s film. The directors even copy Ogawa’s interview methods and narrative style to do theirinterview nowadays.
Events moderated and organized in Hong Kong:

02/07/2016, Speech: Independent Film and Independent Thinking, in One Day CUHK with Arts.
18/9/2016, The seminar The Development of Documentaries in China in the 2016 Chinese Documentary Festival
30/10/2016, Documentary Director Zhang Zanbo’s Workshop for CNEX

27-29/10/2016, Shelter from the Storm: 2016 Doc Film Festival, in The Chinese University of Hong Kong
I’ve given different speeches in local seminars, film festivals and workshops. The contents were not directly related

to Ogawa, but more emphasis independent film themselves in China, which also enrich my project’s wide.
Documentary:
Ogawa’s spirit: The Influence of Ogawa Shinsuke on the Independent Documentary in China and Hong Kong
Thesis:A study of reflexive documentary in Hong Kong: using We Are Alive and 32+4 as examples
Publication of the Results of Research Project:
Verbal Presentation (Date, Venue, Name of Conference, Title of Presentation, Presenter, etc.)(1) Date:14/11/2015,Venue: Kobe, Japan.
Name of Conference: The Asian Conference on Film and Documentary
Title of Presentation: Independence or Institutionalization: Study on the Influence of Ogawa Shinsuke on theChinese Independent Documentary
Presenter: Li Tiecheng(2) Date:24/09/2016,
Venue: Warsaw, Poland.
Name of Conference: “Narratives of Displacement” International Conference
Title of Presentation: Rebuilding Historical Narrative: From Independent Documentary to Documentary Theatrein China
Presenter: Li Tiecheng(3)Date:22/06/2017,
Venue: Hong Kong, China.
Name of Conference: The 2017 Association of Chinese and Comparative Literature Conference
Title of Presentation: Rebuilding the Visual Narratives in the Chinese Cultural Revolution
Presenter: Li TiechengThesis (Name of Journal and its Date, Title and Author of Thesis, etc.)
Name of Journal: Contemporary Cinema Date: 05/2017, Vol.254
Title: A study of reflexive documentary in Hong Kong: using We Are Alive and 32+4 as examples
Pages: 88-93
Author: Li TiechengBook (Publisher and Date of the Book, Title and Author of the Book, etc.)Under publishing consultation:
Supposed publisher: The Chinese University Press
Supposed title: Ogawa Shinsuke’s influence on the Chinese Independent Documentary
Author: Li Tiecheng