Gauging appetite for blockbusters
Seen any good Chinese movies lately?
If so, Massey University researcher Ian Huffer wants to talk to you.
The film and media studies specialist is researching to see if Kiwis, both Chinese and non Chinese, are tuned into the new wave of Chinese films and he wants people to take part in his survey.
He hopes the results would show how the films inform people’s perspectives of Chinese culture and values.
‘‘I’m interested in this rise in the screening of Chinese blockbusters in New Zealand,’’ he said. ‘‘There’s been a growth in Chinese blockbusters over the last few years as the Chinese film industry grows stronger and stronger.’’
Chinese films may not be as popular in New Zealand as Hollywood-made blockbusters, but Huffer said the films were still released in New Zealand, many in Auckland, and were also on Netflix and at film festivals.
Huffer said the film Nezha was in theatres in New Zealand, as was
Wandering Earth, a postapocalyptic science-fiction movie.
‘‘I want to know a bit more about who is watching them, how they’re accessing them, why they enjoy them and also going a bit deeper about how that shapes their understanding of China and of themselves.’’
He wanted to know what methods people used to watch Chinese films, either legal or illegal, and if the people watching the films were recent arrivals from mainland China, students, young professionals, second-generation Chinese or people with no Chinese links.
The survey is anonymous and available in English and Chinese.
He said the films played a role in the mediation of Chinese and New Zealand relations.
Huffer is working with Yuan Gong, from Massey’s Albany campus, and Yolanda Zhang, from Xi’an University of Finance and Economics in China, on the project.