Asian Extreme as Cult Cinema: The Transnational Appeal of Excess and Otherness Jessica Anne Hughes BA English and Film Studies, Wilfrid Laurier University MA Film Studies, University of British Columbia A thesis submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at The University of Queensland in 2016 School of Communications and Arts Hughes 2 Abstract This thesis investigates the way Western audiences respond to portrayals of excess and otherness in Japanese Extreme cinema. It explores the way a recent (2006-2016) cycle of Japanese Splatter (J-Splatter) films, including The Machine Girl (Noboru Iguchi, 2008) and Tokyo Gore Police (Yoshihiro Nishimura, 2008), have been positioned as cult due to their over-the-top representations of violence and stereotypes of Japanese culture. Phenomenological research and personal interviews interrogate Western encounters with J-Splatter films at niche film festivals and on DVD and various online platforms through independent distributors. I argue that these films are marketed to particular Western cult audiences using vocabulary and images that highlight the exotic nature of globally recognised Japanese cultural symbols such as schoolgirls and geisha. This thesis analyses J-Splatter’s transnational, cosmopolitan appeal using an approach informed by the work of Ernest Mathijs and Jamie Sexton, Matt Hills, Henry Jenkins, and Iain Robert Smith, who read the relationship between Western audiences and international cult cinema as positive and meaningful cultural interactions, demonstrating a desire to engage in more global experiences. The chapters in this thesis use textual analysis of J-Splatter films and case studies of North American and Australian film festivals and distribution companies, which include interviews with festival directors and distributors, to analyse the nature of the appeal of J- Splatter to Western audiences. I consider how DVD marketing strategies, and publicity material when the films are exhibited at festivals, seek to attract viewers by using notions of extremity to establish the filmmakers as cult directors. Through this analysis, I investigate the ways in which film distribution strategies and marketing techniques are deployed to attract the attention of international audiences in order to present one culture to an audience from another culture. This thesis makes a methodological contribution to studies of screen culture by developing a phenomenological approach to audience studies in order to advance the field beyond the assumptions and abstractions that typify traditional theories of spectatorship. The key purpose of this research is to understand cross-cultural audience responses and illuminate the role of film festivals in diversifying the film experience and informing global media flows. My audience reception work sheds new light on how signifiers of otherness are counterpoised by the shared language of visceral, bodily experience. Using the niche Hughes 3 festival venue as a site for cult film exhibition, my phenomenological approach to collective viewing is implemented through participant observation of the audience’s experience at festivals and exhibitions, including Montreal’s Fantasia International Film Festival, Australia’s Japanese Film Festival, and Queensland Gallery of Modern Art’s “Cult Japan” Series. Hughes 4 Declaration by author This thesis is composed of my original work, and contains no material previously published or written by another person except where due reference has been made in the text. I have clearly stated the contribution by others to jointly-authored works that I have included in my thesis. I have clearly stated the contribution of others to my thesis as a whole, including statistical assistance, survey design, data analysis, significant technical procedures, professional editorial advice, and any other original research work used or reported in my thesis. The content of my thesis is the result of work I have carried out since the commencement of my research higher degree candidature and does not include a substantial part of work that has been submitted to qualify for the award of any other degree or diploma in any university or other tertiary institution. I have clearly stated which parts of my thesis, if any, have been submitted to qualify for another award. I acknowledge that an electronic copy of my thesis must be lodged with the University Library and, subject to the policy and procedures of The University of Queensland, the thesis be made available for research and study in accordance with the Copyright Act 1968 unless a period of embargo has been approved by the Dean of the Graduate School. I acknowledge that copyright of all material contained in my thesis resides with the copyright holder(s) of that material. Where appropriate I have obtained copyright permission from the copyright holder to reproduce material in this thesis. Hughes 5 Publications during candidature Hughes, Jessica. “Asian Extreme, Tokyo Gore, and Sushi Typhoon: Selling Eastern Violence to Western Audiences.” Refractory: a Journal of Entertainment Media. 22, 2013. http://refractory.unimelb.edu.au/tag/jessica-hughes/ Hughes, Jessica. “Chinese Hopping Vampires: Reconstructing a Western Tradition in Hong Kong Cinema.” The West in Asia and Asia in the West. Ed. Elisabetta Marina and Tanfer Emin Tunc. Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland & Company, 2015. 146-157. Hughes, Jessica. “The Festival Collective: Cult Audience and Japanese Extreme Cinema.” Making Sense of Cinema. Ed. CarrieLynn D. Reinhard and Christopher J. Olsen. London: Bloomsbury Publishing, 2016. 37-56. Publications included in this thesis Hughes, Jessica. “Asian Extreme, Tokyo Gore, and Sushi Typhoon: Selling Eastern Violence to Western Audiences.” Refractory: a Journal of Entertainment Media. 22, 2013. http://refractory.unimelb.edu.au/tag/jessica-hughes/ incorporated as Chapter 2. Hughes, Jessica. “The Festival Collective: Cult Audience and Japanese Extreme Cinema.” Making Sense of Cinema. Ed. CarrieLynn D. Reinhard and Christopher J. Olsen. London: Bloomsbury Publishing, 2016. 37-56 incorporated as Chapter 6. Hughes 6 Contributions by others to the thesis No contributions by others. Statement of parts of the thesis submitted to qualify for the award of another degree None. Hughes 7 Acknowledgements I would first like to express my utmost gratitude to Associate Professor Jane Stadler, who went above and beyond her duties as my thesis supervisor. Not only did she advise me with incredible patience, wisdom and thoroughness, she also supported my passion for teaching, and encouraged me to present and publish my work throughout my candidature. Special thanks as well to Dr. Lisa Bode for her keen insights and advice about my research and writing, and the importance of not letting these things take over your life. I am also grateful to my colleagues in the UQ CommArts community for their ongoing advice and encouragement, especially to Emily Zong and Kendra Marston for allowing me to vent and inspiring me to work harder. I owe great thanks as well to our administrators in the School of Communications and Arts, especially Angela Tuohy and Cathy Squirrell, who always went above and beyond to provide support when it was most needed. Enormous thanks are also due to my dear friends Chiharu Hariya Lind and Min Jong Kim for their ongoing help with Japanese translations. To my parents, Jane and Dave Riddell, who have lovingly supported and encouraged me through all my paths in life, but especially my education – I hope this makes you proud. And so much love and thanks to my big brother and my little sister, who have never stopped cheering me on and inspiring me to keep at it. This thesis is dedicated to Quoc Mai, my soul mate. I can never thank you enough for your love, understanding, and patience. Without your perfect balance of support (including countless late night J-Splatter screenings!) and much needed disconnect from the academic world, I would never have gotten this far. Hughes 8 Keywords Asian Extreme cinema, Japanese splatter films, cult cinema, transnationalism, Asiaphilia, film festivals, film distribution, audience reception studies Australian and New Zealand Standard Research Classifications (ANZSRC) ANZSRC code: 19021 Cinema Studies 60% ANZSRC code: 20021 Screen and Media Culture 40% Fields of Research (FoR) Classification FoR code: 1902, Film Television and Digital Media 60% FoR code: 2002, Cultural Studies, 40% Hughes 9 Table of Contents Chapter One Introduction……………………………………………………………………….10 Chapter Two Cult Cosmopolitanism: Asian Extreme as Transnational Cinema………….36 Chapter Three J-Splatter, Sushi Typhoon, and the Mutant Shōjo: Western Consumption of Japanese Popular Culture on Screen……………………………………………………….64 Chapter Four “For the Filmmaker’s Cult Only”: Niche Film Festivals and their Audiences………………………………………………………………………………………….97 Chapter Five “Somebody’s Got A Bloody Job To Do”: Marketing and Distributing Japanese Extreme in the Age of Digital Media…………………………………………..…..128 Chapter Six The Festival Collective: Cult Audiences and Japanese Extreme Cinema……………………………………………………………………………………………158 Chapter Seven Conclusion………………………………………………………………...….183 Works Cited…………………………………………………………………..…………………191 Filmography………………………………………………………………………………….....190 Hughes 10 Chapter 1 Introduction In the conclusion to Daniel Martin’s 2015 book, Extreme Asia, which analyses the distribution and marketing strategies of former UK-based distributor Tartan Films' Asia Extreme label, he argues that the company's sudden closure