Wong Kar-wai is one of the most distinctive and influential filmmakers in world cinema, celebrated for his visual style, melancholy romanticism, and evocative treatment of time, memory, and urban life. This six-week course introduces students to Wong’s cinema and explores the wider contexts that shaped his work, from his emergence out of the Hong Kong film industry to his international consecration as a transnational auteur.
T...
Learning modes and locations may be different depending on the course start date. Please check the location of your chosen course and read our guide to learning modes and locations to help you choose the right course for you.
Please note: We offer a wide variety of financial support to make courses affordable. Just visit our online Help Centre for more information on a range of topics including fees, online learning and FAQs.
This film studies course offers a focused exploration of the cinema of Wong Kar-wai, tracing his development from Hong Kong genre cinema to internationally recognised auteur. We will examine how Wong refashions gangster films, melodrama, romance, and martial arts cinema into highly personal meditations on memory, desire, time and place. The course will pay close attention to Wong’s collaborations with major creative partners such as cinematographers Christopher Doyle and Mark Lee Ping-bing, and production designer/editor William Chang, while also asking how far the idea of Wong as an auteur depends on these collaborations. Across the six weeks, students will develop tools for analysing Wong’s narrative structures, visual style, soundtracks, treatment of urban space, and engagement with Hong Kong’s shifting historical identity.
What will we cover?
• The Hong Kong New Waves and the relationship between commercial cinema, popular genres and art cinema. • Wong Kar-wai’s status as a Hong Kong Second New Wave filmmaker and as a transnational auteur. • Wong’s stylistic trademarks of voice-over, popular music, slow motion, step-printing, colour, mirrors, corridors, windows, clocks, deadlines and fragmented narrative structures to create a distinctive atmosphere. • How the meanings of Wong Kar-wai’s films relate to his recurring themes, including loneliness, longing, romantic failure, missed connections, memory, nostalgia, migration, travel and displacement. • Hong Kong as a cinematic space marked by transition, disappearance and historical uncertainty, especially around the 1997 handover, and how this is reflected in his films. • Wong’s international circulation through festivals, awards, cinephile culture, star performance and collaborations across Hong Kong, China, France, Argentina, the USA and beyond. • The later Wong Kar-wai: 2046, The Grandmaster and questions of memory, genre, martial arts, national cinema and global prestige.
What will I achieve? By the end of this course you should be able to...
Analyse Wong Kar-wai’s films in terms of narrative form, mise-en-scène, cinematography, editing, music and performance.
Identify major recurring themes and motifs in Wong’s cinema, including time, memory, longing, urban space, travel and romantic failure.
Situate Wong’s work within the history of Hong Kong cinema, especially the First and Second Hong Kong New Waves and the period surrounding the 1997 handover.
Compare Wong’s engagement with genre, melodrama and popular cinema across different phases of his career.
Explain why films such as Chungking Express, Happy Together and In the Mood for Love became central to global art cinema and international cinephile culture.
What level is the course and do I need any particular skills?
The course is suitable for all levels and you do not require any particular skills, just an interest in cinema. Key concepts such as auteurism, mise-en-scène, editing, genre, melodrama and transnational cinema will be introduced clearly in class.
How will I be taught, and will there be any work outside the class?
Short clips from the films will be provided, as well as reading materials. The class will be structured around a combination of PowerPoint presentations, film clips and class discussions.
Are there any other costs? Is there anything I need to bring?
The tutor will show extracts from films and you do not have to obtain them.
When I've finished, what course can I do next?
Please look at further courses on our City Lit website: https://www.citylit.ac.uk/courses/humanities
Dr Jean-Baptiste de Vaulx has taught at Royal Holloway, University of London, and currently is an associate lecturer at University College London. His fields of teaching and research focus on world cinema, international film history, film festivals and cinephile film cultures. He has published articles and book chapters on varied topics including child characters in Iranian cinema, the theme of home in the films of Lucrecia Martel, the Japanese new wave director Hiroshi Teshigahara, and the history of world cinema programming on Channel Four.
Please note: We reserve the right to change our tutors from those advertised. This happens rarely, but if it does, we are unable to refund fees due to this. Our tutors may have different teaching styles; however we guarantee a consistent quality of teaching in all our courses.
product
https://www.citylit.ac.uk/masters-of-cinema-wong-kar-wai3071476Masters of Cinema: Wong Kar Waihttps://www.citylit.ac.uk/media/catalog/category/50-films-HF004-1024.jpg189189GBPInStock/Courses/Courses/Culture, history & humanities/Courses/Culture, history & humanities/Film studies/Courses/Culture, history & humanities/Film studies/World film22851177158021001228511771580<p>Wong Kar-wai is one of the most distinctive and influential filmmakers in world cinema, celebrated for his visual style, melancholy romanticism, and evocative treatment of time, memory, and urban life. This six-week course introduces students to Wong’s cinema and explores the wider contexts that shaped his work, from his emergence out of the Hong Kong film industry to his international consecration as a transnational auteur. Through close study of films such as <em>Days of Being Wild</em>, <em>Chungking Express</em>, <em>Fallen Angels</em>, <em>Happy Together</em>, I <em>n the Mood for Love</em>, <em>2046</em> and <em>The Grandmaster</em>, we will take a deep dive into Wong’s signature stylistic and thematic motifs of missed connections, longing, repetition, displacement, and historical transition, while situating his work within Hong Kong cinema before and after the 1997 handover.</p>003071437Masters of Cinema: Wong Kar Wai189189https://www.citylit.ac.uk/media/catalog/category/50-films-HF004-1024.jpgInStockEveningFriKeeley StreetAvailable courses5-10 weeksWeekday2027-01-08T00:00:00+00:00Beginners, Some experience, Advanced, Suitable for allJan 2027Culture, history & humanitiesHF422189189Masters of Cinema: Wong Kar Wai189123189Jean-Baptiste de Vaulxmasters-of-cinema-wong-kar-wai/hf422-2627<p>Wong Kar-wai is one of the most distinctive and influential filmmakers in world cinema, celebrated for his visual style, melancholy romanticism, and evocative treatment of time, memory, and urban life. This six-week course introduces students to Wong’s cinema and explores the wider contexts that shaped his work, from his emergence out of the Hong Kong film industry to his international consecration as a transnational auteur. Through close study of films such as <em>Days of Being Wild</em>, <em>Chungking Express</em>, <em>Fallen Angels</em>, <em>Happy Together</em>, I <em>n the Mood for Love</em>, <em>2046</em> and <em>The Grandmaster</em>, we will take a deep dive into Wong’s signature stylistic and thematic motifs of missed connections, longing, repetition, displacement, and historical transition, while situating his work within Hong Kong cinema before and after the 1997 handover.</p>0000-Available|2027-01-08 00:00:00<p>This film studies course offers a focused exploration of the cinema of Wong Kar-wai, tracing his development from Hong Kong genre cinema to internationally recognised auteur. We will examine how Wong refashions gangster films, melodrama, romance, and martial arts cinema into highly personal meditations on memory, desire, time and place. The course will pay close attention to Wong’s collaborations with major creative partners such as cinematographers Christopher Doyle and Mark Lee Ping-bing, and production designer/editor William Chang, while also asking how far the idea of Wong as an auteur depends on these collaborations. Across the six weeks, students will develop tools for analysing Wong’s narrative structures, visual style, soundtracks, treatment of urban space, and engagement with Hong Kong’s shifting historical identity.</p><p>Wong Kar-wai is one of the most distinctive and influential filmmakers in world cinema, celebrated for his visual style, melancholy romanticism, and evocative treatment of time, memory, and urban life. This six-week course introduces students to Wong’s cinema and explores the wider contexts that shaped his work, from his emergence out of the Hong Kong film industry to his international consecration as a transnational auteur. Through close study of films such as <em>Days of Being Wild</em>, <em>Chungking Express</em>, <em>Fallen Angels</em>, <em>Happy Together</em>, I <em>n the Mood for Love</em>, <em>2046</em> and <em>The Grandmaster</em>, we will take a deep dive into Wong’s signature stylistic and thematic motifs of missed connections, longing, repetition, displacement, and historical transition, while situating his work within Hong Kong cinema before and after the 1997 handover.</p><p>• The Hong Kong New Waves and the relationship between commercial cinema, popular genres and art cinema.<br>• Wong Kar-wai’s status as a Hong Kong Second New Wave filmmaker and as a transnational auteur.<br>• Wong’s stylistic trademarks of voice-over, popular music, slow motion, step-printing, colour, mirrors, corridors, windows, clocks, deadlines and fragmented narrative structures to create a distinctive atmosphere.<br>• How the meanings of Wong Kar-wai’s films relate to his recurring themes, including loneliness, longing, romantic failure, missed connections, memory, nostalgia, migration, travel and displacement.<br>• Hong Kong as a cinematic space marked by transition, disappearance and historical uncertainty, especially around the 1997 handover, and how this is reflected in his films.<br>• Wong’s international circulation through festivals, awards, cinephile culture, star performance and collaborations across Hong Kong, China, France, Argentina, the USA and beyond.<br>• The later Wong Kar-wai: 2046, The Grandmaster and questions of memory, genre, martial arts, national cinema and global prestige.<br> </p><ul><li>Analyse Wong Kar-wai’s films in terms of narrative form, mise-en-scène, cinematography, editing, music and performance.</li><li>Identify major recurring themes and motifs in Wong’s cinema, including time, memory, longing, urban space, travel and romantic failure.</li><li>Situate Wong’s work within the history of Hong Kong cinema, especially the First and Second Hong Kong New Waves and the period surrounding the 1997 handover.</li><li>Compare Wong’s engagement with genre, melodrama and popular cinema across different phases of his career.</li><li>Explain why films such as Chungking Express, Happy Together and In the Mood for Love became central to global art cinema and international cinephile culture.<br> </li></ul><p>The course is suitable for all levels and you do not require any particular skills, just an interest in cinema. Key concepts such as auteurism, mise-en-scène, editing, genre, melodrama and transnational cinema will be introduced clearly in class.</p><p>Short clips from the films will be provided, as well as reading materials. The class will be structured around a combination of PowerPoint presentations, film clips and class discussions. </p><p>The tutor will show extracts from films and you do not have to obtain them.</p><p>Please look at further courses on our City Lit website: https://www.citylit.ac.uk/courses/humanities</p>Film studiesWorld filmvirtual189189123HF422NONEFri08/01/27 - 12/02/2718:00 - 20:0018:0020:006 sessions (over 6 weeks)65-10 weeksEveningWeekdayKSKeeley StreetJean-Baptiste de VaulxBeginners, Some experience, Advanced, Suitable for allAvailable courses2027-01-08T00:00:00+00:00Jan 2027Culture, history & humanities189189Masters of Cinema: Wong Kar Waimasters-of-cinema-wong-kar-wai/hf422-2627<p>Wong Kar-wai is one of the most distinctive and influential filmmakers in world cinema, celebrated for his visual style, melancholy romanticism, and evocative treatment of time, memory, and urban life. This six-week course introduces students to Wong’s cinema and explores the wider contexts that shaped his work, from his emergence out of the Hong Kong film industry to his international consecration as a transnational auteur. Through close study of films such as <em>Days of Being Wild</em>, <em>Chungking Express</em>, <em>Fallen Angels</em>, <em>Happy Together</em>, I <em>n the Mood for Love</em>, <em>2046</em> and <em>The Grandmaster</em>, we will take a deep dive into Wong’s signature stylistic and thematic motifs of missed connections, longing, repetition, displacement, and historical transition, while situating his work within Hong Kong cinema before and after the 1997 handover.</p>0000-Available|2027-01-08 00:00:00<p>This film studies course offers a focused exploration of the cinema of Wong Kar-wai, tracing his development from Hong Kong genre cinema to internationally recognised auteur. We will examine how Wong refashions gangster films, melodrama, romance, and martial arts cinema into highly personal meditations on memory, desire, time and place. The course will pay close attention to Wong’s collaborations with major creative partners such as cinematographers Christopher Doyle and Mark Lee Ping-bing, and production designer/editor William Chang, while also asking how far the idea of Wong as an auteur depends on these collaborations. Across the six weeks, students will develop tools for analysing Wong’s narrative structures, visual style, soundtracks, treatment of urban space, and engagement with Hong Kong’s shifting historical identity.</p><p>Wong Kar-wai is one of the most distinctive and influential filmmakers in world cinema, celebrated for his visual style, melancholy romanticism, and evocative treatment of time, memory, and urban life. This six-week course introduces students to Wong’s cinema and explores the wider contexts that shaped his work, from his emergence out of the Hong Kong film industry to his international consecration as a transnational auteur. Through close study of films such as <em>Days of Being Wild</em>, <em>Chungking Express</em>, <em>Fallen Angels</em>, <em>Happy Together</em>, I <em>n the Mood for Love</em>, <em>2046</em> and <em>The Grandmaster</em>, we will take a deep dive into Wong’s signature stylistic and thematic motifs of missed connections, longing, repetition, displacement, and historical transition, while situating his work within Hong Kong cinema before and after the 1997 handover.</p><p>• The Hong Kong New Waves and the relationship between commercial cinema, popular genres and art cinema.<br>• Wong Kar-wai’s status as a Hong Kong Second New Wave filmmaker and as a transnational auteur.<br>• Wong’s stylistic trademarks of voice-over, popular music, slow motion, step-printing, colour, mirrors, corridors, windows, clocks, deadlines and fragmented narrative structures to create a distinctive atmosphere.<br>• How the meanings of Wong Kar-wai’s films relate to his recurring themes, including loneliness, longing, romantic failure, missed connections, memory, nostalgia, migration, travel and displacement.<br>• Hong Kong as a cinematic space marked by transition, disappearance and historical uncertainty, especially around the 1997 handover, and how this is reflected in his films.<br>• Wong’s international circulation through festivals, awards, cinephile culture, star performance and collaborations across Hong Kong, China, France, Argentina, the USA and beyond.<br>• The later Wong Kar-wai: 2046, The Grandmaster and questions of memory, genre, martial arts, national cinema and global prestige.<br> </p><ul><li>Analyse Wong Kar-wai’s films in terms of narrative form, mise-en-scène, cinematography, editing, music and performance.</li><li>Identify major recurring themes and motifs in Wong’s cinema, including time, memory, longing, urban space, travel and romantic failure.</li><li>Situate Wong’s work within the history of Hong Kong cinema, especially the First and Second Hong Kong New Waves and the period surrounding the 1997 handover.</li><li>Compare Wong’s engagement with genre, melodrama and popular cinema across different phases of his career.</li><li>Explain why films such as Chungking Express, Happy Together and In the Mood for Love became central to global art cinema and international cinephile culture.<br> </li></ul><p>The course is suitable for all levels and you do not require any particular skills, just an interest in cinema. Key concepts such as auteurism, mise-en-scène, editing, genre, melodrama and transnational cinema will be introduced clearly in class.</p><p>Short clips from the films will be provided, as well as reading materials. The class will be structured around a combination of PowerPoint presentations, film clips and class discussions. </p><p>The tutor will show extracts from films and you do not have to obtain them.</p><p>Please look at further courses on our City Lit website: https://www.citylit.ac.uk/courses/humanities</p>Film studiesWorld filmconfigurable
21001580World filmhttps://www.citylit.ac.uk/courses/humanities/film-studies/world-film1/2/285/1177/1580/21001/Courses/Culture, history & humanities/Film studies/World film
