Hybrid cities: cinematic representations of space, culture and history in Hong Kong and Santiago de Chile

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to do a cross-cultural study between the cities of Santiago de Chile and Hong Kong analyzing the representation of urban areas in two films: the Chilean film Machuca (2003) by Andrés Wood and the Chinese film Little Cheung (1999) by Hong Kong director Fruit Chan. Occasional reference to other cinematic examples will be relevant to understand the filmmakers’ work, the historical background as well as the choice of themes and modes of representation.

Néstor García Canclini´s theories on hybrid cultures, urban imaginaries and post-colonial modernity in Latin America will form the main framework from which to analyze the particularities of both cities and their relevance in the formation of culture, history and identity. The colonial legacy and the historical context of Hong Kong and Chile at the time of the film’s settings make them interesting subjects for comparison in light of the above theories. This study aims to argue two hypotheses: first, in what ways can we think of Hong Kong and Santiago as examples of hybrid cities, what are the historical, social and cultural processes that have led to such state of hybridity and what are the implications of understanding the city as a hybrid space; and second, how art (cinema) and the media deal with cultural and historical issues of identity and belonging in order to contribute to the construction of individual and public memory in urban communities.