“Time marches on, just can’t wait” Nile Rodgers
The global entertainment landscape is undergoing a paradigm shift with the explosive rise of micro-dramas (“duan ju”) – narrative content in vertical format explicitly for smartphone viewing.
Originating on short-video platforms such as Douyin and Kuaishou in China, micro-dramas have rapidly evolved from DIY, user-generated experiments, web fictions and short promotions, into a highly industrialised, transnational sector. A vertical series comprises around 50-100 ultra-short episodes (usually no longer than 90-180 seconds), has algorithm-driven distribution, and mobile-native aesthetics. It is a format that is cultivating new creative talent, reshaping production economics, and circulating across international markets.
These developments suggest strategies on how Asian media industries might provide a counter force to Hollywood’s global domination. Korean cinema tried and failed to take on Hollywood’s big budget special effects dominated feature films, but broke through in the West through K-dramas that are now well-established on streaming platforms.
In the same way, Chinese sci-fi and fantasy features with large scale special effects have failed to dent the US box office despite great success at home. But in both form and content, China’s breakthrough penetration in Western markets may come via the almost viral spread of vertical dramas.
Ironically, Hollywood’s visionary attempt to lead this new format was Quibi, the high cost (USD1.75 billion) short-lived venture rolled out in 2020 by Jeffrey Katzenberg and Meg Whitman. It failed for a combination of reasons (Covid, high production cost, subscription model, competition from free services such as Tik Tok) but should be recognized as the first serious attempt in the West to change the media landscape.
In the cinema, formats may come and go but they always leave a footprint that influences the development of the art and commerce of the industry. Comedy and action films today still owe much to the silent cinema. 16mm film revolutionized the documentary and indie films. Like Lazarus, 3D keeps coming back from the dead, and its next iteration is likely a translation into immersive smart glasses.
Micro-dramas are poised to join this string of game-changing historical developments. The huge popularity of micro-dramas is unprecedented and notable for not relying on the block-buster phenomenon that drives much of Hollywood’s metrics. There is no Star Wars or Titanic or Avatar to unite audiences around the world for the billion dollar box office revenue – at least not yet. In equal measure there is no aesthetic breakthrough such as a Battleship Potemkin, Citizen Kane, A Bout de Souffle or Pulp Fiction that has entered the global consciousness and changed our view of the cinema and the world – at least not yet.
For a film festival devoted to the international exposure of commercial Asian cinema, the Far East Film Festival Udine is well positioned to acknowledge the micro-drama juggernaut as it rolls out across the globe, and to study its potential influence and footprint on a rapidly changing film industry that is grappling with transformative technologies and evolving audience habits.
Many of the filmmakers now entering the micro drama format are film school graduates. They are not ignorant of film language or milestone movies. Will they be able to bring about breakthroughs in aesthetics and genre? Will we see a greater diversity of stories and voices?
All of this is now developing under the shadow of artificial intelligence. The current state of computing power, low cost, gradual ease of use, increasing acceptance of AI generated images, makes this technology an almost symbiotic fit for the ultra-short form medium.
In this programme we present a slice of the huge micro-drama output and offer an outline on the development of the form, drawing on examples from China, the Asian region and the English-language market.
I would like to thank Sabrina Baracetti, President of the Far East Film Festival and her team who have always been supportive of my programming efforts! For the curating of this programme, I am indebted to Teng Lee Yein, and Pengnan Hu. This programme would not have been possible without their invaluable input, insights and advice.
Roger Garcia