About me
I am KUSAIKO Roman, a film and media scholar, having graduated with a Ph.D. degree from Lingnan University, Department of Digital Arts and Creative Industries (DA+CI). My chief supervisor was Assistant Professor Wesley Jacks who specializes on Chinese-Hollywood media circulation. My co-supervisor was Honorary Professor Darrell William Davis, a prominent East Asian scholar, researching the instances of cross-cultural circulation, media cooperation, especially within the Pan-Asian region and Japan in particular.
My Ph.D. research is titled Transnational Networks of Film Repetitions in East Asia: Proliferation and Limitations. In this thesis, I explore the research topic of when and how remakes and other forms of repetitive content create specific transnational systems. I suggested that we should research not only remakes as a dichotomy between source and target material, but also from a broader perspective. I also claimed that remaking is an established form of creative practice generic for media industries, unlike recent skepticism circulating among audiences and influencers. To support my claims, I first introduced the topic of remaking and its mainstream importance, using The Walt Disney Company and the transformation of the quota of its spectacle films. Then, I proceed to conduct case studies on various franchises and remakes, such as Takashi Shimizu’s Ju-on, Alan Mak’s and Andrew Lau’s 無間道 Mou Gaan Dou [Infernal Affairs], 12 Angry Men, and Blood Simple.
The panel of examiners apart from my chief supervisor also included two DA+CI Professors from Lingnan University, Ming Tak CHEW (Matthew) and Professor Rafael De CLERCQ, and Professor David Scott DIFFRIENT from Colorado State University, College of Liberal Arts. Professor CHEW specializes in sociology and its application in literature, comic books and media. Professor De Clercq specializes in aesthetics, metaphysics and analytical philosophy. Professor Diffrient is a renowned scholar in the field of film remaking and the circulation of texts between media.
My M.A. degree is in Art theory (Intercultural communication studies), defended at the Shanghai Theater Academy. My supervisor was Daniel Shen Liang, Professor of Art Education at the Department of Dramatic Literature. He has extensive experience drama, Chinese cinema and higher education administration.
The MA research was the first attempt to examine how filmmakers from distinct cultural backgrounds adapt U.S. source material for their own countries. I conducted case studies on Sidney Lumet’s 12 Angry Men remakes in China (Xu Ang’s 12 Citizens) and Russia (Nikita Mikhalkov’s 12). Evidently, this earlier work was expanded later during my Ph.D. research.
In 2024, I was also a visiting scholar at Monash University, in the School of Media, Film and Journalism. My temporary supervisor was Associate Professor Constantine Verevis, a leading scholar in transnational film remaking, and the author of numerous books and peer-review journal articles.
The visit allowed me to gain access to the new literature and crucial developments in the academy on film remakes. Professor Verevis shared how the opinions on film remakes were changing and how they contrasts with the popular discourse. Without this visit, my literature review could have been insufficient.
Finally, my first Specialist degree (a borderline between B.A. and M.A.) is in Jurisprudence in Civil and Family law, defended in Kutafin’s Moscow State Law University. These studies and work experience as a lawyer and advocate allow me to easily navigate between legal systems and state regulations of media and intellectual property rights.
Evidently, there was a significant change in my professional direction after years of legal practice. Yet, my research on film remaking continues the initial ideas from my MA thesis and my preliminary arguments about cross-cultural flows from the U.S. to other countries.
You can find my full CV, including links, publications, conferences, and other useful information on my LinkedIn page.