While American and European film have dominated film production and exhibition, cinema is a global phenomenon. In this module, you will study the historical, cultural, political and economic determinants of "world" or "national" cinemas. You will consider their influence within domestic and international contexts. The case studies will vary from year to year in line with staff expertise: for example, Latin America, Scandinavia, Eastern Europe, East Asia and/or Japan. By introducing films from the case-study nation/s or region/s, the module will study how filmmakers actively franchise, adopt, and rework film styles and genres. You will examine how filmmakers respond to the (film) culture and local history of the country being studied, as well as to international influences and, in the case of colonized regions, colonial and post-colonial politics and culture. You will also study how filmmakers tailor their practice to the tastes and demands of local and foreign audiences, investigating the funding structures, distribution strategies and/or other industrial structures and norms that incentivise certain topics and representation styles. You will critically assess the cinema's use for developing notions of national identity, and how these are built on given concepts of gender, sexual, and/or racial identity. Pursuant to these goals, themes for examination will extend to the place of marginalized and migrant communities in national identity and culture.
Lecture & Screening: 24 hours
Seminar: 16 hours
Main assessment methods:
Portfolio.
Assessment Details: Reflective Diary (1,500 words). Worth 60%.
Extended Writing.
Assessment Details: Essay (1,500 words). Worth 40%.
Reassessment Method:
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On successfully completing the module, students will be able to:
1) Analyse the history, cultural, aesthetic specificity of a cinema particular to a given region or regions.
2) Identify and account for cultural flows and aesthetic exchanges influencing a particular cinema or cinemas.
3) Critically evaluate various trends, cycles, and movements of a regional cinema from an international and domestic perspective.
4) Examine how history, politics and culture are present in a given region’s film aesthetic and narrative.
5) Explain how historical, political and cultural forces from within a region or regions and internationally have the capacity to shape production, distribution and exhibition.
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