Transnational cinema
editTransnational cinema is a developing concept within film studies that encompasses a range of theories relating to the effects of globalization upon the cultural and economic aspects of film. It incorporates the debates and influences of postnationalism, postcolonialism, consumerism and Third cinema[1], amongst many other topics.
Key Debates
editA key argument of Transnational cinema is the necessity for a redefinition, or even refutation, of the concept of a national cinema. National identity has been posited as an 'imaginary community' that in reality is formed of many seperate and fragmented communities defined more by social class, economic class, sexuality, gender, generation, religion, ethnicity, political belief and fashion, than nationality[2].
The increasingly transnational practices in film funding, production and distribution combined with the 'imagined community' thus provide the basis for an argued necessity for a greater use of transnational, rather than national, perspectives within film studies[2]. Global communication through the internet has also resulted in changes within culture and has further resulted in film transcending perceived national boundaries [3].
Ongoing definition
editThe broad scope of topics relating to Transnational cinema have raised some criticisms over its exact definition, as Mette Hjort notes:
(...) to date the discourse of cinematic transnationalism has been characterized less by competing theories and approaches than by a tendency to use the term ‘transnational’ as a largely self-evident qualifier requiring only minimal conceptual clarification.[4]
Subsequently, Hjort, John Hess and Patricia Zimmerman[5], amongst others, have attempted to clearly define the utilisation and implementation of Transnational cinema theories. To assist the ongoing discussions, Transnational Cinemas, the first Academic Journal dedicated to the ongoing debates, has been announced by Intellect for publication in 2010[6].
References
edit- ^ Dennison, S. & Lim, S.H. (2006). Situating World Cinema as a Theoretical Problem. In Dennison, S & Lim, S. H. (eds). 'Remapping World Cinema: Identity, Culture and Politics in Film'. (pp.1-15) London & New York: Wallflower Press.
- ^ a b Higson, A. (2006). The Limiting Imagination of National Cinema. In Ezra, E. & Rowden, T. (eds.) 'Transnational Cinema, the Reader' (pp.15-26). Abingdon: Routledge.
- ^ Shefrin, E. (2006). Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, and Participatory Fandom: Mapping New Congruencies Between the Internet and Media Entertainment Culture. In Ezra, E. & Rowden, T. (eds.) 'Transnational Cinema, the Reader' (pp.73-80). Abingdon: Routledge.
- ^ Hjort, M. (Forthcoming, 2009). On the Plurality of Cinematic Transnationalism. In Newman, K & Durovicova, N . (eds.) 'World Cinemas, Transnational Perspectives'. London: Routledge/American Film Institute Reader.
- ^ Hess, J. & Zimmerman, P. (2006). Transnational Documentaries: An Introduction. In Ezra, E. & Rowden, T. (eds.) 'Transnational Cinema, the Reader' (pp.97-108). Abingdon: Routledge.
- ^ call for submissions on Durham University Hispanists Society page
Further reading
edit- Shohat, E & Stam, R. (eds.) Multiculturalism, Postcoloniality and Transnational Media, New Brunswick: Rutgers University Press, 2003.
- Pisters, P. & Staat, W. Shooting the Family: Transnational Media and Intercultural Values, Amsterdam: Amsterdam University Press, 2005.
- Hunt, L. & Wing-Fai, L. East Asian Cinemas: Exploring Transnational Connections on Film, London & New York: I.B. Tauris, 2008.
- Hjort, M. & Mackenzie, S. Cinema and Nation, London: Routledge, 2000
- Guneratne, A. & Dissanayake, W (eds.) Rethinking Third Cinema, London & New York: Routledge, 2003.
- Kauer, R & Sinha, A (eds.) Bollywood: Popular Indian Cinema Through a Transnational Lens, New Delhi: Sage, 2005.
- Nestingen, A & Elkington, T. (eds.) Transnational Cinema in a Global North: Nordic Cinema in Transition, Detroit: Wayne State University Press, 2005.