Beyond the (trans)national: towards a cinema of transvergence in postcolonial and diasporic francophone cinema(s)

Abstract

The aim of this article is to explore the current state of theorizing around questions of national and transnational cinema and to propose an approach which I am calling a ‘cinema of transvergence’ as a means of better understanding the complex relationship between national, transnational and postcolonial/diasporic cinemas. The work and situation of Algerian film-makers Merzak Allouache and Mahmoud Zemmouri are referred to in the final section of this article as an example of how this idea of a cinema of transvergence might be applied to postcolonial émigré or diasporic film-makers working in France.