National Film Research Articles

Spectator as worker: the production film of Soviet Georgia in Mikhail Kalatozov’s Salt for Svaneti and A Nail in the Boot

ABSTRACT In this article, I argue that Mikhail Kalatozov’s Salt for Svaneti and A Nail in the Boot serve as examples of the production film and chart the evolving relationship of early Georgian cinema to Soviet (film) production. The term ‘production film’ here delineates a category of early Soviet films that focus predominantly on the production process. I provide a framework for reading Kalatozov’s films as production films within the history of the Georgian Film Studio, tracing the influence of Sergei Tret’iakov and his writings on the production screenplay, as well as within contemporary research on industrial film as a genre, which has tended to overlook Soviet cinema. On a formal level, I interpret scenes of the production process as organised according to the worker’s gaze in the discussed films. The worker’s gaze functions as a device to entice the spectator, imagined as a worker, to participate in and reflect on socialist construction. Reading Kalatozov’s Salt for Svaneti and A Nail in the Boot as production films complicates the centre-periphery model and the standpoint of national cinema in the context of Georgian cinema’s emergence as a significant force in Soviet film production.

The Existence of Woman Filmmakers in Film Ecosystem of Bandung

The art of filmmaking is a creative process that involves collaboration from various parties and aspects. This also inspired women filmmakers to create their own works. Many women filmmakers have successfully addressed important issues through their films. The number of women filmmakers in Bandung is still relatively low. Based on data obtained from film communities in Bandung, women filmmakers account for only about one-third of the total number. However, women filmmakers have achieved various notable accomplishments on both national and international levels. This research was conducted to understand the presence of women filmmakers in Bandung within the scope of the national film. Data were obtained in collaboration with Bandung Film Commission (BFC). The informants were women filmmakers who are originally from Bandung and have made contributions to the national film industry. This paper represents a qualitative descriptive study. The research subjects were women filmmakers in Bandung, and the selection of informants was done using purposive sampling techniques. The results of the research indicate that the presence of women filmmakers does not happen instantly. There are internal and external factors that support the development of skills in filmmaking. The level of filmmaking activity in the region is crucial, making the presence of film communities in Bandung highly supportive of the emergence of women filmmakers on the national stage. The existence of women filmmakers is marked by their works, attitudes, and professions. To sustain the existence of women filmmakers, harmony between the realms of education, the professional world, and film associations is essential.

The Question of Language in Contemporary Ukrainian Cinema

Abstract Since the 2000s, various laws have sought to impose Ukrainian in film production. If until 2014, due to decades of Russification, it was not uncommon to see a Ukrainian film shot in Russian, the Ukrainian language has become increasingly dominant in national cinema. The law of 2017 demanding Ukrainian directors to shoot in the official state language has aroused questions and different positions among the film community: while some have tried to resist it, arguing a lack of realism and an artificial use of a standardized Ukrainian language in the context of a predominantly bilingual society, most filmmakers have been able to find creative solutions, by getting in tune with a society that is becoming more and more Ukrainian-speaking, or by resorting to surzhyk, a vernacular mixing Ukrainian and Russian. Apart from Slavic languages, minority languages such as Crimean Tatar have also found their place in contemporary Ukrainian cinema.

A Comparative Study on the Aesthetics of Chinese and Russian War-themed Movies from the Perspective of Big Data

As an important component of national cinema, war-themed movies represent the strength of the national film industry and modern technology. From a historical perspective, Chinese war-themed films have been influenced by the aesthetics of Soviet cinema. This paper begins by exploring the historical origins and development of Chinese and Russian war-themed mainstream films, and conducts an aesthetic comparison from the aspects of ideological consciousness, humanistic reflection, new paradigms, and application of network big data technology. It elucidates the spiritual aspirations of Chinese and Russian war-themed films and grasps the development direction of such films in China.

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Bollywood in the neoliberal era: changing discourses on multiculturalism, terrorism, and nationalism in ‘Dil Se … ’ (1998) and ‘Fanaa’ (2006)

ABSTRACT Indian nationalism has remained, for long, an important subtext to Bollywood cinema. However, whether Bollywood cinematic output could be considered as Indian national cinema has encouraged very divisive academic discourses. When Bollywood received the status of an Industry in 1998 in keeping with the promise made in the BJP 1998 electoral manifesto (Bharatiya Janata Party, 2016, p. 232–233), it appeared that the benefits of Economic Liberalisation could finally be enjoyed by the Bombay film establishment. By focusing on Mani Ratnam’s Dil Se … (1998) and Kunal Kohli’s ‘Fanaa’ (2006) this paper shall explore in detail how the nascent neoliberalism affected the discourse of Indian nationalism on the Bollywood screen through binary formation, and Othering of minorities; and how such strategies were incorporated within Hindutva style of communal identity formation in the wake of the political discourses engendered by the 2001 Parliament Attack.

Theatrical Release Windows: A Playground for “Cultural Exception” Policies?

In recent years, cinema culture in Europe has undergone a substantial reorganization of production models and a profound change of public intervention in favor of the film industry. This article aims to reconstruct the different combinations between protectionist and liberalist policies through a comparative analysis of the contemporary European national cinema aids, identifying differences and shared trends and verifying the existence of a “continental” cinema support model. Therefore the article will analyze public support policies on cinema production, distribution, and exhibition in the EU and in several of its member states (including France, Germany, England, Spain, and Italy) from 2018 to 2022. Focusing on theatrical release windows, this essay will attempt to answer the following main questions: is there a “European” mark in policies in favor of cinema? Can we speak of a “European” model (even outside the European Union) of support for the cinema? What are the elements and actions that define it? What are the sectors of the industry in which it is most fully expressed (production, distribution, exhibition)? And what are the themes and areas in which, on the contrary, national differences (sometimes driven by resurgent nationalisms) are most marked?

Questions of identity and global visibility: French funding in Latin American and Maghrebi cinema

This article examines the relationship between French film funding and the regional cinemas of the Southern Cone of Latin America (Cono Sur) and the Maghreb. Since the 1980s, France has steadily increased its support of filmmakers in francophone regions, expanding its funding of organizations and financial aids like Fonds Sud (now Aide aux cinémas du monde) and Fonds Image de la Francophonie in order to promote francophone filmmaking throughout the world. In the cases of the Southern Cone (Argentina, Chile, and Uruguay) and the Maghreb (Algeria, Morocco, and Tunisia), the opportunities provided by French funding and the interest in co-producing global cinema coincides with a rise in local productions within these regions. A French co-production status also promotes the global visibility of other national cinemas. Yet the discourse surrounding the types of narratives shown in French co-productions and the ways in which filmmakers are limited by funding stipulations highlights an ongoing issue that filmmakers from the Southern Cone and the Maghreb face when accepting France’s financial support. The combination of France’s global financing of films and the expanding interest in Southern Cone and North African cinema establishes a complex relationship around French funding institutions, francophone regions (as well as their relationships to the term “francophone”), and identity within an increasingly globalized film space. By examining the history and current state of these regions’ cinemas, as well as their relationships to France, this article analyzes the positive and negative effects of France’s history in financially shaping the national (and regional) cinemas of southern Latin America and the Maghreb, the current landscape of Southern Cone and North African filmmaking, and the possibilities for change in transnational filmmaking in the future.

Gathering Despite Scattering

Much of the material related to the first female cine-workers in Iran and Egypt is not centrally curated in an archive but scattered across a variety of platforms, personal collections, books, databases, and other locations. The scattered nature of these sources reflects current practices of official state film archives in Egypt and Iran, and also connects to the lived realities of female cine-workers in the way that their unruly bodies often dissonated with the national film narratives with which they were expected to align and to represent, and experienced stigma as a result. I take this scattering seriously to propose “gathering despite scattering,” a decolonial and feminist method of constructing the archives that form the basis of our historical analysis. Gathering despite scattering embraces the corporeal, learns from provenance, and challenges the national and Eurocentric frameworks that have often strictured the histories of cinema in places like Egypt and Iran.

Genre and stylistic features of Ukrainian fiction cinematography of the period of independence

The article is devoted the definition of genre and stylistic features of fiction films produced in Ukraine from 1991 to 2022. Using the analysis of theoretical works on film studies, genre theory, semiology and film history, it is proposed to define the concept of “genre” as a set of repetitive syntactic and semantic structures, the main connections of the genre with the socio-cultural and historical context are outlined. In particular, after analyzing 949 audiovisual projects from the «Base of National Films of Ukraine», which have been created during the period of Independence, it was found that the largest number of produced audiovisual works belongs to the fiction type of cinema. The presence of syntactic and semantic structures of 46 genres has been identified according to the genre and thematic direction of fiction cinematography. It is proved that the most popular genre in production is drama – 25 % of the total number of feature films. This percentage is a significant advantage over the presence of other genres. Analysis of data from the box office of cinema distribution in Ukraine for 2020 has revealed discrepancies between the number of produced films of a certain genre and thematic direction and the preferences of Ukrainian viewers. In this way, the assumption that the predominance of certain genres in the production of Ukrainian audiovisual art reflects the cultural needs of Ukrainians has been refuted. Such a comparison also disproved the claim that the absence of certain genres in the Ukrainian media space testifies to the foreignness of the narrative structure of such films to the cultural characteristics of Ukrainians, because the top five audience preferences include, for example, the horror genre, which is minimally present in Ukrainian production. The results of the study have theoretical and practical significance for film production in Ukraine, and also form a research field for further study of the development of each individual genre present in Ukrainian audiovisual art of the period of Independence.

Bath Culture: Bath Custom-Tradition in Azerbaijani National Films

Bath culture emerging with the cleansing power of water is a civilizational experience coming down from past to present. The conducted archaeological and ethnographic studies have proved that the mankind have used baths since ancient times. The bath, which was highly appreciated by all nations, has been an integral part of their cultures and lifestyles. Although this concept presented as a place is a variable to be constructed and transformed, it denotes a process determining human relations and cultural manifestations in the social structure. The spread of baths is also connected with the features of migration factors transferring the mankind’s experience, habits and lifestyle to new settlements. 
 The paper studies the emergence and development history of baths, the physiological and hygienic aspects of the effect of baths on the human body. The main role of films in the human life and the skillful illumination of bath scenes in various styles in Azerbaijani films (“Qanun namina”, “If Not That One, Then This One”, “I Want To Get Married”, “The Stab in the Back”) are noted in the article, as well.

Competitive Strategy Redesign Indonesian Film Industry (Case Study of Perum Produksi Film Negara)

The aim of this research is to analyze the competitive strategy of the Indonesian film industry by testing samples at the State Film Production Company (PFN) as the only state-owned company operating in the film industry. In analyzing the competitive strategy, an analysis was carried out using financial ratio analysis by looking at the financial performance of the State Film Production Company (PFN) for the period 2015 – 2021. Then an assessment was carried out using the Corporate Life Cycle approach to determine the company’s positioning amidst the development of the film industry both at the national and international levels. The type of research used is descriptive with the data source used is secondary data. Secondary data in this research is the Financial Report of Perum PFN for the period 2015 – 2021. The financial ratios used as analytical tools are liquidity ratios, leverage ratios, profitability ratios, activity ratios and market value ratios. Overall research results referring to the company’s financial ratios show that positioning PFN in the Infant category, there is a high probability that the business will die due to lack of sales with negative cash flow conditions. So, in order to be able to compete in the national film industry, it is necessary to redesign appropriate and efficient competitive strategies.

Law Enforcement Effectiveness on Copyright Piracy: Case of Indonesia

Piracy, which is still a phenomenon in society, has even grown so rapidly that it has become a trend to produce and enjoy your own pirated films. learn how Indonesian law addresses cyber piracy of national films and how national film copyright protection works. The research method used in this article is doctrinal legal research. The legal rules used to reduce copyright piracy are in the form of the Copyright Law, Information and Electronic Transactions Law, Regulations of the Ministry of Law and Human Rights, and Regulations of the Minister of Communication and Information which are repressive, namely civil, administrative and criminal as well as preventive in nature. Law enforcement in Indonesia is still not effective because the level of public awareness and legal compliance is still not optimal, which is the main factor in the success of legal regulations.

Nollywood and the challenge of digital archiving and preservation in the digital era

This paper discusses digital archiving and preservation as a challenge that Nollywood must grapple with in the digital era. The paper argues that, in other climes, filmmakers have since understood archiving and preservation as the last steps in the life of a movie; unlike in Nigeria, where many a filmmaker have no plan beyond marketing and distribution. The methodology adopted for the research is the qualitative method, with use of documents and visual media research instrument utilized. This study is anchored on the theory of functionalism to establish the paper’s strong position that, in this era of transition to digital filmmaking, it has become rather pertinent for Nigerian filmmakers to factor in the archiving and preservation of their films as the final phase of the production process, in view of the all-important role it plays in the life of their works. Findings reveal that once the current film is distributed, filmmakers tend to move on with planning for the next big project. Thus, they fail to spend quality time to grapple with the reality of where the product of their hard work will end up in the future. This study concludes that filmmakers should be sensitized to appreciate the gains of the future life of their films that archiving and preservation offer. The National Film, Video and Sound Archive (NFVSA) in Jos should be strengthened and well-positioned to harvest the offerings of Nigerian filmmakers for posterity through digital archiving and preservation is our recommendation.

Transnationalising Malay Cinema: P. Ramlee in Hong Kong

This article investigates P. Ramlee's little-known attempt at transnationalising Malay cinema in the early 1960s. Using biographical records, newspaper reports and film magazines, I trace the star's earliest direct contact with Hong Kong cinema, his plans to make Malay films in Hong Kong, the controversy that ensued, and the outcomes of these grand plans. Situating this episode in its historical context, this article unsettles standard narratives of P. Ramlee, and Malay and Malaysian film histories. It demonstrates that, as opposed to the seemingly inevitable ethnonational route, and in contrast to the hypernationalist characterisation of P. Ramlee today, a transnational model was once envisioned through P. Ramlee as a potential future for Malay cinema in the face of tumultuous geopolitical changes. It also brings to light the complex role that labour activism played in shaping post-studio era development of Malay cinema, and the roots of Malaysian national cinema.

Cinematic musicking in Mozambique

Cinematic musicking in Mozambique

Popular Modernism, Neoliberalism and Nationalism in the Australian New Wave: The Cars That Ate Paris (1974) and Gallipoli (1981)

ABSTRACT Dominant narratives of the Australian New Wave tend to frame the efflorescence of national filmmaking in the 1970s through the lens of Gough Whitlam’s brand of cultural nationalism. The narrative usually runs as follows: state-funded films tended to favour a conservative, genteel and respectable aesthetic that came to be known as the “Australian Film Commission genre”. This article uses Mark Fisher’s concept of “popular modernism” to challenge this dominant account of the Australian New Wave first put forth by Susan Dermody and Elizabeth Jacka, outlining the ways in which social democracy and state funding provided the conditions that allowed filmmakers to produce radical films that were anti-nationalist in character. As we will argue, when national film production deviated from this configuration and became circumscribed by neoliberal restructuring and economic rationalism in the 1980s, the New Wave took on an increasingly nationalist impulse. The article will trace this trajectory through a narrative analysis of two films from lauded Australian director Peter Weir: The Cars That Ate Paris (1974) and Gallipoli (1981).

Development of Open Education Resources to Teach Oral History: Perspectives of a Sports Heritage-Engaged Scholarship Initiative in Gauteng, South Africa

Gaps exist in archival practices, and developments are in progress to decolonise and transform archives by supplementing existing archival collections with oral history accounts. This is a recent development in the archival field, requiring archivists and records managers to become aware of how oral history collections should be undertaken to preserve testimonies related to socio-economic, sociopolitical, and cultural events not yet captured by South African public archivists. An open educational resource (OER) was developed in 2022 as part of an engaged scholarship initiative to instruct archivists on oral history research techniques and how to apply research ethics when undertaking such projects. The research paradigm for this study was a postmodernist qualitative study. Action-based research was used in the research design. Action research is a flexible methodology uniquely suited to research and support change. It integrates social research with exploratory actions to promote development. Action research outcomes are both practical and theoretical. The knowledge it generates directly and continuously impacts the changing practices of the participants. Data from participants were collected through recorded project workshops and meetings. The content for the OER was developed from observing online videos showcasing oral history interviews, consulting literature on OER development, and discussions with archivists and heritage collectors at the South African National Film, Video and Sound Archives, the South African National Parks Board, and the Gauteng Provincial Archives. The OER was developed to enable collaboration to ensure that the oral narratives of postcolonial Africa, particularly post-apartheid South Africa, are not lost but captured by the public archives’ services for the benefit of South Africans and other interested stakeholders.

Automobility in the Age of Apocalypse: On the Beach, Nuclear Nostalgia, and Atomic (Im)Mobilities

In the 1966 animated short film What on Earth!, viewers are presented with a news-reel styled broadcast—ostensibly from the ‘National Film Board of Mars’—detailing Martians’ first glimpses of alien life on Earth. As a car enters from the right, the narrator announces: ‘And then, the big news: there is life on Earth!’ The ‘cameras on our orbiting spaceship’ then follow these Earthlings through their daily rituals: ‘at dinner’ (fuelling with petrol), taking ‘shelter for the night’ (parking in a garage), and ‘browsing in curiously designed libraries’ (driving through a region inundated with billboards). Yet this colourful, comedic, slightly surreal animation takes a sinister turn towards its end as we glimpse the human occupants of the vehicle for the first time.

Hamlet at the Himalayan Border: Frontier Imaginaries in Hu Xuehua’s Prince of the Himalayas and Vishal Bhardwaj’s Haider

ABSTRACT This article discusses Hu Xuehua’s Prince of the Himalayas (2006) and Vishal Bhardwaj’s Haider (2014) across overlapping local, regional and (inter)national imaginaries of Tibet and Kashmir, and considers the possibilities of rendering the story and circumstances of Hamlet legible within these borderland contact zones. With their exotic backdrop of snowy mountains, rugged frontiers and majestic rivers, these two films can be seen recreating a troubling politics of appropriation at a time of renewed tensions in the Himalayan region. I argue that despite using Shakespeare’s cultural capital to depict local conditions and affirm their own political agency, Hu and Bhardwaj’s ultimate rejection of Hamlet’s revenge motif continue to challenge domestic and international viewers, particularly in their attempts to situate these films within a heterogeneous national cinema encompassing minority cultures in New Chinese Cinema and Bollywood respectively.