Transnational cinema

Transnational 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, amongst many other topics.

Transnational cinema debates consider the development and subsequent effect of films, cinemas and directors which span national boundaries.

A 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 separate and fragmented communities defined more by social class, economic class, sexuality, gender, generation, religion, ethnicity, political belief and fashion, than nationality.

The increasingly transnational practices in film funding, production and distribution combined with the 'imagined community' thus provide the basis for an argued shift towards a greater use of transnational, rather than national, perspectives within film studies. Global communication through the internet has also resulted in changes within culture and has further resulted in film transcending perceived national boundaries.

The concept of transnational cinema is important because it will be able to change how films from different cultures are approached. Mostly the approach is Eurocentric and the field of studying cinema is full of biases. It is mainly about how western culture views eastern culture.

Defining transnational cinema must be done carefully. It should challenge and criticize Orientalism that is rooted in film studies. It should be also differentiated from world cinema, which marks cinemas from countries that are not Anglo-phone as "others" and bind them in one category without realizing that they each have unique culture and identity.

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