Look, we’ve all heard of Hollywood, right guys? Well, Hollywood might be the largest and most powerful movie industry in the world, but it’s certainly not the only one. There are plenty of film industries across the world that have grown in popularity and stature over the past decade or so. In fact, some of them are even threatening to challenge Hollywood for the mantle of the best industry in the world.
The great thing about film industries outside of Hollywood is that they each have their own uniques cultures and set of ideals. They don’t try to copy Tinseltown or the movies that are made in America. They each have their own ideals and their own styles of movie. So, we are going to take a look at some of the leading film industries in the world, outside of Hollywood.
French
The French have long been at the forefront of important movements that shaped cinema. For example, the ‘60s New Wave movement began in France and popularized the concept of the auteur. While French cinema might not be as influential as it was in the days of Jean-Luc Godard and Francois Truffaut, it is still an important and historical film industry. French filmmakers are still making great movies, and the movies produced in French cinema remain some of the most mysterious and fascinating in the world.
Nigerian
The Nigerian film industry, affectionately known informally as ‘Nollywood’ is one of the emerging industries at the moment. More and more money is being pumped into the industry, and the quality of the movies being made is improving every year. In fact, the industry is incredibly prolific, producing hundreds, sometimes thousands of movies every year. More than 50 movies per week are produced in this industry, and many of them are made for the straight-to-DVD home video market. However, there are larger scale productions that often see cinematic releases.
Italian
With a history of flair, style, and visual ingenuity, the Italian film industry is one of the most respected in the world. It has also produced some of the most innovative and captivating filmmakers, people like Dario Argento and Mario Bava. The Italian film industry arguably enjoyed its Golden Age in the 1970s, but it remains an inventive and interesting industry to this day. In fact, Italian cinema recently had a trio of titles selected for representation at Cannes Film Festival, showing there is still a market and interest in Italian movie making.
Indian
Bollywood is one of the biggest film industries in the world and is probably second only to Hollywood in terms of prestige. Bollywood productions generate a huge amount of revenue, and the stars of Indian cinema are as famous as many of the big Hollywood names we know and love. India produces the largest number of movies in the world, and many of these are Indian remakes of existing Hollywood movies. The movies produced in Indian cinema are normally very upbeat and life-affirming, and there is almost always a happy and positive ending. Check out movies like Lagaan and Ai Dil Hai Mushkil, if you want to get a true taste of Indian cinema.
As you can see, there are a load of excellent and important film industries that exist outside of Hollywood. And this is before we’ve even talked about Korean, Japanese, and Chinese cinema, which will be emerging as real Hollywood competitors in the next decade. It’s important for those with an interest in cinema to make sure you check out movies from other industries, so you get the full experience that world cinema has to offer.
