Description
Within cinema studies there has emerged a significant body of scholarship on the idea of 'National Cinema' but there has been a tendency to focus on the major national cinemas. Less developed within this field is the analysis of what we might term minor or small national cinemas, despite the increasing significance of these small entities with the international domain of moving image production, distribution and consumption. The Cinema of Small Nations is the first major analysis of small national cinemas, comprising twelve case studies of small national - and sub national - cinemas from around the world, including Ireland, Denmark, Iceland, Scotland, Bulgaria, Tunisia, Burkina Faso, Cuba, Singapore, Taiwan, Hong Kong and New Zealand. Written by an array of distinguished and emerging scholars, each of the case studies provides a detailed analysis of the particular cinema in question, with an emphasis on the last decade, considering both institutional and textual issues relevant to the national dimension of each cinema. While each chapter contains an in-depth analysis of the particular cinema in question, the book as a whole provides the basis for a broader and more properly comparative understanding of small or minor national cinemas, particularly with regard to structural constraints and possibilities, the impact of globalization and internationalisation, and the role played by economic and cultural factors in small-nation contexts. Key features: * the first major study of a range of small national cinemas * detailed and informative studies of particular small national cinemas from around the globe * an implicit comparative element that reveals major similarities and differences across the case studies * a strong line up of international contributors including a number of major internationally recognised experts in the field * written in an accessible style to appeal to students, academics and the general reader alike.
About the Author
Mette Hjort is Professor and Progam Director of Visual Studies, Lingnan University, Hong Kong. Duncan Petrie is Professor of Film at the University of York. He has written and edited numerous books on British and Scottish Cinema including Creativity and Constraint in the British Film Industry, The British Cinematographer and Screening Scotland.
Reviews
A fabulous read - finding out about these cinemas was almost like reading detective fiction - unveiling, as the book does, the enigmatic nature of small nations' cinemas and giving the reader insights and knowledges heretofore squirreled away. -- Professor Susan Hayward, University of Exeter It's astonishing that we have had to wait until now to get our hands on this timely, informative, and lively volume. The Cinema of Small Nations offers us a rich overview of what this very important but underappreciated phenomenon might mean. How do films get produced and, under the sign of various national cultures, attached to states that are on the small side, geographically, demographically, and politically? How do these works then circulate on local turf and across the globe? These questions are addressed via rich and theoretically informed case studies from leading scholars in each area. After reading this book, it is impossible to speak of world cinema, national cultures, or globalization in easy platitudes. -- Professor Faye Ginsburg, New York University The introduction offers an excellent conceptual framework to situate the case studies... The strength of the volume lies in its multilevel analysis: going beyond, but not excluding, textual analysis. The reader gets a detailed and balanced overview of the major issues of film industry and culture within a wide variety of small nations! The collection is a timely and important contribution to the study of national and global cinemas and a highly recommendable read for a wide audience. It provides a view on a wide variety of national cinemas worldwide. -- Philippe Meers, University of Antwerp Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television A fabulous read - finding out about these cinemas was almost like reading detective fiction - unveiling, as the book does, the enigmatic nature of small nations' cinemas and giving the reader insights and knowledges heretofore squirreled away. It's astonishing that we have had to wait until now to get our hands on this timely, informative, and lively volume. The Cinema of Small Nations offers us a rich overview of what this very important but underappreciated phenomenon might mean. How do films get produced and, under the sign of various national cultures, attached to states that are on the small side, geographically, demographically, and politically? How do these works then circulate on local turf and across the globe? These questions are addressed via rich and theoretically informed case studies from leading scholars in each area. After reading this book, it is impossible to speak of world cinema, national cultures, or globalization in easy platitudes. The introduction offers an excellent conceptual framework to situate the case studies... The strength of the volume lies in its multilevel analysis: going beyond, but not excluding, textual analysis. The reader gets a detailed and balanced overview of the major issues of film industry and culture within a wide variety of small nations! The collection is a timely and important contribution to the study of national and global cinemas and a highly recommendable read for a wide audience. It provides a view on a wide variety of national cinemas worldwide.
Book Information
ISBN 9780748625376
Author Mette Hjort
Format Paperback
Page Count 256
Imprint Edinburgh University Press
Publisher Edinburgh University Press
Weight(grams) 393g
About the Author
Mette Hjort is Professor and Progam Director of Visual Studies, Lingnan University, Hong Kong. Duncan Petrie is Professor of Film at the University of York. He has written and edited numerous books on British and Scottish Cinema including Creativity and Constraint in the British Film Industry, The British Cinematographer and Screening Scotland.
Reviews
A fabulous read - finding out about these cinemas was almost like reading detective fiction - unveiling, as the book does, the enigmatic nature of small nations' cinemas and giving the reader insights and knowledges heretofore squirreled away. -- Professor Susan Hayward, University of Exeter It's astonishing that we have had to wait until now to get our hands on this timely, informative, and lively volume. The Cinema of Small Nations offers us a rich overview of what this very important but underappreciated phenomenon might mean. How do films get produced and, under the sign of various national cultures, attached to states that are on the small side, geographically, demographically, and politically? How do these works then circulate on local turf and across the globe? These questions are addressed via rich and theoretically informed case studies from leading scholars in each area. After reading this book, it is impossible to speak of world cinema, national cultures, or globalization in easy platitudes. -- Professor Faye Ginsburg, New York University The introduction offers an excellent conceptual framework to situate the case studies... The strength of the volume lies in its multilevel analysis: going beyond, but not excluding, textual analysis. The reader gets a detailed and balanced overview of the major issues of film industry and culture within a wide variety of small nations! The collection is a timely and important contribution to the study of national and global cinemas and a highly recommendable read for a wide audience. It provides a view on a wide variety of national cinemas worldwide. -- Philippe Meers, University of Antwerp Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television A fabulous read - finding out about these cinemas was almost like reading detective fiction - unveiling, as the book does, the enigmatic nature of small nations' cinemas and giving the reader insights and knowledges heretofore squirreled away. It's astonishing that we have had to wait until now to get our hands on this timely, informative, and lively volume. The Cinema of Small Nations offers us a rich overview of what this very important but underappreciated phenomenon might mean. How do films get produced and, under the sign of various national cultures, attached to states that are on the small side, geographically, demographically, and politically? How do these works then circulate on local turf and across the globe? These questions are addressed via rich and theoretically informed case studies from leading scholars in each area. After reading this book, it is impossible to speak of world cinema, national cultures, or globalization in easy platitudes. The introduction offers an excellent conceptual framework to situate the case studies... The strength of the volume lies in its multilevel analysis: going beyond, but not excluding, textual analysis. The reader gets a detailed and balanced overview of the major issues of film industry and culture within a wide variety of small nations! The collection is a timely and important contribution to the study of national and global cinemas and a highly recommendable read for a wide audience. It provides a view on a wide variety of national cinemas worldwide.
Book Information
ISBN 9780748625376
Author Mette Hjort
Format Paperback
Page Count 256
Imprint Edinburgh University Press
Publisher Edinburgh University Press
Weight(grams) 393g
