Iranian cinema has an extraordinary history that has been marked by religion and ever-shifting political, economic, and social environments. This addition to Intellect’s Directory of World Cinema series turns the spotlight on the award-winning cinema of that nation, with particular attention to the major movements, historical turning points, and prominent figures that have helped shape it. A wide range of genres are presented, including comedy, Film Farsi, new wave, children’s films, art house film, and women’s cinema. For the film studies scholar, students working on alternative or national cinema, or for all those who love Persian cinema and wish to learn more, Directory of World Cinema: Iran will be an essential companion to this prolific and prominent film industry.

'We’ll always have Paris,' Humphrey Bogart assures Ingrid Bergman in the oft-quoted farewell scene from Casablanca in which Bogart’s character, hard-hearted restaurateur Rick Blaine, bids former lover Ilsa Lund goodbye. The backdrop against which they first fell in love, Paris later serves as a reminder of their deep mutual longings. And with a host of different realisations by filmmakers from Philip Kaufman to Julien Leclercq to Woody Allen, there is no question that Paris has likewise endured in the memories of cinephiles worldwide.   World Film Locations: Paris takes readers on an unforgettable tour of the City of Lights past and present through the many films that have been set there. Along the way, we revisit iconic tourist sites from the Eiffel Tower – whose stairs and crossbars inspired more than one famous chase scene – to the Moulin Rouge overlooking the famously seedy Place Pigalle. Other films explore lesser-known quarters usually tucked away from the tourist’s admiring gaze. Handsomely illustrated with full-colour film stills and contemporary photographs, more than fifty scenes are individually considered with special attention to their use of Paris’s topography as it intersects with characters, narrative and plot. A host of important genres and cinematic movements are featured, including poetic realism, the New Wave, cinéma-verité, the literary works of the Left Bank Group, and Luc Besson’s slickly stylised cinéma du look. Meanwhile, essays foreground contributions from Francophone African directors and émigré filmmakers.   For centuries, Paris has reigned over the popular imagination. For those who have visited or those who have only imagined it through art, literature and film, World Film Locations: Paris presents a wonder-filled cinematic exploration of the mythical city that fans of French cinema – and new initiates – will appreciate.

Through a series of case studies, this book tracks the inventive distribution and exhibition initiatives developed over the last 40 years by an array of small companies on the periphery of the beleaguered UK film industry. That their practices are now being replicated by a new generation of digital distributors demonstrates that, while the digital ‘revolution’ has rendered those practices far easier to undertake and hugely increased their scope, the key issues in securing a more diverse moving image culture are not technological. Although largely invisible to outsiders, the importance of distributors and distribution networks are widely recognized within the industry and Reaching Audiences is a key contribution to our understanding of the role they both do and can play.

World Film Locations: Tokyo gives readers a kaleidoscopic view of one of the world’s most complex and exciting cities through the lens of world cinema. 50 scenes from classic and contemporary films explore how motion pictures have shaped the role of Tokyo in our collective consciousness, as well as how these cinematic moments reveal aspects of the life and culture of a city that are often hidden from view. Complimenting these scenes from such varied films as Tokyo Story, You Only Live Twice, Godzilla and Enter the Void are six spotlight essays that take us from the wooden streets of pre-nineteenth-century Edo to the sprawling 'what-if' megalopolis of science fiction anime.

Illustrated throughout with dynamic screen captures World Film Locations: Tokyo is at once a guided tour of Japan’s capital conducted by the likes of Akira Kurosawa, Samuel Fuller, Chris Marker and Sofia Coppola while also being an indispensible record of how Tokyo has fired both the imaginations of individuals working behind the camera and those of us sitting transfixed in movie theatres.

An exciting and visually focused tour of the diverse range of films shot on location in London, World Film Locations: London presents contributions spanning the Victorian era, the swinging ’60s and the politically charged atmosphere following the 2005 subway bombings. Essays exploring key directors, themes and historical periods are complemented by reviews of important scenes that offer particular insight into London's relationship to cinema. The book is illustrated throughout with full-colour film stills and photographs of cinematic landmarks as they appear now – as well as city maps to aid those keen to investigate them.

Despite challenges arising from a limited population and the difficulty of obtaining adequate funding, both the film and television industries of New Zealand have been the source of significant achievements and profound cultural influence. Charting their emergence and subsequent development through five decades, New Zealand Film and Television looks at these two increasingly vibrant cultural and creative industries. While there is a growing body of academic work on film and television in New Zealand, relatively little exists that examines the specific cultural concerns, local industries, institutions, and policies involved, which this book addresses in full.

Italian cinema has proved very popular with international audiences, and yet a surprising unfamiliarity remains regarding the rich traditions from which its most fascinating moments arose. Directory of World Cinema: Italy aims to offer a wide film and cultural study in which to situate some of Italian cinema’s key aspects, from political radicalism to opera and from the arthouse to popular genres. Essays by leading academics about prominent genres, directors and themes provide insight into the cinema of Italy and are bolstered by reviews of significant titles. From silent spectacle to the giallo, the spaghetti western to the neorealist masterworks of Rossellini, this book offers a comprehensive historical sweep of Italian cinema that will appeal to film scholars and cinephiles alike.

With its sprawling celebrity homes, the Walk of Fame and the iconic sign on the hill, Hollywood is truly the land of stars. Glamorous and larger-than-life, many of the most memorable motion pictures of all time have emanated from its multimillion-dollar film industry, which exports more films per capita than that of any other nation. Directory of World Cinema: American Hollywood lays out the cinematic history of Tinseltown – the industry, the audiences and, of course, the stars – highlighting important thematic and cultural elements throughout. Profiles and analyses of many of the industry’s most talented and prolific directors give insights into their impact on Hollywood and beyond. A slate of blockbuster successes – and notable flops – are here discussed, providing insight into the ever-shifting aesthetic of Hollywood’s enormous global audience. User-friendly and concise yet containing an astonishing amount of information, Directory of World Cinema: American Hollywood shows how truly indispensable the Hollywood film industry is and provides a fascinating account of its cultural and artistic significance as it marks its centennial.

 From Samuel Huntington’s highly controversial Who Are We? to the urgent appeal of Naomi Wolf’s The End of America, Americans are increasingly reflecting on questions of democracy, multiculturalism, and national identity. Yet such debates take place largely at the level of elites, leaving out ordinary American citizens, who have much to offer about the lived reality behind the phrase, “I am an American.”   Cynthia Weber set out on a journey across post-9/11 America in search of a deeper understanding of what it means to be an American today. The result is this brave and captivating memoir that gives a voice to ordinary citizens for whom the terrorist attacks of 2001—and their lingering aftermath—live on in collective memory. Heartrending first-person testimonials reveal how the ongoing fear of terrorists and immigrants has betrayed America’s core values of fairness and equality, which have been further weakened by polarizing international and domestic responses. Considered together, these portraits also provide a sharp contrast to the idealized vision of Americanness frequently spun by media and politicians.  

Far more than a mere remembrance book about September 11, ‘I am an American’ offers precisely the kind of ground-level empathy needed to reignite a meaningful national debate about who we are and who we might become as a people and a nation.

 

As part of a raft of neoliberal economic reforms in the early 1990s, Brazilian president Fernando Collor de Mello and Argentine president Carlos Menem eliminated long-standing state financial support for cinema. National film production, distribution, and exhibition were deeply affected by the absence of the entire structure and legislation on which they had relied for decades. By the mid-1990s, however, new laws were passed reestablishing subsidies and credit lines—and allowing for a rebirth of national cinema in both countries.



This comprehensive and accessible volume surveys Brazilian and Argentine cinematic production from its subsequent dramatic rebirth to the present. It addresses not only the commercially successful films but also the effects of globalization and cultural policies on public incentives for filmmaking. An indispensable resource for students of film and cultural studies, New Trends in Argentine and Brazilian Cinema is moreover an exciting glimpse into a momentous period in recent cinematic history.