Foreign Film & America: Language and Ethnocentrism

There is a recognized attitude for American audiences to dislike or ignore a film because it is subtitled, joked about in film and tv, it made me curious about the whole bias against international cinema in the states and why this is accepted for the average consumer of content. Why are viewers of “foreign films” classified as either pretentious or scholarly, why are more films not theatrically released like Parasite, and what does the “I can’t watch while also read” attitude imply about american’s perception of what is “foreign”? My first thought is that, of the top film producing nations, The United States is far more used to having everyone else speak english in addition to their native language. However, there is little expectation or standard for Americans to be multilingual, thus in the media consumed by Americans, we have a similar expectation for the media to be produced in our language.

One place to begin looking into this is formal recognition of a film’s excellence, aka awards. The Oscars represents the American standard for which films released each year are the “best,” and though problematic in many ways, reveal much about what America deems worthy. Steve Rose wrote for the Guardian a piece about Roma, and believes “the foreign language Oscar is already a messy afterthought. It was not created until the 29th Academy Awards in 1956, although special awards were given to foreign films before that. Only one entry per country is allowed.” It is already flawed that there is only one category which international cinema is truly addressed and it was not until Roma and Parasite that they were considered for any categories besides this. There are some other opportunities in shorts and documentaries, but feature length fiction films from other countries or in other languages are typically oddities at the red carpet. To elaborate upon what it means to be considered a “foreign film” is also an interesting and highly biased conversation. Hannah Giorgis for The Atlantic goes in depth about the very recent policy change made by The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Basically, since its inception, the foreign film category required the film to have 50% of the language be not English. While on the surface this seems good in encouraging more linguistic representation, it has other downsides about how “foreign” is defined. Giorgis argues this is not considerate of films produced outside the US where English is now one of the primary languages due to colonization and globalization. She notes that Lionheart, a Nigerian film which includes many Nigerian Languages but uses English to tie them together, as well as The Farewell from South Korea, but neither were accepted as Foreign Films to The Oscars. This brings up many issues about identity, what is not foreign enough, what qualities make a film not American? Is it the amount of crew who are non citizens? Is it simply the language like The Academy likes to think? Is it any film produced and filmed outside the US or released theatrically elsewhere? There is a lot to consider, but our standard of what is foreign is flawed fundamentally. The Academy has since renamed the category best International

This brings us to the conversation about subtitles and language once again. Even if language is not a good indicator of where a film is from, it is important to recognize how rare it is for a subtitled film to succeed or be released on a wide scale. In the UK, it was 2% and shrinking of the box office, hinting to the fact that even in Europe where there is much more connection to other countries and language, exposure and mainstream viability of non english films is extremely low. For the American market, Indiewire repots a drop in revenue by 61% in the past seven years. And it has continued to decrease in popularity even on streaming, they say as well. Though there is no definite or concrete way to measure why this is, it is concerning as far as it’s impact on expanding horizons of americans during this global age. If such a tiny amount of externally produced media is reaching audiences, I am not optimistic that the american sensitivity and interest in other languages, cultures, and creators will increase.

sources:

https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2019/11/oscars-international-foreign-language-film-lionheart-controversy/601630/

https://www.theguardian.com/film/2019/feb/18/alfonso-cuaron-roma-and-the-oscars-why-has-hollywood-ignored-the-foreign-language-film

https://www.motionpictures.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/MPAA-Theatrical-Market-Statistics-2016_Final.pdf

https://www.screendaily.com/box-office/box-office-analysis-foreign-language-films-in-the-us/5096804.article

9 Replies to “Foreign Film & America: Language and Ethnocentrism”

  1. Yes Sonja!!! I loved reading this post! I think you did an amazing job on covering an important issue. It has always bothered me when people look down on foreign films or refuse to watch something with subtitles. For one, I think it is close minded in a way and limits yourself to a whole world of stories and movies that could have really positive impacts on peoples lives. I also agree that people are lazy and it perpetuates this idea that American cinema is the best and that we don’t have to make an effort because other countries should strive to be like us. It really diminishes diversity and hinders progress for us as a country and as people.

  2. Thank you for writing this! I always had a passion for foreign films because I grew up watching more foreign films than American, and it sad to see Americans be so hostile towards foreign creators. The movies made outside of the U.S. are always so beautifully done because the culture and life of a nation shines through the film’s plot and characters which is what makes them so unique and compelling. I really hope award shows and judges are more open to giving nominations and awards to foreign films because they are just as deserving at receiving awards for their talents.

  3. Great job Sonja! I found this topic super interesting! I agree with you that there are many foreign films which are beautiful, unique, inspiring, and amazing and deserve more recognition and respect. I also find it upsetting that the US is so hostile towards foreign films and foreign film makers, and that award shows in America make it so much harder for foreign films to win awards and do well. Nice work!

  4. This made me think of my roommates on going debate, a debate that goes beyond just my roommates, of the Sub vs the Dub. While this more pertains to anime than to the majority of foreign film, this fight over whether it is better to view the dub or sub of animated programing feels interconnected with the idea of American Audiences not wanting to watch subtitled cinema. In my apartment the debate is whether it is more important to view the content in its original form, as it was created for its intended audience, or if it is better to view as if it was made for you–an English speaker. My friend who prefers the Dub argues that he would rather focus on the visuals than trying to read the dialogue the entire time, but my other friend argues that the program has a different/worse tone when you are viewing it in an altered language from the original. This article made me think about that debate that always surrounds my friends.

  5. Great blog post! This wasn’t something that I actively though about but your article made my realize that what youre saying is definitely true that foreign box offices will readily accept and subtitle US films, often times those subtitled films will reach great success in the countries that they are sold in. It really puts it into perspective to see that foreign films in the US do not receive the same level of acclaim. I think marketing may also play a part in this, when I studied abroad in China/Japan/Korea there were billboards/advertisements for US films all over the place like Aladdin/Joker etc but in the US most foreign films advertising campaigns are more lowkey. If you want to see one its often because you researched it yourself not because of a billboard or movie theater ad so I wonder if this also contributes to the phenomena that you mentioned. Very thought provoking article and great work!

  6. First of all the Oscars are rigged and the categories don’t TRULY allow the best films to be represented. That being said, foreign films SLAP. Loved Roma and Parasite and the success of each of these films gives me hope for the future exposure of foreign films

  7. Absolutely, I know so many people who wouldn’t watch certain films or TV shows just because they’re subtitled and it frustrates me how limiting that is. And as for the Oscars, it’s incredible how much value we put on the decision of a committee that doesn’t tend to look outside of its own community. Finally, I hate the term foreign because it implies so much about American being the standard, and honestly screw that. This kind of thinking leaves no room for growth and diversity and its saddening to watch.

  8. This was extremely well-written. I am completely in shock of why people have such a hatred towards subtitles, it’s literally just a film in a different language. I agree that there is no need to label the watching of foreign films pretentious; All films deserve to be seen, especially ones outside of America. I too have many problems with the Oscars, as it primarily feeds American audiences and showcases American movies. I think the Oscars should open up to showcase movies from all over the world and in all sorts of languages and actually be about the best FILMS and not reduce foreign films to one single category.

  9. I remember last year when an Uber driver told me he would not consider watching foreign films because it was too much for him to read the subtitles and watch the movie at the same time. Well, I was on my way to watch Parasite at the theaters, so I recommended him the film and assured him there will be no regrets. In order for cinema to grow, I believe audiences need mature as well. As Bong Joon Ho once said, the one inch barrier of subtitles should not be an obstacle to so many great films out there. Also, if non-English speakers can read subtitles, what makes it harder for English speakers to do so? Thanks for the amazing article! (ps. The Farewell is a Chinese-American movie 🙂

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