International Film Production

International film production is a film being produced usually in a language other than in English. International, meaning films that are produced in parts of the world where English is not their first language and therefore automatically have a smaller target audience. However, the US film industry better known as Hollywood only produces around 15% of all films in the world.

For example, the Indian film industry better known as Bollywood, largely based in the city of Mumbai (previously known as Bombay and that is where it gets its name from, replacing the letter “H” in the word Hollywood with a letter ‘B’) produces twice as many films as that in Hollywood as the costs are much lower and therefore films can be churned out within weeks. It is also known that some actors can be working on two or three films simultaneously. Other main international film industries have followed suit in naming their industries in the same way such as Nollywood (Nigeria) and Lollywood (Pakistan, based in the city of Lahore).

Unfortunately, an international film production does not get the type of recognition worldwide as that of an English or Hollywood production due to the language barrier and the thought of reading a film through subtitles may not appeal to many a passive viewer. However, there are many outlets for world film such as small cinemas or exhibitions and festivals and the recognition they get here soon filters through to avid English speaking film critics. For example, Slumdog Millionaire which combines British and Indian film crews and cast initially was showcased in the film festival circuits before being recognised as a big screen blockbuster.

Many broadcasting channels, billboards and magazines give these productions a good platform for advertising to the general public. International films portray different types of filmmaking such as short films, documentaries, avant garde films and other genres. Some international films have acclaimed blockbuster recognition such as Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon and Lagaan with international filmmakers and crew behind them. People are always intrigued to learn about different cultures and these cultures can educate and inform our society of social and ethnic topics through films.

An international film production in itself is a big, money generating business and can put a country’s film industry on the map.