International Crossover, Coproduction, and the Future of Film (and Culture?)

I love traveling, because I love finding something deeply familiar in something seemingly new. I can’t speak for everyone, but I’d guess this concept resonates with others. I’d also suggest that this is why we love movies. Because through the eyes of a character, we’re able to transcend our individuality, even if just for a second, and connect to a common humanity.

It’s with this view in mind that I consider the internationalization of film with particular interest. Because in the years ahead, the diversity of the eyes through which we look and learn will only increase. This has major implications for international relations, global commerce, and human culture. Below, I’ve outlined three trends I’ll be watching.

Trend Number One: The Rise of Online Streaming

If it weren’t for the Internet, I wouldn’t be writing this blog and my knowledge of international film wouldn’t go much farther than Love Actually (2003). But luckily, I have the Internet, and with it, easy access to an endless supply of information and thousands of international films.

Online streaming allows international films to be widely viewed outside of their domestic markets. And if Netflix is any indication, films of differing linguistic origins are gracing global screens at an astonishing rate. In their fourth 2016 Quarterly Report Netflix notes that 3%, a Portuguese-language Netflix original, performed well outside of its target language, both across Latin America and within the United States. Importantly, such language-transcending popularity seems a burgeoning rule; not a unique exception.

Similarly, in late 2016, Netflix signed a deal with Red Chillies Entertainment, an Indian production company owned by Shah Rukh Khan. For those who don’t know SRK, as he is known by millions of fans, he is one of the biggest names in the Indian film industry, perhaps its most recognizable face. For so many reasons, this agreement is a big deal. Not only is this Netflix’s first agreement with an Indian production company, but also it is likely a harbinger of things to come, one more data point in a much larger trend – the globalization of film.

Trend Number Two: The Rise of International Casts

In their February 2016 article in the New York Times, Michael Cieply and Brooks Barnes noted that Hollywood casts are increasingly international, with Oscar nominations underscoring their success. In the case of British actors in Hollywood, this trend reflects, in part, their theater training (increasingly less common among American actors) and resultant technical skills. But the increasing global focus of the American film industry is also important.

And it’s not just British actors making their way to Hollywood. Indian actors, too, are making a splash, both in the UK and the US. Since making meaningful appearances in Slumdog Millionaire, Anil Kapoor and Irrfan Khan, two powerhouses of Indian cinema, have featured in a number of successful Hollywood productions (Mission Impossible for Kapoor, and Life of Pi and Jurassic World for Khan).

Priyanka Chopra starring in ABC’s Quantico. Image from abc.go.com

Similarly, Priyanka Chopra, who entered American screens in a big way on ABC’s Quantico, will soon star alongside Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson in the upcoming remake of Baywatch (2017), while Deepika Padukone stars in xXx: Return of Xander Cage, currently in theaters. And the list goes on (Aishwarya Rai Bachchan in The Pink Panther 2 (2009), Anupam Kher in Silver Linings Playbook (2012)), and will continue to expand.

Interestingly, Western actors are less prevalent in non-Western productions. There are exceptions though, such as American Nargis Fakhri, who has found success in the Hindi film industry. But for now, it seems that the global commonality of English allows for a more seamless transition into English-speaking cinema for international actors than in reverse.

Trend Three: The Development of a Global Audience (and Culture?)

Kung Fu Yoga (2017) just hit theaters, and whether it will prove a success or not, this feels like the beginning of something new. The film was co-produced by Chinese and Indian production houses, released in multiple languages (English, Hindi, Mandarin), and in so doing, targets moviegoers in three of the largest consumer countries in the world at the same time. This suggests the development of a more globally focused, nationally-transcendent theater-going experience.

Actors Jackie Chan and Sonu Sood on set of Kung Fu Yoga. Image from www.asianmoviepulse.com

What will this mean for language in film? It is already common in India, for example, for films to be produced and released in multiple languages and thus sparing viewers the need for subtitles. Will this become more common globally?

What will this mean for content? Will production companies increasingly make films that lean on common themes that transcend national boundaries and resonate among culturally diverse audiences?

What will this mean for competition? How long will it be before locally-focused production houses stop playing spectator to the outputs of their global competitors and start competing with them on their own turf, in their own language. At the margins, this has already begun.

And lastly, what will this mean for the world? Film influences culture and culture influences film. Will an increasingly globally focused movie theater lead to a more culturally connected planet?

These questions greatly interest me and are among the reasons I started this blog. In the posts to come, I hope to explore them in greater detail.

Update: If the Internet is the key to connectivity in the future, geography was the barrier to it in years gone by. And just as it is important to understand the role of the Internet in influencing the future of South Asian (and global) cinema, it is important to know the story of how geography shaped the world of South Asian cinema today. That story can be found here.

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