Portuguese cinema has become increasingly prominent on the international
film festival circuit, proving the country's size belies its cultural
impact. From the prestige of directors Manoel de Oliveira, Pedro Costa
and Miguel Gomes, to box-office hit La Cage Doree, aspects of Portuguese
national cinema are widely visible although the output is comparatively
small compared to European players like the UK, Germany and France.
Considering this strange discrepancy prompts the question: how can
Portuguese cinema be characterised and thought about in a global
context?
Accumulating expertise from an international group of scholars, this
book investigates the shifting significance of the nation, Europe and
the globe for the way in which Portuguese film is managed on the
international stage. Chapters argue that film industry professionals and
artisans must navigate complex globalised systems that inform their
filmmaking decisions. Expectations from multi-cultural audiences, as
well as demands from business investors and the criteria for critical
accolades put pressure on Portuguese cinema to negotiate, for example,
how far to retain national identities on screen and how to interact with
`popular' and `art' film tropes and labels. Exploring themes typical
of Portuguese visual culture - including social exclusion and
unemployment, issues of realism and authenticity, and addressing
Portugal's postcolonial status - this book is a valuable study of
interest to the ever-growing number of scholars looking outside the
usual canons of European cinema, and those researching the ongoing
implications of national cinema's global networks.
