Contemporary World cinema - Essay Example

According to Chaudhuri (2005), film festivals originated from the rise of cine-clubs and film societies in the 1930s. During this time, documentaries dominated the film industry. The first film festival was held in Venice in 1932. The Venice and Cannes film festivals led to the rise of the fascist regimes. Nationalism, national identity, and political ideologies shaped film festivals. Most of the festivals portrayed the national identity of the participating countries. After the Second World War, film festivals in Europe grew significantly.

Most countries held international film festivals, which have continued until today. For example, the Berlin film festival held in Germany. Film festivals play vital roles, which may be artistic, educational, economic, celebratory, and entertainment. Artistically, film festivals, such as Cannes, indicate the creativity of artists. Film festivals play an educative role; they create awareness on key issues. The festivals act as a source of income to countries where they occur. Film festivals bring people together to celebrate their diverse cultures.

Activities carried out during film festivals act as a source of entertainment for those who attend (Chaudhuri 2005). Film festival prizes contribute to the promotion of world cinema. The film festivals have inspired modern movies from Europe. When filmmakers get awards, they pass on their knowledge to upcoming artistes and producers. Film festival prizes help to harness new talents in the movie industry. Resulting from film festival prizes, Japanese moviemakers have borrowed from Europe. Thus, film festival prizes expose the entire world to the films from Europe (Chaudhuri 2005).

Chaudhuri (2005) asserts that, since 1970s, film festivals have spread globally. Film festivals are held all over the world. Countries in Latin America, Asia and Africa have realized the importance of film festivals. The rise of film festivals can be attributed to post colonialism. When European