Screenwriting : Movies from different cultures. by Dina Abou Raya

I can only speak for myself, but I'm always up for a movie from another country. It's fun to watch something from another culture and place in this world.

I do have a small pet peeve with movies that take place somewhere where they shouldn't be speaking English and yet, everybody is. But I can totally understand the reason why so it's not that big of a deal to me.

Well...some art house theaters play foreign films, but outside of some big U.S. cites, there aren't too many art house theaters left. So thank goodness for Amazon/Netflix/VOD and other new media companies.

I like foreign films, and don't mind reading subtitles. I really liked Incendies, Lemon Tree, Under the Shadow, and have Paradise Now, Clash, Cairo 6,7,8 and Where Do We Go Now? on my list of foreign films to see.

Best fortunes to you in your creative endeavors, Dina!

Well, the reason I am asking that is to know if foreign movies can get to the western theaters and streets?, and that's also why I am suggesting they are to be made in English, because everybody is familiar with watching an English spoken movie, even people from Italy or Brazil or wherever, although this would be a disadvantage for the movie in the aspect of its authenticity.

Hi Dina,

I love to see movies from all around the globe. It's refreshing to see unfamiliar story worlds. There will always be an audience for you, I guess you just need to find them.

I think you should make the movie as authentic as possible but that's just my personal opinion. I'm not really in a position to give business advice.

Adam, Thank you for your contribution, certainly all of your opinions matter to me. Viz, you are the audience I am talking about after all.

The thing is, I am writing a script and the theme of the movie is very Oriental (Eastern), but now I am living in an English speaking country, so I am very confused in which language should I write the script?!

Even in China, there are two languages that predominate Chinese films (Cantonese and Mandarin), and they are sub-titled appropriately by region. The same goes for American English-spoken films played overseas. I'd write it in the language that your potential investors speak, which may end up being multiple languages, and later decide what language to record it in based on your/their business plan.

Regarding how a foreign film (that isn't U.K.-produced) gets into western theaters...that's a long answer with some variables, but the short answer is "it depends", and "not easily." It's a tough theatrical market for many/all U.S. films as it is, but the good news is that of the 700 or so films released in U.S. theaters in 2017, only around 120 or so were from the Big Six studios. They of course made the most money, too. The numbers are still a little fuzzy, but around 12,000 films were produced globally that year. I'd imagine maybe 50-60 foreign films hit some of the U.S. theaters, and those were all probably festival winners that didn't earn much (outside of maybe a few big well-known foreign films or films from the U.K.). Like I said in my previous reply, new media outlets like Netflix, Amazon, etc are the best way to watch foreign films in the U.S. (and many U.S. films, too). You might want to ask that question in the "Distribution" or "Producing" forums here, where you might get some first-hand information and insights from producers and distributors. You also might want to check out the website for the AFM for some information, and also the MCAA and UIS for other general knowledge:

https://americanfilmmarket.com/

https://www.mpaa.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/MPAA-Theatrical-Market-S...

http://uis.unesco.org/en/news/cinema-data-release

Best fortunes to you in your creative endeavors, Dina!.

Aha, okay. I read somewhere that there can be versions of the script in more than one language. You might end up needing different translations of the script to show the idea to different producers, financiers, actors and crew around the world.

I don't have any experience with this though so I'm a bit cautious to give advice. I hope someone can pitch in and help you here.

I do know a British producer who makes films in Mongolia. I could always ask about their process and let you know?

Bill, Thank you so much. That was a really great help for me , I'll check these websites sure>

And much of good luck for you too :)

Adam, I really needed to know colleagues opinions and insights, because I am as well a fresh starter.

Thank you so much for your help... And YES, that producer would give us some valuable advice if you feel like sharing this with him :)

Dina, I've asked the producer. If they're comfortable with answering I'll either let you know here in the discussion or can message you in private depending on their response :-)

My opinion is that there are people who like to see movies from different parts of the world. If you make that movie and it's a good movie, I would like to see it in the original language. I don't watch only movies from the United States. I watch sometimes movies from other countries too and I like too see those movies in the native language of that country - with subtitles, not with forced english or dubbed.

All stories have to be relatable. If you start with commonality and then show how different other things can be, yet still similar.

A guy in another cultural may have to do something super strange and unimaginable to me. But he is forced to do it because he loves his wife, yep I can relate to that.

Yes, I know the cause and the motives have to be common and not culturally based, but my problem is that I'll have to establish an imaginary location and time for some stories to make them variable applicable.

Dina, even though we all share some common and universal beliefs and similarities, some stories are rooted in a culture, as you know, and that's what one of the elements that can make a story unique. Some of us like learning about different cultures through cinema. Sometimes the characters' motives, behaviors and actions are governed or influenced by their culture or their cultural identity, or at least partly. Sometimes that's even the cause of their conflict - external, internal, or both. Even here in America, cultural differences play a great role in the way people relate to each other - and that even applies when all the people are born in America, and are considered Americans.

I wouldn't necessarily strip that, and kinda sanitize everyone of their sense of culture, or my story of a cultural landscape, just for the sake of some type of inaccurate or forced political correctness or idealistic sameness. If it was that way, every one of the Oscar-nominated films for "Best Film" this year would never have been made, or at least would never have been the unique story that they were.

Best fortunes to you in your creative endeavors, Dina!

For sure. Two I've seen that come to mind are Wadjda and Footnote. I'd rather they be in their original language with subtitles. More authentic.

That's exactly why I chose a story that is not culturally based to happen in an imaginary location and time, I mean if it is something that can happen anywhere and it will bring the same impact for all people, regardless their backgrounds.

If it was something related only to specific people, it won't be convincing if we do it in a different language, specific phrases might be very essential for the success of these movies.

That also happens when American features cast nonnative Arabs for Arabic roles "or it may also happens with other nationalities but I wouldn't realize that", and their accent is so broken.. I don't understand why they do that!