Cinema-monde? Towards a concept of Francophone cinema

Abstract

This article will begin to answer the question: what might happen if a decentred view of Francophone Cinema were to emerge? It will go beyond the definition of 'Francophone Cinema' as simply the 'Other' to metropolitan film production and examine the relationship between films set in France's overseas departments and territories and the concept of 'French national cinema'. To what extent, therefore, can so-called 'French national cinema' be 'francophonised', or made minoritarian, by this approach? A 'francophonising' cinema will highlight crossings and itineraries, and challenge claims to plenitude made by languages and cultures. The article will conclude with an analysis of André Téchiné's Loin (2001), an outstanding example of a film displaying these 'francophonising' processes.