| Which
country produces the most films every year?
The largest producers, average above
200 film features yearly, they are India (839), China and
Hong-Kong RAS (469), the Philippines (456), United States of
America (385) and Japan. (238)
They are followed
by 25 countries producing between 20 and 199 films equally
representing Europe and Asia, although including Brazil (86),
Argentina (47) and Nigeria. (20)
72 other
countries produced in average between one and 19 films and
finally 88 countries out of a total of 185, have not
cinematography industry at all.
The list of large
film exporters coincide with the main producers which controls
by at large the international trade. The Hollywood studios have
a worldwide share of 85 %, with peaks above 90 % in some
European and Latin American countries, while India, Philippines
and Hong-Kong SAR output reaches percentages of 95 % market
shares in their own continent, South America and Africa.
Only the first
category of large producing countries has a positive trade
balance. The other national markets depend fully on importation.
Driven by market forces, the large producers do not guarantee in
itself a programming diversity and average and incidental
producing countries, despite forceful public grants, do not
export sufficient national productions to ensure alone a
cross-border pluralistic supply.
If the film
industry depends on variables like the country wealth, its
population and urban concentration, in most countries legal
protection seems to be more determinant than the existence of
public funding schemes.
These legal and
economic constraints will evolve slowly. Although cultural
diversity through cinema might be greatly stimulated by
increasing public demand for quality films and by specific
measures aimed to increase independent productions. For low
producing countries with a GNP under 1,200 US $ or a HDI rate
less than 0.600 is unlikely that a cinematography industry might
develop in the coming years. That is why several developing
countries have developed creative national policies addressed to
encourage the production and distribution of moving images
supported by new technologies, video but also digital systems.
Supporting
cultural and artistic creativity through audiovisuals is
unavoidable, and stimulating the international exchange of
moving images is an absolute condition to maintain a responsible
level of pluralistic supply. Nowadays only three main world
languages appears with enough visibility in the trade
statistics: They are the English, French and Hindustani
languages, while Russian, Chinese, Arabic, Portuguese or Spanish
amounting 40 % of the entire world population are
underrepresented.
In November '99
the third round on commerce negotiations started in Seattle
under the guidance of the World Trade Organization (WTO).
In the coming months these international negotiations on
cultural services and goods, where audiovisuals and cinema are
registered, will confront largely different national views and
policies.
Cinema is needed
to boost cultural identity, but on the other hand it represent a
large industrial sector and huge trade interests. In an average
producing country like France 0.1 % -about 10.000- of the active
population is working in the film industry. In the United States
of America 3.5 million people are employed in the billions of
dollars earning 'core copyright business'. Where some European
countries are offering 90 % funding to their national producers,
even 100 % in the case of Ireland, the
World Trade Organization is suggesting only a ceiling of 5
%.
Professional
associations are already creating international platforms and
networks aimed to keep abreast of these international legal
developments. None of them seems to challenge the idea of a
legal framework regulating the exponential growing trade. But
should cultural goods be treated like any other merchandise?
Their intrinsic artistic and social values should be protected,
specially in the case of cinema and audiovisuals, as they are
the main vehicle for cultural expression.
Like it has been
so often the case in the long history of the book print
industry, nowadays cinema professionals, directors, producers,
authors, actors and technicians alike should give advise and
direction to their governments in negotiating a treaty which
shall preserve local cinema production and guarantee a
diversified supply of moving images.
| 
Our movies rating system is
based on a letter grading system as shown on the chart
below. Generally, movies with a grade of C+ or higher is
regarded as above average. 
