World cinema is a term used primarily in English language speaking countries to refer to the films and film industries of non-English speaking countries (those outside of the Anglosphere). The term African cinema usually refers to the film production in countries in Sub-Saharan Africa following formal independence which for many countries happened in the 1960s Asian cinema refers to the film industries and films produced in the continent of Asia. East Asian cinema is a term used to refer to the Film industry and films produced in and/or by natives of East Asia. South Asian cinema refers to the cinema of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Southeast Asian cinema refers to the Film industry and films produced in and/or by natives of Southeast Asia. West Asian cinema refers collectively to the Film output and film industries of the West Asia. The cinema of Europe has compared to the Cinema of the United States, the reputation of being more liberal when it comes to the representation of nudity and sexuality but less Latin American cinema refers collectively to the Film output and film industries of Latin America. The term North American cinema is generally used to refer collectively to the film industries of the United States and Canada. Oceanian cinema refers collectively to the Film output and film industries of Oceania. English is a West Germanic language originating in England and is the First language for most people in the United Kingdom, the United States The film industry consists of the technological and commercial institutions of filmmaking i The word Anglosphere describes a concept of a group of Anglophone ( English -speaking nations which share historical political and cultural characteristics rooted It is therefore often used interchangeably with the term Foreign film. However, both World cinema and Foreign film could be taken to refer to the films of all countries other than one's own, regardless of native language. 
Technically, foreign film does not mean the same as foreign language film, but the inference, particularly in the U. S. , is that a foreign film is not only foreign in terms of the country of production, but also in terms of the language used. As such, the use of the term foreign film for films produced in the UK, Australia, Canada or other English speaking countries would be uncommon. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. Country to "Dominion of Canada" or "Canadian Federation" or anything else please read the Talk Page
In other English speaking countries, it would be extremely unlikely to class films made in the U. S. as foreign films, or belonging to World cinema, as American films are reasonably dominant in all English-language markets.
World cinema has an un-official implication of films with "artistic value" as opposed to "Hollywood commercialism. " Foreign language films are often grouped with "art house films" and other independent films in DVD stores, cinema listings etc. An Art film (also called an “art cinema” “art movie” or in the U An independent film, or indie film, is a film that is produced outside of the Hollywood Studio system, a series of oligopolistic practices by several Unless dubbed into one's native language, foreign language films played in English speaking regions usually have English subtitles. Subtitles are textual versions of the dialog in films and television programs usually displayed at the bottom of the screen Few films of this kind receive more than a limited release and many are never played in major cinemas. As such the marketing, popularity and gross takings for these films are usually markedly less than for typical Hollywood blockbusters. This article refers to the theatrical slang term for other uses see Blockbuster (disambiguation. The combination of subtitles and minimal exposure adds to the notion that "World Cinema" has an inferred artistic prestige or intelligence, which may discourage less sophisticated viewers. Additionally, differences in cultural style and tone between foreign and domestic films affects attendance at cinemas and DVD sales. 
Foreign language films can be commercial, low brow or B-movies, so to automatically assume that World cinema is "arty" or intellectual is erroneous. Low culture is a Derogatory term for some forms of Popular culture. A B movie is a motion picture made on a low or modest budget Originally the term was used for films intended for distribution as the less-publicized second half of a Double Furthermore, foreign language films can cross cultural boundaries, particularly when the visual spectacle and style is sufficient to overcome people's misgivings. Films of this ilk are becoming more common, and recent examples such as Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Amélie and Brotherhood of the Wolf enjoyed great success in Western cinemas and DVD sales. Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon ( is a Chinese-language Film in the Wuxia ( chivalric and martial arts) style Amélie is a 2001 French film directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet and starring Audrey Tautou. Brotherhood of the Wolf, also known by its French title Le Pacte des loups (literally " The Pact of the Wolves " The first foreign and foreign language film to top the North American box office was Hero in the fall of 2004. A box office is a place where tickets are sold to the public for Admission to a venue Hero ( is a 2002 Chinese Martial arts film, directed by Zhang Yimou with music by Tan Dun. "MMIV" redirects here For the Modest Mouse album see " Baron von Bullshit Rides Again " 
Foreign language films that are particularly successful in international markets may be taken on by the large film distribution companies for DVD releases. A film distributor is an independent company a Subsidiary company or occasionally an individual which acts as the final agent between a film production company DVD (also known as " Digital Versatile Disc " or " Digital Video Disc " - see Etymology)is At the other end of the scale, many foreign language films are never given a DVD release outside of their home markets. The majority of those DVDs that are given an international release, come out on specialist labels. These labels include: