WORLD CINEMA - ONE FILM PER COUNTRY
Ongoing list to attempt a diverse experience. As for 'big movie countries' like the USA I've picked the specific title more or less randomly (among my highest votes of course). As for smaller ones, each the best (in some cases: only one) I've seen.
Sorted alphabetically by country. In case of multiple eras for the same region (e.g. USSR -> Russia) the entries are arranged in historical order, beginning with the actual situation (e.g. to find USSR you don't skip to 'U', but to 'R' for Russia).
The note of each entry is as follows:
Current, common name of the country
→ OFFICIAL NAME OF THE COUNTRY AT THE TIME THE FILM WAS PRODUCED
optional: (date of era)
Population: estimated or census (date)
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(below this line only information about the film - NOT the country)
In case of an error, please send me a PM!
Sorted alphabetically by country. In case of multiple eras for the same region (e.g. USSR -> Russia) the entries are arranged in historical order, beginning with the actual situation (e.g. to find USSR you don't skip to 'U', but to 'R' for Russia).
The note of each entry is as follows:
Current, common name of the country
→ OFFICIAL NAME OF THE COUNTRY AT THE TIME THE FILM WAS PRODUCED
optional: (date of era)
Population: estimated or census (date)
---------------------------------------------------------------------
(below this line only information about the film - NOT the country)
In case of an error, please send me a PM!
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42 titles
- DirectorGeorge MillerStarsMel GibsonBruce SpenceMichael PrestonIn the post-apocalyptic Australian wasteland, a cynical drifter agrees to help a small, gasoline-rich community to get rid of a horde of bandits.AUSTRALIA
→ COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA
Population: 22,556,732 (2010)
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Also involved: none
Language: English
My vote: 8/10 - DirectorMichael HanekeStarsSusanne LotharUlrich MüheArno FrischTwo violent young men take a mother, father, and son hostage in their vacation cabin and force them to play sadistic "games" with one another for their own amusement.AUSTRIA
→ REPUBLIC OF AUSTRIA (2nd, 1945 - present)
Population: 8,356,707 (2009)
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Also involved: none
Language: German
My vote: 9/10 - DirectorRémy BelvauxAndré BonzelBenoît PoelvoordeStarsBenoît PoelvoordeJacqueline Poelvoorde-PappaertNelly PappaertA film crew follows a ruthless thief and heartless killer as he goes about his daily routine. But complications set in when the film crew lose their objectivity and begin lending a hand.BELGIUM
→ KINGDOM OF BELGIUM
Population: 10,827,519 (2010)
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Also involved: none
Language: French
My vote: 8/10 - DirectorSrdjan VuleticStarsSasa PetrovicDaria Lorenci FlatzDamir SavicTaxi driver Fudo wants a happy life with his wife an son. But he has debts. He decides to plan a last coup with his gangster friends.BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA
→ BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA (1992 - present)
Population: 4,613,414 (2009)
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Also involved: UK | Slovenia | Serbia | Germany
Language: Serbian
My vote: 7/10 - DirectorFernando MeirellesKátia LundStarsAlexandre RodriguesLeandro FirminoMatheus NachtergaeleIn the slums of Rio, two kids' paths diverge as one struggles to become a photographer and the other a kingpin.BRAZIL
→ FEDERATIVE REPUBLIC OF BRAZIL
Population: 190,732,694 (2010)
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Also involved: France
Language: Portuguese
My vote: 7/10 - DirectorDavid CronenbergStarsPeter WellerJudy DavisIan HolmAfter developing an addiction to the substance he uses to kill bugs, an exterminator accidentally kills his wife and becomes involved in a secret government plot being orchestrated by giant bugs in a port town in North Africa.CANADA
→ CANADA
Population: 34,347,000 (2010)
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Also involved: UK | Japan
Language: English
My vote: 10/10 - DirectorAndrés WoodStarsMatías QuerAriel MatelunaManuela MartelliTwo 12-year-old Chilean children from different social classes become friends in 1973. They both discover each other's world as political tensions in their country increase.CHILE
→ REPUBLIC OF CHILE (after military dictatorship, 1980 - present)
Population: 17,094,270 (2010)
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Also involved: Spain | UK | France
Language: Spanish
My vote: 9/10 - DirectorAng LeeStarsChow Yun-FatMichelle YeohZiyi ZhangA young Chinese warrior steals a sword from a famed swordsman and then escapes into a world of romantic adventure with a mysterious man in the frontier of the nation.CHINA
→ PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA (1949 - present)
Population: 1,338,612,968 (2010)
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Also involved: Taiwan | Hong Kong | USA
Language: Mandarin
My vote: 8/10 - DirectorJoshua MarstonStarsCatalina Sandino MorenoGuilied LopezOrlando TobónA pregnant Colombian teenager becomes a drug mule to make some desperately-needed money for her family.COLOMBIA
→ REPUBLIC OF COLOMBIA
Population: 45,586,233 (2010)
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Also involved: USA | Ecuador
Language: Spanish | English
My vote: 5/10 - DirectorJan SvankmajerStarsKristýna KohoutováCamilla PowerA surrealistic revision of Alice in Wonderland.CZECH
→ CZECHOSLOVAKIA (1918 - 1993)
Population: 13,607,385 (1991)
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Also involved: Switzerland | UK | West Germany
Language: Czech
My vote: 7/10 - DirectorNicolas Winding RefnStarsMads MikkelsenLeif SylvesterAnne SørensenTonny is released from prison - again. This time he has his mind set on changing his broken down life, but that is easier said than done.DENMARK
→ KINGDOM OF DENMARK
Population: 5,557,709 (2010)
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Also involved: UK
Language: Danish | Serbo-Croatian
My vote: 10/10 - DirectorOlli SoinioStarsSoli LabbartKari SorvaliMikko KivinenFINLAND
→ REPUBLIC OF FINLAND (1918 - today)
Population: 5,374,781 (2010)
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Also involved: none
Language: Finnish
My vote: 7/10 - DirectorLuc BessonStarsJean-Marc BarrJean RenoRosanna ArquetteThe rivalry between Enzo and Jacques, two childhood friends and now world-renowned free divers, becomes a beautiful and perilous journey into oneself and the unknown.FRANCE
→ FRENCH REPUBLIC (5th, 1958 - present)
Population: 65,447,374 (2010)
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Also involved: USA | Italy
Language: French | English | Italian
My vote: 10/10 - DirectorCarl Theodor DreyerStarsMaria FalconettiEugene SilvainAndré BerleyIn 1431, Jeanne d'Arc is placed on trial on charges of heresy. The ecclesiastical jurists attempt to force Jeanne to recant her claims of holy visions.FRANCE
→ FRENCH REPUBLIC (3rd, 1870 - 1940)
Population: 35,565,800 (est)
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Also involved: none
Language: French
My vote: 7/10 - DirectorWenzel StorchStarsJürgen HöhneJasmin HarnauHolger MüllerCaptain Gustav commands a floating snail boat in an odd world.GERMANY
→ FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF GERMANY (1991 - present)
Population: 81,757,600 (2010)
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Also involved: none
Language: German
My vote: 10/10 - DirectorFritz LangStarsBrigitte HelmAlfred AbelGustav FröhlichIn a futuristic city sharply divided between the working class and the city planners, the son of the city's mastermind falls in love with a working-class prophet who predicts the coming of a savior to mediate their differences.GERMANY
→ WEIMAR REPUBLIC (1918–1933)
Population: 62,411,000 (1925)
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Also involved: none
Language: German
My vote: 9/10 - DirectorDennis IliadisStarsKaterina TsavalouDanae SkiadiIoannis PapazisisLeaving behind a hard life with their families, two young girls end up in a brothel, fall in love and support one another against the adversities and violence of the night.GREECE
→ HELLENIC REPUBLIC (1975 - present)
Population: 11,305,118 (2010)
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Also involved: none
Language: Greek
My vote: 8/10 - DirectorKar-Wai WongStarsLeon LaiMichelle ReisTakeshi KaneshiroThis Hong Kong-set crime drama follows the lives of a hitman, hoping to get out of the business, and his elusive female partner.HONG KONG
→ HONG KONG (crown colony until 1997)
Population: 7,055,071 (2010)
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Also involved: none
Language: Cantonese
My vote: 10/10 - DirectorNimród AntalStarsSándor CsányiEszter BallaZoltán MucsiA tale about a strange young man, Bulcsú, the fellow inspectors on his team, all without exception likable characters, a rival ticket inspection team and racing along the tracks - and a tale about love.HUNGARY
→ REPUBLIC OF HUNGARY (3rd, 1989 - present)
Population: 10,005,000 (2010)
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Also involved: none
Language: Hungarian
My vote: 8/10 - DirectorBaltasar KormákurStarsHilmir Snær GuðnasonVictoria AbrilHanna María KarlsdóttirWill the 30 y.o. Hlynur ever move out of his mother's apartment in Reykjavík? Social welfare keeps him passive but things change when his mother's Spanish friend, Lola, arrives and stays through Xmas and New Year's Eve.ICELAND
→ REPUBLIC OF ICELAND (1944 - present)
Population: 318,006 (2010)
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Also involved: Denmark | France | Norway | Germany
Language: Icelandic
My vote: 9/10 - DirectorSanjay Leela BhansaliStarsAmitabh BachchanRani MukerjiShernaz PatelThe cathartic tale of a young woman who can't see, hear, or speak, and the teacher who brings a ray of light into her dark world.INDIA
→ REPUBLIC OF INDIA (1950 - present)
Population: 1,189,830,000 (2010)
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Also involved: none
Language: Hindi | English
My vote: 10/10 - DirectorJoko AnwarStarsFachry AlbarMarsha TimothyArio BayuThe life of a successful sculptor is turned upside down when he begins receiving mysterious messages from someone who asks for his help.INDONESIA
→ REPUBLIC OF INDONESIA (1949 - present)
Population: 238,000,000 (2009)
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Also involved: none
Language: Indonesian
My vote: 8/10 - DirectorJohn BoormanStarsBrendan GleesonAdrian DunbarSean McGinleyThe real-life story of Dublin folk hero and criminal Martin Cahill, who pulled off two daring robberies in Ireland with his team, but attracted unwanted attention from the police, the I.R.A., the U.V.F., and members of his own team.IRELAND
→ REPUBLIC OF IRELAND (1949 - present)
Population: 4,470,700 (2010)
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Also involved: UK
Language: English
My vote: 8/10 - DirectorMichele SoaviStarsRupert EverettFrançois Hadji-LazaroAnna FalchiA cemetery man must kill the dead a second time when they become zombies.ITALY
→ ITALIAN REPUBLIC (1946 - present)
Population: 60,418,711 (2010)
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Also involved: France | Germany
Language: Italian
My vote: 10/10 - DirectorPerry HenzellStarsJimmy CliffJanet BartleyCarl BradshawWishing to become a successful reggae singer, a young Jamaican man finds himself tied to corrupt record producers and drug pushers.JAMAICA
→ JAMAICA (1962 - present)
Population: 2,847,232 (2010)
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Also involved: none
Language: English
My vote: 8/10 - DirectorTakeshi KitanoStarsTakeshi KitanoKayoko KishimotoRen ÔsugiNishi leaves the police in the face of harrowing personal and professional difficulties. Spiraling into depression, he makes questionable decisions.JAPAN
→ STATE OF JAPAN (1947 - present)
Population: 127,360,000 (2010)
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Also involved: none
Language: Japanese
My vote: 10/10 - DirectorAlejandro JodorowskyStarsAlejandro JodorowskyBrontis JodorowskyJosé LegarretaA mysterious black-clad gunfighter wanders a mystical Western landscape encountering multiple bizarre characters.MEXICO
→ UNITED MEXICAN STATES
Population: 112,322,757 (2010)
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Also involved: none
Language: Spanish
My vote: 9/10 - DirectorPaul VerhoevenStarsCarice van HoutenSebastian KochThom HoffmanIn the Nazi-occupied Netherlands during World War II, a Jewish singer infiltrates the regional Gestapo headquarters for the Dutch resistance.NETHERLANDS
→ NETHERLANDS
Population: 16,634,400 (2010)
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Also involved: Germany | Belgium
Language: Dutch | English | German | Hebrew
My vote: 9/10 - DirectorPeter JacksonStarsTimothy BalmeDiana PeñalverElizabeth MoodyA young man's mother is bitten by a Sumatran rat-monkey. She gets sick and dies, at which time she comes back to life, killing and eating dogs, nurses, friends, and neighbors.NEW ZEALAND
→ NEW ZEALAND (1986 - present)
Population: 4,367,700 (2010)
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Also involved: none
Language: English
My vote: 10/10 - DirectorTommy WirkolaStarsJeppe Beck LaursenCharlotte FrognerJenny SkavlanA ski vacation turns horrific for a group of medical students, as they find themselves confronted by an unimaginable menace: Nazi zombies.NORWAY
→ KINGDOM OF NORWAY (1905 - 1940 & 1945 - today)
Population: 4,917,900 (2010)
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Also involved: none
Language: Norwegian
My vote: 8/10 - DirectorMamoru OshiiStarsMalgorzata ForemniakWladyslaw KowalskiJerzy GudejkoIn a dystopian world, a woman spends her time playing an illegal and dangerous game, hoping to find meaning in her world.POLAND
→ REPUBLIC OF POLAND (3rd, 1990 - today)
Population: 38,192,000 (2010)
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Also involved: Japan
Language: Polish
My vote: 8/10 - DirectorAndrei TarkovskyStarsNatalya BondarchukDonatas BanionisJüri JärvetA psychologist is sent to a station orbiting a distant planet in order to discover what has caused the crew to go insane.RUSSIA
→ USSR (1922–1991)
Population: 290,100,023 (1991)
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Also involved: none
Language: Russian
My vote: 10/10 - DirectorColin GohYen Yen WooStarsRichard LowZioZio LimSerene ChenWhen Loh wins the lottery, his family believes the money will deliver them from their struggles. However, he dies abruptly, pitching the family into a battle where the stakes are the very meaning of life itself.SINGAPORE
→ REPUBLIC OF SINGAPORE (1965 - present)
Population: 5,076,700 (2010)
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Also involved: none
Language: Mandarin | Hokkien | English | Cantonese
My vote: 6/10 - DirectorPark Chan-wookStarsChoi Min-sikYoo Ji-taeKang Hye-jeongAfter being kidnapped and imprisoned for fifteen years, Oh Dae-Su is released, only to find that he must track down his captor in five days.SOUTH KOREA
→ REPUBLIC OF KOREA (1948 - present)
Population: 48,875,000 (2010)
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Also involved: none
Language: Korean
My vote: 10/10 - DirectorÁlex de la IglesiaStarsRosie PerezJavier BardemHarley CrossA psychotic criminal couple kidnaps a random teenage couple. The woman rapes the male captive, and lets him watch his lover being raped by the man. They then plan to sacrifice the couple.SPAIN
→ KINGDOM OF SPAIN (1978 - present)
Population: 46,030,109 (2010)
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Also involved: Mexico | USA
Language: English | Spanish
My vote: 8/10 - DirectorLukas MoodyssonStarsOksana AkinshinaArtyom BogucharskiyPavel PonomaryovSixteen-year-old Lilja and her only friend, the young boy Volodja, live in Russia, fantasizing about a better life. One day, Lilja falls in love with Andrej, who is going to Sweden, and invites Lilja to come along and start a new life.SWEDEN
→ KINGDOM OF SWEDEN
Population: 9,354,462 (2009)
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Also involved: Denmark
Language: Russian | Swedish | English
My vote 10/10 - DirectorRichard DemboStarsMichel PiccoliAlexandre ArbattLiv UllmannDuring the Cold War, the World Chess Championship clashed complete opposites - personal and political.SWITZERLAND
→ SWISS CONFEDERATION
Population: 7,785,600 (2009)
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Also involved: France
Language: French
My vote: 6/10 - DirectorPen-Ek RatanaruangStarsTadanobu AsanoKang Hye-jeongEric TsangAfter inadvertently killing his girlfriend, a man (Asano) flees Macau for Thailand in an attempt to cope with his guilt, and avoid possible arrest. But the relocation doesn't prevent his problems from following him, as his new friends could be potential enemies.THAILAND
→ KINGDOM OF THAILAND (under the 1997 Constitution of Thailand, 1997 - 2006)
Population: 65,998,436 (2010)
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Also involved: Hong Kong | South Korea
Language: Thai | English | Japanese | Korean
My vote: 10/10 - DirectorÇetin InançStarsCüneyt ArkinAytekin AkkayaFüsun UçarThe adaptation of Star Wars.TURKEY
→ REPUBLIC OF TURKEY (1923 - today)
Population: 77,804,122 (2010)
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Also involved: none
Language: Turkish
My vote: 8/10 (trash-bonus) - DirectorShane MeadowsStarsMartin ArrowsmithDave BlantDarren CampbellAfter stopping 12 y.o. Romeo and Gavin from being beaten up, Morell drives them home and meets Romeo's adult sister and falls in love. The boys "help" him in his pursuit.UNITED KINGDOM
→ UNITED KINGDOM OF GREAT BRITAIN AND NORTHERN ISLAND
(1922 - today)
Population: 62,041,708 (2010)
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Also involved: Canada
Language: English
My vote: 9/10 - DirectorSergio LeoneStarsRobert De NiroJames WoodsElizabeth McGovernA former Prohibition-era Jewish gangster returns to the Lower East Side of Manhattan 35 years later, where he must once again confront the ghosts and regrets of his old life.USA
→ UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
Population: 310,906,000 (2010)
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Also involved: Italy
Language: English
My vote: 10/10 - DirectorStephane GaugerStarsCat LyThe Lu LeHan Thi PhamIn modern-day Saigon, three lonely strangers form a unique family as a ten-year old orphan plays matchmaker to a zookeeper and a beautiful flight attendant.VIETNAM
→ SOCIALIST REPUBLIC OF VIETNAM (1976 - present)
Population: 85,846,997 (2009)
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Also involved: USA
Language: Vietnamese
My vote: 7/10