Work

An Academy of Nations? The enduring Eurocentrism of the Best International Feature Film Award

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: Although the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film is often promoted as a celebration of world cinema, its record tells a different story. By mapping every nomination and win since the category adopted a competitive format in 1956, this study exposes a sharp geographic imbalance. A proportional-symbol cartogram shows Europe ballooning to dominate the visual field, while much of the Global South, especially Africa, nearly disappears. Four of the five most-honoured countries are European, together with Japan accounting for more than half of all victories. This pattern is interpreted as a geographic expression of cultural hegemony, explained partly by the theory of ‘cultural proximity’, where Academy voters may gravitate towards narratives reflecting familiar cultural values. The cartogram thus visualizes more than just awards; it depicts a durable geography of cultural influence.

Source: Environment and Planning B Urban Analytics and City Science

DOI: 10.1177/23998083251381497

Authors: Sam McMillan, Xinyi Yuan, Mingshu Wang

Institution: University of Glasgow

Language: English

Topic: Cinema and Media Studies

Subfield: Economics and Econometrics

Field: Economics, Econometrics and Finance

Domain: Social Sciences

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $3,650

Funder: Alan Turing Institute