The Strange, Sad Death of Foreign Language Cinema

Sight and Sound magazine, the British Film Institute’s cinema title, carries sad news in its February edition. Particularly sad, if like me, you’ve grown up with foreign language films – and have a long attachment to anything with a subtitle across the bottom of the screen. Having just enjoyed the BFI’s Andrei Tarkovsky season (and had a chance to view again his film Nostalgia – more than a couple of years after I saw it on its first release in 1983) I remain a fully paid up member of the foreign film club. But I may not be able to enjoy them for much longer. Or not at the cinema.

According to Sight and Sound there has been a dramatic collapse in the takings for foreign language films. And they mean dramatic. In both 2007 and 2008 nine non Hindi foreign language films made over £1m at the UK box office. In 2013 and 2014 had only one film apiece. 2015? Not one. And it gets worse: in 2013 nine non Hindi foreign language films took over £300,000 or more. In 2014 it was six. In 2015 just three crossed that line.

What’s going on? We’ve had a long affair with French cinema in the UK, but it seems to be coming to an end. And not just a gentle falling out – we’ve stopped returning their calls altogether. It can’t just be money. Cinema prices have risen in recent years, but there are popular films out there – and very successful UK-backed pictures, too, such as Suffragette (£9.77 million), Far From the Madding Crowd (£6.18m) and Brooklyn (£4.82m). Those films though have tended to cement another recent trend – the rise of the ‘older cinema goer’. Ever since the huge – and largely unexpected – success of The Exotic Marigold Hotel – the Silver Pound has become critical to film makers. And the success of the films named above proves its working. But is it at the expense of foreign language films? With so many new releases every month – all critically chasing the same demographic – have we reached a point of no return for the films with subtitles? At the same time have cinemas also given up on the hard work of promoting foreign language films and simply put up the white flag?

From where I’m sitting I’d say there was a strong danger of that, not least in this new multi-format world. Those films which look likely to find an easy – and older – audience will continue to enjoy their cinema release. The foreign language movie will be condemned to the download sector, a move which makes short term commercial sense but which must break the heart of any true lover of film. Any budding Tarkovsky will have to hope they can secure a home cinema release – because that’s the best they’re ever likely to get right now. Unless they abandon their mother tongue, as with the latest Sorrentino release, and make films in English.

Of course the Oscars do their best to save us from ourselves. Two of the films which topped £300,000 in 2015 were both nominees for Best Foreign Language Film in 2014 (Wild Tales and Timbuktu). But it’s looking increasingly likely that this won’t be enough. With too many films competing for a share of the same wallets something has to give. Sadly, it looks increasingly likely that what will give first is the opportunity for any of us ever again to enjoy the delights of the foreign language film on the big screen. In a world which seems to be growing more and more insular in its outlook, where ultra-nationalist and outrageously jingoist views win more and more votes, that’s not just a crying shame for cinema, it’s a terrible loss for all of us who seek a more outward – and inclusive –  view of the world.

Nigel Lawrence