An insightful guide to the films, genres, and cultural motifs that define Nordic cinema past and present.

The Intellect Handbook of Nordic Cinema offers a comprehensive overview of cinema in the Nordic region—Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland, Iceland, and Sápmi. While each nation has distinct cinematic traditions and media histories, they also share many institutional and thematic features. A key example is the reliance of film production across all five countries, and in Sápmi, on various forms of government support.

Focusing primarily on feature films, the volume also addresses documentaries and animation, situating Nordic film production within today’s evolving media landscape where television and streaming services act as both partners and competitors. Combining detailed case studies with thematic explorations, it broadens understanding of genres such as occupation dramas, comedies, disaster movies, and children’s films while offering in-depth examinations of recurring cultural motifs and themes, including nature, nationality, sexuality, and digital piracy. With contributions from leading scholars, this handbook provides an essential reference for anyone seeking to understand the diversity, commonalities, and global relevance of Nordic cinema.
 

Silent film is more than just a cinema of firsts, greats, or classics. It is a cinema of experimentation, ambition, and connection. To watch a silent film is to be transported into another world.  A Silent Film Companion seeks to broaden the silent film canon by focusing on compelling non-canonical films from around the globe to provide a fresh perspective and new view of silent cinema. With over 50 films discussed, this volume captures just a sliver of the many delights silent cinema has to offer. The book encourages discovery, and rediscovery, of the world of silent cinema: one where the movies were still young, full of possibility, eager to entice others to take part in a wonderful adventure. Films covered are from fourteen countries, including Brazil, Mexico, China, Cuba, India, Italy, and Russia, and representing a diversity of subjects. Chapters provide historical and cultural context to each film, the filmmakers, and a concise analysis of each film. A Silent Film Companion is a guidebook to the many pleasures of silent cinema, allowing you to see and understand diverse perspectives. It is a must read for students and fans of silent cinema interested in seeing a side of silent cinema that is rarely explored.