For a Multipolar History of the Film Industries: Centre-Periphery Relations in the Cold War Years

This special issue seeks to rethink the history of film industries in the postwar period from a multipolar perspective, challenging historiographical models grounded in an exclusive comparison with Hollywood. Building on recent scholarship on film industries and transnational networks, the issue examines centre–periphery relations during the Cold War, highlighting patterns of interdependence, negotiation, and exchange among national production systems. Particular attention is paid to the connections between so-called “peripheral” industries, the circulation of capital, professionals, technologies, and imaginaries, as well as the political, economic, and cultural frameworks that shaped these flows. Through case studies and comparative approaches, the contributions explore the tensions between hegemony and autonomy, showing how the industrial landscape of the period emerges as a dynamic and articulated space in which international relations affect both production structures and film form and representation.