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Multilingualism, Audiovisual Translation and Power in Cinema-monde

Module description

‘Cinéma-monde’ is an exciting development in the study of ‘francophone’ film, prompting a crucial re-evaluation of French national cinema, historical monolingual perspectives on Frenchness, and its binary relation to francophonie from decolonial and non-Eurocentric standpoints. Representations of multilingualism in cinéma-monde films are central to these decentring processes, and in this module, you will examine how they serve to construct (counter?)narratives of identity, Otherness and power relations within the francosphère. You will also pay special attention to the role of audiovisual translation, particularly subtitling, in shaping the production, dissemination, and reception of these narratives within and between anglophone and francophone worlds.

No prior knowledge of audiovisual translation is needed, but you will need to be able to read and understand French.

Module aims - intentions of the module

This module aims to introduce you to the concept of ‘cinéma-monde’ and its application as a critical framework through which to approach a corpus of films linked to the francophone world and its production networks. It will encourage you to think critically about notions of ‘Frenchness’ and of ‘francophonie’, and to reconceptualize francophone filmmaking in terms of plurality, diversity, and transcultural exchange. You will have the opportunity to examine various manifestations of multilingualism in a corpus of films of varying genre, theme and tone, including foreign national languages ‘other’ than French, its intralingual varieties, and/or non-verbal forms of communication. You will use the four core principles of cinéma-monde – borders, movement, language, and lateral connections – as a springboard for examining the ways in which subtitles are used in these films, how they play an active part in the shaping of identity by mediating differences between the local, the national and the global, and how they therefore intersect with the relations of power that exist between different cultures. The module therefore aims to cultivate an understanding of the semionarrative nature of subtitles and questions of power in audiovisual translation that emerge in the context of multilingual films more broadly. Over the course of the module, you will develop a foundational understanding of theory in audiovisual translation, with particular reference to subtitling, and culture studies-oriented translation approaches (e.g., from the postcolonial school of translation thought).

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)

ILO: Module-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 1. Demonstrate understanding of the key theoretical underpinnings of cinéma-monde and an ability to apply them to the analysis of the chosen films
• 2. Demonstrated an informed awareness of the semionarrative dynamics of subtitles, in the context of cinéma-monde films, their production, dissemination and reception

ILO: Discipline-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 3. After initial input from course tutor, independently apply and evaluate film- and translation-critical approaches to the material under analysis
• 4. Approach audiovisual translation, and specifically subtitling, as a creative process

ILO: Personal and key skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 5. Negotiate individual assessment tasks and/or topics with course tutor, identifying own areas of strength and interest
• 6. Using bibliographical material provided, select, plan and carry out a programme of study leading to an essay / creative piece on a chosen film, to a specified length and deadline

Syllabus plan

Through a combination of lectures and seminars we shall explore a selection of the following films (6 will be studied in-depth):

• Dheepan (Jacques Audiard, 2015)
• Inch’allah Dimanche (Yamina Benguigui, 2001)
• Marie Heurtin (Jean-Pierre Améris, 2014)
• L’esquive (Abdellatif Kechiche, 2003)
• Exils (Tony Gatlif, 2004)
• Le grand voyage (Ismaël Ferroukhi, 2004)
• Welcome (Philippe Lioret, 2009)
• Les tombeaux sans noms (Rithy Panh, 2018)
• Film socialisme (Jean-Luc Godard, 2010)
• Rien à declarer (Dany Boon, 2010)
• London River (Rachid Bouchareb, 2009)
• Incendies (Denis Villeneuve, 2010)
• Rebelle (Kim Nguyen, 2012)
• Bon Cop, Bad Cop (Érik Canuel, 2006)
• Heremakono (Abderrahmane Sissako, 2002) or Bamako (Abderrahmane Sissako, 2006)

Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)

Details of learning activities and teaching methods

Formative assessment

Summative assessment (% of credit)

Details of summative assessment

Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)

Re-assessment notes

Deferral – if you miss an assessment for certificated reasons judged acceptable by the Mitigation Committee, you will normally be either deferred in the assessment or an extension may be granted. The mark given for a re-assessment taken as a result of deferral will not be capped and will be treated as it would be if it were your first attempt at the assessment.

Referral – if you have failed the module overall (i.e. a final overall module mark of less than 40%) you will be required to submit a further assessment as necessary. If you are successful on referral, your overall module mark will be capped at 40%.

Indicative learning resources - Basic reading

A full reading list will be provided, however, you should expect to consult the following core texts:

• Gott, Michael and Thibaut Schilt (eds.) Cinéma-Monde: Decentred Perspectives on Global Filmmaking in French (Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 2018)
• King, Gemma. Decentring France: Multilingualism and Power in Contemporary French Cinema, 1st edn (Manchester: Manchester University Press, 2017)
• Leveridge, Francesca and Pierre-Alexis Mével. ‘Cinéma-monde and subtitling’, Journal of Romance Studies, 23(1), 2023, 27-47.
• Marshall, Bill. ‘Cinéma-monde? Towards a concept of Francophone cinema’, Francosphères 1(1), 2012, 35–51.
• Nornes, Abé Mark. ‘For an abusive subtitling’, Film Quarterly, 52(3), 1999, 17-34.
• O’Sullivan, Carol. Subtitling Popular Cinema (London: Palgrave, 2011)
• Shohat, Ella and Robert Stam. ‘The cinema after Babel: Language, difference, power’, Screen, 26(3-4), 1985, 35-58.
• Spivak, Gayatri C. Outside in the Teaching Machine (London and New York: Routledge, 1993)

Indicative learning resources - Web based and electronic resources

• A helpful bibliography and further resources will be provided on the ELE page.

Indicative learning resources - Other resources

Indicative viewing:

• Dheepan (Jacques Audiard, 2015)
• Inch’allah Dimanche (Yamina Benguigui, 2001)
• Marie Heurtin (Jean-Pierre Améris, 2014)
• L’esquive (Abdellatif Kechiche, 2003)
• Exils (Tony Gatlif, 2004)
• Le grand voyage (Ismaël Ferroukhi, 2004)
• Welcome (Philippe Lioret, 2009)
• Les tombeaux sans noms (Rithy Panh, 2018)
• Film socialisme (Jean-Luc Godard, 2010)
• Rien à declarer (Dany Boon, 2010)
• London River (Rachid Bouchareb, 2009)
• Incendies (Denis Villeneuve, 2010)
• Rebelle (Kim Nguyen, 2012)
• Bon Cop, Bad Cop (Érik Canuel, 2006)
• Heremakono (Abderrahmane Sissako, 2002) or Bamako (Abderrahmane Sissako, 2006)

Key words search

Cinéma-monde, world cinema, subtitling, audiovisual translation, multilingualism, French cinema, francophone cinema, postcolonial