Genre and Identity: A Comparative Study of the Role of National and Cultural Identity in the Development of Local Cinema Genres

The term local genre may not be an established term for all people who study cinema and film critics, because genre is defined as a global category and is less attributed to a specific region or nation. However, this research considers it possible to use the term local genre with the following simple definition; local genres are subgenres or hybrid genres with features that are less common elsewhere. In many cases, by repeating some special features in works of a subgenre or hybrid genre in the films of a nation or region, and of course the presence of a significant number of works in that genre, these subgenres or hybrid genres will become local genres. For example, all local genres in Japanese cinema like Kaiju or Yakuza films are sub-genres or hybrid genres: Kaiju genre is a combination of features of two genres, science-fiction and horror, and Yakuza film is one of the sub-genres of crime genre.
Studying a wide range of local genres including the Martial Arts in Hong Kong, Spaghetti Western in Italy, Masala in India, Heimatfilm in Germany, Anime in Japan and Filmfarsi in Iran, proves that despite the diversity of generic elements in local genres, there is a consistent trend in the development of these genres which seems to be an influence of the national or cultural identity of that genre's region. With the temporary salience of national identity with factors such as war, colonialism, cultural domination and other elements that emphasize the concepts of "self" and "other", filmmakers are drawn to  cultural heritage and are using it to represent a national identity in the content and structure of films, which in turn, has led to the formation of genres that have distinct characteristics compared to the dominant cinematic genres. The expression of national concerns in terms that can be understood by the general public has made these films extremely popular among audiences of that region, and over time, these genres have gained their audience inside and outside that particular geographical area, thus facilitating the development of a "national cinema".
Filmmakers around the world can produce films that include their identity and culture by relying on the achievements of native genres inside and outside their country. The use of genre to express contemporary national concerns, along with examining the unique features of expression in classical literary and artistic works of each country, can play an important role in eliminating the common demarcation of popular and artistic cinema, and result in an increase in the social role of any particular genre.
In this article, the main features of local genres and their differences are compared with the dominant genres of Hollywood cinema, reflecting upon the competitive nature of this genre in regards to  the dominance of Hollywood cinema. The role of national identity in the formation of this genre will be analyzed, and finally, the influence of classical arts on the content, structure, style and iconography of this genre will be further explained.