ABSTRACT
This chapter proposes to leave the Euro- and Hollywood-centric as well as the art/auteur vs commercial dilemma behind and move a step further by replacing the rather vague, and often unhelpful, "world cinema" appellation with the more substantive "realist cinema", which is defined by an ethics of the real that has bound world films together across history and geography at cinema's most creative peaks. The idea that "realism" is the common denominator across the vast range of productions normally labelled as "World Cinema" is widespread and seemingly uncontroversial. Realism at the point of production is clearly identifiable and measurable, as opposed to the "reality effect" at the point of reception, which varies widely from one individual to another, remaining inevitably restricted to the speculative realm. The chapter proceeds to laying out a tentative taxonomy of cinematic realism covering the film process in its various phases, from production to reception.
