ABSTRACT
This chapter aims to identify and make explicit the characteristics of contemporary cinephilia in Western societies. In a context of increasing globalization – culturally conveyed by cinema, among other media – cinephilia is not an exclusive characteristic of Western societies. It is a behavior that has been facilitated by growing urbanization (Morin, 1953; Bourdieu, 1979), by a higher standard of living (Bakker, 2006), and by the normalization of leisure. It thus develops, in parallel with a national film production, as cities grow and huge megalopolises flourish in what were, until recently, non-industrialized countries. A cogent illustration is the way cinephiles now associate Hong Kong with a world-famous film genre (martial arts), and with whole communities of amateurs eagerly collecting its products.
