Cinematic Counter-Globalization in a Small-Nation Context

In Small Nation, Global Cinema, Hjort argues that the emergence of the New Danish Cinema in the course of the ’90s can be traced to various strategies of counter-globalization aimed at thwarting the workings of what Miller et al. refer to as ‘Global Hollywood.’ She suggests the successful globalization of the New Danish Cinema hinges on, among others, a strategy of counter-globalization rooted in what Greg Urban calls ‘meta-culture.’ The Dogma 95 movement, devised by filmmakers Lars von Trier and Thomas Vinterberg, is a clear instance of this strategy.

This lecture examines more closely the meta-cultural strategy (which involves framing specific cinematic works in terms of manifestos or rules) so as to draw attention to the crucial role that key individuals (rather than State-driven initiatives) can play in processes of counter-globalization. Hjort argues that individuals make a difference when they self-consciously refuse the more than likely possibility of ultimate success in what Robert H. Frank and Philip J. Cook call ‘winner-take-all-markets’ in order instead to generate the dynamics of a gift culture that effectively transforms, and thereby psychologically expands, the small-nation context. In an effort to refine and substantiate this view, Hjort looks closely at Lars von Trier’s most recent attention-grabbing project, the collaborative experiment with veteran filmmaker Jørgen Leth, entitled The Five Obstructions (De fem benspænd, 2003).

Hjort is Professor of Intercultural Studies at Aalborg University and a Visiting Research Associate at Kwan Fong Cultural Research and Development Program.