Drawing on a broad range of primary sources, from trade and government publications to interviewsHollywood Films in North Africa and the Middle East traces the circulation of Hollywood films across the region from the early twentieth century to the present. Originally introduced by French distributors, Hollywood films have been a key component of film culture in North Africa and the Middle East. These films became a favored mode of entertainment during the first half of the century as the major US film studios built a strong distribution structure. After World War II, the changing geopolitical context of decolonization pushed US distributors out of the market. Hollywood films, however, have continued to be favored by audiences. Today, in a landscape that also includes Egyptian and Indian films, Hollywood remains a relevant force in the region’s film culture, experienced by audiences in myriad ways from the pirate markets of North Africa to state-of-the-art theatres in the United Arab Emirates.

List of Illustrations
Acknowledgments

Introduction

Part I: Winning Hearts in the Colonial Era (1910s–1950s)

1. Entering the Market (1910s–1940s)

2. Hollywood Films and Their Audience

3. Hollywood Films as Political Objects

Part II: Losing Ground in a Changing Market: Political Independence and VCRs (1950s–1990s)

4. Political Upheavals: The Slow Disintegration of the Majors' Distribution Structure (1950s–1970s)

5. Losing Interest: The Move to Indirect Distribution (1970s–1990s)

Part III: US Films Galore in the Digital Era (2000s–2010s)

6. The Porous Nature of Closed Markets

7. North Africa: Cinema and Informal Economy

8. Historical Markets: The Age of Maturity

9. Film Boom in the Gulf

Conclusion

Notes
References
Index