The apparent shift in power relations between the developed and developing world, along with the increasing emphasis that national and transnational organisations place on the role of ‘soft power’ in global foreign policy, has profound implications for global film culture. Focusing primarily on the BRICS countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa), this innovative collection examines the diverse and often competing ways the group as a whole engages with film as a medium of artistic expression, and as a ‘soft power’ resource.

The contributors explore the wider implications for world cinema of its members’ differing and dynamic positions in the global media landscape, and the book includes a comparative analysis by examining the post-imperial soft power of the UK at the time of Brexit.