The Academy Awards are a 1-Way Street

Like 40 million other people from all over the world, I plan on watching the Academy Awards tonight. Every year, my grandparents come over to watch the awards and to have dinner with my family. Personally, I have always really enjoyed and looked forward to watching the Academy Awards with my family. However, one part of the Academy Awards that I have always found a bit boring is the "Foreign Language Film Award" mainly because I have almost never heard of a single title.

After a class discussion in American Studies last week about American Imperialism, I thought a lot about America's influence on other countries. I think the effects of "Americanization" can probably be seen in almost every country. Americanization is defined as "mak[ing] something more American, especially the language or culture of a person or place." In my opinion, Americanization and American Imperialism are not only harming other cultures, but it is also having a huge effect on the United States as well. I think the fact that American culture has become so wide-spread is making Americans less likely to learn about other cultures. Just by reading the list of the foreign film nominees for the Academy Awards, one can see Americans' attitude towards learning about other cultures.

This year, the Academy Award nominees for best foreign films are:

• The Broken Circle Breakdown (Belgium)
• The Great Beauty (Italy)
• The Hunt (Denmark)
• The Missing Picture (Cambodia)
• Omar (Palestine)

 
Personally, I have never heard of any of the above films and I know I am not the only one. One reason most Americans do not watch foreign movies is because we are "more familiar" with Hollywood movies and the common themes in American movies. I think it is a big problem that "the U.S. audience for foreign movies has been declining..." With less Americans watching foreign films and being exposed to less foreign culture, it looks like the transfer of ideas between nations is turning into a one-way street with Americans trying to influence the world, but not wanting the world to influence the U.S. One observation I noticed while researching foreign films was that "The Broken Circle Breakdown" (the nominee from Beligium) is mainly focused around American culture and music, showing just how little Americans are willing to take in new ideas from other countries.