Transnational Remakes: Industrial and Aesthetic Dynamics

Abstract

This article studies the industrial and aesthetic dynamics of transnational film remakes. If by «transnational remake» we understand that which «consists in making again a film in a different national context from the original one» (Berthier, 2007, p. 338), this research analyses both the production and circulation strategies and the narrative adaptation tactics involved in the remake process from a transnational perspective. In order to do so, we will examine the films ¿Quién mató a Bambi? (Santi Amodeo, 2013), remake of the Mexican film Matando Cabos (Alejandro Lozano, 2004) and Kiki, love to love (Paco León, 2016), a version of the Australian The Little Death (Josh Lawson, 2014). These cases operate as examples of adaptation processes in the Spanish context as well as tokens of remake fluxes beyond Hollywood. Attention to these films allows us to consider the existence of a potential transnational model of producing film remakes, while attending to the complex network of agents at play in buying and selling remake rights. Finally, the article reflects on the importance of industrial and academic uses of concepts such as «auteur», «film genre» or «national cinema», all of them key categories within industrial and aesthetic dynamics of contemporary film remakes.

Keywords

• remakes cinematográficos
• industria cinematográfica
• cine transnacional
• cine español
• ¿Quién mató a Bambi?
• Kiki, el amor se hace