Cinematic Appearance of Cultural Hybridization: The Case of La Graine Et Le Mulet

Abstract

Cultural encounters caused by human mobility across national borders and the results of these encounters are among the current topics of discussions within the framework of globalization. An approach, which argues that globalization works in favor of capitalist countries, deals with the discussion in the context of cultural hegemony. This approach claims that "First World" cultures are always dominant over "Third World" cultures. On the other hand, another approach considers these encounters as an exchange process that paves the way for the emergence of new cultural forms. The second approach claims that cultural exchange processes result in hybrid forms. The cultural identities of filmmakers, their film production practices, and the issues they deal with in their films cause cinema to become an important sphere of cultural practice where these discussions gain visibility. Moreover, its competence in representing and conveying cultural identities also provides cinema with a feature of being a rich source of data, through which these discussions can be examined.The main purpose of this study is to reveal how cultural hybridization created by globalization affects production practice and narrative of film. In the study in which purposeful sampling method is used, a movie named La Graine Et Le Mulet (The Secret of The Grain/Balıklı Bulgur) by Abdellatif Kechiche, an immigrant filmmaker, is determined as the sample. The film is analyzed with case study method in terms of production practice and narrative. The findings obtained from the study reveal that the production practices of the film and the cultural aspects in its narrative involve remarkable hybrid qualities. However, especially the spoken language of the characters in the narrative and the way these characters are perceived by the members of the host country show that theses put forward within the framework of "cultural hegemony" phenomenon can also be valid.