Since the 1960s, a new global cinema has developed that is primarily directed for and focused on displaced people around the world, said Naficy, associate professor of art and art history, who recently was appointed chair of the department. One of the common features of the films is their multilinguality, which makes the experience of watching them different from other films, said Naficy, who is teaching a class about the same topic this semester. Many of the characters are very lost, split and fragmented. Some of them are in two places at once or often are claustrophobic, which is a theme that resonates with many immigrants. In the films, the characters are caught in situations of confinement, such as in an apartment or a suitcase.
Many scenes are depictions of their lives before and after their exile.
This comparative theme sometimes offers criticism of both home and host cultures and can take precedence over the plot of the movie, Naficy said. During a period of five years, Naficy studied and wrote about 600 films produced by filmmakers in exile and diaspora throughout the world. He studied the work of expatriates in various countries, such as Turkish filmmakers living in Germany, Vietnamese filmmakers in the United States, Palestinian and Iranian filmmakers in Europe and North American and Argentinean filmmakers in France. Although they came from different backgrounds and experienced different forms of exile and governments, he found that their films had many similarities. Although he emigrated from Iran to Los Angeles as a student, he always has had sympathy for displaced people.