| Editors welcome |
| This 1983: Doomsday article is considered canon, but experts on particular regions are still welcome to make changes or additions as appropriate. |
The Film industry had been one of the most profitable industries worldwide, prior to Doomsday, with American cinema or "Hollywood" as one of the largest of the national industries, and the most famous. However, when the bombs dropped, the resulting chaos brought a halt to most film industries worldwide. As order returned to the wastes, the global film industry saw a resurgence, especially in places where Television had been wiped out, bringing people back to the theatres.
Film by region[]
North America[]
The film industry centered around Hollywood was destroyed, along with the actual Hollywood and Los Angeles. As such, the film industry in the former United States and Canada has, like the two countries themselves, been scattered among various communities, with many referring to these individual film industries collectively as "Polywood", a portmanteau of "poly" and "Hollywood". There are several major film studios, but most of it can be described as a wild west, with amateur auteurs dominating the scene.
In the North American Union and the United States, film production has come back in full force, with several film studios popping up. These studios, rather than being based in one city, tend to be spread out across the Union. Studios include Odyssey Pictures in Torrington, Buffalo Studios in Montana, Mark's Movies in Wyoming, Colorado Films in Colorado, and Northern Film and Mountain Studios in Provisional Canada. All were founded by film buffs and aspiring filmmakers and strive to become like the original "Big Six" of Hollywood. In addition to feature length films, they also produce shorts and serial films, and have branched out into television.
In Victoria, the film industry has taken up roots in Nanaimo. These include the studios of Omega Level Pictures, Harbor Pictures, Crown Studios, Apex Films and Ruby Cinematic Entertainment. These studios serve as a major force in North America, which has earned the city the nickname of "New Hollywood North", after a nickname for both Vancouver and Toronto.
In Virginia, the city of Beckley has become the center of a new film industry, "Becklywood". The first studio to open in Virginia was Republic Pictures, since then, several other studios have joined.
Elsewhere in the continent, various independent film makers with their own small studios are out there, making many low budget films. With the rise of video technology in the 21st century, these films are often shot on video, with various local enthusiasts and actors in the lead roles.
Commonwealth of Australia and New Zealand[]
The film industry in Australia has risen to become one of the largest in the world following Doomsday. The most successful film company in the country is Village Roadshow, who had once served as a production and distribution partner with Warner Brothers. Two of the most famous pre-war films in the country are Mad Max and its sequel, in spite of, it not because of, the world's real-life apocalypse in 1983.
Meanwhile, in New Zealand, the New Zealand Film Commission has existed since 1978, to help with the production of films in the country. Prominent directors include Peter Jackson, Taika Waititi, Lee Tamahori, and Andrew Adamson. The over-all industry tends to be dominated by Australian companies, but these Kiwi film makers remain influential.
Sub Saharan Africa[]
Nigeria's film industry nicknamed Nollywood is the largest in West Africa. In recent years the Ghanaian and Senegalese film industries have started to catch up.
Puntland is home East Africa Studios. It mostly produced communist propaganda films but it has produced a few apolitical films.
Europe[]
With most countries in Europe being shattered by the events of Doomsday, most film industries were rendered effectively defunct. When stability began to come back to the continent, film production began to return as well, though all but the most well-off nations, such as those in the Celtic Alliance, Alpine Confederation and the Nordic Union, had a severe drop in the number of films made per year.
The Celtic Alliance has seen it's fair share of filmmakers. Aided by Bord Scannán na hÉireann / the Irish Film Board, these filmmakers have been breathing life into the film industries of Ireland and beyond.
East Asia[]
With much of the film industry based in Tokyo, Doomsday wiped it out virtually overnight. When order returned to the islands, so too did the film industry, with the Kyoto/Osaka branches of the various studios saving their parents. The various Kaiju movies, such as Godzilla, and Gamera, have experienced a revival.
While the destructio of Taipei destroyed the Taiwanese film industry it has since recovered. Today Taiwan has two world class studios Tialong Films and Po Pictures. There are also a few low end studios.
The Philippines' second golden age of cinema ended with doomsday but it has since entered a third golden age. The Major studios are Regal Entertainment, Viva films, Lea Premiere Productions, Sampaguita Pictures and Luzon Media.
Socialist Siberia[]
Most if not all the Soviet film studios were in cities that were nuked. Thus Socialist Siberia had to rebuild it film industry. Krasfilm was found in 2008, Omsk film in 2010 and Manchu film in 2012. The People’s republic of Mongolia had a film studio called Mongol Kino. The studio was went out of business after doomsday but after Mongolia joined socialist Siberia the studio reopened under name Mongol film in 2001
India[]
India has an extensive film industry, for several of it's languages. The one most people think of, "Bollywood", refers specifically to the Hindi language film industry based in northern India, alongside the music industry that sprang around it. Other prominent industries include the Tamil language film industry, Tollywood, and the Malayalam language movie industry, Mollywood. The International Film Festival of India has become a successor to Cannes.
Mexico[]
Mexico has seen a boost to it's cinema following the events of Doomsday, with many comparing it to the Golden Age of the 1940s and 50s. Taking inspiration both from their rich history and American and European influences, filmmakers such as Guillermo Del Toro and Alfonso Cuaron have been producing popular and well-received films in virtually every genre, from horror, comedy, to action and adventure. Famous stars include Salma Hayek, the Bichir brothers, and Gael García Bernal.
South America[]
South American cinema is largely centered around two countries: Brazil and Argentina, with Medellin serving as an unofficial "Latino Hollywood". The Cinema of South America primarily competes with that of Mexico. Film makers have produced films in virtually every genre, from action, horror, even comedy. Every country in the South American Confederation has their own film studios.
Genres and formats[]
Western (and Northern)[]
Western films have always been a popular genre, as tales of the wild west captured the imagination of the United States and beyond. Stories of gunslingers and outlaws in the American frontiers have inspired literature, music, and of course, films. The North American Union has produced many of these films, which are mostly shot in Wyoming, the desert landscapes of which fit in perfectly with the setting. Western films have also been popular in Mexico, thanks to the popularity of characters like Zorro and the Lone Ranger.
A similar genre of film is centered around Canada's frontier, the northern. With Mounties often standing in for cowboys and sheriffs, and with the region of Canada providing a similar setting to the Wild West, the Northern would be explored by several studios in the successor states of Canada. Victoria's Crown Studios, in particular, becoming known for its Northern films.
Film serials[]
With Television being largely wiped out in several parts of the world, the previously abandoned film serial saw new life. Once a popular form of entertainment, film serials featured stories edited into multiple chapters and episodes, which usually end with a cliffhanger to encourage viewers to come back next week to see the next chapter. This form of film largely fell by the wayside after the rise of television but made a strong comeback in areas that lost access to regular TV broadcasts.
The North American Union is the main source of serials in the post Doomsday era. These films are often sourced from other works, many of which had been made into older serials. These included pulp fiction figures like Tarzan, The Shadow, and Doc Savage, comic book heroes like Batman, Superman, and Captain Marvel, newspaper comic figures like Buck Rogers, The Phantom, and Mandrake the Magician, Radio stories like The Lone Ranger, Green Hornet, and The Spider, and even Pre-Doomsday television hits like Star Trek, Get Smart, and The Man from UNCLE.
In areas with regular television broadcasts, such as Mexico and ANZC, film serials never came around in theaters. Still, some of the better examples have been found reran on televisions around the world. ANZBC even has a block on Saturday evening, Cliffhangers, dedicated to these sorts of films.
Comedy[]
Proving that laughter can be the best medicine, comedy shorts can back into view during this time. From old shorts featuring legends like The Three Stooges and Laurel and Hardy, to new faces clearly inspired by these acts, these films were often played before longer, feature length pieces, and served to help distract audiences from the devastation brought on by the nuclear strikes.
One famous comedy team who rose to prominence during the 10's are The Three Mustangs: Joseph Palmer, Mark Weinman, and Lester Smith. Inspired by the Three Stooges, these three actors play the personas of three troublemakers trying to make their way in the state of Wyoming. Their style of slapstick, seen in such short films as Arcade Antics, Wannabe Stooges, and The New Wild West, have been embraced by audiences, and have been exported beyond the NAU.
Horror[]
Conversely, horror has remained popular around the world, even as the real-life fears of the world became better recognized. Various directors and writers have been writing up ways to frighten audiences for years now, and the various studios of the world are willing to let them have a go. Famous horror directors include Guillermo Del Toro, Greg McLean and Andy Muschietti.
One sub-genre of horror that remains popular is the slasher film. Usually involving a killer stalking and killing victims one by one, usually with a bladed weapon, the low budget and reliance on cliches makes the genre perfect for many independent film makers, even if the genre itself is almost never a critical favorite. Nevertheless, some of the most famous pre-doomsday examples, such as Friday the 13th and Halloween, remain influential to this day.
Animation[]
Animation has been around for centuries. Though television has been the main source of animation for much of the 20th century, film remains the traditional home of cartoons. Ranging from short to feature length, there have been multiple animated films throughout the years.
List of noteworthy film studios[]
| Name | Country | Headquarters |
|---|---|---|
| Odessey Pictures |  USA
|
Torrington |
| Buffalo Studios | Billings | |
| Mark's Movies | Laramie | |
| Colorado Films | Fort Collins | |
| Northern Film |  CAN
|
Saskatoon |
| Mountain Pictures | ||
| Wiseau Films |  LA
|
Lafayette |
| Village Roadshow |  AUS
|
Melbourne |
| Hoyts Distribution | Sydney | |
| Yoram Gross | ||
| Southern Star Films | ||
| Gil Scrine | Brisbane | |
| Footprint Films |  NZ
|
Wellington |
| Wingnut Films | ||
| Shintoei |  JAP
|
Kyoto |
| Keihanshin Doga | ||
| Toho | ||
| Nihon Eiga | ||
| Shochiku | Osaka | |
| Omega Level Pictures |  VIC
|
Nanaimo |
| Harbor Pictures | ||
| Crown Studios | ||
| Apex Films | ||
| Ruby Cinematic Entertainment | ||
| Krasfilm |  USSR
|
Krasnoyarsk |
| Omskfilm | Omsk | |
| Mongol Film | Ulaanbatar | |
| Kazakhfilm | Tselinograd | |
| Manchufilm | Yichun | |
| Kyrgyzfilm | Cholpon-Ata | |
| Uyghurfilm | Urumqi | |
| Aloha ʻĀina Pictures |  HWI
|
Hilo |