What has been a pretty neutral adjective seems to have acquired perceived xenophobic overtones only in recent years. I agree that it's difficult to use the word these days *without* sounding xenophobic. However, the problem lies not in the word but in the ideological connotations it's presumed to (and sometimes even does) have. To me, the problem now is merely that the term seems imprecise and relative: what is "foreign film" to one group will obviously be another's national cinema. But once these limitations -- pretty clear ones -- are recognized, I confess that the designation itself doesn't trouble my peace of mind. It's no longer very useful, but I don't find its mere existence sinister. Alison McKee Department of Film and Television UCLA [log in to unmask] ------------------------------TEXT-OF-YOUR-MAIL-------------------------------- > I too have long been troubled by the designation "foreign". In my experience, > the usage is largely American and refers to films made in a language other > than English. English and Australian films, for example, are rarely referred > to as "foreign" although they certainly fit that category. I suspect that > the term is a simplification of "foreign-language" films, at least since the > advent of the sound era. In the silent film literature, there are many > references to "foreign" films, although, curiously not so often to films > produced in English language countries. Of course, in the silent era, it was > rather difficult to tell, as the primary clue to origin was the inter-titles, > which were invariably rendered into English on-screen. The whiff of > xenophobia is all over this odd usage. > Gene Stavis - School of Visual Arts - NYC