Why small European film industries remake each other’s successes : the case of the Low Countries

This chapter aims at a critical investigation of the economic and cultural incentives behind the burgeoning film remake practice in small European film industries. It employs the particular case of the monolingual remake phenomenon in the Low Countries to illustrate the broader economic and cultural dynamics that are at play in a European context. In line with most small European film industries, both the Flemish and Dutch film industries are highly dependent on governmental support. When in 2010 the first Dutch remake of a Flemish film was released, the Dutch-Flemish film remake phenomenon was a fact. In terms of storytelling, aesthetics and production values, the Dutch-Flemish film remakes often show much ‘cultural familiarity with Hollywood', and could therefore be labeled ‘like-Hollywood' films. Despite the growing significance of film remakes, there exists little research that investigates why small European film industries are increasingly tapping into the possibilities of the remake practice.