Top International Entertainment to Stream Today

Foreign movies and TV shows are a sector of the entertainment industry that many American viewers have left unexplored. In the past, this was because of an accessibility issue – international entertainment was unavailable in the U.S., or very difficult to get a hold of, for many years. Even today, foreign entertainment is not often brought to local movie theaters or broadcasted on regular cable television.

Streaming services give American audiences the opportunity to enjoy the work of acclaimed TV and film directors all over the world. Netflix, Amazon Prime, HBO Go, Hulu, Google Play, iTunes, and YouTube are all major streaming platforms with international offerings. These services enable you to watch content from halfway across the world from your living room couch.

Subtitles, Captions, and Alternate Audio

Streaming services offer you the option to turn on subtitles, captions, and alternate audio when you’re watching a film or TV show. So, when you’re watching international content, you can still follow the plot and connect to the characters if you don’t speak their language.

The words “subtitle” and “caption” are often used interchangeably, though they have distinct differences. When content is translated into a different language so that viewers can read the dialogue as the movie or show unfolds, it’s called subtitling. Subtitles are usually what you’ll use to understand the dialogue of foreign entertainment.

Captioning, on the other hand, is normally used to help the hearing impaired. Captions are usually written in the same language that’s being spoken in the film or TV show.

If you’re wary of subtitles being distracting, there are international series and movies that are filmed in English. You can opt for British and Australien-made entertainment, or find works that have been dubbed in English. On Netflix, this is called “alternate audio” and on Amazon Prime it’s “multi-language audio”. A track of the audio spoken in English simply replaces the original track in a foreign language film.

Foreign Directors to Watch

When you take advantage of foreign cinema, you can experience the work of some of the world’s most talented directors. Names to look out for are:

• Mads Mikkelsen

Mikkelsen is a Danish film director. His notable works are Flame and Citron, The Hunt, and A Royal Affair

• Lee Chang-dong

Chang-dong hails from Korea. Two of his most acclaimed films are Poetry and Burning.

• Alfonso Cuarón

Cuarón is an exceptionally well-known name in the film industry and is from Mexico. A handful of his famous works are Roma, Gravity, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, and Great Expectations.

• Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck

German film director Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck is best known for his films The Lives of Others, The Tourist, and Never Look Away.

• Olivier Assayas

French film director Olivier Assayas is known for a collection of films including Demonlover, Something in the Air, Clouds of Sils Maria, and Personal Shopper.

• César Charlone

Charlone is a Uruguayan director and cinematographer with works including City of God, Blindness, and The Constant Gardener.

Top Streamable Foreign Movies and TV

Not sure where to start on your journey into international entertainment? Here are a handful of excellent titles to check out:

Movies:

• Train to Busan (available on Amazon Prime, Vudu, YouTube, Google Play, iTunes, and Netflix)
• Blue is the Warmest Color (available on Amazon Prime, Vudu, and Netflix)
• Burning (available on Amazon Prime,YouTube, Google Play, and Netflix)
• Roma (available on Netflix)
• The Lives of Others (available on Amazon Prime, Vudu, YouTube, Google Play, iTunes, and Netflix)
• Personal Shopper (available on Amazon Prime, Vudu, YouTube, Google Play, iTunes, and Netflix)
• The Lobster (available on Amazon Prime, Vudu, YouTube, Google Play, iTunes, and Netflix)

TV Series:

• 3% (available on Netflix)
• Babylon Berlin (available on Netflix)
• The Break (available on Netflix)
• Dark (available on Netflix)
• Cable Girls (available on Netflix)
• Bordertown (available on Netflix and Hulu)
• Deutschland 83 (available on Hulu, YouTube, Google Play, and iTunes)

Conclusion

Broadening your horizons when it comes to streamable entertainment pays off. Plenty of TV and movie imports are exceptionally high in quality and entertaining for American viewers. These film and TV works may offer new perspectives, fresh subject matters, and innovative filming styles. Without a doubt, it’s worth it to dive into the world of foreign entertainment – and streaming platforms make it simple to do so.