The government of Bangladesh prohibits any films made outside of Bangladesh from being shown in theaters in that country.
Can you guess the consequences of such protectionism for what’s called Dhallywood? According to a report on NPR’s program The World, these consequences do not include lots of creative energy springing forth in Bangladesh to produce outstanding films. The consequences instead include bad, formulaic, banal movies, each one very much like the others. The movies are so bad that theater owners have taken to inserting scenes of hardcore pornography into their screenings in order to attract audiences.
(To hear this report, click here, and then scroll down to — and then click on — "Dhallywood movie report.")
Tyler Cowen’s In Praise of Commercial Culture explains why a protected movie industry is doomed to produce films that no one wants to see.
