The notion of the transnational in Film Studies has developed in response to an increasing awareness of the limitations of conceptualising film in terms of national cinemas, and an acknowledgement of the changing nature of film production and distribution as a part of wider patterns of globalisation. Transnational exchanges have long been central to filmmaking in terms of funding and the cast and crew, and an increasing numbers of films in the international market cannot be identified with a single nation, with many films shooting in a number of countries, relying on a multinational cast and crew, and funded by a range of production companies. The concept of the transnational has seemed a straightforward solution for dealing with the problems inherent in the ‘national cinema’ label; however, what does the term actually mean? Which films can be categorised as transnational and which cannot? Does the term refer to production, distribution and exhibition, themes explored, aesthetics, nationalities of cast and crew, audience reception, or a range of these? Are mainstream Hollywood films transnational as they are distributed throughout the developed world? What about films with smaller budgets made in other national contexts that challenge Hollywood domination and explore the damaging effects of globalisation? Is the term ‘national’ now entirely bankrupt, and if so what does this mean for films that engage with specifically local issues? Once we begin to ask these sorts of questions it becomes clear that ‘transnational cinema’ as a catch-all is inadequate to deal with the complexities of categorising both actual films and industrial practices.