The world's joy, pain and culture don’t belong to the American and British empires (even if they cause a lot of it)

On finding truth in movies and documentaries from the majority of the world.

Mike Hampton

Jun 19, 2025

Screenshot from Chinese dark epic ‘An Elephant Sitting Still’

We laugh.

We fear.

We die.

WE

My passion to understand and appreciate people has coursed vigorously through the blood of decades. Sometimes it was the only light when my ‘democracy’ was crushing me for exposing corruption.

My pain wasn’t the worst and not my own, instead part of one global suffering. For the sake of profit, citizens are starved and activists persecuted everywhere. In between, folks breathe in their culture, fall in love, drink beer, make kids, and exhale smiles.

I’ve been building Magical International Movies (MIM) for 6 months. That includes reviews and recommendations. My goal is to make English-speaking people like me think beyond their barriers i.e., the world isn’t only the mainstream mind of the American and British empires.

Most folks only realise another country through their latest disaster or cult personality leader being advertised on Fox, Sky, CNN, BBC etc. Few have watched Chinese, Turkish, Russian, Ukrainian, Iranian, Palestinian, Argentinian, Haitian, Georgian or South African movies and documentaries. Similarly, the English underground, the only holy culture of the West, is forsaken.

I won’t persuade the majority to acknowledge that more than 7 billion other people exist, but I’ll reach some of the thinkers here.

Please allow me to suggest rewarding wonder and anguish to you. Knowledge is available for free or on your favourite streamers.

Here’s a devilishly liberating lick of Magical International Movies...