A passport through world cinema

A world tour built one film at a time

FilmsAroundThe.World is an interactive atlas for travelling through cinema by place. Its 196 published country guides hold 2,353 films, selected and ranked by hand.

The idea

Every destination has two views: native cinema made in the country’s own cinematic voice, and “souvenir” films made by outsiders whose story remains meaningfully centered there. The map turns those lists into a grand tour, with stamps, visas, citizenships, and a passport that stays on your device.

How the lists are made

This is a concise overview, not the exhaustive internal editorial policy. Native selections require evidence of a country’s predominant creative contribution or authoritative place within its national cinema; nationality, financing, or filming location alone is not enough. Souvenir selections require foreign creative leadership and sustained engagement with the destination. Films are ranked for craft, enduring reputation, influence, and depth of country engagement. Lists stop at ten and remain short when stronger verified choices are not available.

First-party by design

Film data, map geometry, flags, poster files, and Open Graph cards are served from the same origin. There are no ads, social SDKs, or accounts. Vercel Web Analytics records anonymous, aggregate page views without third-party cookies or personal identifiers. Passport progress lives only in localStorage on the traveller’s device.

Press and brand assets

• Brand lockup · SVG
• Globe mark · SVG
• Press card · JPG
• Browse all country guides

For press, corrections, or rights-holder requests, write to hello@aurapoints.org.