Main Page | See live article | Alphabetical index

List of cinematic genres

Films are often divided into genres, which describe the typical subject matter--what the film is about. This is distinct from film styles, which describes filmic conventions which can be applied to any genre. Of course, the more that genres are defined, the more likely that a filmmaker will try to combine, transcend and evade categories, so not every film can be neatly labeled.

Some of the most common film genres are:

3-D film
Action-adventure film
Animated film
Art film
Blaxploitation
Chick Flick
Comedy film
Disaster film
Documentary film
Drama film
Ephemeral film
Family film
Fantasy film
Film noir
Gangster film
Historical drama film
Horror film
Machinima
Martial arts film
Wu Xia film
Mockumentary film
Musical film
Pornographic film
Propaganda film
Romantic comedy film
Science fiction film
Short film
Silent film
Sports film
Baseball film
Spy film
Surrealist film
Sword and sandal
Thriller film
War film
Western film

See also: Cinematic_genre, cult film, Dogme 95