In a market dominated by Hollywood, it is easy to overlook that the number of films (and televised productions) which are not in English is actually by far greater than those in English. However, although some non-English language film industries are vast, only a comparatively small number of productions are screened outside of their country of origin. Using Japan, Germany and the UK as example, this paper offers some thoughts on what impact filters might have on the consumption, and therefore the perception, of a film outside of its country of origin and what challenges this poses for audiences and researchers.