Cinema has a long history in Europe dating back to its origins. Early European films focused on realism and psychological subjectivity over action-driven narratives. Directors were concerned with how characters reacted to and surveyed the world around them. European cinema made a huge impact globally and some of the earliest groundbreaking films came from Europe. Even during times of war, European directors continued creating dynamic works of art that shaped cinema worldwide. European films emphasized realism, authorial expressiveness, and psychological complexity over classical Hollywood-style narratives.