A genre map, not a flat list.

Drama is a broad narrative category centered on personal, moral, or social conflicts and their consequences for the characters; it does not require a single setting or theme.

Comedy brings very different films together within a broad category; belonging to it does not imply a single cinematic form.

Action cinema organizes its narrative around physical action—fights, pursuits, shootouts, or stunts—and the obstacles this creates for its characters. It can be combined with other genres; a film does not qualify as action simply because it contains action scenes: action must be its dominant principle.

Suspense cinema organizes its narrative around uncertainty and anticipation: attention focuses on what will happen and how a threat or enigma will be resolved.

Adventure cinema is a film genre reflecting a heroic world of combat and quests, where action and values of self-improvement usually prevail. It includes subgenres such as pirate films, sword and sandal, road movies, and epic cinema, covering a wide variety of search and exploration narratives.

Fantasy cinema is a film genre that incorporates supernatural, magical, or exotic elements, distinguishing itself from fantastic cinema by its focus on the sinister inversion of the symbolic narrative structure. It draws from literature and folklore, with variants such as epic fantasy and fairy tale adaptations.

Crime cinema is a fiction genre that addresses various aspects of criminality, including the planning, execution, and investigation of crimes. It is distinguished by its focus on criminal narratives and its subgenres, such as film noir and police procedural.