Docufiction
Encyclopedia
Docufiction is a neologism which refers to the cinematographic combination of documentary
and fiction
. More precisely, it is a documentary contaminated with fictional elements, in real time, filmed when the events take place, and in which someone - the character
- plays his own role
in real life. Concerning a film genre in expansion, the new term appeared at the beginning of the 21st century. It is now commonly used in several languages and widely accepted for classification by international film festivals.
In contrast, docudrama
is usually a fictional and dramatized recreation of factual events in form of a documentary, at a time subsequent to the "real" events it portrays. A docudrama is often confused with docufiction, when drama
is considered interchangeable with fiction
. Typically however, "docudrama" refers specifically to telefilms or other television media recreations that dramatize certain events often with actors
.
A mockumentary
(etymology
: mock documentary) is also a film or television show in which fictitious events are presented in documentary format, sometimes a recreation of factual events after they took place or a comment on current events, typically satirical or comedic (see genres: drama
versus comedy
and tragedy
) or dramatic in nature. Portraying events at an ulterior time and basically using fictional narrative
such as docudrama, it should not be confused with docufiction as well.
The word docufiction is also sometimes used to refer to literary journalism (creative nonfiction
).
Either in cinema or television, docufiction is, anyway, a film genre in full development during the first decade of this century.
, later in the 20th century.
It also implicates the concept that fiction
and documentary
are basic genre
s, due to the ontological status of the filmed image
as photography
: the double
(the image
of the subject
) is shown as being the same, as real image
, as representation
and reality
in documentary, but as simple representation in fiction: in fiction, an actor
stands for another person
. Being both, docufiction is a hybrid
genre, arising ethical problems concerning truth
.
In the domain of visual anthropology
, the innovating role of Jean Rouch
allows one to consider him as the father of a subgenre called ethnofiction
. This term means: ethnographic documentary film with natives who play fictional roles. Making them play a role about themselves will help portray reality. It will be reinforced with imagery
. A non ethnographic documentary
with fictional elements uses the same method and, for the same reasons, may be called docufiction.
---- Docudrama: the real (his)tory thesis by Çiçek Coşkun (New York University School of Education)
---- Un genere cinematografico: la docu-fiction. Il caso di 150 ore a Pavia by Laura Marchesi (thesis – abstract)
---- Le documentaire historique au péril du « docufiction – thesis by François Garçon (abstract in English and French) 3 questions à…Isabelle Veyrat-Masson – interview (Le Journal du CNRS) Peter Watkins, un cinéaste maudit article at Critikat
----
----
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
and fiction
Fiction
Fiction is the form of any narrative or informative work that deals, in part or in whole, with information or events that are not factual, but rather, imaginary—that is, invented by the author. Although fiction describes a major branch of literary work, it may also refer to theatrical,...
. More precisely, it is a documentary contaminated with fictional elements, in real time, filmed when the events take place, and in which someone - the character
Character (arts)
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
- plays his own role
Role
A role or a social role is a set of connected behaviours, rights and obligations as conceptualised by actors in a social situation. It is an expected or free or continuously changing behaviour and may have a given individual social status or social position...
in real life. Concerning a film genre in expansion, the new term appeared at the beginning of the 21st century. It is now commonly used in several languages and widely accepted for classification by international film festivals.
In contrast, docudrama
Docudrama
In film, television programming and staged theatre, docudrama is a documentary-style genre that features dramatized re-enactments of actual historical events. As a neologism, the term is often confused with docufiction....
is usually a fictional and dramatized recreation of factual events in form of a documentary, at a time subsequent to the "real" events it portrays. A docudrama is often confused with docufiction, when drama
Drama
Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance. The term comes from a Greek word meaning "action" , which is derived from "to do","to act" . The enactment of drama in theatre, performed by actors on a stage before an audience, presupposes collaborative modes of production and a...
is considered interchangeable with fiction
Fiction
Fiction is the form of any narrative or informative work that deals, in part or in whole, with information or events that are not factual, but rather, imaginary—that is, invented by the author. Although fiction describes a major branch of literary work, it may also refer to theatrical,...
. Typically however, "docudrama" refers specifically to telefilms or other television media recreations that dramatize certain events often with actors
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
.
A mockumentary
Mockumentary
A mockumentary , is a type of film or television show in which fictitious events are presented in documentary format. These productions are often used to analyze or comment on current events and issues by using a fictitious setting, or to parody the documentary form itself...
(etymology
Etymology
Etymology is the study of the history of words, their origins, and how their form and meaning have changed over time.For languages with a long written history, etymologists make use of texts in these languages and texts about the languages to gather knowledge about how words were used during...
: mock documentary) is also a film or television show in which fictitious events are presented in documentary format, sometimes a recreation of factual events after they took place or a comment on current events, typically satirical or comedic (see genres: drama
Drama
Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance. The term comes from a Greek word meaning "action" , which is derived from "to do","to act" . The enactment of drama in theatre, performed by actors on a stage before an audience, presupposes collaborative modes of production and a...
versus comedy
Comedy
Comedy , as a popular meaning, is any humorous discourse or work generally intended to amuse by creating laughter, especially in television, film, and stand-up comedy. This must be carefully distinguished from its academic definition, namely the comic theatre, whose Western origins are found in...
and tragedy
Tragedy
Tragedy is a form of art based on human suffering that offers its audience pleasure. While most cultures have developed forms that provoke this paradoxical response, tragedy refers to a specific tradition of drama that has played a unique and important role historically in the self-definition of...
) or dramatic in nature. Portraying events at an ulterior time and basically using fictional narrative
Narrative
A narrative is a constructive format that describes a sequence of non-fictional or fictional events. The word derives from the Latin verb narrare, "to recount", and is related to the adjective gnarus, "knowing" or "skilled"...
such as docudrama, it should not be confused with docufiction as well.
The word docufiction is also sometimes used to refer to literary journalism (creative nonfiction
Creative nonfiction
Creative nonfiction is a genre of writing that uses literary styles and techniques to create factually accurate narratives. Creative nonfiction contrasts with other nonfiction, such as technical writing or journalism, which is also rooted in accurate fact, but is not primarily written in service...
).
Either in cinema or television, docufiction is, anyway, a film genre in full development during the first decade of this century.
Origins
The term involves a way of making films already practiced by such authors as Robert Flaherty , one of the fathers of documentary, and Jean RouchJean Rouch
Jean Rouch was a French filmmaker and anthropologist.He is considered to be one of the founders of the cinéma vérité in France, which shared the aesthetics of the direct cinema spearheaded by Richard Leacock, D.A. Pennebaker and Albert and David Maysles...
, later in the 20th century.
It also implicates the concept that fiction
Fiction
Fiction is the form of any narrative or informative work that deals, in part or in whole, with information or events that are not factual, but rather, imaginary—that is, invented by the author. Although fiction describes a major branch of literary work, it may also refer to theatrical,...
and documentary
Documentary
A documentary is a creative work of non-fiction, including:* Documentary film, including television* Radio documentary* Documentary photographyRelated terms include:...
are basic genre
Genre
Genre , Greek: genos, γένος) is the term for any category of literature or other forms of art or culture, e.g. music, and in general, any type of discourse, whether written or spoken, audial or visual, based on some set of stylistic criteria. Genres are formed by conventions that change over time...
s, due to the ontological status of the filmed image
Image
An image is an artifact, for example a two-dimensional picture, that has a similar appearance to some subject—usually a physical object or a person.-Characteristics:...
as photography
Photography
Photography is the art, science and practice of creating durable images by recording light or other electromagnetic radiation, either electronically by means of an image sensor or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film...
: the double
Double
Double or The Double may refer to:* Multiplication by 2* Look-alike* Body double, someone who substitutes for the credited actor of a character* Doppelgänger, ghostly double of a living person* Polish Enigma doubles...
(the image
Image
An image is an artifact, for example a two-dimensional picture, that has a similar appearance to some subject—usually a physical object or a person.-Characteristics:...
of the subject
Subject
-Philosophy:*Hypokeimenon or subiectum, in metaphysics, the essential being of a thing**Subject , a being that has subjective experiences, subjective consciousness, or a relationship with another entity...
) is shown as being the same, as real image
Real image
In optics, a real image is a representation of an object in which the perceived location is actually a point of convergence of the rays of light that make up the image. If a screen is placed in the plane of a real image the image will generally become visible on the screen...
, as representation
Representation (arts)
Representation is the use of signs that stand in for and take the place of something else. It is through representation that people organize the world and reality through the act of naming its elements...
and reality
Reality
In philosophy, reality is the state of things as they actually exist, rather than as they may appear or might be imagined. In a wider definition, reality includes everything that is and has been, whether or not it is observable or comprehensible...
in documentary, but as simple representation in fiction: in fiction, an actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
stands for another person
Person
A person is a human being, or an entity that has certain capacities or attributes strongly associated with being human , for example in a particular moral or legal context...
. Being both, docufiction is a hybrid
Cross-genre
A cross-genre is a genre in fiction that blends themes and elements from two or more different genres.-Examples:*Action comedy *Comedy-drama or dramedy *Comedy-horror...
genre, arising ethical problems concerning truth
Truth
Truth has a variety of meanings, such as the state of being in accord with fact or reality. It can also mean having fidelity to an original or to a standard or ideal. In a common usage, it also means constancy or sincerity in action or character...
.
In the domain of visual anthropology
Visual anthropology
Visual anthropology is a subfield of cultural anthropology that is concerned, in part, with the study and production of ethnographic photography, film and, since the mid-1990s, new media...
, the innovating role of Jean Rouch
Jean Rouch
Jean Rouch was a French filmmaker and anthropologist.He is considered to be one of the founders of the cinéma vérité in France, which shared the aesthetics of the direct cinema spearheaded by Richard Leacock, D.A. Pennebaker and Albert and David Maysles...
allows one to consider him as the father of a subgenre called ethnofiction
Ethnofiction
Ethnofiction is a neologism which refers to an ethnographic docufiction sub-genre, a blend of documentary and fiction film in the area of visual anthropology. It is a film style in which the portrayed characters play their own roles as members of an ethnic or social group.Jean Rouch is considered...
. This term means: ethnographic documentary film with natives who play fictional roles. Making them play a role about themselves will help portray reality. It will be reinforced with imagery
Imagery
Imagery is used in literature to refer to descriptive language that evokes emotional responses. It is useful as it allows an author to add depth and understanding to his work, like a sculptor adding layer and layer to his statue, building it up into a beautiful work of art.-Forms of imagery :Visual...
. A non ethnographic documentary
Documentary
A documentary is a creative work of non-fiction, including:* Documentary film, including television* Radio documentary* Documentary photographyRelated terms include:...
with fictional elements uses the same method and, for the same reasons, may be called docufiction.
First docufictions by country
- 1926: Moana by Robert Flaherty, United States
- 1930: Maria do Mar (see IMdb) by Leitão de Barros, PortugalPortugalPortugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
- 1932: L'or des mers (see IMdb) by Jean EpsteinJean EpsteinJean Epstein was a French filmmaker, film theorist, literary critic, and novelist. Although he is remembered today primarily for his adaptation of Edgar Allan Poe's The Fall of the House of Usher, Epstein directed three dozen films and was an influential critic of literature and film from the...
, FranceFranceThe French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France... - 1948: La Terra TremaLa terra tremaLa terra trema is a 1948 Italian dramatic film directed by Luchino Visconti...
by Luchino ViscontiLuchino ViscontiLuchino Visconti di Modrone, Count of Lonate Pozzolo was an Italian theatre, opera and cinema director, as well as a screenwriter. He is best known for his films The Leopard and Death in Venice .-Life:...
, ItalyItalyItaly , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and... - 1963: Pour la suite du mondePour la suite du mondePour la suite du monde is a 1963 Canadian documentary film directed by Michel Brault and Pierre Perrault. It was entered into the 1963 Cannes Film Festival....
(Of Whales, the Moon and Men) by Pierre PerraultPierre PerraultPierre Perrault was a Québécois documentary film director. He directed 20 films between 1963 and 1996. He was one of the most important filmmakers in Canada although largely unknown outside of Québec...
and Michel BraultMichel BraultMichel Brault, OQ is a Quebec cinematographer, cameraman, film director, screenwriter and film producer. He is a leading figure of Direct Cinema, characteristic of the French branch of the National Film Board of Canada in the 1960s...
, CanadaCanadaCanada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean... - 1988: Mortu NegaMortu NegaMortu Nega is a 1988 historic film by Flora Gomes, a director from Guinea-Bissau. Mortu Nega was Gomes' first feature-length film. This is the first docufiction, more precisely the first ethnofiction, from his country that shows, in an expressive and touching way, the experiences of the...
by Flora GomesFlora GomesFlora Gomes is a Bissau-Guinean film director. He was born in Cadique, Guinea-Bissau on 31 December, 1949 and after high school in Cuba, he decided to study film at the Cuban Film Institute in Havana....
, Guiné-Bissau - 1990: Close-up (film)Close-up (film)Close-Up is a film directed by Iranian filmmaker Abbas Kiarostami, a docufiction. The film tells the story of the real-life trial of a man who impersonated film-maker Mohsen Makhmalbaf, conning a family into believing they would star in his new film. It features the people involved, acting as...
by Abbas KiarostamiAbbas KiarostamiAbbas Kiarostami is an internationally acclaimed Iranian film director, screenwriter, photographer and film producer. An active filmmaker since 1970, Kiarostami has been involved in over forty films, including shorts and documentaries...
, IranIranIran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia... - 1991: The Gost Train (see review NYT) by Mika KaurismäkiMika KaurismäkiMika Juhani Kaurismäki is a Finnish film director.He is the elder brother of Aki Kaurismäki, and the father of Maria Kaurismäki who graduated from Tampere School of Art and Media in 2008 with her movie Sideline.Mika Kaurismäki has lived in Brazil since approximately 1992 and has made several...
, FinlandFinlandFinland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside... - 2005: UnderexposureUnderexposure (2005 film)Underexposure is a 2005 Iraqi film, in the docufiction style, written and directed by Oday Rasheed, produced by Enlil Film and Arts. The story follows a fictional Iraqi film crew, inspired by the actual crew, that struggles with making a film during the 2003 invasion of Iraq and subsequent American...
by Oday RasheedOday RasheedOday Rasheed is an Iraqi film director and writer. He studied at the Institute for Electrical Science as well as the Faculty of Applicable Arts in Baghdad, both of which he quit early to dedicate himself to cinema. For a while he worked as freelance writer, writing essays and film reviews in Baghdad...
, IraqIraqIraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
Other well-known docufictions
- 1931: Tabu (film)Tabu (film)Tabu is a 1931 film directed by F.W. Murnau. The film is split into two chapters, the first called "Paradise" depicts the lives of two lovers on a South Seas island until they are forced to escape the island when the girl is chosen as a holy maid to the gods...
by Robert Flaherty and F.W. Murnau - 1934: Man of AranMan of AranMan of Aran is a fictional documentary by Robert J. Flaherty about life on the Aran Islands off the western coast of Ireland. It portrays characters living in premodern conditions, documenting their daily routines such as fishing off high cliffs, farming potatoes where there is little soil, and...
by Robert Flaherty - 1945: Ala-Arriba! (film)Ala-Arriba! (film)Ala-Arriba! is a 1942 Portuguese romantic docufiction set in Póvoa de Varzim, a traditional Portuguese fishing town.Dealing with ethnographic matters, it may be considered as an ethnofiction. The film was directed by Leitão de Barros, and stars real fishermen as themselves in order to give a...
by Leitão de Barros - 1948: Louisiana StoryLouisiana StoryLouisiana Story is a 78-minute black-and-white American film. Although the events and characters depicted are fictional, it is often misidentified as a documentary film. In fact, it is a docufiction. The script was written by Frances H. Flaherty and Robert J. Flaherty, and also directed by Robert...
by Robert Flaherty - 1958: La pyramide humaine (The Human Pyramid) by Jean RouchJean RouchJean Rouch was a French filmmaker and anthropologist.He is considered to be one of the founders of the cinéma vérité in France, which shared the aesthetics of the direct cinema spearheaded by Richard Leacock, D.A. Pennebaker and Albert and David Maysles...
- 1958/59 Indie Matra Bhumi (The Motherland) by Roberto RosselliniRoberto RosselliniRoberto Rossellini was an Italian film director and screenwriter. Rossellini was one of the directors of the Italian neorealist cinema, contributing films such as Roma città aperta to the movement.-Early life:Born in Rome, Roberto Rossellini lived on the Via Ludovisi, where Benito Mussolini had...
, released 2007 - 1959: Shadows (film) by John CassavetesJohn CassavetesJohn Nicholas Cassavetes was an American actor, screenwriter and filmmaker. He acted in many Hollywood films, notably Rosemary's Baby and The Dirty Dozen...
- 1960: Moi, un noirMoi, un noirMoi, un noir is a 1958 French ethnofiction film directed by Jean Rouch. The film is set in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire. It won the 1958 Louis Delluc Prize....
, by Jean RouchJean RouchJean Rouch was a French filmmaker and anthropologist.He is considered to be one of the founders of the cinéma vérité in France, which shared the aesthetics of the direct cinema spearheaded by Richard Leacock, D.A. Pennebaker and Albert and David Maysles... - 1967: David Holzman's DiaryDavid Holzman's DiaryDavid Holzman's Diary is a 1967 American film, directed by Jim McBride, which spoofs the art of documentary-making.It tells the story of a young man making a documentary of his life, who discovers something important about himself while making the movie....
by Jim McBrideJim McBrideJim McBride is an American television and film director, film producer and screenwriter.-Filmography:* David Holzman's Diary * My Girlfriend's Wedding... - 1972: Trevico-Torino (viaggio nel Fiat-Nam) (see IMdb), by Ettore Scola
- 1974: Orderers, by Michel BraultMichel BraultMichel Brault, OQ is a Quebec cinematographer, cameraman, film director, screenwriter and film producer. He is a leading figure of Direct Cinema, characteristic of the French branch of the National Film Board of Canada in the 1960s...
- 2000: Supervolcano (TV movie), by Tony MitchellTony Mitchell (director)Tony Mitchell is a Canadian-British film and TV director, born in Toronto, who moved to London in his teens . He specialises in documentary enactments, using advanced special effects, but has also directed two fiction films: Supervolcano and Flood...
Sources and bibliography
Docu-fiction - Convergence and contamination between documentary representation and fictional simulation , thesis by Prof. Theo Mäusli - Science of Communication Faculty, University of Lugano (Italy) - 1999/2000 Table of contents for Docufictions : essays on the intersection of documentary and fictional filmmaking---- Docudrama: the real (his)tory thesis by Çiçek Coşkun (New York University School of Education)
---- Un genere cinematografico: la docu-fiction. Il caso di 150 ore a Pavia by Laura Marchesi (thesis – abstract)
---- Le documentaire historique au péril du « docufiction – thesis by François Garçon (abstract in English and French) 3 questions à…Isabelle Veyrat-Masson – interview (Le Journal du CNRS) Peter Watkins, un cinéaste maudit article at Critikat
External links
- New Media Documentary – Paper by Gunthar Hartwig
- Issues in contemporary documentary by Jane Chapman at Google Books (pages 1 to 34)
- Shaping the Real: Directorial imagination and the visualisation of evidence in the hybrid documentary – Article by Janet Merewether at Scan journal
- Panel: At The Edge of Truth: Hybrid Documentaries at Vox Talk magazine
- Docufiction: Where Art and Life Merge and Diverge– Article by Julie Drizin at Makers Quest 2.0
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- Hybrids (fiction/nonfiction films)
- MistsMistsMists , 2003, is a Portuguese feature-length film by Ricardo Costa.It is an auto-biography, a voyage to childhood. Shot with no state funds it is an art film. Formal simplicity – associated with a non conventional, sober and fluid narrative of time and human condition – is common to most of...
– Movie reviews, March, 2011 - In Vanda's Room – Article by Cyril Neyrat at Film Society
- It’s Actual Life. No, It’s Drama. No, It’s Both – Article by Dennis Lim at The New York Times, August 20, 2010
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