Ethnofiction
Encyclopedia
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 (natives) play their own roles as members of an ethnic or social group.
Jean Rouch
is considered to be the father of ethnofiction. Ethnologist, he soon discovers that, always interfering in the event it registers (the ritual
), the camera becomes participant: it is never a candid camera
. For him, contrary to the principles of Marcel Griaule
, his mentor, the exigency in ethnographic research of a non-participating camera is a pre-concept denied by practice. Going further than his predecessors, Jean Rouch
introduces the actor
as a tool. A new genre was born. Robert Flaherty, a main reference for Rouch, may be seen as the grandfather of this genre
, although he was a pure documentary maker and not an ethnographer.
Being mainly used to refer to ethnographic films as an object of visual anthropology, the term ethnofiction is as well adequate to refer to experimental documentaries preceding and following Rouch’s oeuvre and to any fictional creation in human communiction, arts or literature, having an ethnographical or social background.
or Guinée Bissau and the Cape Vert islands (ancient Portuguese colonies), which step in the limelight
s from the eighties on (Flora Gomes
, Pedro Costa
, or Daniel E. Thorbecke
, the unknown author of Terra Longe) are themes for pioneering films of this genre, important landmarks in film history.
Arising fiction in the heart of ethnicity is something current in the Portuguese popular narrative (oral literature
). There is no reason to surprise if, due to a traditional attraction for legend
and surrealistic imagery in popular arts and literature, Portuguese films strip off realistic predicates and become poetical fiction. This fact is common to many films, like those of Manoel de Oliveira
and João César Monteiro
in fiction and to the docufiction
hybrids of António Campos
, António Reis
and Ricardo Costa (filmmaker)
. Since the 1960s, ethnofiction (local real life and fantasy in one) is a distinctive mark of Portuguese cinema.
Docufiction
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...
sub-genre, a blend of documentary
Documentary
A documentary is a creative work of non-fiction, including:* Documentary film, including television* Radio documentary* Documentary photographyRelated terms include:...
and fiction film in the area 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...
. It is a film style in which the portrayed characters (natives) play their own roles as members of an ethnic or social group.
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...
is considered to be the father of ethnofiction. Ethnologist, he soon discovers that, always interfering in the event it registers (the ritual
Ritual
A ritual is a set of actions, performed mainly for their symbolic value. It may be prescribed by a religion or by the traditions of a community. The term usually excludes actions which are arbitrarily chosen by the performers....
), the camera becomes participant: it is never a candid camera
Candid Camera
Candid Camera is a hidden camera/practical joke reality television series created and produced by Allen Funt, which initially began on radio as Candid Microphone June 28, 1947...
. For him, contrary to the principles of Marcel Griaule
Marcel Griaule
Marcel Griaule was a French anthropologist known for his studies of the Dogon people of West Africa, and for pioneering ethnographic field studies in France....
, his mentor, the exigency in ethnographic research of a non-participating camera is a pre-concept denied by practice. Going further than his predecessors, 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...
introduces the 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...
as a tool. A new genre was born. Robert Flaherty, a main reference for Rouch, may be seen as the grandfather of this 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...
, although he was a pure documentary maker and not an ethnographer.
Being mainly used to refer to ethnographic films as an object of visual anthropology, the term ethnofiction is as well adequate to refer to experimental documentaries preceding and following Rouch’s oeuvre and to any fictional creation in human communiction, arts or literature, having an ethnographical or social background.
History
Parallel to those of Flaherty or Rouch, ethnic portraits of hard local realities are often drawn in Portuguese films since the thirties, with particular incidence from the sixties to the eighties, and again in the early 21st century. The remote Trás-os-Montes region (see: Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro Province) in PortugalPortugal
Portugal , 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...
or Guinée Bissau and the Cape Vert islands (ancient Portuguese colonies), which step in the limelight
Limelight
Limelight is a type of stage lighting once used in theatres and music halls. An intense illumination is created when an oxyhydrogen flame is directed at a cylinder of quicklime , which can be heated to 2572 °C before melting. The light is produced by a combination of incandescence and...
s from the eighties on (Flora Gomes
Flora Gomes
Flora 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....
, Pedro Costa
Pedro Costa
Pedro Costa is a Portuguese film director.He is acclaimed for using his ascetic style to depict the marginalised people in desperate living situations...
, or Daniel E. Thorbecke
Daniel E. Thorbecke
Daniel E. Thorbecke is a German film director seduced by Cape Vert. He produced and directed two films in the Fogo Island.-Filmography:* In Rhythm of Time – 1999* Terra Longe – 2003 -External links:...
, the unknown author of Terra Longe) are themes for pioneering films of this genre, important landmarks in film history.
Arising fiction in the heart of ethnicity is something current in the Portuguese popular narrative (oral literature
Oral literature
Oral literature corresponds in the sphere of the spoken word to literature as literature operates in the domain of the written word. It thus forms a generally more fundamental component of culture, but operates in many ways as one might expect literature to do...
). There is no reason to surprise if, due to a traditional attraction for legend
Legend
A legend is a narrative of human actions that are perceived both by teller and listeners to take place within human history and to possess certain qualities that give the tale verisimilitude...
and surrealistic imagery in popular arts and literature, Portuguese films strip off realistic predicates and become poetical fiction. This fact is common to many films, like those of Manoel de Oliveira
Manoel de Oliveira
Manoel Cândido Pinto de Oliveira, GCSE is a Portuguese film director born in Cedofeita, Porto. He began working on films in the late 1920s, but did not receive international recognition until the early 1970s. Since the late 1980s he has been one of the most prolific working film directors and...
and João César Monteiro
João César Monteiro
João César Monteiro was a Portuguese film director, actor, writer and film critic . He was born in Figueira da Foz on February 2, 1939 and died of cancer in Lisbon on February 3, 2003.- Life and career :...
in fiction and to the docufiction
Docufiction
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...
hybrids of António Campos
António Campos
António Campos was one of the pioneer filmmakers of visual anthropology in Portugal. Mainly using pure documentary techniques, he shot ethnographic films and tried docufiction...
, António Reis
António Reis
António Reis was a Portuguese film director. He was married to Margarida Cordeiro, co-director in most of his films. He is considered as one of the most important directors of his country, due to the originality of his style.-Filmography:...
and Ricardo Costa (filmmaker)
Ricardo Costa (filmmaker)
Ricardo Costa is a Portuguese film director and producer.Most of his filmography consists of documentary films, many of them being contaminated by fiction...
. Since the 1960s, ethnofiction (local real life and fantasy in one) is a distinctive mark of Portuguese cinema.
1930s
- 1930 – Maria do Mar by José Leitão de BarrosJosé Leitão de BarrosJosé Leitão de Barros was a Portuguese film director and playwright.Among his most famous films are Maria do Mar , the second docufiction after ...
, 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 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...
- 1934 – Man of Aran by Robert Flaherty, GB
- 1936 – Tabu by Robert Flaherty, EUA
1940s
- 1942 – 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 José Leitão de BarrosJosé Leitão de BarrosJosé Leitão de Barros was a Portuguese film director and playwright.Among his most famous films are Maria do Mar , the second docufiction after ...
. 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...
- 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 EUA
1950s
- 1958 : La pyramide humaine 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...
, 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...
1960s
- 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....
(Me a Black) 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...
. 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...
- 1962 – Acto da Primavera (Act of Spring) by Manoel de OliveiraManoel de OliveiraManoel Cândido Pinto de Oliveira, GCSE is a Portuguese film director born in Cedofeita, Porto. He began working on films in the late 1920s, but did not receive international recognition until the early 1970s. Since the late 1980s he has been one of the most prolific working film directors and...
. 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...
- 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 Perrault 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...
- 1967 - Jaguar (film), 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...
, 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...
1970s
- 1974 – Les Ordres (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...
- 1976 – Gente da Praia da Vieira (People from Praia da Vieira) by António CamposAntónio CamposAntónio Campos was one of the pioneer filmmakers of visual anthropology in Portugal. Mainly using pure documentary techniques, he shot ethnographic films and tried docufiction...
, 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... - 1976 – Changing TidesChanging TidesChanging Tides is a Portuguese feature-length film by Ricardo Costa, his first docufiction, preceding Bread and Wine and Mists ....
by Ricardo CostaRicardo CostaRicardo Costa may refer to:*Ricardo Costa , Portuguese*Ricardo Costa , Portuguese*Ricardo Costa *Ricardo Valter da Costa, Brazilian footballer*Ricardo Mion Varella Costa, Brazilian footballer...
. 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... - 1976 – Trás-os-Montes (film) by António ReisAntónio ReisAntónio Reis was a Portuguese film director. He was married to Margarida Cordeiro, co-director in most of his films. He is considered as one of the most important directors of his country, due to the originality of his style.-Filmography:...
and Margarida Cordeiro. 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... - 1979 – Bread and Wine (film) by Ricardo CostaRicardo CostaRicardo Costa may refer to:*Ricardo Costa , Portuguese*Ricardo Costa , Portuguese*Ricardo Costa *Ricardo Valter da Costa, Brazilian footballer*Ricardo Mion Varella Costa, Brazilian footballer...
, 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...
1980s
- 1988 – Mortu Nega (Death Denied) 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
Recent
- 2000 – No Quarto da Vanda (In Vanda’s Room) by Pedro CostaPedro CostaPedro Costa is a Portuguese film director.He is acclaimed for using his ascetic style to depict the marginalised people in desperate living situations...
- 2002 – City of God by Fernando MeirellesFernando MeirellesFernando Ferreira Meirelles is a Brazilian film director, producer and screenwriter.He was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Director in 2004 for his work in the Brazilian film City of God, released in 2002 in Brazil and in 2003 in the U.S. by Miramax Films...
- 2003 – Terra Longe (Remote Land) by Daniel E. ThorbeckeDaniel E. ThorbeckeDaniel E. Thorbecke is a German film director seduced by Cape Vert. He produced and directed two films in the Fogo Island.-Filmography:* In Rhythm of Time – 1999* Terra Longe – 2003 -External links:...
- 2006 – Colossal Youth (film)Colossal Youth (film)Colossal Youth is a 2006 film directed by Portuguese director Pedro Costa. The film was shot on DV in long, static takes and mixes documentary and fiction storytelling...
by Pedro CostaPedro CostaPedro Costa is a Portuguese film director.He is acclaimed for using his ascetic style to depict the marginalised people in desperate living situations... - 2007 – Transfiction by Johannes Sjöberg
Further reading
- From Representation to Evocation: Tracing a Progression in Jean Rouch's Les magiciens de Wanzerbe, Les maitres fous, and Jaguar – Paper by Ted Nannicelli at University of Waikato
- Ethnofiction : drama as a creative research practice in ethnographic film at Mendley – Paper by Bloom, Elizabeth A., Ed.D., STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK AT BINGHAMTON, 2006
- Language description and “the new paradigm”: What linguists may learn from ethnocinematographers – Article by Gerrit J. Dimmendaal, University of Cologne, at University of Hawai’i at Manoa
Events
- Musée de l’Homme, an ethnofiction in the programme of International Festival Jean Rouch in Paris, 2008