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Moana, by Robert Flaherty, the first docufiction in film history (1926)

Docufiction (or docu-fiction), often confused with docudrama, is the cinematographic combination of documentary and fiction, this term often meaning narrative film.

It is a film genre which attempts to capture reality such as it is (as direct cinema or cinéma vérité) and which simultaneously introduces unreal elements or fictional situations in narrative in order to strengthen the representation of reality using some kind of artistic expression.

More precisely, it is a documentary contaminated with fictional elements, in real time, filmed when the events take place, and in which the main character or characters — often portrayed by non-professional or amateur actors — are essentially playing themselves, or slightly fictionalized versions of themselves, in a fictionalized scenario. In this sense, docufiction may overlap to an extent with some aspects of the mockumentary format, but the terms are not synonymous.

A film genre in expansion, it is adopted by a number of experimental filmmakers.

The new term docufiction 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. Either in cinema or television, docufiction is, anyway, a film genre in full development during the first decade of this century.

The word docufiction is also sometimes used to refer to literary journalism (creative nonfiction).

Docudrama and mockumentary

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 (both words meaning the same). 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, comedic or even dramatic. Whereas mockumentaries are usually fully scripted comedies or dramas that merely adopt some aspects of documentary format as a framing device, docufictions are usually not scripted, instead placing the participants in a fictionalized scenario while portraying their own genuine reactions and their own improvisational dialogue and character development.

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 Rouch, later in the 20th century.

Being both fiction and documentary, docufiction is a hybrid genre, raising ethical problems concerning truth, since reality may be manipulated and confused with fiction (see Ethics at creative non-fiction).

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, which 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.

First docufictions by country

Other notable examples

See more at

Hybrid pictures

Filmic depictions of ethnic groups became a current practice since Flaherty shot Nanook of the North in 1922 (the first feature-length documentary in film history, a docudrama) and since, under its influence, Jean Rouch pioneered ethnofiction with Moi un noir (1958, foreshadowing the French New Wave). This term was coined by him at the end of the decade of 1990, when he led film sessions at the Musée de l'Homme in Paris, together with Germaine Dieterlen and Brice Ahounou . The use of the word ethnofiction was suggested by Ahounou to designate a new genre in visual anthropology and accepted by Rouch and Dieterlen.

Subsequently, the concept of ethnofiction (ethnography+fiction) would exceed scientific practice and, by analogy, give rise to a wider designation (docufiction: documentary+fiction) in which ethnofiction would be ranged as subgenre. Docufiction would then be used to classify films that early emerged in several countries, directly under Flaherty’s influence or indirectly by occasional resemblance, in both cases with no correlation and with significant differences in form and contents. On one hand hybridity became one of the criteria that joined documentary and fiction in a single concept. On the other hand, persons playing their own roles in real life and in real time is another that gave basement to it. Both these requirements are closely associated with two other in the practice of docufiction: 1. ethics and aesthetics, i.e., fidelity to truth and reality, 2. signifiers and connotations, i.e., forms of expression picturing facts in an illustrative or allusive way, unveiling facets of human life.

See also

References

  1. Reality and documentary – at Six Types Of Documentary, article by Girish Shambu (blog)
  2. An Introduction to Genre Theory Archived November 18, 2011, at the Wayback Machine by Daniel Chandler at Aberystwyth University
  3. A creative treatment of actuality – article by Peter Biesterfeld at Videomaker, 08/07/2015
  4. Il difficile rapporto tra fiction e non fiction che si concretizza nella docu-fiction (The difficult relationship between fiction and non-fiction patent in docufiction) – thesis in Italian by Laura Marchesi, Faculty of Communication Sciences (Università degli Studi di Pavia) at Tesionline, 2005/06
  5. , Docufiction in the Digital Age – Thesis by Tay Huizhen, National University of Singapore
  6. What is docufiction? – See Section II, pages 37 to 75 (four chapters) Archived September 11, 2011, at the Wayback Machine of the thesis by Prof. Theo Mäusli
  7. Indie Matra Bhumi (The Motherland) – Cannes Film Festival
  8. Ablel Ferrara’s docufiction Archived January 19, 2012, at the Wayback Machine – Venice Film Festival
  9. The Savage Eye: White Docu-Fiction & Black Reality Archived September 13, 2011, at the Wayback Machine at Tribeca Film Festival
  10. Brian De Palma's On His Iraq Docu-Fiction Comeback at The Huffington Post – Toronto International Film Festival and Venice Film Festival
  11. Darius Mehrjui’s film Diamond 33 – Venice Film Festival
  12. New Film Events – London Short Film Festival
  13. Oscilloscope 'Howl' for Off Beat Docu-Fiction Sundance Selection Archived December 27, 2011, at the Wayback Machine at Ion Cinema
  14. Docufiction at several film festivals
  15. See: Hybrids (fiction/nonfiction films) at External links
  16. Tate Triennial 2009: Altermodern – 'Docufiction'
  17. See Docudrama: the real (his)tory Confusion of genres – Page 2 on the thesis by Çiçek Coşkun (New York University School of Education)
  18. From "mock + documentary" – definition at The Free Dictionary
  19. A television programme or film which takes the form of a serious documentary in order to satirize its subject. – definition at The Free Dictionary and Dictionary.com
  20. Definition of documentary – New Frontiers in American documentary (American Studies at The University of Virginia)
  21. The Impulse of Documentary-Fiction Archived March 19, 2012, at the Wayback Machine – Paper at Transart Institute Archived 2011-08-31 at the Wayback Machine
  22. (NON)FICTION AND THE VIEWER: RE-INTERPRETING THE DOCUMENTARY FILM – Paper by Tammy Stone, Avila University
  23. See hybrid genre Archived September 11, 2011, at the Wayback Machine – page 50, thesis on docufiction by Prof. Theo Mäusli
  24. Open-ended Realities – article by Luciana Lang at Latineos
  25. The appeal of hybrid documentary forms in West Africa at Project Muse
  26. Ethics and Documentary Filmmaking – Article by Marty Lucas at Center for Social Media (American University in Washington, D.C)
  27. On Ethics and Documentary: A Real and Actual Truth – Article by Garnet C. Butchart at Cultural Studies Program, Trent University, Peterborough, Ontario, Canada, published University of South Florida
  28. What to Do About Documentary Distortion? Toward a Code of Ethics – Article by Bill Nichols at Documentary.org
  29. Documentary Film Prompts-Ethics in Documentary/Fiction vs. Documentary – Paper by Ardavon Naimi at University of Texas at Dallas
  30. Ethics and Filmmaking in Developing Countries at Unite For Sight
  31. Jean Rouch 1917-2004, A Valediction – Article by Michael Eaton at Rouge
  32. Glossary at MAITRES_FOUS.NET
  33. Jean Rouch and the Genesis of Ethnofiction, thesis by Brian Quist, Long Island University
  34. "Ethnofiction: drama as a creative research practice in ethnographic film." Journal of Media Practice 9, no. 3(2008), eScholarID:1b5648, article by Johannes Sjöberg
  35. Why 'Moana,' the First Docufiction in History, Deserves a New Life – article by Laya Maheshwari at Indiewire, July 3, 2014
  36. Note, however, that Flaherty's earlier film, Nanook of the North from 1922, incorporates many docufiction elements, including the "casting" of locals into fictitious "roles" and family relationships, as well as anachronistic hunting scenes.
  37. See Maria do Mar at IMdb
  38. See L'Or des mers at IMdb
  39. Zombie and the Ghost Train (1991)Review/Film Festival; How a Zombie Became One With Alcohol and Self-Pity
  40. "Chicago Cinema Forum". Cine-file.info. 2007-08-29. Retrieved 2012-08-29.
  41. India: Matri Bhumi Archived September 5, 2008, at the Wayback Machine – Article by Doug Cummings at F i l m j o u r n e y (March 18th, 2007)
  42. Digitally cleaned 'India, Matri Bhumi' screened at Vienna film festival – Article at IBN Live
  43. Christopher, Rob (2007-08-29). "Q: What Do You Call a Movie That's Getting Its Chicago Premiere 48 Years After Being Made?". Chicagoist. Retrieved 2012-08-29.
  44. The Human Pyramid at IMdb.
  45. See Acto da Primavera
  46. I clowns: Fellini's Mockumentary – article at The Artifice
  47. Revue by Jamie Havlin at Louder than War
  48. Frames from scenes at MMM
  49. See Trevico-Torino (viaggio nel Fiat-Nam at IMdb
  50. See Gente da Praia da Vieira
  51. Trás-os-Montes at Harvard Film Archive
  52. António Reis and Margarida Cordeiro at UCLA
  53. Rep Pick: Ana – Review by Aaron Cutler at The L Magazine
  54. Brice Ahounou, journalist, anthropologist and film programmer
  55. Exploring Objectivity in Docufiction Filmmaking through the Concept of Hybridity – Abstract at Eleanorforder, August 7, 2014
  56. Why are ethical issues central to documentary filmmaking? – chapter one from Introduction to Documentary by Bill Nichols, Indiana University Press
  57. Aesthetics defined by Encyclopædia Britannica
  58. Reality in the Age of Aesthetics Archived November 26, 2015, at the Wayback Machine – Article at Frieze, Issue 114, April 2008
  59. Documentary-for-the-Other: Relationships, Ethics and (Observational) Documentary – Article by Kate Nash, Journal of Mass Media Ethics, 26:224–239, 2011

Sources and bibliography

THESES online

ARTICLES and ESSAYS

CITATIONS

External links

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