The documentary film

In this concise book written in clear language, Patricia Aufderheide takes readers on a journey through the diverse pathways of the cultural film history, and introduces them to the lively, always intense debates, revolving between filmmakers and researchers about the best ways to depict reality and narrate the truths worth telling. After providing an overview of the key issues of documentary filmmaking - its definitions, purposes, forms, and founders - Aufderheide focuses on many subgenres of documentary film, including public affairs films, government propaganda (especially works produced during World War II), historical documentaries, and nature films. The book is supplemented with a list of one hundred remarkable documentaries that every enthusiast in this field should not miss watching.