FAMST 125DF: DOCUMENTARY FILMS

University of California, Santa Barbara

The year 1960 represents a pivotal moment in the history of documentary fil mmaking. This significance arises not only from the emergence of two influe ntial movements—cinéma vérité and direct cinema—but also from advancements in portable camera equipment and synchronized sound technologies. These inn ovations enabled filmmakers to engage more directly with unfolding events, challenging traditional boundaries between public and private spheres, obse rver and observed, as well as fiction and non-fiction. This course will ana lyze both political and ethical transformations of documentary film practic e since then, while exploring the continued importance of film as a documen tary medium relative to television and other mass communication platforms.