DOCUMENTARY FILM AND REPRESENTATION Conversations

Documentary storytelling finds itself at a crucial inflection point around issues of representation. Long-held assumptions about who has the right to tell someone else’s story; filmmakers’ responsibilities to subjects; and the durability of traditional narrative strategies are being challenged. Through the medium of film, how do we talk about racism, poverty, violence and colonialism? How are filmmakers confronting their own privilege as they seek to take on injustice? How are individuals and groups being portrayed on screen? Leaning into this difficult conversation, a diverse group of filmmakers discuss the choices they make around issues of representation and the consequences for documentary and beyond.