Australian Documentary: History, Practices and Genres

Abstract

The history of Australian documentary has a long list of credits. The list runs from the filmmakers and participants to sponsors, producers, distributors, exhibitors, broadcasters, administrators, archivists, educators, audiences and beyond. These roles have altered through periods of cultural, institutional and technological change in which documentary has taken many different forms. This book explores the relations between these forms and the practices of production, distribution and reception in which they have emerged. It covers the historical developments of documentary in Australia from the early days of cinema to the coming of television and the digital environment. These developments are framed by a series of underlying questions and issues. How have documentary filmmakers pursued purposes of expression, information, promotion, entertainment, interrogation and witness in responding to their historical world, and what are the implications of their work for participants and audiences? In what ways have particular genres and techniques been used to define realities and meet new needs, and from whose point of view? How has documentary been constituted in relation to the category of nation and to international developments in production and distribution? What can be learned from the dynamic history of the form for documentary practice, policy and study, present and future? Our approach to these questions combines institutional history, analysis of forms of representation and practitioner perspectives.