MOVIES

A documentary film is a nonfictional motion picture intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record. Such films were originally shot on film stock—the only medium available—but now include video and digital productions that can be either direct-to-video, made into a TV show or released for screening in cinemas. "Documentary" has been described as a "filmmaking practice, a cinematic tradition, and mode of audience reception" that is continually evolving and is without clear boundaries.

 

The first person who appreciated historical importance of movie was Polish pioneer of cinematography Bolesław Matuszewski. He wrote two of the earliest texts on cinema Une nouvelle source de l'histoire (eng. A New Source of History) and La photographie animée (eng. Animated photography). Both was published in 1898 in French language and recognized today as the first movie manifestos and the first written works to consider the historical and documentary value of the film. Matuszewski is also the first filmaker who proposed creation of Film Archives to collection and keep safe visual materials. In popular myth, the word documentary was coined by Scottish documentarian John Grierson in his review of Robert Flaherty's film Moana (1926), published in the New York Sun on 8 February 1926, written by "The Moviegoer" (a pen name for Grierson).

 

THE CREATIVE REALM'S RECOMMENDED DOCUMENTARY MOVIES BY DECADE

 

BEFORE 1960's: A Diary For Timothy 
1970's: Scared Straight!
1980's: Roger & Me 
1990's: The Life Of Birds
2000's: Capturing The Friedmans
2010's: Art Is: The Permanent Revolution