Watching the World: Screen Documentary and Audiences

Screen documentary has experienced a marked rise in visibility and popularity in recent years. What are the reasons for the so-called ‘boom’ in documentaries at the cinema? How has television documentary met the challenge of new formats? And how do audiences engage with documentaries on screen? Watching the world extends the reach of documentary studies by investigating recent instances of screen documentary and the uses made of them by audiences. The book focusses on the interfaces between textual mechanisms, promotional tactics, and audeinces’ viewing strategies. Key topics of inquiry are: filma and televisual form, truth claims and issues of trust, the pleasures, politics and ethics of documentary. Case studies include Capturing the Friedmans, Etre et Avoir, Paradise Lost, Touching the Void, and wildlife documentaries on television. This compelling and acessible book will be of interest to both students and fans of documentary.