Docudrama

Docudrama is a genre that blends documentary and dramatic reconstruction to portray real events. It presents factual material—dates, places, people, outcomes—while dramatizing scenes with actors and scripted dialogue to tell a story with narrative coherence.

Production often uses a combination of archival footage, news reports, voiceover narration, and re-enacted scenes. The script is usually based on documented records, interviews with witnesses or participants, and authorized accounts; but dialogue and some sequences are invented or composite to improve storytelling.

Docudrama differs from straight documentary in that it relies on staged scenes and character-driven storytelling rather than presenting events as they unfolded through unscripted footage. It also differs from traditional drama by centering on real people and incidents rather than fictional characters and plots.

The genre has been used in television films, miniseries, stage works, and, more recently, hybrid formats on streaming platforms.

Notable examples include Raid on Entebbe (1977), a film that reconstructs the Israeli operation with actors while grounding scenes in real events; and The Laramie Project, a stage docudrama based on interviews with people connected to the murder of Matthew Shepard. The format remains controversial, with critics arguing that dramatization can blur fact and interpretation, even as proponents cite its ability to illuminate complex events and engage audiences.