Dokumentaarne

Dokumentaarne is an Estonian adjective meaning related to or characteristic of a documentary, documentary-style, or non-fiction presentation. It is used to describe works that aim to convey real events, real people, or factual information in a manner that emphasizes veracity and evidence. The term is formed from dokumentaal (documentary) with the adjectival suffix -arne.

In film and media theory, dokumentaarne refers to a style that foregrounds authentic material, such as real footage, interviews, and archival records. It often favors a straightforward, naturalistic presentation of sound and image and seeks to minimize staged or fictionalized elements. The label can apply to full-length documentary films, television programs, and online video that purport to document reality. In journalism, a dokumentaarne approach relies on documents, official records, and eyewitness accounts to support reporting.

Beyond cinema and journalism, dokumentaarne is used in photography, literature, and art to describe works that strive for factual grounding and honest depiction of social conditions, everyday life, or historical events. While closely associated with non-fiction, the term can also be used to discuss stylistic tendencies within fiction or hybrid genres that emphasize documentary methods or a sense of realism.

See also: dokumentaalfilm; documentary approaches in Estonian media and art discourse.