documentaire

Documentaire is a film or television genre that presents factual material about real people, places, events, or phenomena. It aims to document reality and often seeks to inform, explain, or persuade. While the term is often used interchangeably with 'documentary' in English, 'documentaire' is the French and Dutch spelling and is used in those languages to describe a non-fiction work that emphasizes truthfulness, observation, and analysis. Documentaries may combine interviews, narration, archival footage, and observational footage, and they may include reenactments or graphics, though their status as non-fiction remains the guiding principle.

Historically, documentary practices emerged with early cinema, newsreels and educational films, progressing through movements such as direct cinema and cinéma vérité in the 1950s–60s, which sought to minimize manipulation and reveal reality. Academic debate distinguishes several modes of documentary, including expository, observational, participatory, reflexive, poetic, and performative, a framework proposed by scholars to describe how documentaries construct meaning.

Common techniques include camera presence (interviews), voice-over narration, archival material, and on-site filming; editing and post-production shape time, rhythm, and perspective. Ethical considerations—such as consent, representation, and the potential impact on subjects—are central to production and reception. The genre spans a spectrum from factual reporting and investigative inquiry to artistic and experimental forms that blur lines with cinema and journalism.