dokumentarer

Dokumentarer are non-fiction films whose primary aim is to document reality, convey information about people, events, places, or processes, and often to inform or persuade the audience about a subject. They typically foreground factual material, real locations, and real subjects, while using narration, interviews, archival footage, and sometimes reenactments.

Although early cinema experimented with documentary forms, the modern documentary tradition is associated with the rise of film journalism and public broadcasting in the 20th century. The term documentary was popularized by the British filmmaker John Grierson in the 1920s. Earlier pioneers include Robert Flaherty, whose Nanook of the North (1922) helped establish the feature-length nonfiction format.

Styles vary widely. Observational or Direct Cinema aims to minimize filmmaker intervention and let events unfold; expository documentaries rely on a guiding narration or argument; participatory works foreground the filmmaker's presence; reflexive and performative approaches draw attention to the filmmaking process itself. Ethical considerations, such as consent, fair representation, and the potential for manipulation, are central to production and reception.

Production and distribution depend on funding and platforms. Many dokumentarer are financed by public broadcasters, foundations, or independent producers and released in cinemas, on television, or via streaming services. Length ranges from short profiles to feature-length films, and some projects are released as series or episodic formats.

Impact and reception vary. Documentaries can inform public debate, raise awareness of social issues, or influence policy. Critics sometimes point to editing choices, framing, or sensationalism as challenges to objectivity, while supporters emphasize the value of witnessing and accountability brought by documentary storytelling.

Prominent examples include Nanook of the North (1922), Harlan County, USA (1976), The Thin Blue Line (1988), Fahrenheit 9/11 (2004), and Blackfish (2013).