nondocumentary

Nondocumentary is a term used in media studies and film theory to describe works that do not aim to document reality through factual reporting or direct evidence. In practice, nondocumentary works are primarily narrative or fictional in nature, though they may borrow techniques associated with documentary filmmaking, such as the use of realistic settings, interviews, or on-location shooting. The term serves to distinguish such works from documentaries, which are explicitly committed to presenting verifiable information, evidence, and real-world events.

Nondocumentary encompasses a wide range of media, including feature films, television dramas, comedies, animation, and experimental cinema. It includes stories that are invented or heavily stylized, even when they reference real people or events. Subgenres and related forms include fiction films, docufiction and docudramas that blend documentary cues with dramatized scenes, and mockumentaries, which present fictional content in a documentary format for satirical or comedic effect.

In practice, nondocumentary does not imply a lack of assertion about reality; rather, it signals that the primary intent is not to document, but to tell a story, explore ideas, or create a particular sensibility. Critics may analyze how nondocumentary techniques—such as candid aesthetics, voiceover, or archival imagery—shape viewers’ perceptions of reality, even when the work is not a documentary.

There is no single rigid taxonomy for nondocumentary, and the boundaries among documentary, fiction, and hybrid forms are often fluid in contemporary media.