Kill the Documentary: A Letter to Filmmakers, Students, and Scholars

Jill Godmilow's documentary "Kill the Documentary" calls for a new kind of nonfiction filmmaking that activates viewers' engagement with historical or present-day problems. She advocates for a "postrealist" cinema that is experimental, interventionist, performative, and transformative, and proposes provocative new ways of making and watching films.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 224 pages
Publication date: 22 March 2022
Publisher: Columbia University Press

In her groundbreaking book, "Kill the Documentary," acclaimed director Jill Godmilow fervently advocates for a new era of nonfiction filmmaking. She critically examines a wide range of documentary films, from classics like "Nanook of the North" to recent productions like "The Vietnam War" by Ken Burns and Lynn Novick. Godmilow condemns these films for their reliance on the "pedigree of the real" and the "pornography of the real," which fail to engage viewers and prompt them to consider historical or contemporary issues. Conventional documentaries often create a sense of detachment, where the audience is positioned as a voyeur, reinforcing self-satisfaction and self-absorption.

In contrast, Godmilow proposes a "postrealist" cinema that aims to challenge established ways of knowing and understanding the world. She advocates for experimental, interventionist, performative, and transformative nonfiction films that refuse to offer faux empathy and sentimental spectacle. Through her analysis, Godmilow demonstrates how a film can create a meaningful and useful experience by forcefully interrogating established narratives and viewer perceptions. She also explores the careers of various filmmakers, including Luis Buñuel, Georges Franju, Harun Farocki, Trinh T. Minh-ha, and Rithy Panh, highlighting their formal and political strategies.

"Kill the Documentary" serves as both a manifesto and a guidebook, offering provocative new approaches to filmmaking and film consumption. It challenges viewers to reconsider their relationship with documentaries and encourages them to engage with the medium in more critical and meaningful ways. By advocating for a "postrealist" cinema that prioritizes resistance, experimentation, and transformation, Godmilow opens up a new frontier for nonfiction filmmaking, one that promises to inspire and challenge filmmakers and audiences alike.

Weight: 374g
Dimension: 156 x 234 x 17 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780231202770