A film, TV program, publication etc. which presents a social, political, scientific or historical subject in a factual or informative manner
In audiovisual records: (1) A nonfiction motion picture film having a theme or viewpoint but drawing its material from actual events and using editing and sound to enhance the theme (2) Still photographs having a theme or viewpoint but showing actual situations realistically See also AUDIOVISUAL RECORDS
a non-fiction film which usually, although not always, has a particular point of view regarding its subject matter; John Grierson of the National Film Board is known as the father of the documentary film; see also cinéma verité
{s} pertaining to or consisting of documents; relating to or using documentation in literature or art; based on actual events or factual information
A story told using the actual people whose story is being told usually in their own surroundings [Top of Page] E
A documentary is a television or radio programme, or a film, which shows real events or provides information about a particular subject. a TV documentary on homelessness
{i} documentary film or television program, informational film or television program based on actual events
Documentary evidence consists of things that are written down. We have documentary evidence that they were planning military action. documentaries a film or television or a radio programme that gives detailed information about a particular subject documentary on/about. Fact-based film that depicts actual events and persons. Documentaries can deal with scientific or educational topics, can be a form of journalism or social commentary, or can be a conduit for propaganda or personal expression. The term was first coined by Scottish-born filmmaker John Grierson to describe fact-based features such as Robert Flaherty's Nanook of the North (1922). Grierson's Drifters (1929) and Pare Lorentz's The Plow That Broke the Plains (1936) influenced documentary filmmaking in the 1930s. During the World War II era documentary filmmaking was a valuable propaganda tool used by all sides. Leni Riefenstahl contributed to the Nazi propaganda efforts in the 1930s; the U.S. made films such as Frank Capra's series Why We Fight (1942-45); and Britain released London Can Take It (1940). Cinéma vérité documentaries, which gained notoriety in the 1960s, emphasized a more informal and intimate relationship between camera and subject. Television became an important medium for documentary films with goals that were more journalistic (such as CBS's Harvest of Shame [1960]) and educational (such as Ken Burns's Civil War [1990])
collection In international collections and probably domestic collections as well, a collection that involves the delivery of a document to the payor at the time it honors the collection
Factual footage arranged in such a way that it informs and expresses a point of view