Documentary Filmmaking in the Age of Netflix

This workshop is inspired by the growing interest in recent American feature-length social justice documentaries released on various streaming platforms (Netflix, Amazon, Hulu, etc.) and by the opportunity these productions provide for critical cultural analysis. The workshop will help participants to hone their critical understanding of the relationships between culture, discursive strategies, social issues, mass communication and the production and consumption of cultural goods by analysing them through the lens of American documentary feature films. More specifically, the documentaries analysed will have a social focus (feminism, poverty, African American rights) both in terms of their diegetic (themes, narrational techniques, cinematography) and extra-diegetic (production, funding, distribution) aspects.

The workshop generally aims to enable participants to critically interpret the documentaries studied, within a specific context of cultural and political practices that are shaped by precise (national and international) market choices. Upon completion of the workshop, students will be able to independently, articulately and critically discuss (in English) complex materials (documentary feature films) and themes (social issues underlying and conflicting with contemporary American culture). To enable them to do so, students will be given the opportunity to evaluate their and their peers' methods of interpretation/study/summary.