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| I Was There |
| the filmmaker as witness |
 | The documentary as a genre is predicated on
the presence of the filmmaker, somewhere, as witness
to an event, even if only to the elementary event of
the encounter between camera and documentary subject
in an interview.The truth claims of objectivity may have
fallen into disarray, but if documentaries are claiming
increasing public attention it is due to the credibility
of the filmmaker, who is able to tell the story and say,
“I was there”.
Filmmaker Eduardo Coutinho, on location in the sertão. |
The Princeton Documentary Festival was created
to bring attention to the current creative explosion
of documentary filmmaking in Latin America and
Spain. Through public screenings and classroom
discussions, the festival provides its audience with
exceptional, cutting-edge films that would not be
otherwise available. The aim is to contribute to a more
comprehensive vision of the cultures from which
this work springs, while seeking to encourage
a more informed debate on the specific topic
addressed in each series and on the current state
of documentary production.
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