Introduction

Abstract

This introductory chapter sets out the book's purpose, namely to draw attention to the similarities between heterogeneous documentary practices and forms by offering in-depth analyses of significant independent documentary works in the post-1990 era. It examines recent cases where independence is at stake, either in the discourse developed by documentary practitioners themselves or in the supposed systems within which documentary images are produced. Hence, the purpose of this collective volume is to adjust an ever-changing term to the concrete modifications of documentary film practices, as well as to the new constraints and opportunities that have appeared in this field over the past twenty-five years. The technological changes taking place in the 1990s and 2000s have played a significant role in reshaping documentary film practices. However, the consequences of the digital revolution still need to be addressed without overestimating the impact of technology on other political, economic, social, and cultural changes.