The Rise of the Ljubljana School of Documentary Film at TV Ljubljana (1981–1990) and the Transformation of the Documentary

Abstract

The article discusses a specific period of the production of the documentary genre at TV Ljubljana, known as the period of the Ljubljana School of Documentary Film (1981­1990). The focus of this research is predominantly the conditions and limitations of production, under which documentary films and practices, as well as the routines of the creators, were created, to analyse how production practices were reflected in the form and style of documentary films. The documentary films of this period began to move away from news coverage with current political content and the explanatory mode of representation, and moved towards the participatory and observatory modes of representation. The routines and practices became more professional. In particular, journalists began writing scripts and collaborating with talented directors from AGRFT (Academy of Theatre, Radio, Film and Television). Despite financial and production limitations, which placed numerous bureaucratic tasks into the creative process, and the self-censorship of creators, under the leadership of editor Drago Pečko and with the collaboration of directors, numerous authorial documentary films were made that were recognized in the Yugoslav space. Owing to the changed circumstances of the media, the management of public television saw the direction of the development of the medium after 1990 tend towards entertainment programmes, which meant that the documentary began losing its former importance in the name of ratings and advertising revenues.