Documentary film matters
The Steps for the Future media advocacy project in Southern Africa
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 11416631 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Levine (0000-0001-5990-7182, University of the Humanities, corresponding author), Susan Levine (0000-0003-1256-4703) |
| Year | 2007 |
| Volume | 21 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | 234-249 |
| Publication date | 2007-11-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Critical Arts (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0256-0046 • E-ISSN: 1992-6049 |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/02560040701810024 |
| OpenAlex | W2001117065 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 5 |
| References cited | 17 |
Interpretive frameworks in visual media studies suggest that audiences are active agents in the construction of meaning. As a discipline that emphasizes the value of an interpretive approach, visual anthropology has much to offer by way of informing media advocacy programmes geared towards HIV/Aids education. This paper grapples with the conundrum presented by the agency of audiences to interpret documentary film within the context of the political imperative to send clear messages about HIV/Aids transmission and prevention. The didactic approach to HIV/Aids in documentary film is that messages about safer sex practices, for example, should not be open to interpretation. This paper draws on the methods and theory of visual anthropology to suggest the impossibility of such an agenda. Based on an impact assessment of a documentary film project called Steps for the Future, this paper argues that audiences do not automatically trust the documentary genre, and that audiences are more likely to engage in debate when stories about HIV/Aids convey the complexity of life choices. The paper argues that documentary films that draw on the wisdom of the African dilemma tale offer respect to their audiences’ interpretive abilities and the possibility of breaking the silence around HIV/Aids
Aesthetics · Agency (philosophy · Audience reception · Context (archaeology · Dilemma · Epistemology · Impossibility · Interpretation (philosophy · Meaning (existential · Media studies · Political science · Politics · Silence · Social science · Sociology · History · Law · Law in Society and Culture · Participatory Visual Research Methods · Qualitative Research Methods and Ethics
Visual anthropology
Aids and Accusation
Fields of Vision
Culture, Health and Illness
Fields of Vision
Essential Messages
Steps for the Future [Actually, Life Is a Beautiful Thing]
Documentary Film and Hiv/Aids
Media Activism in the Screening Room
Media Worlds
Narrative, Understanding and Identification in Steps for the Future
The Camera and Man
Signifying the Pandemics
| Unique citing works | 5 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 0,36 |
| Citation span | 2012 - 2025 (14) |
| Citation velocity | recent |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 5 |