Behind Closed Doors

The progression of documentary films, just like humans who always shift along with complexity, is constantly evolving. Staying true to human reality in documentary encourages experimentation and expansion of understanding of it. The advent of digital social media has changed the way we understand reality. It is continuously reproduced and influenced by its medium, which then impacts the way people see and construct their everyday reality.

As reality becomes mediated and reproduced, the meaning of it becomes inadequate to encompass people’s real experiences. Today, what counts as “real” is becoming more mobile and further blurring the lines between fiction and nonfiction. In the end, reality is always being reproduced, or at least like humans, it is in tension as technology and digital media become a co-producing force.

The films in this year’s International Feature-Length Competition are not simply looking for fresh submissions from documentary filmmakers. This means that the selection process relies on an understanding of the creation of the films. However, the selection process also requires a fresh reading that calls for an expanded understanding of documentary to be able to grasp the complexity and relevance of documentary film production in today’s society.

This program is an attempt to initiate a dialogue that defends the tension between what is “seen” and what is not “seen”–and so forth–in reordering the order. Ultimately, it may be that documentary films no longer simply revolve around news and facts, but what becomes memory, reality, and the ongoing battle of producing realities.

– Gerry Junus