Critical Writing Index

Upping The Anti:: Documentary, capitalism and liberal consensus in an age of austerity

by Ezra Winton

POV, Winter 2013, no. 92, pp. 40-44

Author Ezra Winton dissects the documentary and political activism landscape in Canada. Winton explains how documentary has legacy of social justice, anti-oppression and free expression, however many radical documentaries are respected in their own communities, but invisible to mainstream current. Winton identifies two types of political documentaries which he names the liberal consensus documentary and the radical committed documentary. Winton outlines documentaries that fall into each category as well as explaining each have a different call-to-action that can be problematic. Winton also highlights how the differing approaches create audience inclusion or exclusion of the world.

ITEM 2013.126 – available for viewing in the Research Centre

Videos, Artworks and Artists Cited

An Inconvenient TruthDavis Guggenheim

The Carbon RushAmy Miller

Waiting for SupermanDavis Guggenheim

Kanehsatake: 270 Years of ResistanceAlanis Obomsawin

The House I live InEugene Jarecki

Fix: The Story of an Addicted CityNettie Wild

SickfuckpeopleJuri Rechinsky

Through a Blue LensVeronica Alice Mannix

The Act of KillingJoshua Oppenheimer

The CoveLouis Psihoyos

A Small ActJennifer Arnold