Documentary is one of the most fascinating areas of filmmaking. Documentaries have broken down societal taboos, changed legislation, strengthened and rocked entire governments, freed wrongly-convicted prisoners, and taught us more about the world in which we live.

A Journey Through Documentary Film offers an overview of documentary history, taking readers from the early ‘actualities’ of pioneering non-fiction filmmakers such as Robert J. Flaherty and John Grierson, to the documentaries of Michael Moore, Errol Morris, Werner Herzog, and the directors dominating the field (and box office) today.

An essential resource for film students, documentary buffs, filmmakers and anyone interested in non-fiction film, it looks in-depth at over 60 documentaries from around the world, covering a century of cinema, to illustrate what ‘documentary’ means, and the changes and transitions that have occurred in non-fiction filmmaking over the years.

Covering films such as Nanook of the North, Night Mail, Night and Fog, The Sorrow and the Pity, F for Fake, The Thin Blue Line, Hoop Dreams, Fahrenheit 9/11, Grizzly Man, Man on Wire and Exit Through the Gift Shop, amongst many others, each analysis includes an introductory synopsis, as well as detailed notes on the film’s production history, filmmaker, unique innovations, construction, and key themes and issues.

Luke Dormehl is a journalist and award-winning documentary filmmaker. His films have appeared on Channel 4 and played in prestigious film festivals around the world, from Cannes to Rushes, garnering praise from luminaries such as Ken Loach, Louis Theroux and Simon Callow. His writing has appeared extensively in dozens of online and print publications.