The global power of non-fiction film

This is the first book reflecting on the increasingly popular medium of non-fiction film as a way of representing, communicating and transforming global affairs. DIIS researchers feature prominently in this innovative volume, which will be of great interest to students and scholars of international relations, popular culture and world politics and media studies alike.

Co-edited by Rens van Munster (DIIS) and Casper Sylvest (SDU),Documenting World Politicsoffers a critical companion to the subject of non-fiction film aimed at assisting students, teachers and scholars of international relations in understanding and assessing the various ways in which such films matter in world politics. It introduces the genres and sub-genres of documentary film, provides detailed readings of specific films and includes original interviews with directors.

Three DIIS researchers have contributed to this book. In her chapterThe Reflexivity of Tears, Robin M. Schott critically examines representations of rape and gender in contemporary documentaries on sexual military assault, includingThe Invisible WarandOperation Fine Girl. By zooming in on the experience of war, Rens van Munster discusses how documentaries such asArmadilloandRestrepocan challenge conventional journalist accounts of war. Finally, DIIS anthropologist Sine Plambech is interviewed about her collaboration with director Janus Metz in making the critically acclaimed documentariesFra Thailand til Thy(Love on Delivery) andFra Thy til Thailand(Ticket to Paradise).