Documentary in a Changing State: Ireland since the 1990s

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T his timely collection of essays, Documentary in a Changing State: Ireland since the 1990s, examines the role of Irish documentary in film and television as Ireland experienced dramatic shifts in its social and political make-up in recent decades. Bringing together a diverse range of perspectives, this book tells it from the standpoint of the documentarymaker , the academic and the policy-maker. It reveals the role of documentary in telling stories that challenge the hierarchies ofchurchandstate,atthesametimereflectingandrepresentingthechangebroughtaboutasaresultinshiftstothepolitical andsociallandscape. Thewritersinthisbookspeakopenlyandvividlyaboutthehighsandlowsofthebattlestheyfoughtnot justwithinstitutionalpowersbutalsowithintheirownprofessionandwiththepressuretowardsentertainmentmediaformats. Documentaries discussed in this collection include the work of independents such as Alan Gilsenan, Louis Lentin, Mary Raftery and Donald Taylor Black alongside television series including Would You Believe and Prime Time Investigates. Postconflict and multi-cultural Ireland is explored through the reflective practice of academics working in the medium of documentary.The impact of cultural policy and technological change to the landscape of documentary is considered through an examination of the output ofTG4, changes to the commissioning process and the effects of digital media.This book looks back over the last two decades through the prism of documentary to get a snap shot of the dramatic shifts and upheavals in Irish society, socially, culturally and politically. Theunblinkinggazeoftherealistdocumentaryfilmisundoubtedlytelevision’sgreatestcontributiontoanenlightenedpublicsphere. This book is essential reading for anyone interested in the persistent force of documentary in the affairs of the nation, especially themediastudentattunedtoquestioningthedominantideologiesofIrishsociety.Writtenbyfilm-makersandacademics,itartfully blends insights from theory, practice and media policy, and makes a convincing case for the crucial value of documentary in the futuremedialandscapeinIreland. PROFESSOR FARREL CORCORAN DuBLIn CITy unIvERSITy AnD AuTHOR OF RTÉ AND The GlOBAlISATION OF IRISh TelevISION, InTELLECT BOOKS, 2004 This book gives a fascinating insight into the working life of documentary makers – it captures the passion that drives them, the commitmenttheymaketotheircraft,andtheissuestheytackleindefiningwhatconstitutesdocumentary–indeed,whatconstitutes good documentary. This book will be read avidly not just by those in the business of creating and producing documentary but by awidepublicwhohavelearntsomuchabouttheirownsocietyandculturethroughcutting-edgedocumentaries. MIRIAM O’CALLAGHAN, RTÉ BROADCASTER Whetherconsideringtheory,practice,policyorimpact,thisabsorbingcollectionofessaysbringsafreshfocus,breadthandwelcome insighttoourevaluationofthedocumentaryform. JOHN KELLEHER, FILM & TELEvISIOn PRODuCER, FORMER IRISH FILM CEnSOR Front cover photographs from the top: The Asylum (2005) directed by Alan Gilsenan, photo courtesy of Bernard Walshand Yellow Asylum Films; Corpus Christi Procession, photo courtesy of Michael Hussey, Youghal, Co.Cork; His & Hers (2009) directed by Ken Wardrop, photo courtesy of Element Pictures Distribution; The Pipe (2010) photo courtesy of John Monaghan; Ferns Report, photo courtesy of Greer MacKeogh; George Morrison, Still from Waiting for the Light (2008) directed by CiarinScott. Cover by Burns Design 9 781859 184912 ISBN 978-1-85918-491-2 www.corkuniversitypress.com ...