‘Why don’t they show those on TV?’: documentary film festivals, media and community

Abstract

The importance of alternative forms of information is undeniable in a democratic society. Yet mass media often ignore important issues as well as grassroots struggles and victories. Over the past two decades, citizens of one small Canadian town have initiated a documentary film festival as a means to learn about diverse problems and/or share stories of successful community development and victorious social movements around the world. This sparked a series of documentary film festivals in other small Canadian towns. This article examines a study of two of these documentary film festivals and the learning reported by members of the audience.