Abstract of the talk:

The documentary participant is largely a site of anxiety, viewed through the discourse of documentary image ethics and its construction of moral obligations between filmmaker and film participant. My focus on documentary practice rather than mere reception or effects is underpinned by a belief that documentary “publics” are created not only through viewing but also through material contact with the documentary process. From a consideration of the voices and practices of Indian documentary filmmakers and film participants, I will argue that independent documentary can be identified through an emergent “interdependent” reconceptualization of filmmaking that places its functionaries in mutualistic relations. I will outline how the recognition of filmmakers and participants as co-functionaries is formulated through practices like “negotiated consent” based upon the recognition of individual needs, motivations and goals of all those who participate in documentary production.

Bio:

Shweta Kishore is a documentary practitioner and scholar. Alongside completing her PhD in Film and Television Studies from Monash University in 2016, her independent documentary practice focuses on themes of identity, resource allocation and globalisation. She has published in areas of feminist film and video, film festivals, third cinema, media history and documentary ethics. Shweta currently lectures in Film and Media at RMIT University in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam