Documentary: Fact or Fiction? | Close-Up (1990)

By Ted Barron, Ph.D | Executive Director, DeBartolo Performing Arts Center, November 23, 2022

[About a 1 MIN read]

After being mistaken for a renowned Iranian filmmaker, a working-class cinephile ingratiates himself with a family who opens their home to the impostor. Abbas Kiarostami’s humorous and deeply moving hybrid film suggests inspiring new possibilities for nonfiction cinema. 

About the Series
Documentary: Fact or Fiction? examines how nonfiction representation has evolved from early experimentations through the impact of television journalism to the emergence of new media.

Rather than provide a chronological history of documentary, the series will focus on films that raise questions about nonfiction representation and its implications for filmmakers, subjects, and viewers. Issues such as testimony, performance, reflexivity and ethics will be addressed, all of which serve to deepen the complex discourse of cinematic realism.

Series Host: Dr. Ted Barron
Dr. Ted Barron is the Executive Director of the DeBartolo Performing Arts Center and Judd and Mary Lou Leighton Director of the Performing Arts. He teaches courses on global cinema history, documentary film, and German film.