The Video Turn: Documentary Film Practices in 1980s India

This article focuses on the technology of documentary filmmaking in India, drawing attention to its materiality and its historical transformation after the arrival of video there in the 1980s. Two aspects of the 1980s video-making are emphasized: on the one hand, a focus on possibilities that video created for non-professional filmmakers; and on the other, the novelty of video-documentary practices in India is questioned. I argue that in a context in which documentary activities were already established, video technology enabled these practices to increase in number, become small-media practices and go beyond state restrictions. I also argue that if this was valid from the distribution-outlet perspective it was not so straightforward from the production perspective.