Lecture by Anastasia Kostina
Chaired by Jane Gaines

This talk examines the concept of documentary storytelling through the lens of cognitive studies by focusing on and theorizing the idea of cognitive labor — a high-level cognitive effort required of the viewer to comprehend and interpret a documentary film. Building on the work of Edward Branigan, Noel Carroll and David Bordwell, who pioneered the cognitive approach to film studies in the realm of fiction cinema, the talk extends the question of “how do we make sense of a film?” to the field of documentary. Historically, documentary cinema has been far more aesthetically diverse than fiction cinema, posing additional challenges to scholars who seek to dissect and categorize its storytelling strategies. At the same time, as a factual medium, documentary presents a distinct set of ideological and ethical challenges that are largely absent from fiction film. Conceptualizing the idea of cognitive labor, the talk offers a framework for analyzing the relationship between documentary storytelling, interpretation, and ideology.

Fall Thursday Lecture Series events are open to Columbia-affiliated faculty, students, and invited guests. All others interested in attending, please email the SOF/Heyman at [email protected].

Please email [email protected] to request disability accommodations. Advance notice is necessary to arrange for some accessibility needs.