Southeast and East Asian Documentary Films: The Responsibility of Filming Violence

Abstract

There are six different types of documentary films explained by Bill Nichols as the expository, poetic, observational, participatory, reflexive, and performative mode.1 In Southeast Asia and East Asia documentary films, this thesis will analyze documentary films: The Act of Killing (2012), Prison Fighters: Five Rounds to Freedom (2017), China Heavyweight (2012), and mockumentary Influenza (2004). All produced in the 2000s, these violent documentaries pose questions of violence, ethics, and biases. These documentary films introduce consequences to both their designated country as well as to the global audience. Concerning Southeast and East Asian documentary films, all documentaries examined share a theme of glorifying violence for political, financial, and entertainment purposes intentionally crafted from the film directors. A significant part of answering these questions come directly from the directors themselves and the economics behind financial pressures. Therefore, this thesis will demonstrate the targeted repercussions of filming violence in Southeast and East Asian documentary films in the 2000s by revealing the different types of violence and its consequences.