Shortlisted for the 2008 Kraszna-Krausz Award for the Best Moving Image Book. For more information about this prize, see the website: http://www.kraszna-krausz.org.uk/

This wide-ranging study traces the history of the documentary from the first Lumiere films to Michael Moore's 'Fahrenheit 9/11'. Chanan argues that documentary makes a vital contribution to the public sphere - where ideas are debated, opinion formed and those in authority are held to account.