(This page is one section of the Industry Analysis. To view the full Industry Analysis, click here)

Introduction to the Industry of Independent Documentaries

The role of a documentary film is to tell a “story about real life, with claims to truthfulness”(Aufderheide 2007). Within the term of ‘documentary’ the word, ‘document’, can be extracted and used to further understand the purpose and role that a documentary film plays in the industry of media as well as society. Many documentary filmmakers usually have a moral purpose or a goal that they hope their film makes in comparison to traditional fictional films which usually have the main focus of creating monetary profit. Because of these differences between documentary films and the traditional fictional films, many documentary filmmakers associate themselves with independent filmmaking as well. This is true for the director and producer of I am Belmaya, Sue Carpenter of Tideturner Films, who recognizes herself as an independent documentary filmmaker (see professional log).

Acclaimed film critic, Roger Ebert explained an independent film as a “film made outside of the traditional studio system, often with unconventional financing and it’s made because it expresses the director’s personal vision rather than someone’s notion of box-office success” (Levy 1999). This definition is an ideal description of the I am Belmaya documentary film. Sue Carpenter solely went to the country of Nepal and documented the story of Belmaya Nepali and the difficult life she endures with the purpose to raise awareness for Belmaya’s struggles and those in similar situations all over Nepal.

By understanding what an independent documentary film is, it opens up the ability to dive into the details of analyzing the industry through the advantages and disadvantage of this styling of filmmaking. Along with that, this specific genre of filmmaking requires a specific method of marketing that may be in contrast to traditional film marketing strategies. In continuation, understanding the important role of social media in order to raise awareness and funds for the film leads into main research thesis (click here to view thesis).