Tracing the thread…
She pioneered the essay film and constantly blurred boundaries between documentary footage and personal narrative, treating everyday moments as profound material.
Len Wiseman United StatesHis observational documentaries use raw footage without narration or interviews to reveal institutional and social structures, letting the footage speak entirely for itself.
Chloé Zhao China/United StatesShe integrates documentary-style handheld footage and real non-actors into narrative films, creating a hybrid form that questions the distinction between documentary and fiction.