Documentary Filmmaking as a Practice of Knowledge, Recognition, and Transformation: Sophie Kotanyi’s Documentary Epistemology
Keywords:
documentary cinema, documentary epistemology, Sophie Kotanyi, visual anthropology, epistemic justiceAbstract
This article examines Sophie Kotanyi’s documentary epistemology through a semi-structured interview conducted in 2026 and a dialogue with the documentaries Espiritocorpo and Viver de Novo – Não se Decide Só. It argues that her documentary practice transcends traditional models centred on the representation of reality and proposes a conception of documentary as a space for dialogue, recognition, and social transformation. Drawing on the contributions of Victor Turner, Edith Turner, and Thomas Csordas, the article demonstrates that the rituals portrayed in the films are understood not merely as symbolic systems but as practices capable of producing healing, community reorganization, and the elaboration of collective memory. The analysis identifies five central dimensions of her documentary epistemology: documentary as a space for dialogue between different forms of knowledge; original sound as a practice of listening and valuing orality; the pursuit of an emic perspective grounded in situated understandings of experience; the conception of ritual as a transformative practice based on embodiment; and documentary as a practice of recognition and epistemic justice. In dialogue with leading scholars of visual anthropology, including David MacDougall, Jay Ruby, Faye Ginsburg, Fatimah Tobing Rony, and Catherine Russell, the study argues that Kotanyi’s work contributes to a decolonial understanding of documentary cinema centred on the co-production of knowledge, the valorization of lived experience, and the legitimization of alternative forms of knowing. It concludes that the principal contribution of Sophie Kotanyi lies in the formulation of a documentary epistemology grounded in dialogue, listening, situated understanding, and the recognition of historically marginalized forms of knowledge. From this perspective, documentary is no longer conceived merely as cultural representation but as a space for knowledge production, cultural mediation, and epistemic justice.
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Referências filmográficas
Kotanyi, S. (Realizadora). (2003). Espiritocorpo [Documentário]. Instituto de Comunicação Social.
Kotanyi, S. (Realizadora). (2003). Viver de Novo – Não se Decide Só [Documentário]. Instituto de Comunicação Social.
Referência da entrevista
Kotanyi, S. (2026, 9 de julho). Entrevista semiestruturada realizada por Elísio Bajone [Entrevista inédita].
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