"An exploration of the role of emotion and affect in contemporary documentary film, arguing that analysis of the sociality of the emotions is integral to advancing our understanding of the formulation of selfhood in documentary. Belinda Smaill also examines documentary's political function, looking at issues such as gender, ethnicity and class"--Provided by publisher.

Belinda Smaill proposes an original approach to documentary studies, examining how emotions such as pleasure, hope, pain, empathy, nostalgia or disgust are integral both to the representation of selfhood in documentary, and to the way documentaries circulate in the public sphere.