Crossing Borders: Between countries and cultures, fact and fiction, information and experience

Documentary production in Latin America and Spain has never before shown such vitality and diversity, reflecting – in surprising ways perhaps – the moment of crisis and change on many fronts that these societies are facing. All manners of relations and limits are being redefined, as filmmakers cross the borders of convention and genre, challenging long-held beliefs about reality and fiction.

The films selected for this first Festival illustrate one of the latest developments in the genre: the personal investigation. These are films in which the story under investigation becomes inextricably mingled with the experience of the individual carrying out the investigation. At the same time, they are all meditations on the informational value of personal experience – that of the documentary subjects as much as that of the filmmakers.

By presenting these innovative cinematic practices, the Princeton Documentary Festival aims at contributing to a more comprehensive vision of the cultures of Latin America and Spain, steering clear of stereotypes and clichés. At the same time, it seeks to encourage a more informed debate on the specific topic addressed in each series, and on today’s documentary production in general.


Direction and Organization

General Coordinator: Ricardo Piglia
Festival Director: Andrés Di Tella
Program Coordinator: Lucía Melgar

October 5-9, 2002

Frist Performance Theater, Frist Campus Center, 3rd. floor
Princeton University, Princeton, N.J.


The Princeton Documentary Festival was created to bring attention to the current creative explosion of documentary filmmaking in Latin America and Spain.  Through public screenings, commentary and discussions, the festival provides its audience with exceptional, cutting-edge films that would not be otherwise available.  The aim is to contribute to a more comprehensive vision of the cultures from which this work springs, while encouraging a more informed debate on the specific topic addressed in each series and on the current state of documentary production.