Deconstructing the Cinema of the 2000’s – Part 3: Documentary
By Alan Bacchus The following is part of a continuing series of features breaking down the trends of cinema in the 2000's. Click below for parts 1 and 2: Part 1: Tentpole Franchisees Part 2: Social Realism It’s not hard to pinpoint the exact moment when documentaries became more than just an art house or 'special interest' genre but a legitimate mass market theatrical entertainment product. It was May 2002, when Michael Moore’s ‘Bowling For Columbine’ was invited into Official Competition at the Cannes Film Festival. It was unprecedented for a documentary to even go to Cannes, let alone secure a spot in contention for the Palme D’Or. It didn’t win the big prize, but Moore did take home the ‘55th Anniversary’ prize, in recognition of its precedent-setting accomplishment. The film would of course, go on to win the Oscar but not before it became the highest grossing theatrical documentary of all time, taking in $21million in the domestic box office and M...