Representation of Plants in Autochthonous Documentary Filmmaking

The evolution of autochthonous documentary filmmaking affords a lens through which to view western societies' relationship with the plant world and identify a way in which to think more fully about ecology. This chapter proposes to study the cinematographic language of five films, representative of the evolution of documentary filmmaking in today's world. It presents three phases depending on the given time period in relation to the history of the peoples whom we are seeking to understand. The first phase includes pioneering films made by “mediator–filmmakers”. The second brings together films made by cinematographers in service of the autochthonous cause. In the third phase, which spans from the 2000s to the present day, the portrayals of plant life in these films have shifted toward the necessity for an ecological transition. In these three phases, directors film an environment that changes and is constantly degrading over the years.