"Form and Content : An intimate relationship" - Sylvain L'Esperance

What is documentary film?

Sylvain L'Esperance - Form and Content : An intimate relationship
"Documentary is a space, a practice that allows for all forms of subjective expression. It's a form of art unto itself", says Montreal -based director and producer Sylvain L'Esperance. He addresses social issues with formal rigour in films like Uncertain Springtimes, on the declining fortunes of a working-class neighbours, and two films about globalization - Pendant que fombent les arbres and Le Temps qu'il fait. His 2006 film The River Where We Live provides a vivid account of rural life along the Niger River making effective use of sound and the spoken word. He brings a formatoin in Fine Arts to his work

"Documentary is a space, a way of working, that allows for all forms of subjectivity. It's an art form unto itself. And in this sense, formally...The formal space and language used in a documentary are also important. In fact, they're inseparable from the content. Form and content are joined at the hip. It's not content or form. Both are...Both must find their place to get at, to say what there is to say"