Images of Financial Crisis. Interventions documentary films

Abstract

Around the world millions of people suffer the consequences of financial and economic crisis; as well as the sovereign debt crisis: under impoverishment, unemployment and homelessness, by cuts in the social, sanitary and educational system. The problems that led to the crisis still persist. In this sense it is important the question about how the media attract their audiences, and how they can contribute to the understanding of the crisis, its causes, consequences and possible resolutions. This article shows which documentary films made an important contribution on the cinema, television and internet in the mentioned context. This is related to the question, if specific aesthetic forms are particularly suitable for such politic comprehension objectives. The paper examines, on the first place, four of the most successful films in Europe in the range of documentary films on the financial crisis, starting from discourse as rethoric, aesthetic and affective strategies. Let’s make Money (Erwin Wagenhofer, Austria 2008), Capitalism (Michael Moore, United States 2009), Inside Job (Charles H. Ferguson, United States 2010) and Debtocracy (Xpeokpatia, Katerina Kiitidi; Chatzistefanou Aris, Greece 2011).