This project interrogates the status of documentary film as an oppositional force and conduit for radical social and political change. The first two chapters examine the interconnected transnational history of the radical or "committed" documentary. This historical inquiry leads me to construct a set of parameters for how the radical documentary was defined and codified between 1926 and 1990. My investigation is particularly attuned to how documentary filmmakers in this tradition moved away from a didactic mode of address that sought to educate a state sanctioned "citizen subject." Instead, I argue that the radical documentary tradition grew out of the modernist avant-garde movement and activated a "revolutionary subject" in opposition to the state. To date, there have only been a handful of accounts locating post-1990s documentary practices within the domain of radical political concerns and the possibilities presented by the intersection of documentary and new media technology. The second part of the dissertation examines how such practices extend and challenge the aforementioned historical definitions while intervening in a diverse range of contexts. The final three chapters focus on an eclectic corpus of films and videos that include the work of the video advocacy organizations WITNESS and B'Tselem, student documentaries made in Iraq, and interactive documentary projects by new media artists Zohar Kfir and Sharon Daniel. I argue that these groups and artists create an "activist subject" that intervenes within specific social and political situations during wars, occupations, and cases of human rights abuses. Ultimately, I conclude that the radical power of documentary film lies not in and of itself as singular object of art or evidence, but in the discourses it engenders and within the discourses and contexts in which it is placed. In the increasingly post-digital age of new media, the study and practice of radical documentary demands a multi-faceted approach as well as an openness to expanding definitional boundaries of what a documentary is, how it functions, how it circulates, and how its impact is measured.

With the rise of new information and communication technologies, advocacy campaigns in development have experienced a resurgence of video as an instrument to enrich outreach efforts and build bridges, to empower marginalised groups and rescue the culture and heritage of indigenous people, and to reach decision-makers – and ultimately change policies and laws. The use of “humanising” elements through film, such as the oral testimonies of individuals, allows practitioners to transport the realities and conditions of specific localities to audiences otherwise unable to experience them directly. The present study examines the mechanisms through which video advocacy reaches audiences, looking specifically at trade-offs and knock-on effects among key stakeholders, based upon the case study of the Our Voices Matter advocacy film. The video features oral testimonies of local women survivors of rape from the Eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). It is employed to campaign for justice for women victims of sexual violence and to mobilise social change to alter the role of women in the region. In light of the multifaceted nature of video advocacy use in development, the study utilises a composite of three analysis techniques, employing the collection and critical examination of information both qualitative and quantitative in nature: A content analysis of the case study, examining the narrative and semiotic elements used by the film’s producers, was designed to complement interviews with stakeholders of the campaign. An international survey of women was conducted to shine light on how vulnerable groups across the world relate to the video in question and evaluate the effectiveness of video advocacy. The composite discussion reveals insights into video advocacy conception, strategy, and implementation, with particular emphasis on stakeholder mapping, while underscoring the potential for trade-offs and knock-on effects among stakeholder groups. The case study also provides a theoretical and practical basis for similar communication for development campaigns.