Analytic Filmmaking as Social Scientific Research: A Response to Roy Germano

This article engages Germano’s film and essay. The author lauds the fundamental thrust of the essay towards achieving scholarly recognition for film projects based on scholarly research. At the same time, the author questions Germano’s sharp opposition between analytic and documentary films. He appraises The Other Side of Immigration very favorably, while pointing out that the aesthetic choices and the power of the testimonies do not fall neatly within the categories established by Germano. The author then discusses his own experiences in conjoining historical research and documentary filmmaking.