Documentary storytelling: Crafting reality through screenwriting and fictional story devices

This Special Issue examines screenwriting and fictional storytelling devices within the context of documentary filmmaking from a global perspective, exploring a range of practices from those found on mainstream streaming services to those developed in first-person documentary work. The six articles comprising this collection highlight how industrial curation, personal practices, established narrative techniques and hybrid strategies have shaped the influence of fictional storytelling devices on documentary form. A primary aim of this Special Issue is to explore analytical frameworks that can deepen understanding of screenwriting and fictional storytelling devices present in documentaries, benefiting scholars, students and filmmakers alike.