University Master’s Degree in Documentary and Non-Fiction

Understand the theoretical, aesthetic and narrative principles of documentary filmmaking. 

Create nonfiction stories using coherent narrative structures. 

Develop a distinctive perspective linked to the representation of reality. 

Integrate ethical and formal decisions into documentary creation. 

Communicate documentary ideas and projects to diverse audiences. 

Apply documentary research, filming, editing and post-production techniques. 

Design visual and sound concepts tailored to each project. 

Manage audiovisual material throughout every stage of production. 

Use rigorous documentary research methodologies. 

Analyse the historical development of documentary filmmaking and its main movements, with particular emphasis on Latin America. 

Put contemporary transformations in nonfiction into context. 

Apply tools for narrative, visual and sound analysis. 

Organise creative projects and audiovisual research. 

Critically assess the ethical and social implications of projects. 

Communicate projects and research findings with reasoned arguments. 

Collaborate effectively in multidisciplinary teams. 

Manage ethical relationships with people being filmed and work teams. 

Integrate diverse perspectives throughout documentary processes. 

Manage documentary projects from beginning to end. 

Develop the ability to self-assess and improve continuously. 

Apply principles of social responsibility and professional integrity. 

Generate knowledge through academic research and audiovisual creation.

A critical study of the historical evolution of documentary, its authors, movements and cultural contexts. 

This course offers a historical and critical overview of the evolution of documentary cinema from its beginnings to the present, with a section devoted to Latin American documentary. It analyses the main movements, currents, authors and works that have shaped documentary language, placing them in their historical, social and cultural contexts. Students examine how the genre has responded to the political, technological and aesthetic changes of each period, laying the foundations for contemporary practices. 

Analysis of new narratives, hybrid formats and technological transformations in non-fiction. 

The course focuses on current documentary practices and the transformations of non-fiction in recent decades, both internationally and especially in Latin America. It explores new narratives, hybrid formats, technological advances and the influence of digital platforms, prompting critical reflection on the limits of documentary and its dialogue with other artistic disciplines.

Reflection on representation, ethics, the construction of reality and critical thinking about documentary. 

This course explores the main theories and conceptual frameworks that have shaped the study of documentary. It analyses different approaches to representing reality, the status of the documentary image, the ethics of the gaze, and the relationship between filmmaker, filmed subject and viewer. Theoretical classes are complemented by a practical exercise in which students work with the concepts covered in class.

The Documentary Techniques module integrates the courses in screenwriting, directing, cinematography, production, sound and editing through a cross-disciplinary practical exercise. Working in teams of 3-4 people, students develop a documentary piece lasting 5 to 7 minutes based on a real commission from a channel, NGO, association or other external partner. The project allows students to experience all the stages of documentary creation and production in a professional context. 

Professional application of skills through placement in companies and institutions in the sector. 

They enable students to join professional environments in the audiovisual and cultural sector, applying the knowledge they have acquired in a real work context and supporting their entry into the workforce and understanding of the industry.

This format aims to deepen the critical and analytical study of documentary cinema and non-fiction from a theoretical, historical, aesthetic, methodological or sociocultural perspective. The student must, individually, formulate a relevant research question and establish a suitable theoretical and methodological framework and develop a rigorous process of analysis based on documentary sources, bibliographic, audiovisual, or other relevant materials. The project must demonstrate the ability to contextualise the subject of study, and interpret critically the results and draw well-founded conclusions that contribute to knowledge of the field researched. Particular attention will be paid to the originality of the approach and methodological coherence, academic rigor and the ability to reflect critically on forms, languages and practicesof contemporary documentary and non-fiction. 

This track aims to develop and produce a documentary or non-fiction project by groups of three students, from initial research and defining the proposal through its production, editing and post-production. Each group must demonstrate its ability to conceive a work with a personal perspective and a coherent narrative and aesthetic proposal. The process must demonstrate mastery of the various stages of creation, including research, developing the approach, planning the shoot, and the relationship with the subjects and contexts represented, the management of audiovisual material, and the narrative construction. Likewise, the ability to make decisions creative and ethical in the treatment of reality, as well as the coherence between the initial intentions, the working methodology and the final result. 

In both modalities, the Master’s Final Project (MFP) will be carried out under the supervision of a specialist lecturer, who will guide students in defining the objectives, planning the work, and developing the proposal conceptually, methodologically, and technically. In the academic research modality, supervision will focus especially on defining the subject of study, establishing its theoretical basis, designing the methodology, and analysing the results. In the creative project modality, the supervisor will first guide student groups collectively in making decisions about conceptualisation, research, and creating the one page and the project presentation dossier. Once presented to the MFP approval panel, each project will receive individual supervision from a supervisor whose area of expertise is related to its subject, for its realisation, production, editing, and post-production. In this second modality, the school will facilitate access to the technical resources needed to develop the project, while its funding will be entirely the student’s responsibility. 

The MFP must demonstrate students’ intellectual, artistic, and professional maturity, their ability to work independently, and the rigour with which they approach research or creative processes. In the academic modality, it must demonstrate analytical ability, critical thinking, and the capacity to produce relevant knowledge about documentary and non-fiction. In the creative modality, students must demonstrate a distinctive voice, narrative and aesthetic judgement, ethical responsibility, and mastery of audiovisual production and post-production processes. In both cases, the work must reflect a deep understanding of documentary as a practice of research, representation, and interpretation of reality, as well as the ability to develop coherent, well-founded proposals appropriate to the master’s level of specialisation. 

An introduction to the main historical, aesthetic and methodological concepts associated with documentary and non-fiction, with an emphasis on the issues and circumstances of Latin America. 

Development and follow-up spaces where students work on their own proposals, from initial research through to formulating the project.

A study of classic and contemporary works to understand the narrative, formal and ethical strategies found in different documentary movements.

Practical exercises relating to screenwriting, directing, production, cinematography, sound and documentary editing.  

Research using documentary, audiovisual, press archive and academic materials to develop well-founded projects grounded in their context.  

Oral defence of projects and research before faculty and invited professionals, simulating contexts typical of the audiovisual industry.  

Integration into professional settings where students can apply their skills and gain insight into the realities of documentary production.  

Assessment is based on written assignments, practical exercises, audiovisual analysis, applied research activities, the progressive development of projects and external work placements. Students are assessed on their powers of observation and analysis, methodological rigour, ethical awareness, narrative coherence and the quality of their work. The process concludes with the preparation and defence of the Master’s Final Project.  

Discovering people and telling stories has taken Orlando Arriagada Urrutia around the world. A Chilean-Canadian documentary filmmaker and producer based in Montreal, he is the founder of Al Dente Films, Tutti Frutti Films and Pimiento, and co-founder of Cayenne Media. He has produced hundreds of hours of documentaries and series for Radio-Canada, Télé-Québec, Bell Media, TV5MONDE, ARTE and France Télévisions, among others. His documentary L’ADN du ceviche was selected for the San Sebastián Film Festival. His work is shaped by curiosity about other realities and encounters between cultures, as well as his commitment to young talent, creators from diverse backgrounds and the First Nations of Canada. As director of ESCAC’s Master’s Degree in Documentary and Non-Fiction, he brings that experience into the classroom: learning by doing, going out to find stories and turning them into documentaries that move audiences, leave a lasting impression and can generate social impact.

He holds a degree in Industrial Engineering from the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, a Master’s in Film Studies and is pursuing a PhD in Communication at the Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF). As a film critic, he regularly contributes to specialist magazines such as Fotogramas, El Cultural, Kinetoscopio and Film Comment, as well as publishing in the newspaper ARA and appearing on the programme La Finestra Indiscreta on Catalunya Ràdio. He is director of the digital magazine Otros Cines Europa and editor of the anthology of critical texts La mirada americana: 50 años de Film Comment (Las Palmas Festival). He has contributed to collective monographs on filmmakers including Terence Davies, Claire Denis, Naomi Kawase and Rainer Werner Fassbinder. In addition to heading the Film Studies department and this master’s at ESCAC, he has lectured at institutions such as Goethe University Frankfurt, CCCB and MARCO in Vigo. He is a member of ACCEC and FIPRESCI. 

A graduate in directing from ESCAC, he completed a master’s degree specialising in documentary filmmaking in Turin, Bratislava and Amsterdam. He holds a PhD from the Universitat de Barcelona. He has directed documentaries such as Amb música ho escoltaries potser millor – Salvador Espriu a ritme de Jazz (2009), With Music, My Poetry Sounds Better (2010) and Imparables (2014), which received awards at festivals such as the BCN Sports Film Festival, the Los Angeles All Sports Film Festival and the Milan International FICTS Festival. He has taught Theory, History and Practice of Documentary at ESCAC since 2002 and has been a visiting lecturer at UB, Universitat Ramon Llull and the CineRemix initiative (Salvador, Bahia, Brazil). He has also served as director of the international festival Memorimage. 

She graduated in Audiovisual Communication from the Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF) and earned her doctorate from UIC Barcelona. She completed her film training with masters such as Víctor Erice and Pedro Costa. She teaches New Trends in Contemporary Documentary at ESCAC. As a filmmaker, she has directed the documentary short films Es Llogaret (2006), L’oblit a l’oli (2009), and the experimental piece 345 segons del meu viatge a Nova York (2010). She writes film criticism for outlets such as Dirigido por and La Vanguardia. She has coordinated projects such as “In Between Days” and has an extensive track record as a programmer, artistic co-director of DocsBarcelona and programming advisor to Sheffield Doc Fest. 

Filmmaker, journalist, researcher and lecturer. She holds a diploma in Film Studies from the Catholic University of Chile and a master’s degree in Creative Documentary from the UAB. Her work revolves around women and historical memory, moving between experimental cinema and non-fiction. Her feature films El gran vuelo (2014) and Ainhoa, yo no soy esa (2018) won the Silver Biznaga for Best Documentary at the Málaga Film Festival, among other international awards. She is a member of the Spanish Film Academy (AACCE) and teaches the course “Cinema without a Camera” at ESCAC.

A graduate in Cinematography from ESCAC, with a master’s degree in Film Theory and pursuing a doctorate in Communication at UPF, he teaches on ESCAC’s official degree programme. As a director, he has made the short films Pisito, Under_Pixel and Con vistas (in collaboration with Abbas Kiarostami), which have circulated internationally. As a filmmaker and cinematographer, he has worked on documentary series for platforms such as Amazon Prime (Alexia, Moto GP Unlimited, Fuera de Plano). He directed the feature film Solo arrojaron (2024) and video essays programmed at MACBA and the Centre d’Arts Santa Mònica, and has also collaborated with the BBC and the BFI. 

A graduate of ESCAC specialising in sound, he has built a strong professional career as a sound designer and re-recording mixer on numerous feature films and fiction and documentary series. His work has featured in productions that have won or been nominated for Gaudí Awards and at national and international festivals, combining industry practice with a technical contribution to audiovisual language. 

Eulàlia (Lali) Rubio Panadès is a director of photography who trained at ESCAC, with a career that spans fiction films, series and documentaries. Her notable credits include Los Años Nuevos, by Rodrigo Sorogoyen, Cardo, Vestidas de Azul and Benidorm 2017. Her work is characterised by a narrative approach to the image, a search for naturalism and an exploration of the expressive possibilities of light and the camera. Alongside her creative work, she also conducts research in audiovisual communication, and is affiliated with the Institute of Communication at the Autonomous University of Barcelona (InCom-UAB), where she joined as a predoctoral researcher.