Good Versus Evil or “Saying More”: Strategies of Telling in Sex Trafficking Documentary Films

Author: Stiles, Siobahn

Abstract: This study uses the methodology of discourse analysis to examine the issue of who can speak, who does speak, and who is spoken for in documentary films on sex trafficking. Seven recent films produced on this topic are analyzed, and several overlapping themes isolated, both problematic themes and strategies that lead to a “better practices” formula for telling the story of sex trafficking. Combining feminist theory with anthropology, ethnography, and critical discourse analysis allows the author to isolate strategies of speaking in documentary film and how filmmakers can “say more” by including many voices, and avoiding simplistic binaries devoid of context.

Keywords: ethnography, discourse analysis, documentary film, sex trafficking