documentarian

[ dok-yuh-men-tair-ee-uhn, -muhn- ]

noun

1. Movies, Television. a filmmaker, producer, etc., who specializes in documentaries.
2. a writer, photographer, or other artist whose work constitutes a document or documentary of an aspect of life.

documentarian

/ ˌdɒkjʊmənˈtɛərɪən /

noun

1. a person who makes documentary films

Word History and Origins

Origin of documentarian¹

First recorded in 1940–45; document(ary) + -arian

Example Sentences

It’s understandable to be a bit skeptical of this gimmick, but in “Piece by Piece,” directed by Oscar-winning documentarian Morgan Neville, it’s a gimmick that works.

From Los Angeles Times

This informs the push for understanding reflected in “One Person, One Vote,” which resists what might be a common urge among fellow documentarians to paint one party as less reasonable than the other.

From Salon

“Dedicated to You,” an exhibition by iconic documentarians of Chicano culture, legendary photographer Estevan Oriol and Teen Angel of Teen Angel’s Magazine, is up at Beyond the Streets through Sept. 15.

From Los Angeles Times

That's often a question we get asked as documentarians: "Where is she now? What is she doing now?"

From Salon

Name-above-the-title documentarian Ken Burns leaves his America-shaped box to travel over the ocean and back in time for a two-part, four-hour deep dive into the most famous and most mysterious figure of the Italian Renaissance.

From Los Angeles Times