Documentary Film as Post-Disaster Communication:  The Case of “Hope from the Floodwaters” in Agam Regency

Julaiha Probo Anggraini; Haronas Kutanto

doi:10.70716/perseptif.v4i3.789

Authors

Julaiha Probo Anggraini Study Program in Communication, Universitas Budi Luhur, Jakarta, Indonesia Author
Kutanto Haronas Doctoral Program in Communication, LSPR Institute of Communication and Business, Jakarta, Indonesia Author

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.70716/perseptif.v4i3.789

Keywords:

Agam Regency, Disaster Communication, Documentary Film, Policy Outreach, Post-Disaster Communication

Abstract

Post-disaster communication is often dominated by formal, technical, and one-way institutional messages, even though affected communities also need understandable information, recognition of their experiences, and spaces for rebuilding hope and participation. This study examines the role of the documentary film “Hope from the Floodwaters” as a medium for post-flood disaster communication and public outreach in Agam Regency, West Sumatra. A descriptive qualitative case-study design was employed. Data were obtained through content analysis of the documentary, field observations, and in-depth interviews with affected residents, volunteers, and local stakeholders. The data were analysed thematically through reduction, coding, theme development, interpretation, and source-and-technique triangulation. The findings identify five central communication functions: informative, educational, empathetic, participatory, and policy-bridging. The combination of post-flood imagery, residents’ testimonies, environmental sound, and recovery narratives translated technical information into a more contextual and accessible story. The film also positioned community members as subjects with voices, local knowledge, and the capacity to participate in recovery rather than as passive recipients of aid. Conceptually, the study frames documentary film not merely as an event archive but as post-disaster communication infrastructure linking information, lived experience, empathy, participation, and collective learning. The study did not statistically measure audience effects; future research should therefore test changes in knowledge, attitudes, and participation before and after documentary screenings.

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