This submission deals with the messages expressed by ethnologists who have produced documentary films on topics that are included in UNESCO’s survey of Intangible Culture. The article examines the values promoted by ICH through images and sounds, taking into account the point of view of the director as well as the community’s judgement of the values that should be publicly presented.
The ideas expressed by directors and creators in conversations about their work are highlighted in the study. The various viewpoints expressed by the directors of documentaries dealing with ICH are observed, in an attempt to discern the influence a director can have on the outcome of his or her film.
The ultimate goal is to establish a theoretical space linking documentary film and heritage, in order to define an anthropology of emotions leading to an interplay of roles between the person who is filming, the subject being filmed and the audience.