Akademik

   NO-DO (Noticiario Documental) was the official newsreel that had to be projected in Spanish cinemas before every film between January 1943 and September 1975. Most prominently, it was part of the ideological project of the Franco regime, as it controlled the information distributed to the general population in a wide-ranging medium. Each program consisted of a series of short news items, which today constitute a record on the way the regime liked to present itself.

   Although there were exchange programs with similar newsreel producers in other countries for international coverage, NO-DO focused primarily on Spanish material. On one level it was obvious propaganda: General Francisco Franco was seen attending official events, and very especially inaugurating public works, giving speeches and, in general, he was shown to be in control of issues important to citizens. However, most items simply reflected everyday life, in an attempt to convey an idea of normality. Even in the harshest period (which lasted into the 1950s), there was frequent reporting on fashion shows, entertainment and sports events (most notably bullfighting), and parties. As the 1960s progressed, NO-DO lost its centrality to the increase of alternative media, including a variety of publications and, especially, television.

   The fact that it was compulsory and exclusive had an impact on the Spanish documentary industry. No other documentaries could be projected in cinemas, and there was no point for an alternative industry. Also, no other supplements (such as fiction shorts) could be included in cinemas, which denied such essential training practice any visibility. Compulsory NO-DO ceased in 1975, and alternative newsreels were accepted from 1978. In 1980, NO-DO disappeared as an independent company and was absorbed into Spanish television. During the first half of the 1980s, cinemas attempted to include other newsreels, documentaries, or shorts with their programs, but these practices never caught on.