This article analyzes the circulation and contingent social production of meaning of The Revolution Will Not Be Televised, the documentary film that chronicles the 2002 coup d'tat in Venezuela and its dramatic reversal. Drawing on interviews and observations with distributors and activists in New York City in 2004 and ethnographic fieldwork with community media producers in Caracas between 2003 and 2007, I explore how social actors contribute to the ongoing production of Revolution's impact. In this multisited account, I argue that the work of activists and distributors to frame the importance and authenticity of Revolution has been vital in molding debates and facilitating public discussion not only about Venezuelan politics but also about the role of media producers in shaping truth. This article draws attention to the ironies and complexities that filmmakers, distributors, and activists face when they use documentary film to challenge mediated depictions of the historical world.
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