Fictsearch: what if cinema could be a research method?

This article introduces Fictsearch, a framework first presented in the book Fiction Feature Filmmaking, which reconceptualises fiction feature filmmaking as a structured mode of research and knowledge production. Challenging the traditional divide between creative practice and academic inquiry, the framework positions the entire filmmaking process, from development and production to industry feedback, festivals, and public release, as an iterative cycle of investigation, reflection, and analysis. Rather than treating a film solely as an artistic or commercial product, Fictsearch argues that fiction filmmaking can generate socially situated knowledge through storytelling, collaboration, audience engagement, and cultural circulation. The article applies the framework through the case study of Only Love Matters, the first British feature film centred on intersex characters. By examining the practical and creative processes involved in writing, producing, distributing, and exhibiting the film, the study explores how fiction filmmaking can address questions of ethical representation, marginalised identities, and industry gatekeeping. The findings demonstrate that creative practice can function as rigorous research, producing insights that emerge not only through written analysis but also through making, revising, and publicly sharing cinematic work. Fictsearch ultimately proposes fiction filmmaking as a valuable methodology for practice-based research and socially engaged scholarship.