Yes, one can't discuss Wiseman intelligently without mentioning the term "reality fiction." (It's also worth noting that Wiseman regards documentary as another form of fiction and has considered his oeuvre as one long film [a great one, I'd add].)

Sounds like Wiseman recognized the difficulties of the Sujet - some (like me) had a very hard time looking for Cinema in Documentaries, Documentaries which told something, which were just filmic - they mostly (even if designed for Cinema) are about informations and about realism and there is no need for a documentary to smell and taste like TV and Newspaper, don't you think? Only from reading your reviews and some Interview bits with him, I guess Wiseman thinks quite similar. I remember: The most interesting documentary (considered as a film) was Pier Paolo Pasolini's essayistic collage "La Rabbia" and "Assembly of Love" - that gave me an image what documentary cinema could really be like.

Sure I'm familiar with ARTE. It's probably the best thing ever happened to German (and maybe - they certainly have better programms - french) Television and they also produce quite a lot feature films. I didn't knew that they are also operating overseas but that makes them even more sympathetic. Funny - when I mentioned that "State Legislature" will be on TV sooner or later, I was instinctively thinking of ARTE in the first place (they simply air the most uncommercial foreign films in Germany, very often even subtitled as almost everything gets dubbed elsewhere). 

But Wiseman is, after all, only one of hundreds - I would die to see a new film by Andrzej Zulawski, Roland Klick or Alejandro Jodorowsky (those are only examples) - but nobody seems to see any need or fortune to finance their ideas and Zulawski and Klick obviously already gave up filmmaking after frustrating years of waiting. Nowadays, the european film industry (if it's possible to speak of an "industry" anymore) isn't far from turning into another variation of the american system - there are millions of Dollars going to Hollywood and bigger american "Indie"-Acts year per year but europe's greatest old directors and most hopeful young talents are mostly sitting at home and waiting for a miracle to happen. Those who get their films - if uncommercial - financed, mostly are the ones the producers and the film commissions can expect something prestigious without a risk.