Film list

37 Uses for a Dead Sheep 2006 85'
    Directed by Ben Hopkins .
The Pamir Kirghiz are a tribe of some 2,000 people from the Pamir region of Central Asia. For the last 27 years they have lived in exile in Eastern Turkey. In 2005 an Anglo-Turkish film crew arrives
Middle and Near East Film / Photography / Mass media Animals Migration
Abraham and Sarah II. Hosting the Gundagundo Pilgrims 2019 41'
  Directed by Tesfahun Haddis .
The film is part of the Guardians of Productive Landscapes series and a sequel to 'Abraham and Sarah I: Creators of a productive landscape'. A Tigrean farmer and his wife, who host pilgrims to a
North and Northeast Africa Agriculture / Farming Food / Water Tourism / Travel / Pilgrimage
Abraham and Sarah. Creators of a productive landscape. 2017 53'
  Directed by Ivo Strecker .
In the highlands of Tigray - northern Ethiopia - on the edge of the escarpment that descends steeply to the Danakil dessert, Hagos Mashisho and Desta Gidey have toiled and struggled for years to turn
North and Northeast Africa Rural Agriculture / Farming
Across the Border: Afghan Musicians exiled in Peshawar 2008 54'
  Directed by John Baily .
It is the year 2000 and most of Afghanistan is under the control of the Taliban. Hearing that many of Afghanistain’s musicians are now in exile across the border in Pakistan, ethnomusicologist John
South Asia Refugees / Displaced populations Music / Ethnomusicology Religion / Belief / Faith
Across the Tracks - The Vlach Gypsies in Hungary 1988 52'
  Directed by John Blake .
*'Across the Tracks' is a gripping film for the general viewer. It is beautifully filmed in observational style (lingering scenes of muddy courtyards) with enough subtitled interview material to
Central Europe Animals Labour Travellers / Roma
Adhiambo - Born in the Evening 2001 66'
    Directed by Ruth Prince Wenzel Geißler Ruth Tuchtenhagen .
‘Adhiambo’ means ‘the one born in the evening’ in the language of the Luo of western Kenya. The film follows NyaSeme, a married mother and grandmother in her late 30s, during the last month
East Africa Children / Young people Health / Health care / Healing
Aeroplane Dance 1994 58'
    Directed by Trevor Graham .
December 1942: US bomber ‘Little Eva’ was returning to base after a bombing raid over New Guinea. It hit a storm and crashed at Moonlight Creek in Australia’s far north. Aeroplane Dance
Australia Indigenous peoples / First Nations peoples War / Conflict / Reconciliation Memory
Afghan Exodus 1980 52'
    Directed by André Singer .
When Granada Television visited Afghanistan to make the award-winning Disappearing World 'The Kirghiz', they were a proud, independent, nomadic people who made their living by rearing herds of yaks
South Asia Refugees / Displaced populations War / Conflict / Reconciliation Migration
Agave is Life 2014 59'
    Directed by Meredith Dreiss David Brown .
Agave is Life is a documentary film about mankind’s 10,000 year-long symbiotic alliance with the marvelous agave plant, from which tequila, Mexico’s iconic distilled spirit, is derived. The
Central America Archaeobotany / Ethnobotany Food History
The Age of Reason 2004 87'
    Directed by David MacDougall .
In this fifth and final film in the Doon School quintet, MacDougall focuses on the life of one student whom he discovers at the school. The film was made in parallel with 'The New Boys' and
South Asia Children / Young people Education / Knowledge Transmission Informant-researcher relationship
The Ainu Bear Ceremony 1931 27'
    Directed by Neil G. Munro .
The RAI has reedited the original film of this ceremony among the Ainu people of Japan. In the bear ceremony, now no longer performed, a specially reared bear was reverently killed and its flesh and
Central Asia and Far East Ritual Animals Indigenous peoples / First Nations peoples
The Albanians of Rrogam 1991 52'
    Directed by David Wason .
With the fall of the Stalinist regime in Albania, one of the poorest countries in Europe, the people of a remote mountain village, Rrogam, are faced with the dilmma of how to re-allocate the land and
South-East Europe Post-communism Social Change Land Rights Rural
Amir - An Afghan Refugee Musician's Life in Peshavar, Pakistan 1985 52'
    Directed by John Baily .
The film investigates and portrays the life of Afghan refugees living in and around the city of Peshawar in northern Pakistan through the experiences of the musician Amir. The aspirations of Afghan
South Asia Music / Ethnomusicology Refugees / Displaced populations
Are You Listening! 2012 90'
    Directed by Kamar Ahmad Simon Sara Afreen .
By the coastal belts of Bangladesh, in a small village named Sutarkhali, Rakhi, 27, lives with her husband Soumen, 32, and their 6 year-old son Rahul. Fighting against all the odds of the woods,
South Asia Environment Disasters Refugees / Displaced populations Development projects
Arnav At Six 2012 28'
    Directed by David MacDougall .
Filmed as a collaborative project with Arnav Koshy in 2008, this film explores the mind and activities of an intelligent and observant child of six. Arnav is fascinated by the geology, plant-life,
South Asia Children / Young people Education / Knowledge Transmission
The Art of Regret 2007 60'
    Directed by Judith MacDougall .
Photography is known in China as the “Art of Regret”. In the rapidly changing city of Kunming, people are ambivalent about whether they want photography to be a medium of preservation and
South-East Asia Material Culture Film / Photography / Mass media
Asante Market Women 1982 52'
    Directed by Claudia Milne .
As retailers, wholesalers, and negotiators, Asante women of Ghana dominate the huge Kumasi Central Market amid the laughter, argument, colour and music. The crew of this Disappearing World film have
West Africa Marriage Trade Gender Role and Identity
Atieno 2018 64'
  Directed by June Ndinya Effie Awino Ruth Njoki Lavine Atieno Dorcas Akin .
Atieno is a collaborative fiction film scripted, acted and directed by DreamGirls, a group of adolescent girls and young women from Nairobi and Kisumu. The film tells of Atieno, a 16 year old girl
East Africa Health / Healthcare / Healing Children / Young people Gender Role and Identity Ethnofiction Dance / Theatre / Performance Participatory / Collaborative methods Sex / Sexuality
Autumn’s Work 2013 47'
  Directed by Anna Grimshaw .
"Autumn’s Work" follows Bill Coperthwaite as he prepares for winter. Wrestling with a large felled tree amidst its vast tangle of branches, Bill slowly and methodically breaks it down
North America Alternative culture Rural Everyday Life Art / Artists / Artisans
Awareness 2011 67'
    Directed by David MacDougall Judith MacDougall .
Filmed in South India, Andhra Pradesh, at Rishi Valley School, founded by the 20th Century Indian thinker Krishnamurti, 'Awareness' explores the sensibilities of two groups of young Indian teenagers,
South Asia Education / Knowledge transmission Children / Young people
Ayouni 2020 75'
  Directed by Yasmin Fedda .
Bassel was a successful open source developer and hacker in Damascus. Paolo was a well-known priest based in Mar Musa monastery. Both men were active in the 2011 Syrian revolution, and witnesses to
Middle and Near East War / Conflict / Reconciliation Memory Political Activists
A Balinese Trance Séance 1980 46'
    Directed by Timothy Asch Linda Connor .
Jero Tapakan is ‘entered’ by deities and spirits who converse with her clients. Unbeknown to her, they wish to contact the spirit of their dead son to learn the cause of his death and his wishes
South-East Asia Death Possession Ritual
Barbara and Her Friends in Candombleland 1997 52'
    Directed by Sylvie Timbert Carmen Opipari .
In the divine Afro Brazilian cult Candomble is an initiation religion centred around possession. The filmmakers concentrate on children who introduce and guide us to this world. The children play
South America Children / Young people Dance / Theatre / Performance Possession Ritual
The Basques of Santazi 1987 52'
    Directed by Leslie Woodhead .
*In her book 'The Circle of Mountains' Sandra Ott provided a fascinating analysis of social reciprocity (...) The film highlights the village's contemporary dilemmas and thereby complements rather
Western Europe Herding Social Change Rural
The Bastard Sings the Sweetest Song 2012 71'
    Directed by Christy Garland .
'The Bastard Sings the Sweetest Song', using direct cinema style, introduces us to the Smith family in Georgetown, Guyana, where both Muscle, and his mother Mary, each struggle to fight the family
South America Elderly people Family / Kinship Intergenerational relations
The Bear Chase 2009 7'
  Directed by Michele Trentini .
In the Catalan-speaking southern France, a proper “Bear Chase”, of the kind that was once popular throughout Europe, has been revived in a carnival context. This film is part of **Carnival
Western Europe Festivals / Carnival Folklore
The Beautiful White Masks of Rèsije 2017 15'
  Directed by Michele Trentini .
In a small community of Italian Slavic-speakers, the performance by the Beautiful White Masks, impersonated by women, comes to an abrupt end with the burning of the Babaz. This film is part of
South-East Europe Festivals / Carnival Folklore
Behind the Screen 2012 35'
    Directed by Aung Nwai Htway .
A son dissects his parents’ marriage – they were film icons in 1960s Myanmar. It turns out the heartrending scenes they acted out on the silver screen are a pretty accurate reflection of their
South-East Asia Film / Photography / Mass media Family / Kinship Memory
Benin Kingship Rituals 1963 20'
    Directed by Frank Speed Ray Bradbury .
Until it was conquered by the British in 1897, the city of Benin, in what is now Nigeria, was the centre of a powerful kingdom. Its rulers, the Obas of Benin, were mysterious, secluded figures who
West Africa Ritual Dance / Theatre / Performance History
Benjamin and His Brother 1999 87'
    Directed by Arthur Howes .
Years of war and ethnic conflict in the Sudan have created a generation of young men, known as the "Lost Boys", who have spent more years in refugee camps than in their home communities.
North America East Africa Refugees / Displaced populations War / Conflict / Reconciliation Children / Young people Family / Kinship
Between two Villages 2003 94'
    Directed by Muriel Jaquerod Eduardo Saraiva Pereira .
Between two Villages tells the story of Aldeia da Luz, population of 330, bound to disappear with the construction of the Alqueva dam in the south of Portugal. A new village is being built a few
Western Mediterranean Resettlement Development projects Infrastructure / Transport
Black Mountain 2008 84'
    Directed by Charlotte Whitby-Coles Amin Hajee .
A once unremarkable site of multi-faith pilgrimage to a Sufi Saint has been transformed and its local history rewritten - the film documents the journey of Charlotte, a student undertaking her PhD
South Asia Religion / Belief / Faith Tourism / Travel / Pilgrimage Inter-religious relations
The Blooms of Benjeli: Technology and Gender in West African Ironmaking 1997 29'
    Directed by Carlyn Saltman .
The filmmaker and two historians went into the village of Banjeli in 1985 to recreate for the film the traditional iron smelting techniques (which are no longer used) of the area. By focusing on the
West Africa Art / Artists / Artisans Archival material / Museum displays History Material Culture
Body Games - Capoeira and Ancestry 2014 87'
    Student Directed by Richard Pakleppa Matthias Röhrig Assunção Christine Dettmann .
The film follows master Cobra Mansa and his friends in the search for the African roots of the Brazilian martial art Capoeira. A powerful myth links Capoeira to a legendary Angolan game called Engolo
South America Southern Africa Dance / Theatre / Performance Music / Ethnomusicology Festivals / Carnival
The Body Won't Close 2020 74'
    Main Competition Directed by Mattijs van de Port .
Our bodies are semi-permeable. All over the world, stories are being told about heroes who magically “close” their bodies, so as to become invincible. This film follows one such story, as it is
South America Essay film Gender Role and Identity Folklore Reflexivity
Born 2008 56'
    Directed by Andy Lawrence Judith Kurutuac .
*Our hope is to create a magical-real environment in which to go beyond the limits of our historical perspective on childbirth and its culturally bound rites, and to demonstrate an emotionally
British-Irish Isles Health / Health care / Healing Family / Kinship Children / Young people
Bridewealth for a Goddess 2000 72'
    Directed by Chris Owen .
A unique insight into a secret spirit cult among the Kawelka people in the Western Highlands of Papua New Guinea. After a dream, a clan leader initiates a long and complex 'work’, when he and a
Melanesia Ritual Marriage Possession
Burying Hallelujah 2014 51'
  Directed by Richard Werbner .
Hallelujah, a 'bush mechanic' turned archbishop, gets the funeral he deserves, one of the very biggest in Botswana's railway town, Palapye. Many churches come together, their robes, splendid, their
Southern Africa Religion / Belief / Faith Death
Cakchiquel Maya of San Antonio Palopó 1987 52'
    Directed by Bruce MacDonald .
The documentary shows how Cakchiquel Maya of a village on Lake Atitlan in Guatemala adapted to changes that took place in the decades before the film was made, when the lake became a favoured spot
Central America Tourism / Travel / Pilgrimage Indigenous peoples / First Nations peoples
Camels of the Pitjantjara 1969 45'
  Directed by Roger Sandall .
From the 1920s onwards, when motor vehicles displaced camels as a mode of supply in central Australia, camels gradually went feral. As this film shows, however, in the 1960s, the Pitjantjara were
Australia Indigenous peoples / First Nations peoples Infrastructure / Transport Animals
Cannibalism 1999 60'
    Directed by André Singer Tom Sheahan .
The history of cannibalism around the world and its role in different culture, from ancient Britain to Papua New Guinea. The Forbidden Rites trilogy explores cannibalism, head hunting and human
Various Ritual Archival material / Museum displays History of Anthropology
Carnival King of Europe. Release 2.0 2011 38'
  Directed by Michele Trentini Giovanni Kezich .
Award-winning ethnographic caleidoscope featuring over 50 different masquerades of some 13 European countries. Thanks to some careful editing, the underlying structure of European winter masked
Western Europe South-East Europe Central Europe Festivals / Carnival Folklore
Caroling with the Star among the Bersntoler 2015 26'
  Directed by Michele Trentini .
In the German-speaking Bersntol (Val dei Mòcheni) in the Italian Alps, the Three Wise Men have left in their stead a robust choir of young men, parading the Star from farm to farm. This film is
South-East Europe Festivals / Carnival Folklore
The Carrot and the Stick 1988 44'
    Directed by Susi Arnott .
When they retired from selling insurance and teaching, John and Irene Brown volunteered to work overseas under a British Aid programme. They were sent to expand a marketing project aimed at
Melanesia Development projects Agriculture / Farming Rural
Casado's Legacy 2009 49'
    Directed by Valentina Bonifacio .
For 100 years Maskoy people worked in Carlos Casado’s tannin factory. The factory, which had been founded on their land, based its production on the exploitation of local natural resources. After
South America Political Activists Labour Land Rights
Caught in Between 2016 56'
  Directed by Richard Werbner .
The focus is on a leading village elder, John Lelatlhego, a retired Human Resources administrator trained in settling disputes in the South African mines. John gets entangled in the long troubled
Southern Africa Family / Kinship Gender Role and Identity Law and Legislation / Bureaucracy Love Marriage
A Celebration of Origins: Wai Brama, Flores, Indonesia 1992 45'
    Directed by Timothy Asch Patsy Asch .
This film is a record of the gren mahe rituals of the people of the domain of Wai Brama. The gren mahe is the largest religious event of the Wai Brama ceremonial system and requires the participation
South-East Asia Ritual Religion / Belief / Faith
The Cellar 2018 84'
  Directed by Anna Grimshaw .
George Sprague lives and works in Buck's Harbor, Maine. He is widely known for his "cellar" (affectionately called the whine cellar), where people gather to talk, make lobster traps, share
North America Hunting/Gathering/Fishing Trade
Celso and Cora 2000 109'
    Directed by Gary Kildea .
The film is about one family who live in the slums of Manila. Gary Kildea and a Filipino collaborator enter this family's life, filming them as they eat, as they care for their children, as they work
South-East Asia Squatter Settlements / Homelessness Family / Kinship Urban
A Chair: in six parts 2013 42'
    Student Directed by Anna Grimshaw .
A poem about a chair. In 1960, Bill Coperthwaite bought 300 acres of wilderness in Machiasport, Maine. Influenced by the poetry of Emily Dickinson and by the back to the land movement of Scott and
North America Material Culture Alternative culture Art / Artists / Artisans
Cham in the Lepcha Village of Lingthem 2007 52'
    Directed by Dawa Tsering Lepcha .
Every winter, over a period of six days, the lamas of Lingthem's village monastery hold their annual cham. These dramatic ritual masked dances impart elementary Buddhist teachings while providing
South Asia Ritual Dance / Theatre / Performance Religion / Belief / Faith
Chantal's Choice 1990 30'
    Directed by Priscilla Hinckley Carlyn Saltman .
Adolescents in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, create a play for their peers in Europe and the USA. They enact an African folktale about a girl who faces a painful dilemma because she is determined to stay in school.
West Africa Dance / Theatre / Performance Children / Young people Reproduction (biology)
The Child's Eye 2018 '
  Directed by David MacDougall .
This video is a series of 12 short films that are the result of ethnographic filmmaker David MacDougall’s a five-year project video workshop project with Indian children. In six workshops held in
South Asia Children / Young people Informant-researcher relationship Participatory / Collaborative methods
Cine Rabeca 2022 55'
  Directed by Marcia Mansu .
Time dimensions emerge from the relation between the visible and the imagined, between memory and the experience of the present. A unique place emerges through the entanglement of music and archive
Latin America Music / Ethnomusicology Art / Artists / Artisans Dance / Theatre / Performance
The City Beautiful 2003 78'
    Directed by Rahul Roy .
Sunder Nagri (Beautiful City) is a small working class colony on the margins of India’s capital city, Delhi. Most families residing here come from a community of weavers. The last ten years have
South Asia Urban Labour Socioeconomic conditions
A Clearing in the Jungle 1970 52'
    Directed by Charlie Nairn .
Like that of many other Indian groups in South America, the culture of the Panare Indians of Venezuela is threatened by their almost daily contact with neighbouring creoles, Spanish-speaking
South America Hunting / Gathering / Fishing Informant-researcher relationship Indigenous peoples / First Nations peoples
Collum Calling Canberra 1983 59'
    Directed by David MacDougall Judith MacDougall .
An account of Aboriginal people steering their way through the often frustrating processes of official decision-making, as it is seen from their viewpoint far away from Canberra. Gordon Smith, head
Australia Law and Legislation / Bureaucracy Indigenous peoples / First Nations peoples
A Colombian Family 2020 80'
    Main Competition Directed by Tanja Wol Sørensen .
A powerful mother-daughter drama is at the centre of this film. Rooted in disagreement—both personal and political—the film follows the consequences of a war that leaves them with an impossible
South America War / Conflict / Reconciliation Family / Kinship Gender Role and Identity Intergenerational relations Memory Migration Personal Narrative Political Activists Refugees / Displaced populations Social Conflict
Come Here Come Here 2019 28'
  Directed by Julia Sterre Schmitz .
As a poetic manifesto for a more plural understanding of female sexuality, this associative film interweaves many theories, images, fantasies, memories and confusions drawn from popular culture,
Western Europe Sex / Sexuality Love Gender Role and Identity Research Methods
The Condor and the Bull 1989 56'
    Directed by Peter Getzels Harriet Gordon .
Villagers from remote hamlets high in the Andes join together with people from the roadside village of Ocongate for the Peruvian Independence Day celebration. Festivities require that a wild condor
South America Animals Festivals / Carnival Ritual
Confluences - Emerillon of French Guiana 2007 78'
    Directed by Perle Møhl .
Like self-fulfilling prophecies, scientific reports have hitherto depicted the Emerillon of French Guiana as cultureless and doomed to disappear. With this film, an anthropologist proposes to defy
South America Indigenous peoples / First Nations peoples Everyday Life
Consulting Embah Wali 2000 42'
    Directed by Patsy Asch .
These companion films (ANU Indonesia Series, DVD $ examine the philosophy and ritual practices of the followers of a holy man popularly known as Embah Wali. The movement, centred in Blitar, East
South-East Asia Ritual Dance / Theatre / Performance
Contestations 1996 55'
    Directed by Michael P. Vischer Thomas Richter .
The recording follows a journey from the island of Palu'e to the mainland to purchase water buffalo. Back at Palu'e, a series of sacrifices is held to make amends for transgressions. The events, part
South-East Asia Ritual
Conversations with Dundiwuy Wanambi 1984 50'
    Directed by Ian Dunlop Philippa Deveson .
A series of interviews with Dundiwuy Wanambi, shot over twelve years. They reveal the struggles of one man in the face of the huge changes brought about by the coming of a mining project, and
Australia Indigenous peoples / First Nations peoples Health / Health care / Healing Social Change
Copperworking in Santa Clara del Cobra, Michoacán, Mexico - Artisans Facing Change 2001 52'
    Directed by Beate Engelbrecht .
Santa Clara del Cobre, a village in Mexico's province Michoacán, is well-known for its copperwork, a craft originating from pre-Spanish times. In the late 1940s the people of Santa Clara tried to
Central America Material Culture Labour Art / Artists / Artisans
Coraggio coscritti: take heart, all new recruits! 2016 25'
  Directed by Michele Trentini .
The yearly parade of the new recruits is the perfect occasion in which to vent an extraordinarily wide repertoire of traditional songs. This film is part of **Carnival King of Europe DVD 6 -
South-East Europe Festivals / Carnival Folklore
Cuyagua - Devil Dancers 1987 52'
    Directed by Paul Henley .
The men of the Afro-Caribbean population of Cuyagua enact a ritual that occurs 60 days after Easter. The film is a portrait of two men who direct the devil dancing. They tell the history of the
South America Ritual Religion / Belief / Faith
Cuyagua - the Saint With Two Faces 1987 56'
    Student Directed by Paul Henley .
The film centres on the predominantly female celebration of the feast of Saint John. The women sing the songs associated with the Feast, describe their beliefs and how they organise the feast.
South America Ritual Religion / Belief / Faith Festivals / Carnival
Daba - Portrait of a Na Shaman 1999 40'
    Directed by Hua Cai .
After more than a quarter of a century without any form of religious ceremony, the Na, an ethnic group living on the Himalayan plateau, began openly practising their religion again in the early
South-East Asia Education / Knowledge transmission Religion / Belief / Faith Shamans and Shamanism
The Dancer and the Dance 1988 44'
    Directed by Felicia Hughes-Freeland .
This film is an invitation to see Javanese palace dancing as performed in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, and to go beyond appearances to discover what the dance means to those who continue the tradition. In
South-East Asia Dance / Theatre / Performance
Dancing Grass. Harvesting teff in the Tigrean highlands 2018 40'
  Directed by Mitiku Gabrehiwot .
Dancing Grass is a film in the Guardians of Productive Landscapes series (editor Ivo Strecker). It captures the communal harvesting of teff among Tigreans of Northern Ethiopia. Teff, an ancient
North and Northeast Africa Agriculture / Farming Food / Water
The Day I Will Never Forget 2002 92'
    Directed by Kim Longinotto .
The documentary explores the local dimensions of the female circumcision debate in Kenyan societies. In a region of Kenya that is home to Muslims, Massai and Somali and crosscut by Christian
East Africa Gender Role and Identity Ritual Law and Legislation / Bureaucracy Political Activists
The Day of the Masks on the Karst 2017 14'
  Directed by Michele Trentini .
A small village in the Slovenian Karst is entirely taken over by the local masks, the so called “Škoromati”. This film is part of **Carnival King of Europe DVD 7 - THE PASTORAL LEGACY**. The
South-East Europe Folklore Festivals / Carnival
The Day of the Pustje on Mt. Matajur 2015 11'
  Directed by Michele Trentini .
Throughout western Slovenia, Pust or Pustje are the names given to the Carnival dummy and the same names are also used in the Italian side of the Julian Alps. This film is part of **Carnival King
South-East Europe Folklore Festivals / Carnival
The Day of the Rams in Gljev 2012 17'
  Directed by Michele Trentini .
The Didi of Gljev, in the Dalmatian hinterland, are fully-fledged rams and for the duration a day they act and behave as if they were a single magical flock. This film is part of **Carnival King
South-East Europe Festivals / Carnival Folklore
The Day of the Zanni 2016 17'
  Directed by Michele Trentini .
The Zanni of central Italy, are the same as the Pulcinella of the South of Italy or the Lachè in the North. They are Carnival heralds, clad in white, with a pointed, ribboned, imposing headpiece.
South-East Europe Folklore Festivals / Carnival
Delhi at Eleven 2013 82'
    Directed by Ravi Shivhare Anshu Singh Kumar Kashyap Shikha Kumar .
This film presents the work of four young filmmakers of New Delhi. From March to May 2012 they took part in a video workshop at the CIE Experimental Basic School, a government primary school. Each of
South Asia Film / Photography / Mass media Children / Young people Education / Knowledge Transmission
Democracía Indígena 2000 39'
    Directed by Bruce Pacho Lane .
This film examines the indigenous rights revolution sweeping Mexico through the municipal elections in Huehuetla, Puebla. In 1989, the Huehuetla Totonacs formed the Organización Independiente
Central America Indigenous peoples / First Nations peoples Political Activists
Depending on Heaven 1988 56'
    Directed by Peter Entell .
The film is in two parts and focuses on the Mongols living in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region of China. Part One (28 minutes) follows the life of a nomadic Mongol family on their yearly journey
Central Asia and Far East Environment Nomads and Nomadism Herding Everyday Life
Dervishes of Kurdistan 1973 52'
    Directed by Brian Moser .
A community of Kurds resident in Iran on the border with Iraq forms the subject of this film. Many of the inhabitants of the community are refugees from Kurdish areas of Iraq and the villagers are
Middle and Near East Refugees / Displaced populations Religion / Belief / Faith
The Devil’s Mills. Roundabouts don't Build Houses any more 2006 56'
    Directed by János Tari .
The everyday life of migrant fun fair operators is the filter through which we view the social and economic factors of the 20th and early 21st century that define the life and work of this social
Central Europe Labour Social Change Trade Festivals / Carnival
Distant Temple 2002 90'
    Directed by János Tari .
The last orthodox synagogue in Makó was renewed and inaugurated in 2002. The little temple, as they call it, is more than hundred years old and represents the link between the Jews who emigrated
Middle and Near East Migration Religion / Belief / Faith
Divorce Iranian Style 1989 80'
    Directed by Kim Longinotto .
This film is set in the Family Law Courts in central Tehran. The three main characters are Jamileh who punishes her husband for beating her, Ziba, a 16 year old girl who is trying to get a divorce
Middle and Near East Marriage Gender Role and Identity Law and Legislation / Bureaucracy Family / Kinship
Diya 2001 55'
    Directed by Judith MacDougall .
A diya is a small terra cotta oil lamp used throughout India in Hindu ceremonies. The film follows the life history of an object through the every day experience of people who make, sell and use it
South Asia Trade Material Culture Religion / Belief / Faith Art / Artists / Artisans
Doctors of Two Worlds 1989 55'
    Directed by Natasha Solomons .
In the Bolivian highlands an English doctor is setting up a network of health care for remote mountain villages. While teaching the inhabitants the essentials of Western medicine the doctor is
South America Health / Health care / Healing Informant-researcher relationship Development projects
Doon School Chronicles 2000 140'
    Directed by David MacDougall .
David MacDougall's long term visual study completed. The Doon School, located in Dehra Dun in Uttaranchal, is perhaps the most famous boys’ boarding school in India. Although it has sometimes been
South Asia Education / Knowledge transmission Children / Young people
Dor, Low is Better 1988 47'
    Directed by Robert Boonzajer-Flaes .
The film offers an experimental approach to the comparative study of cultures: the monks of a Tibetan monastery compare their own flutes with the Swiss alphorn and the Dutch windhorn introduced to
South Asia Music / Ethnomusicology Ritual
The Double Walk of the Joaldunak 2011 10'
  Directed by Michele Trentini .
Joaldunak are “those who resound”, the great bell ringers heralding the Carnival parade between the twin villages of Ituren and Zubieta in the Basque-speaking Spanish Naffaroa. This film is
Western Mediterranean Festivals / Carnival Folklore
Dream Girls 1993 50'
    Directed by Kim Longinotto Jano Williams .
This award-winning film opens a door into the amazing world of the Takarazuka Revue, the all-female theatre troupe in Japan. Thousands of young women aspire to perform in the Revue’s glitzy musical
Central Asia and Far East Public Figure Popular Culture Dance / Theatre / Performance Gender Role and Identity
Dreamcatcher 2015 98'
    Directed by Kim Longinotto .
A film set in Chicago about an inspirational woman who has defied her past and now rescues girls and young women from a life on the streets.
North America Gender Role and Identity Labour Sex / Sexuality
Drugs & Prayers 2009 55'
    Directed by Helene Basu .
The Sufi shrine of Mira Datar in North Gujarat is a large pilgrimage centre specialising in healing possession and mental illness. It has become a site of experimenting with new forms of community
South Asia Health / Health care / Healing Ritual Religion / Belief / Faith
Duka's Dilemma 2001 87'
    Directed by Jean Lydall Kaira Strecker .
Filmmaker and anthropologist Jean Lydall has been making films with the Hamar community of southern Ethiopia since the 1970s. In 2001 she returned with her daughter and grandson to follow the
North and Northeast Africa Family / Kinship Marriage Gender Role and Identity
Duminea: A Festival for the Water Spirits 1966 20'
    Directed by Frank Speed Robin Horton .
The communal rituals of most villages of the Eastern Niger Delta focus on two great classes of spirits - the heroes and the water people. The heroes once lived with the men, founded their
West Africa Ritual Possession
Eat the Kimono 1989 60'
    Directed by Kim Longinotto Claire Hunt .
A compelling biography of Hanayagi Genshu, a feminist and dancer who spent her lifetime defying the conservative traditions of Japanese society with her radical politics and unconventional
Central Asia and Far East Public Figure Gender Role and Identity Art / Artists / Artisans Dance / Theatre / Performance Alternative culture
Emails to My Little Sister 2018 35'
  Directed by Solomon Mekonen .
An autoethnographic phenomenology of blackness in Berlin via Ethiopia. The film explores the historical and ongoing relationship between the so-called West and Africa. A brother who lives north of
Western Europe North and Northeast Africa Migration Race / Racism / Antiracism Colonialism / Postcolonialism Reflexivity
Embera — the End of the Road 1971 52'
    Directed by Brian Moser .
The way of life of the 10,000 Embera Indians who live in the Choco region of Colombia, South American, is threatened by the encroachments of Negro Libres (descendants of freed slaves) and by the
South America Land Rights Indigenous peoples / First Nations peoples
Encountering Eloyi 2008 56'
    Directed by Richard Werbner .
Of all the faith-healing churches in Botswana, Eloyi is the most controversial. Sensational stories in newspapers and on television have made Eloyi notorious for so-called witch-busting and for
Southern Africa Health / Health care / Healing Ritual Religion / Belief / Faith Reproduction (biology)
The Eskimos of Pond Inlet 1977 52'
    Directed by Michael Grigsby .
For the Eskimos of Pond Inlet - a new village in North Baffin Island in which they have been settled by the Canadian Government – the life of the semi-nomadic hunter has given way to that of
North America Indigenous peoples / First Nations peoples Hunting / Gathering / Fishing Collective / Community identity Social Conflict
The Ethnographer 2012 86'
    Directed by Ulises Rosell .
John Palmer arrived in a Wichí community, located in Argentina, thirty years ago as an anthropologist - today he has married a Wichí woman with whom he has five sons in the last 5 years, who babble
South America History of Anthropology Everyday Life Informant-researcher relationship
Every Good Marriage Begins With Tears 2007 63'
    Directed by Simon Chambers .
East London Muslim girl Shahanara is changing form pink hot pants into a sari to meet her husband at the airport. She has only met him once before, when she was married in a union arranged by her
London Family / Kinship Gender Role and Identity Marriage Intergenerational relations Social Norms
Faces Voices 2018 18'
  Directed by Paul Basu Christopher Thomas Allen .
The film complicates any simple reading of a colonial photographic archive from Southern Nigeria and Sierra Leone that was collected between 1909 and 1915. Through a collaborative creative effort
West Africa British-Irish Isles Archival material / Museum displays Colonialism / Postcolonialism Race / Racism / Antiracism
Familiar Places 1980 50'
    Directed by David MacDougall .
Anthropologist Peter Sutton is taken by an Aboriginal family, the Naponans, to map hereditary clan country in northern Queensland where they hope to live one day. To the children it is all new; to an
Australia Indigenous peoples / First Nations peoples Land Rights Education / Knowledge Transmission
Family Subsistence in the Hills of Hamar. We are guests of Shawa 2019 58'
  Directed by Jean Lydall Kaira Strecker .
The film is a sequel to former films on Hamar directed by Jean Lydall and Kaira Strecker, and contributes to the Guardians of Productive Landscapes series. Kaira's childhood friend Shawa moved as a
North and Northeast Africa Agriculture / Farming Everyday Life Food / Water
Fatmawati's Wedding: the Weddings of two Sisters, the Preparations 1998 50'
    Directed by Fiona Kerlogue .
This film records the preparations for the wedding of two sisters in eastern Sumatra in December 1996. There is an emphasis on the importance of the role of women in the village. Ritual exchanges
South-East Asia Gender Role and Identity Marriage Ritual Material Culture
Fatuma and Asya. Two Afar Girls in Ethiopia 2014 59'
    Directed by Francesco Sincich .
Two young Afar girls, Fatuma (10) and Asya (13), show us their daily life in two different contexts of the Afar Region in Ethiopia. Both of them face hard challenges: finding an alternative way to
West Africa Gender Role and Identity Marriage Children / Young people Rural
Fiddling away Carnival in Caffaro 2017 12'
  Directed by Michele Trentini .
Bagolino and Ponte Caffaro host the largest surviving ensemble of folk violin in the Alps, which makes Carnival a leap back into the Renaissance roots of the violin itself. This film is part of
South-East Europe Folklore Festivals / Carnival
Finn Beach 2020 63'
  Directed by Anna Grimshaw .
The summer draws to a close, but the season is not yet over. Work continues -- baiting and hauling traps, sorting and shipping lobsters. There are always tasks to be done. But within the daily
North America Hunting/Gathering/Fishing Trade
Firth on Firth 1993 49'
    Directed by Rolf Husmann Peter Loizos Werner Sperscheinder .
In a series of interviews in his London home and the London School of Economics, Sir Raymond Firth talks about his life and some of his personal views. The film focuses thus on his Maori studies,
British-Irish Isles History of Anthropology Public Figure
The Float 2020 75'
  Directed by Anna Grimshaw .
The peak of the lobster season has arrived. George works closely with his son and grandson to repair their float ravaged by high tides, strong winds and the constant erosion of salt water. Towing
North America Hunting/Gathering/Fishing Trade
Fragments from the Past 2006 27'
    Directed by Vedide Kaymak Hakan Demiralay .
In the days before DVD and satellite television, the cinema was important to London’s Turkish speaking population as a place to meet and as a link with home. Eight individuals recount their
British-Irish Isles Popular Culture Migration Film / Photography / Mass media
Future Remembrance - Photography and Image Arts in Ghana 1998 54'
    Directed by Tobias Wendl Nancy du Plessis .
The film portrays a vibrant range of contemporary and historical images by artists and photographers in Ghana. While glancing through the history of black & white photography in Ghana, the film
West Africa Film / Photography / Mass media Art / Artists / Artisans Memory
Gaea Girls 2000 106'
    Directed by Kim Longinotto Jano Williams .
A film about courage, transformation and dreams in the extraordinary world of Japanese women's wrestling. Gaea Girls focuses on the hopes and fears of the beleaguered Gaea Japan squad, whose
Central Asia and Far East Gender Role and Identity Sport
Gandhi's Children 2008 185'
    Directed by David MacDougall .
A monolithic building on the outskirts of Delhi provides food and shelter for 350 boys. Some are orphans, some have been abandoned, others have run away from home. About half are held under a court
South Asia Children / Young people Squatter Settlements / Homelessness Socioeconomic conditions
Garden Days: Village in Papua New Guinea 1988 25'
    Directed by Ariane Lewis Jon Jerstad .
A detailed account of domestic life in the Sepik area of Papua New Guinea, mainly from the women’s point of view. It describes their everyday activities in the ‘gardens’ in order to produce
Melanesia Agriculture / Farming Children / Young people Ritual
Gelede: A Yoruba Masquerade 1970 30'
    Directed by Frank Speed Peggy Harper .
Among the Yoruba of Western Nigeria and Dahomey the Gelede cult honours the earth spirits, the ancestors and especially the Great Mother. The festival filmed here emphasises the status of women and
West Africa Gender Role and Identity Ritual Festivals / Carnival Social Conflict
The Gilles of La Louvière and the Chinels of Fosses-la-Ville 2014 9'
  Directed by Michele Trentini .
In the Catholic, French-speaking part of Belgium, monumental, all-encompassing masquerades take place in the middle of Lent. This film is part of **Carnival King of Europe DVD 6 - RITUAL
Western Europe Folklore Festivals / Carnival
The Gnaga 2017 8'
  Directed by Michele Trentini .
The Gnaga is an old hag, carrying her drunk husband back home in a pannier. This film is part of Carnival King of Europe DVD 5 PARADING THE VILLAGE. On Carnival days, the village is brought back
South-East Europe Festivals / Carnival Folklore
Gods and Satans 2005 87'
    Directed by Martine Journet Gérard Nougarol Gabriel Chabanier .
Among the Wana people, semi nomads from the Indonesian (Sulawesi) forest, Indo Pino is a shaman recognized by everybody. Her nephew, who is also a shaman’s son, converted to Christianity some
South-East Asia Religion / Belief / Faith Shamans and Shamanism Inter-religious relations
The Golden Beach 2008 58'
    Directed by Hasse Wester .
A small group of farmers belonging to the Halakki Gowda tribe live near a small beach in a valley in southern India. When the Swedish film maker Hasse Wester was first there twenty years ago the
South Asia Tourism / Travel / Pilgrimage Rural Social Change
The Good Wife of Tokyo 1992 52'
    Directed by Kim Longinotto Clare Hunt .
Kazuko Hohki goes back to Tokyo with her band, the ‘Frank Chickens’, after living in England for 15 years. This wry and delightful film records her re-experiencing of Japan after a long absence,
Central Asia and Far East Music / Ethnomusicology Gender Role and Identity Marriage Social Change
Good-bye Old Man 1977 70'
    Directed by David MacDougall .
A last request of a Tiwi man on Melville Island was that a film be made of the pukumani (bereavment) ceremony to follow his death. The film follows his family, from the days of preparation to their
Australia Indigenous peoples / First Nations peoples Death Elderly people Film / Photography / Mass media Ritual
The Great Epiphany of Wörth 2017 13'
  Directed by Michele Trentini .
On the day of the Epiphany, a grand parade half-way between Christianity and paganism is staged, incorporating all the ancient characters of Alpine fables, the Twelve Days of Christmas, and the Three
Central Europe Festivals / Carnival Folklore
The Guardian of the Forces 1991 52'
    Directed by Anne Laure Folly .
'The Guardian of the Forces' introduces the viewer to the world of Sikavi, a ‘fetish priest’ in Lome, Togo. He controls the spirits of several voodoos or gods. The film explores the significance
West Africa Health / Health care / Healing Possession Ritual
The Guga Hunters of Ness 2010 59'
    Directed by Mike Day .
This film follows a vanishing community’s beloved and unique tradition. The Gaelic speakers of Lewis and Scotland are the only people in the EU exempt from a ban on hunting gannets, but they are
Western Europe Hunting / Gathering / Fishing Animals Ritual
HARMONI: HEALING TOGETHER 2021 98'
  Directed by Erminia Colucci .
As a nation of 270 million, Indonesia is facing the grave task of caring for millions of people living with mental illness. Many have experienced human rights abuses in their lifetime. In communities
South-East Asia Health / Health care / Healing Religion / Belief / Faith
Habilito - Debt for Life 2010 52'
    Directed by Chuck Sturtevant .
This documentary explores many of the conflicts and tensions that arise at the point of contact between highland migrants and lowland indigenous peoples, focusing particularly on the system of debt
South America Socioeconomic conditions Migration Indigenous peoples / First Nations peoples Labour
Head Hunting 1999 60'
    Directed by André Singer .
The history of human decapitation, featuring the story of two British engineers beheaded by rebels in modern Russia and the psychological and religious implications of contemporary headhunting in
Various Ritual History of Anthropology
Heal the Whole Man 1974 50'
    Directed by Paul Robinson .
The ‘Barolong boo Ratshidi’ are one of the group of Tswana peoples, who together form a culturally homogeneous population of over two million. The Barolong themselves number about 75’000 and
Southern Africa Religion / Belief / Faith Health / Health care / Healing
Heart of the Village 1985 52'
  Directed by Toni de Bromhead .
The second film of the Caught in the Web trilogy, which compares and contrast aspects of life in a Dorset community in the Bride Valley and a French village in Provence, Villes-sur-Auzon,
Western Europe British-Irish Isles Rural Socioeconomic conditions
Herat Films: The City of Herat 1983 21'
    Directed by John Baily .
These videos were edited from seven hours of Super 8 film shot by John Baily during two years of ethnomusicological fieldwork carried out in the Herat region of western Afghanistan between 1973 and
Middle and Near East Urban Trade
Herat Films: The Annual Cycle of Music in Herat 1983 54'
    Directed by John Baily .
These videos were edited from seven hours of Super 8 film shot by John Baily during two years of ethnomusicological fieldwork carried out in the Herat region of western Afghanistan between 1973 and
Middle and Near East Dance / Theatre / Performance Music / Ethnomusicology
Herat Films: The Shrines of Herat 1983 30'
    Directed by John Baily .
These videos were edited from seven hours of Super 8 film shot by John Baily during two years of ethnomusicological fieldwork carried out in the Herat region of western Afghanistan between 1973 and
Middle and Near East Religion / Belief / Faith Urban
The Herders of Mongun-Taiga 1989 52'
    Directed by John Sheppard .
The Tuvinians live deep inside the Soviet Union, at the very centre of Asia. Tuva is geographically closer to Peking than to Moscow. It only entered the USSR in 1944 and was closed to foreigners
Central Asia and Far East Herding Nomads and Nomadism Shamans and Shamanism Gender Role and Identity Social Change
Hidden Faces 1990 52'
    Directed by Kim Longinotto .
This film reveals contradictions in the lives of Egyptian women in Muslim society. Living abroad, Safaa Fathy returns to Egypt to interview the internationally renowned feminist writer Nawal El
North and Northeast Africa Gender Role and Identity Development projects
Hold Me Tight Let Me Go 2007 99'
    Directed by Kim Longinotto .
*The main reason I wanted to shoot is that when the kids misbehave, the teachers don’t punish them but try to find out why they are acting in such a way. The driving idea behind the school is to
British-Irish Isles Children / Young people Education / Knowledge Transmission Health / Health care / Healing
Holy Hustlers 2009 53'
    Directed by Richard Werbner .
Charismatic, street-wise young men, living in Botswana’s capital, command the prophetic domain in Eloyi, their Apostolic faith-healing church, at a time of escalating crisis. Bitter, sinful
Southern Africa Religion / Belief / Faith Urban Possession
Holy Men and Fools 2005 61'
    Directed by Michael Yorke .
The film narrates the story of Uma Giri, a Swedish woman who has become a Hindu nun, called Uma Giri. She is one of the few western women to be accepted into the most radical order of wandering
South Asia Religion / Belief / Faith Inter-religious relations Tourism / Travel / Pilgrimage
Home from the Hill 1984 60'
    Directed by Molly Dineen .
Anthropology’s relationship with colonialism has been discussed widely. Yet the ethnography of the colonial service remains largely unexplored on film. This entertaining documentary shows, not
British-Irish Isles Colonialism / Postcolonialism
A Hospice in Amsterdam 2005 62'
    Directed by Steef Meyknecht .
At the end of Van Goghstraat in Amsterdam is the Veerhuis. A normal residential house in a normal urban area, where children play outside in front of the door. But people come to the Veerhuis to die.
Western Europe Health / Health care / Healing Elderly people
The House-Opening 1980 45'
    Directed by Judith MacDougall .
When Geraldine Kawanka’s husband died, she and her children left their house at Aurukun on Cape York Peninsula. In earlier times a bark house would have been burnt, but today a ‘house-opening’
Australia Ritual Indigenous peoples / First Nations peoples Death
Human Sacrifice 1999 60'
    Directed by André Singer .
The documentary gives insight into the ancient rituals and religious practices involved in human sacrifice. The Forbidden Rites trilogy explores cannibalism, head hunting and human sacrifice. This
Various Ritual History of Anthropology
Hundreds of Homes 1992 50'
    Directed by Heimo Lappalainen .
Taiga Nomads is a film series about the Evenki (previously the Tungus), a nomadic people scattered all over eastern Siberia, and living under harsh conditions in the taiga, an area predominated by
Central Asia and Far East Nomads and Nomadism Animals
Ian Gleadell: A Falkland Farmer 1987 34'
    Directed by Bob Edwards Alastair Kenneil .
The 1982 war between Britain and Argentina brought the Falkland or Malwinas Islands into the news headlines. This film is less spectacular: It shows the way of life of one inhabitant of this
South America Animals Agriculture / Farming
Imbalu: Ritual of Manhood of the Gisu of Uganda 1988 69'
    Directed by Richard Hawkins .
An insightful documentary, constructed with visual restraint, about the male circumcision ritual among the Gisu of Uganda. The narrative follows one male participant through the ritual and contrasts
East Africa Ritual Gender Role and Identity
In Aiye's Garden. Propagation and Processing of Enset in the Gamo Highlands 2019 58'
  Directed by Eyob Defersha .
In Aiye’s Garden is a film in the Guardians of Productive Landscapes series (editor Ivo Strecker). Enset, which is related to the banana plant, is very drought resistant and a good source of
North and Northeast Africa Agriculture / Farming Food / Water
In the Land of the War Canoes 1972 47'
    Directed by Edward S. Curtis .
The film was made in 1914 by Edward Curtis. The plot concerns the efforts of a young man, Motana, son of a great chief, to obtain a bride and how he is thwarted by a wicked sorcerer. Many of the
North America Archival material / Museum displays Marriage Film / Photography / Mass media
In the Light of Memory 2010 40'
    Directed by Alyssa Grossman .
'In the Light of Memory' explores evocations of memory in contemporary post-socialist Bucharest, nearly twenty years after the fall of Romanian communism. The film is shot in Cismigiu Gardens, one of
South-East Europe Memory Post-communism
In the Play of Life: a wayang performance in East Java 1992 25'
    Directed by Patsy Asch .
These companion films examine the philosophy and ritual practices of the followers of a holy man popularly known as Embah Wali. The movement, centred in Blitar, East Java, regards wayang as a model
South-East Asia Ritual Religion / Belief / Faith Dance / Theatre / Performance
In Search of Cool Ground: The Mursi Trilogy 1987 52'
    Directed by Leslie Woodhead .
This is a trilogy about aspects of the culture of two groups of people, the Kwegu and the Mursi, in Ethiopia. The titles are: THE MURSI , THE KWEGU, THE MIGRANTS *What made this trilogy special
North America Social Change Socioeconomic conditions Health / Health care / Healing
In Search of the Hamat’sa: A Tale of Headhunting 2004 33'
    Directed by Aaron Glass .
The Hamat’sa (or “Cannibal Dance”) is the most important—and highly represented ceremony of the Kwakwaka’wakw (Kwakiutl) people of British Columbia. This film traces the history of
North America Archival material / Museum displays Dance / Theatre / Performance Ritual Informant-researcher relationship Indigenous peoples / First Nations peoples
In and Out of Africa 1993 59'
    Directed by Ilisa Barbash Lucien Taylor .
A classic in ethnographic filmmaking, In and Out of Africa traces the transnational trade of African Art between West Africa and the USA, providing an insight into how value, commoditization and
North America Art / Artists / Artisans Trade Material Culture
In the dooryard 2020 71'
  Directed by Anna Grimshaw .
Spring in Buck’s Harbor is about preparing for the fishing season ahead. Work on lobster traps and on halibut hooks begins in earnest. But it is rarely a solitary activity. Every day people
North America Hunting/Gathering/Fishing Trade
Indo Pino 2002 84'
    Directed by Martine Journet Gérard Nougarol Gabriel Chabamier .
The small ethnic group of the Wana Wewaju live in Indonesia in the eastern part of Sulawesi (Celebes Island) among the dense equatorial rain forest of the Tokkala Mountains. The film documents the
South-East Asia Shamans and Shamanism Health / Health care / Healing
Je ne suis pas moi-même 2009 50'
    Directed by Alba Mora Anna Sanmartí .
Shot in Cameroon and Brussels, 'Je ne suis pas moi-même' examines the complex network surrounding the international market of African antiquities, and the contradictions in a European art market
Central Africa Western Europe Art / Artists / Artisans Trade
Jero Tapakan: Stories from the life of a Balinese Healer 1983 26'
    Directed by Timothy Asch Linda Connor Patsy Asch .
Jero beings with an account of her family’s extreme poverty that culminated in her desire to leave her family and travel as a pedlar. She describes mystical experiences that led her to recognise
South-East Asia Health / Health care / Healing Socioeconomic conditions
Jero on Jero: A Balinese Trance Séance Observed 1980 16'
    Directed by Timothy Asch Linda Connor Patsy Asch .
For the first time Jero sees herself on film as she watches 'A Balinese Trance Séance'. Her spontaneous comments provide insights into her feelings while possessed, her understanding of her
South-East Asia Possession Reflexivity Health / Health care / Healing
John the Eel Trapper 1982 28'
    Directed by Toni de Bromhead .
The fens of East Anglia provide the scenery for this documentary. At the centre of the film is John, a solitary character, who makes his living by trapping eels in the numerous canals of the area.
British-Irish Isles Animals Hunting / Gathering / Fishing
Journey into Europe 2015 122'
  Directed by Akbar Ahmed .
In Journey into Europe, Akbar Ahmed, a world-renowned anthropologist, Islamic scholar, and filmmaker who the BBC has called “the world’s leading authority on contemporary Islam,” explores Islam
Central Europe Western Europe South-East Europe History Religion / Belief / Faith Collective / Community identity
Journey of the Maggot Feeder 2015 68'
    Directed by Liivo Niglas Priit Tender .
This film tries to solve the mystery of a bizarre Arctic fairy tale. Priit Tender, an Estonian animator, makes a film about an old Chukchi legend – The Maggot Feeder. The unconventional narrative
Central Asia and Far East Animation Film / Photography / Mass media Myths / Fairy tales
A Kabul Music Diary 2003 52'
    Directed by John Baily .
Ethnomusicologist John Baily returns to Kabul to see what is happening in the world of music one year after the defeat of the Taliban. The film documents a variety of musical activities, including
Middle and Near East Music / Ethnomusicology War / Conflict / Reconciliation
Kafi's Story 1979 53'
    Directed by Arthur Howes Amy Hardie .
Shot in 1989, Kafi's Story captures Nuba life at the moment before it was engulfed in the Sudanese civil war. Kafi narrates his own story into a portable tape record as he travels from his village,
North and Northeast Africa Film / Photography / Mass media Marriage Tourism / Travel / Pilgrimage
Kalanda - the Knowledge of the Bush 2014 62'
    Directed by Lorenzo Ferrarini .
In some parts of West Africa, hunting is much more than killing animals. A donso is no common hunter, but a healer, a diviner, a ritual specialist and amulet maker. Kalanda is a unique initiatory
West Africa Hunting / Gathering / Fishing Religion / Belief / Faith Education / Knowledge Transmission Ritual
The Kalasha: Rites of Spring 1990 60'
    Directed by John Sheppard .
The Kalasha are a tribal people, 3,000 strong, who live in the high valleys of the Hindu Kush mountains in the North West Frontier Province of Pakistan. The Kalasha are unique as a pagan people in
South Asia Festivals / Carnival Land Rights Agriculture / Farming Social Conflict
A Kali Temple Inside Out 2018 83'
    Werbner Award Directed by Dipesh Kharel Frode Storaas .
Religious boundaries in India are not necessarily as sharp and antagonistic as news media lead us to believe. This film portrays everyday life inside and around a Kali temple in the city of Kanpur,
South Asia Religion / Belief / Faith Collective / Community identity
Karam in Jaipur 2001 54'
    Directed by David MacDougall .
This third film in the Doon School quintet follows the main protagonist of 'With Morning Hearts' into the next phase of his life in Jaipur House, one of the five main houses of the school. There he
South Asia Children / Young people Education / Knowledge transmission Sport
Kataragama: A God for All Seasons 1973 52'
    Directed by Charlie Nairn .
In ever-increasing numbers Sinhalese of all religions (Muslims, Christians and Buddhists) are turning to Kataragama, an ancient Hindu God, at times of trouble and desperation. Once a year pilgrims
South Asia Religion / Belief / Faith Ritual Possession
The Kawelka: Ongka’s Big Moka 1974 52'
    Directed by Charlie Nairn .
Ongka is a charismatic big-man of the Kawelka tribe who live scattered in the Western highlands, north of Mount Hagen, in Papua New Guinea. The film focuses on the motivations and efforts involved
Melanesia Ritual Festivals / Carnival Social Conflict
The Kayapo 1987 52'
    Directed by Michael Beckham .
This film focuses on the conflicts and determination of a group of people trying to survive and maintain their ethnic identity in the face of almost overpowering odds. The film contrasts the
South America Land Rights Indigenous peoples / First Nations peoples Political Activists Resistance Social Conflict
The Kayapo: Out of the Forest 1989 52'
    Directed by Michael Beckham .
Early in 1989 the Kayapo rallied other Brazilian Indians to attend a reunification of the tribes at Altamira«the proposed site of a massive hydro-electric dam, that will flood large parts of the
South America Land Rights Indigenous peoples / First Nations peoples Resistance Film / Photography / Mass media Political Activists Social Conflict
The Kazakhs of China 1983 52'
    Directed by André Singer .
The Kazakhs of Xinjiang (Sinkiang) are one of the fifty-five national minorities that now live within the borders of the People's Republic of China. The policy of the Chinese Communist Party toward
Central Asia and Far East Social Change Nomads and Nomadism Collective / Community identity
Keepers of the Faith: The Buddhist Nuns of Sagaing Hills 1996 51'
    Directed by Hiroko Kawanami .
In the Sagaing Hills, 12 miles from the ancient capital of Mandalay are hundreds of pagodas, stupas, monasteries and nunneries which form a focal point of worship for Buddhism in Burma. In 1986 the
South-East Asia Religion / Belief / Faith Collective / Community identity Gender Role and Identity
Khyber 1979 49'
    Directed by André Singer Andy Harries .
For more than a century Britain was engaged in war with the Pashtun tribesmen of India's North West frontier. It began with the bloodiest massacre in the history of the British Empire when, in
South Asia War / Conflict / Reconciliation Colonialism / Postcolonialism History
The Kirghiz of Afghanistan 1975 51'
    Directed by Charlie Nairn André Singer .
The Kirghiz of Afghanistan are a group of some 2,000 pastoralists living on a bleak mountain plateau in a narrow isthmus of land between the borders of the Soviet Union and China. For nine months of
Middle and Near East Herding Nomads and Nomadism Social Organisation
Komian 2015 72'
  Directed by Jordi Esteva .
Four years after the filming of “Return to the Land of Souls”, about the rituals of trance and possession, the narrator travels to Ivory Coast in search of a priestess possessed by the Spirit of
West Africa Possession Ritual Music / Ethnomusicology
Koriams Law and the Dead who Govern 2005 110'
    Directed by Gary Kildea Andrea Simon .
In ‘Koriam's Law’ Australian anthropologist Andrew Lattas meets his match in philosopher-informant Peter Avarea of Matong village, Pomio, Papua New Guinea. Motivated by their lively dialogue the
Melanesia Religion / Belief / Faith Collective / Community identity Possession
Koza Szymborska. The Day of the Goat in Szymborze 2011 14'
  Directed by Michele Trentini .
The Koza or Goat is animal that gives the masquerade its name throughout Eastern Europe, from Romania to Moldavia and the Ukraine, and all the way to northern Poland where we filmed it. This film
Central Europe Festivals / Carnival Folklore
Kusum 2000 69'
    Directed by Jouko Aaltonen Antti Pakaslahti .
Kusum is a 14-year-old Indian girl. She lives and attends school in Delhi. Kaushal, her father, drives a motorised rickshaw and works his fingers to the bone to support his family. Sumitra, Kusum’s
South Asia Children / Young people Health / Health care / Healing Possession
Kwagh Hir 1975 30'
    Directed by Frank Speed Peggy Harper .
Four million Tiv people form the major culture of the Benue state of southern Nigeria. They are popularly known as the greatest democrats in Africa as their society is based on fraternal cooperation
West Africa Festivals / Carnival Dance / Theatre / Performance Ritual
The Kwegu 1979 52'
    Directed by Leslie Woodhead Andy Harries .
*'The Kwegu' is an entirely tasteful and dignified presentation of the harsh realities of subsistence living, and it may help us understand how, even in stateless societies, dominated groups come to
North and Northeast Africa Collective / Community identity Agriculture / Farming Social Organisation Marriage Trade
Lady of the Lake 2014 22'
    Directed by Zaw Naing Oo .
Governments – even decades-old military regimes – may come and go but, like many rural communities in Myanmar (formerly known as Burma), the lives of the villagers of Pyun Su on the banks of Moe
South-East Asia Religion / Belief / Faith Rural
The Last Navigator 1989 50'
    Directed by André Singer .
This is the story of two cultures and two technologies. An American navigator is taught the skills of navigation by a traditional Micronesian navigator on Satawal island. The American tries to
Micronesia Tourism / Travel / Pilgrimage Infrastructure / Transport Education / Knowledge Transmission
The Last of the Cuiva 1971 52'
    Directed by Brian Moser .
The film focuses on recent changes in the culture and society of the Cuiva, hunters and gatherers in a remote forest region of south-eastern Colombia, brought about through contact with Colombian
South America Social Change Race / Racism / Antiracism Land Rights Hunting / Gathering / Fishing
The Lau of Malaita 1982 52'
    Directed by Leslie Woodhead .
*Pierre Miranda and a team from Granada Television have made a fine film exploring the trouble realities of the people of the lagoon in the 1980s.* (B. Shore) This film focuses on the people of
Melanesia Social Change Social Conflict Ritual Death Religion / Belief / Faith
Law and War in Rural Kenya 2010 64'
    Directed by Suzette Heald .
In 1998, a new movement swept through Kuria, in south western Kenya with dramatic effect. Cattle raiding fuelled by the increasing presence of guns had led to a situation of total insecurity, with
East Africa War / Conflict / Reconciliation Law and Legislation / Bureaucracy
Leaving Greece 2013 79'
    Directed by Anna Brass .
When entering the EU for the first time, a refugee must submit an application for asylum. So much is clear. Less well known, however is the fact that for 90% of all refugees, the Aegean is the
Western Mediterranean Children / Young people Migration Love
Lessons from Gulam 1986 52'
    Directed by John Baily .
A detailed study of musical enculturation within the Asian community of Bradford in northern England. Gulam Musa is the principal character and he is shown as a teacher and as a musician. The film
British-Irish Isles Music / Ethnomusicology Education / Knowledge Transmission
Letter to the Dead 2002 62'
    Directed by Andre Iteanu Eytan Kapon .
The film is about the encounter between tradition and modernity. In a small village of Papua New Guinea three exceptional men rival with each other in the field of rituals and artistic creation in
Melanesia Social Change Art / Artists / Artisans Death
Life Chances: Four Families in a Greek Cypriot Village 1974 43'
    Directed by Peter Loizos .
A careful account of social change in a prosperous Greek Cypriot village, which follows four closely related families before the Turkish made them all refugees. Their lives reflect the possibilities
South-East Europe Social Change Life Story / Life History Rural Family / Kinship
A Life with Slate 2006 59'
    Directed by Dipesh Kharel .
Alampu is a beautiful and exceedingly remote village in Nepal. The majority of the settlers there are Thami people, one of the indigenous groups of Nepal. More than 90 percent of them have been
South Asia Labour Socioeconomic conditions
Link-up Diary 1997 86'
    Directed by David MacDougall .
The filmmaker goes on the road with Link-Up, an organisation which re-unites Aboriginal families separated in earlier decades by the New South Wales government. As the film shows, being reunited
Australia Resettlement Family / Kinship Collective / Community identity Indigenous peoples / First Nations peoples
Little Waterfall 2002 52'
    Directed by Joshka Wessels .
Shallalah Saghirah ('Little Waterfall') is a small village of about 20 households located in the Khanasser valley, in north Syria. The village has no electricity and still uses an ancient ganat
Middle and Near East Infrastructure / Transport Material Culture Development projects
Living with the Invisibles 2003 52'
    Directed by Dirk Dumont .
When they emigrated to Europe in the 60’s and 70’s, Moroccans brought with them their culture and their “diseases” ( caused by the the jinn that inhabit some of them). In Europe, most North
North and Northeast Africa Health / Health care / Healing Possession Migration
Living with the Revolution 1983 52'
    Directed by Leslie Woodhead Claire Lasko .
*These three films ('Inside China: Living with the Revolution'; 'The Newest Revolution'; 'The Kazakhs of China') present a valuable record of aspects of most recent developments in China.* (A.
Central Asia and Far East Social Change History Family / Kinship
The Longest Struggle: The Karen of Burma 1993 52'
    Directed by John Sheppard .
In the forested hills of eastern Burma, a war has been going on for more than 50 years. A war that is rarely reported and is often apparently at a stalemate. For the Karen people of this part of
South-East Asia War / Conflict / Reconciliation Memory
Lorang's Way 1977 69'
    Directed by David MacDougall Judith MacDougall .
The Turkana are a group of semi-nomadic pastoralists who inhabit a harsh environment of dry thorn country in northwestern Kenya. Lorang’s Way focuses upon a Turkana elder. Having spent time away
East Africa Herding Social Change Nomads and Nomadism
Mabo: Life of an Island Man 1997 87'
    Directed by Trevor Graham .
On June 3rd 1992, six months after Eddie ‘Koiki’ Mabo’s tragic death, the High Court upheld his claim that Murray Islanders held native title to land in the Torres Strait. The legal fiction
Australia Public Figure Colonialism / Postcolonialism Life Story / Life History Political Activists Land Rights Law and Legislation / Bureaucracy
Majma 2001 54'
    Directed by Rahul Roy .
Aslam sells medicines for sexual problems on the pavements of Meena Bazar near Jama Masjid in Delhi. Khalifa Barkat presides over an wrestling gym (akhara) in the adjacent park and puts a group of
South Asia Gender Role and Identity Sport Socioeconomic conditions
Making Worlds Otherwise 2020 28'
  Directed by Paul Gurrumuruwuy Jennifer Deger Enid Guruŋulmiwuy Warren Balpatji Meredith Balanydjarrk James Ganambarr Kayleen Djingadjingawuy Victoria Baskin Coffey Sebastian Lowe .
An exuberant experiment in the ethnographic art of remix that gives new form to Miyarrka Media’s project of yuṯa, or new, anthropology. Sound, images, colour, light, and deeply felt patterns of
Australia Collective / Community identity Colonialism / Postcolonialism Internet Digital media Participatory / Collaborative methods
Masai Manhood 1975 52'
    Directed by Chris Curling .
This film was made after 'Masai Women' and in the same area. Together the two films provide a vivid view of Masai men and women and their place in Masai society. The Masai are pastoral nomads in
East Africa Gender Role and Identity Social Change Ritual Social Organisation Nomads and Nomadism Herding
Masai Women 1974 52'
    Directed by Chris Curling .
The Masai are cattle herders living in the East African rift valley: they grow no crops and are proud of being a non-agricultural people. Cattle are the all-important source of wealth and social
East Africa Gender Role and Identity Social Change Ritual Social Organisation Nomads and Nomadism Herding
Masks of Mer 2010 37'
    Directed by Michael Eaton .
The film Alfred Haddon made in 1898 in the Torres Straits, lasting for less than a minute, is the world's first example of anthropological cinema. 'The Masks of Mer' tells the extraordinary story of
Australia History of Anthropology Film / Photography / Mass media Archival material / Museum displays Ritual
Matai Samoa 1989 65'
    Directed by George Milner .
The film is a valuable treatment of archival footage that George Milner shot while conducting fieldwork in 1955 and 1959. The footage (18 minutes of the total film) focuses on the traditional Samoan
New Zealand and Polynesia History of Anthropology Film / Photography / Mass media Social Organisation Archival material / Museum displays Ritual
The Medium is the Masseuse: a Balinese Massage 1983 31'
    Directed by Timothy Asch Linda Connor Patsy Asch .
Jero uses massage and traditional medicines to treat Ida Bagus, who suffers from sterility and seizures. Through her treatment and her words, Jero reveals her conceptions of the human body, the
South-East Asia Health / Health care / Healing Reproduction (biology)
The Mehinacu 1974 52'
    Directed by Carlos Pasini .
The Mehinacu live near the head-waters of the River Xingu in Central Brazil, in a single village within the protective confines of the Xingu National Park. Although the film concentrates upon the
South America Social Organisation Indigenous peoples / First Nations peoples Collective / Community identity Ritual
The Mende 1990 52'
    Directed by Bruce MacDonald .
This is a portrait of Kpuawala, Sierra Leone, a village of some 260 Mende people living in a clearing in the forest in houses of mud brick and tin. Like any village portrait it gossips, happy
West Africa Everyday Life Social Organisation Rural
The Meo 1972 52'
    Directed by Brian Moser Chris Curling .
Over the last three thousand years the Meo (Miao or Hmong) have migrated south from north and central China to avoid oppression and protect their way of life. Today they live in scattered mountain
South-East Asia War / Conflict / Reconciliation Shamans and Shamanism Ritual Social Organisation Rural
Messages by Music - Senegal in Transition 2013 76'
    Directed by Cornelia Strasse .
The traditional musicians in Senegal were in charge of retaining the history of their ethnic group, along with ways of thinking and behaving. Their aim was to conserve the society. Nowadays the
East Africa Music / Ethnomusicology Colonialism / Postcolonialism Social Change Political Activists Resistance
The Migrants 1985 52'
    Directed by Leslie Woodhead David Wason .
The Migrants is the third film in the trilogy 'In Search of Cool Ground' for Granada Television's Disappearing World series. It is about a drought-induced migration of Mursi from their traditional
North and Northeast Africa Social Change Collective / Community identity Refugees / Displaced populations
Mirror Mirror 2006 58'
    Directed by Zemirah Moffat .
Mirror Mirror is based on an audio-visual ethnography of London’s queer Club Wotever. Begun in the autumn of 2003, it promoted itself as a club that welcomed all genders and sexualities – a
British-Irish Isles LGBTQI* Sex / Sexuality Gender Role and Identity
Mongolia, part 1: On the Edge of the Gobi 1975 52'
    Directed by Brian Moser .
Mongolia is a country the size of Western Europe with under 1.5 million people but over 23 million head of livestock. This film concentrates on life in the great plains of Mongolia, at the foot of
Central Asia and Far East Herding Social Change Rural Everyday Life
Mongolia part 2: The City on the Steppes 1975 52'
  Directed by Brian Moser .
The second of two films on Mongolia made by Granada Television in 1974–75 looks at life in Ulan Bator, the capital of Mongolia and home of a quarter of the population. The city celebrates the 53rd
Central Asia and Far East Festivals / Carnival Urban Everyday Life
A Month in the Life of Ephtim D. 1999 56'
    Directed by Antonii Dontchev .
Ephtim D., 73 years old, is a retired postman. He lives in Sofia with his wife Ghinka in a three room suburban apartment. As a socialist he feels confused by the ‘crazy’ democracy and the
South-East Europe Health / Health care / Healing Post-communism Socioeconomic conditions
Motels 2020 27'
  Directed by Claudia F. Quigua .
Have you ever been in a motel room with rounded beds, love chairs, coloured lights and dancing poles? This film explores a prominent yet often overlooked aspect of Colombian culture through the
South America Sex / Sexuality Love Tourism/ Travel/ Pilgrimage
Muktuk 1983 40'
    Directed by Graham Johnston .
Shot on the mosquito-ridden shores of the Mackenzie Delta in Canada’s North-West territories, the film deals with the annual Beluga (white whale) hunt. Three families are followed who have
North America Hunting / Gathering / Fishing Animals Indigenous peoples / First Nations peoples Education / Knowledge transmission
The Mursi 1974 52'
    Directed by Leslie Woodhead .
The Mursi are a cattle-keeping and agricultural group without chiefs or leaders from south-west Ethiopia. This film, made under extremely difficult conditions, focuses on the way decisions are made
North and Northeast Africa War / Conflict / Reconciliation Social Organisation
Mursi: The Land is Bad 1991 52'
    Directed by Leslie Woodhead .
A further visit to the Mursi of Southern Ethiopia with whom contact was established 17 years ago, for an important coming of age ceremony which has had to be postponed many times. An elder of the
North and Northeast Africa Ritual Social Conflict Health / Health care / Healing
Mursi: Nitha 1991 52'
    Directed by Leslie Woodhead .
The proper time for a man to go through the Age Set Ceremony, the nitha, is just as he reaches physical maturity. But many years may elapse from one nitha to the next, so it is inevitable that some
North and Northeast Africa Ritual Social Conflict Gender Role and Identity
My Eyes as a Stranger 1984 53'
  Directed by Toni de Bromhead .
This film tells the story of the friendship between an English filmmaker and Nicola, a Sicilian ex-gangster who lives in Florence. The film moves to and fro between a street of ill repute, and the
South-East Europe Gender Role and Identity
The Mystery of the Frozen Tombs: A Young Lady Emerges From the Ice 1994 44'
    Directed by Francoise Levie .
The film unfolds the archaeological discovery of the frozen tombs of Altai, part of the Scythian culture in the Siberian steppe.
Central Asia and Far East Archaeology
NGAT IS DEAD: STUDYING MORTUARY TRADITIONS 2007 59'
    Directed by Christian Suhr Nielsen Ton Otto .
A film about how anthropological knowledge is developed through active participation in traditional exchange ceremonies on the small island of Baluan in the South Pacific. The film follows the
Melanesia Death Ritual Informant-researcher relationship Social Conflict
Namatjira Project 2017 87'
  Directed by Sera Davies .
An extraordinary first-hand account of the international battle to reclaim the artwork and heritage of one of Australia’s most important Indigenous figures: Albert Namatjira. Albert Namatjira was
Australia Art / Artists / Artisans Collective / Community identity Colonialism / Postcolonialism Indigenous peoples / First Nations peoples Law and Legislation / Bureaucracy Political Activists Race / Racism / Antiracism
Nawi 1970 20'
    Directed by David MacDougall Judith MacDougall .
This classic ethnographic documentary, by the renowned filmmaking team of David and Judith MacDougall, explores the nomadic life of the Jie of Uganda. During the dry season the Jie leave their
East Africa Herding Music / Ethnomusicology Nomads and Nomadism
The New Boys 2003 100'
  Directed by David MacDougall .
The social dynamics of the group is the focus of this study of life in Foot House, one of Doon School’s dormitories for new boys. It begins a few days before the boys appear and shows them
South Asia Children / Young people Education / Knowledge Transmission Collective / Community identity
A New Era 2019 71'
    Werbner Award Directed by Boris Svartzman .
In 2008, local authorities evicted 2,000 villagers from Guanzhou, a river island in Southern China, to make way for new urban planning projects. In spite of the demolition of their houses and police
Central Asia and Far East Urban Development projects Infrastructure\transport Land rights Resettlement
New Images 1964 27'
  Directed by Ulli Beier Frank Speed .
The film is a brief description of life in a busy commercial centre that still depends upon and retains its ancient traditions. These are based on the history of the town which was founded on the
West Africa Art / Artists / Artisans Religion / Belief / Faith Archival material / Museum displays
New York Just Another City 2019 18'
  Directed by André Lopes Joana Brandão .
Brazilian Guarani filmmaker Patrícia Ferreira reflects on New York City and Indigenous representation in dioramas at the American Museum of Natural History. This film is part of the collected DVD
North America Archival material / Museum displays Colonialism / Postcolonialism Indigenous peoples / First Nation peoples Race / Racism / Antiracism
The Newest Revolution 1983 52'
    Directed by Leslie Woodhead Claire Lasko .
This film is a continuation of 'Living with the Revolution', set in the same communes near Wuxi and focusing on the same families. This film concentrates, however, on the new social and economic
Central Asia and Far East Family / Kinship Social Change
Ngarap: fighting over a corpse 1973 17'
  Directed by Anthony Forge .
In 1993, Anthony Forge filmed the cremation of an older woman from an affluent ‘commoner’ family. As her body was moved from her family compound to the cremation tower, men of the ward seized the
South-East Asia Death Ritual Art / Artists / Artisans Archival material / Museum displays
Nkabom: A little medicine A little prayer 2021 79'
    Werbner Award Directed by Erminia Colucci .
A mother is caring for her son at a healing shrine on the edge of a village in the central belt of Ghana. In another village, a father has taken his son to several Christian and traditional healers
West Africa Health / Health care / Healing Religion / Belief / Faith
Nuba Conversation 1989 53'
  Directed by Arthur Howes .
Ten years after he made 'Kafi's Story', director Arthur Howes returns to the Sudan to find the members of the Nuba who featured in his earlier documentary film. Soon after he had left the Sudan, the
North and Northeast Africa Children / Young people War / Conflict / Reconciliation Refugees / Displaced populations
Nuba Wrestling 1991 42'
  Directed by Rolf Husmann Werner Sperschneider .
The weekly wrestling tournaments of the Sudanese Nuba migrants in Khartoum usually take place between Northern and Southern Nuba men. The sport helps them strengthen their ethnic identity in a
North and Northeast Africa Collective / Community identity Gender Role and Identity Urban Sport
Oink! 2020 22'
  Directed by Rob Eagle .
An experimental research documentary offering a portrait of gay men who‚ in different ways‚ relate to the “pig” sexual imaginary. It provides insight into their experiences of identity,
Western Europe North America Sex / Sexuality LGBTQI* Collective / Community identity
Once upon a time in Val di Fiemme 2009 23'
  Directed by Michele Trentini .
Every four years, the new recruits in Carano are presented to the community in the midst of a complex carnival ritual called Banderàl. This film is part of **Carnival King of Europe DVD 6 -
South-East Europe Folklore Festivals / Carnival
One day in Agnita 2011 10'
  Directed by Michele Trentini .
Every four years, the new recruits in Carano are presented to the community in the midst of a complex carnival ritual called Banderàl. This film is part of **Carnival King of Europe DVD 6 -
South-East Europe Folklore Festivals / Carnival
One day in Begnishte 2008 7'
  Directed by Michele Trentini .
The Orthodox New Year’s Eve is marked by the appearance of the Djolomari, the “old ones”, for a long day of ritual, which is both structured and frenetic. This film is part of **Carnival
South-East Europe Folklore Festivals / Carnival
One day in Chelnik 2008 14'
  Directed by Michele Trentini .
On the day of the Kukeri, mysterious, impenetrable masks visit every house in Bulgarian Thrace, and end up in the village square for a most persuasive wedding and ploughing ritual. This film is
South-East Europe Festivals / Carnival Folklore
One day in Lancova Vas 2010 9'
  Directed by Michele Trentini .
In eastern Slovenia, an assorted party of masked ploughmen run around each village on Carnival days. In the Slovenian-speaking Italian Benecija, the Blùmari run across the village fields once a
South-East Europe Festivals / Carnival Folklore
One day in Rukavac 2008 11'
  Directed by Michele Trentini .
Zvonča in Croatian means “bell” and the Istrian Zvončari are the popular carnival heralds who undertake some challenging walkabouts between neighbouring villages every year - Croatia. This
South-East Europe Festivals / Carnival Folklore
Orania 2012 94'
    Directed by Tobias Lindner .
Orania is situated in South Africa's barren Northern Cape province. All of its 800 inhabitants are white Afrikaners. They live here on private property which was bought in 1991. People of other
Southern Africa Race / Racism / Antiracism Collective / Community identity Social Conflict
Orphans of Passage: The Uduk 1993 52'
    Directed by Bruce MacDonald .
In 1987 Sudanese government forces attacked the Uduk of Southern Sudan, and 20-25000 Uduk fled. Since then they have criss-crossed the Sudanese/Ethiopian border 5 times. In the spring of 1992, 13000
North and Northeast Africa Refugees / Displaced populations War / Conflict / Reconciliation Religion / Belief / Faith Squatter Settlements / Homelessness
Other Europe 2011 75'
  Directed by Rossella Schillaci .
What happens to African migrants once granted political refugee status? In Turin, a northern Italian city, an abandoned clinic has been squatted by more than 200 refugees since December 2008. Khaled,
Western Mediterranean Migration Urban Squatter Settlements / Homelessness
Palimpsest of the Africa Museum 2019 69'
  Directed by Matthias De Groof .
In 2013, the Royal Museum for Central Africa in Brussels (Belgium) closed for renovation. It is not only the building and the museum cabinets that are in need of renewal: the spirit of the museum has
Western Europe Archival material / Museum displays Colonialism / Postcolonialism Race / Racism / Antiracism Education / Knowledge Transmission History of Anthropology
Palimpsest of the Africa Museum 2019 69'
    Decolonising the Archive Directed by Matthias De Groof .
In 2013, the Royal Museum for Central Africa in Brussels (Belgium) closed for renovation. It is not only the building and the museum cabinets that are in need of renewal: the spirit of the museum has
Western Europe Archival materials / Museum displays Archaeology Education / Knowledge transmission History of Anthropology Colonialism / Postcolonialism Race / Racism / Antiracism
Paradise Bent. Boys will be Girls in Samoa 1999 51'
  Directed by Heather Croall .
Paradise Bent is a fascinating and entertaining film that tells the story of the Samoan fa'afafines: boys who are raised as girls and take on the domestic duties performed by women around the home,
Melanesia Gender Role and Identity Sex / Sexuality
The Passion and Death of the Carlisèp 2015 19'
  Directed by Michele Trentini .
In Schignano, in the Lombardy mountains close to the Swiss border, Carlisèp is the local name of the Carnival dummy, who attempts a last minute escape. Carnival trials such as that held in Valda,
South-East Europe Festivals / Carnival Folklore
The Pathans 1980 52'
    Directed by André Singer Andy Harries .
There are twelve million Pathans. Bound by a common language, a common heritage and the unifying force of Islam, these proud and independent people do not acknowledge the geographical boundary which
South Asia War / Conflict / Reconciliation Social Organisation Gender Role and Identity
Persistence 2019 54'
    Main Competition Directed by Anne Huffschmid Jan-Holger Hennies .
Human bodies don’t simply disappear. They were kidnapped, buried, broken into pieces. But they are also searched for, recovered and if forensic experts achieve the unlikely, reconstructed as
Central America Forensic Memory
Photo Wallahs 1991 60'
    Directed by David MacDougall Judith MacDougall .
This film is an exploration of the cultural and personal meanings of photographs in a hill station in northern India. The ‘photo wallahs’ are the local photographers of Mussoorie, a town which
South Asia Film / Photography / Mass media Tourism / Travel / Pilgrimage
Pink Saris 2010 100'
    Directed by Kim Longinotto .
Pink saris are worn by the Gulabi Gang, a group of women vigilantes in Northern India. From the untouchable caste, they resist being condescended to as the lowest social class. They have a champion
South Asia Gender Role and Identity Resistance Socioeconomic conditions
Playing with Nan 2012 88'
    Directed by Dipesh Kharel Asami Saito .
Playing with Nan is the story of a Nepali young man who migrated to work in a Nepali restaurant in northern Japan. The film explores his daily life at work and his family at home, which reflects
South Asia Central Asia and Far East Labour Migration Socioeconomic conditions
The Poet's Salary 2008 59'
  Directed by Eric Wittersheim Alexandre Francois .
For the first time in many years, on the little island of Motalava in Vanuatu, a new song will be composed in the island's ancestors’ language, the language of god Quat, and become part of the
Melanesia Music / Ethnomusicology Linguistics / Language Informant-researcher relationship
Polka 1986 50'
  Directed by Robert Boonzajer-Flaes .
The film confronts the accordion music of Chicano immigrants in southern Texas with the traditional music of accordion players in Austria. Without making any final judgements on the ‘roots’ of
North America Music / Ethnomusicology Collective / Community identity
The Price of Memory 2014 83'
  Directed by Karen Marks Mafundikwa .
In 2002, Queen Elizabeth II visited Jamaica for her Golden Julibee Celebrations. While there she was petitioned by a group of Rastafari for slavery reparations. For Rastafari, reparations are linked
Caribbean Islands British-Irish Isles Colonialism / Postcolonialism Political Activists
Pride of Place - Observations of lives of girls at a Public School 1976 59'
  Directed by Dorothea Gazidis Kimona Landseer Kim Longinotto .
A rarely seen classic, PRIDE OF PLACE was made as a first project while Longinotto was a student at England’s National School of Television and Film. As a teenager, the filmmaker had been condemned
British-Irish Isles Children / Young people Education / Knowledge Transmission Gender Role and Identity
The Professional Foreigner 2009 60'
  Directed by Rolf Husmann .
Asen Balikci has been a leading figure in making ethnographic films for many decades. In a series of talks between Balikci and filmmaker Rolf Husmann in different locations, the life and work of Asen
Various Film / Photography / Mass media History of Anthropology Public Figure
Promise and Unrest 2010 79'
    Directed by Alan Grossman Áine O’Brien .
Separated from her daughter Gracelle at 7 months, Noemi Barredo left the Philippines for work in Malaysia before arriving in Ireland in 2000. Filmed over a five-year period, 'Promise and Unrest' is
South-East Asia British-Irish Isles Family / Kinship Labour Migration Linguistics / Language
Q2P 2006 55'
    Directed by Paromita Vohra .
Q2P is a film about toilets and the city. It sifts through the dream of Mumbai as a future Shanghai and searches for public toilets, watching who has to queue to pee. As the film observes who has
South Asia Gender Role and Identity Urban Socioeconomic conditions
The Quechua 1974 52'
    Directed by Carlos Pasini David Ash .
This film is set in a community of peasant agriculturalists 2 1/4 miles above sea level in the southern Peruvian Andes. Concentrating on a single family, the film explores aspects of religious and
South America Indigenous peoples / First Nations peoples Religion / Belief / Faith Social Change
Rain in the Mirror 2012 48'
  Directed by Nilanjan Bhattachary Kanchan Mukhopadhayay .
Dorji Bhutia, a Buddhist monk and a reputed mask-maker with supernatural powers of bringing or stopping rain chose a self-determined death at the age of eighty-six. Dorji leaves his mystic image
South Asia Religion / Belief / Faith Children / Young people Education / Knowledge Transmission Intergenerational relations
Raju and His Friends 1988 40'
  Directed by Marcus Banks .
This film is set in the city of Jamnagar, western India. The film focuses on the emotions, quality of life, and on duty. Raju’s friendship with different people, including the director, provide a
South Asia Urban Informant-researcher relationship Life Story / Life History
Rebel Objects 2020 70'
    Main Competition Directed by Carolina Arias Ortiz .
Anthropologist and filmmaker Carolina Arias Ortiz returns to Costa Rica to visit her estranged father. When he is diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, death suddenly draws close. During this time she
Latin America Archaeology Death Personal Narrative
Reclaiming the Forest 1987 39'
  Directed by Paul Henley Georges Drion .
National governments, itinerant gold-miners, and indigenous inhabitants compete for control of an area of the South American rainforest. The film shows the potential conflict between the interests
South America Land Rights Indigenous peoples / First Nations peoples Social Change Social Conflict
The Red Bowmen 1981 50'
  Directed by Chris Owen .
In a remote part of the West Sepik Province of Papua New Guinea, the Umeda people eke out a difficult living from the sago swamps and primary rain forest that surround them. Until recently, these
Melanesia Ritual Religion / Belief / Faith History of Anthropology
Releasing the Spirits: a village cremation in Bali 1991 44'
  Directed by Patsy Asch Linda Connor Timothy Asch .
In 1978, as part of the preparations for the island-wide ceremony eka dasa rudra, religious officials urged all Balinese to cleanse the island by cremating their dead. Many were forced to pool
South-East Asia Death Ritual
The Rendille 1977 52'
    Directed by Chris Curling .
The Rendille are camel herders who live in villages and camps dotted over 10,000 square miles of desert and scrub bush in Northern Kenya. As the terrain they occupy is so dry, the Rendille grow no
East Africa Herding Animals Social Organisation Everyday Life
Return of the Nightingales 2013 33'
  Directed by John Baily .
In 2010 Afghan musicologist Dr. Ahmad Sarmast opened the Afghanistan National Institute of Music (ANIM), a coeducational vocational music school in Kabul that teaches Afghan, Indian and Western
South Asia Music / Ethnomusicology Education / Knowledge Transmission Children / Young people
Returning Home: Revival of a Bosnian Village 2001 48'
  Directed by Tone Bringa Peter Loizos .
The film is the sequel to 'We are all Neighbours', the 1993 Granada Disappearing World film, about the breakdown of relations between Muslims and Croats as war overtakes their ethnically mixed
South-East Europe War / Conflict / Reconciliation Collective / Community identity Refugees / Displaced populations
A Rite on the Run: the Blùmari of Benecija 2015 10'
  Directed by Michele Trentini .
In the Slovenian-speaking Italian Benecija, the Blùmari run across the village fields once a year, just like the Arval Brethren of ancient Rome. This film is part of **Carnival King of Europe DVD
South-East Europe Folklore Festivals / Carnival
Ritual Journeys 2011 75'
  Directed by Dawa Lepcha Anna Balikci .
The film is an intimate portrait of Merayk, an 80 years old Lepcha shaman or Padim. Merayk lives with his family in Dzongu, a Lepcha reserve in North Sikkim. He performs healing rituals for
South Asia Ritual Shamans and Shamanism Health / Health care / Healing
Rockerill: Rekindling the Fire 2011 53'
    Directed by Yves Mora .
Five years ago, one of the oldest industrial buildings of Charleroi- ‘les Forges de la Providence’- was saved from demolition being brought by two citizens: Thierry Camuy and Mika Hell. Together
Western Europe Alternative culture Art / Artists / Artisans
Rough Aunties 2008 103'
  Directed by Kim Longinotto .
Jackie, Mildred, Eureka and Thuli are the women behind Bobbi Bear, a nonprofit organization based in Durban, South Africa, that counsels sexually abused children and works to bring their abusers to
Southern Africa Socioeconomic conditions Children / Young people Development projects
Runaway 2001 87'
    Directed by Kim Longinotto Ziba Mir-Hosseini .
This film is set in a refuge for girls in Tehran and follows the stories of five girls who come here. These girls, in leaving a situation that has become intolerable, show incredible courage and
Middle and Near East Children / Young people Social Change Gender Role and Identity
Sacred Harp Singers 1984 85'
    Directed by Mark Brice .
A moving portrait of harp singers Leonard and Mazine Lacy. Sacred harp music is a kind of harmonised plainsong practised in rural America. This film was shot in Sand Mountain, Alabama, and is
North America Music / Ethnomusicology Rural
The Sacred Thresh 2016 18'
  Directed by Michele Trentini .
After ploughing and sowing, there follows harvesting and threshing, with a very dignified threshing squad ritually touring the village inns. This film is part of **Carnival King of Europe DVD 4
Central Europe Festivals / Carnival Folklore
The Sakuddei 1974 52'
    Directed by John Sheppard .
The Sakuddei are a small and ethnically separate community living on the island of Siberut off the west coast of Sumatra in Indonesia. Their distinctive way of life and elaborate religious
South-East Asia Collective / Community identity Social Change Land Rights
Salma 2013 90'
    Directed by Kim Longinotto .
When Salma, a young Muslim girl in a south Indian village, was 13 years old, her family locked her up for 25 years, forbidding her to study and forcing her into marriage. During that time, words were
South Asia Gender Role and Identity Social Norms Marriage Art / Artists / Artisans
Scenes of Afghan Music: London, Kabul, Hamburg, Dublin 2007 97'
  Directed by John Baily .
Scenes of Afghan Music is Part IV of 'A Quartet of Afghan Music Films', made in the author’s personal “fieldwork movie” style. It reveals the diversity of music and dance practices in the
Middle and Near East Music / Ethnomusicology Migration Collective / Community identity
The School and the Village 1992 50'
  Directed by Heimo Lappalainen .
Taiga Nomads is a film series about the Evenki (previously the Tungus), a nomadic people scattered all over eastern Siberia, and living under harsh conditions in the taiga ± an area predominated by
Central Asia and Far East Nomads and Nomadism Everyday Life
SchoolScapes 2007 77'
    Directed by David MacDougall .
Inspired by the cinema of Lumière and the ideas of the 20th century Indian thinker Jiddu Krishnamurti, David MacDougall follows up the Doon School Quintet, his series of films about a traditional
South Asia Children / Young people Education / Knowledge transmission Film / Photography / Mass media
Sea Boundary 2012 55'
  Directed by Rosella Schillaci .
The film depicts the daily struggle of fishermen to earn a living in a harsh physical environment that brings out the social and economic tensions of modern society. Manning the Priamo are Cola, the
Western Mediterranean Labour Hunting / Gathering / Fishing Socioeconomic conditions Migration
Seed and Earth 1989 36'
  Directed by Lina Fruzzetti Alfred Guzzetti Ned Johnston Ákos Östör .
Seed on Earth is a film about everyday life in rural Bangladesh (village of Janta, near Bishnupur town). It follows the daily schedule of two families and observes the complementary and difference of
South Asia Rural Family / Kinship Gender Role and Identity
Sermiligaag 65°54'N, 36°22'W 2008 64'
    Directed by Anni Seitz Sophie Elixhauser .
The people of East Greenland inhabit a small string of coastal land at the edge of the biggest island of the world. Long winters have always shaped daily life here, a life that has gone within a few
North America Rural Social Change Environment
Shade Seekers and The Mixer 2006 60'
    Directed by Richard Werbner .
Set in Moremi village within Botswana’s awesome Tswapong hills, the film makes village elders self-consciously reflexive. The elders, including a controversial healer, view and discuss an earlier
Southern Africa Health / Health care / Healing Religion / Belief / Faith Informant-researcher relationship
A Sheepherder's Homecoming 1996 40'
  Directed by Allen Moore Louis Werner .
This film documents a migrant worker’s experiences as a herder on a Nevada sheep ranch who then returns to his family in Mexico after a long absence to renew ties and find a job at home. It
North America Central America Migration Labour
Sherpas of Nepal 1977 52'
    Directed by Leslie Woodhead Pattie Winter .
Thami is a village 12,000 feet up in the Himalayas in the Kingdom of Nepal. As the film's opening shots illustrate, in a type of filmic short-hand, Thami is composed of a patchwork of individual
South Asia Tourism / Travel / Pilgrimage Labour Marriage Social Change
The Shilluk of Southern Sudan 1976 52'
    Directed by Chris Curling .
This film presents a compelling visual and aural analysis of Shilluk kingship in 1975, and provides a very useful complement to Evans-Pritchard's 1948 text, The Divine Kingship of the Shilluk.
North and Northeast Africa Collective / Community identity Social Organisation
Shinjuku Boys 1997 54'
    Directed by Kim Longinotto Jano Williams .
A film about love and gender. This film is set in the New Marilyn night club in Tokyo where all the hosts are women who have decided to live as men. They make their living by working in a club with
Central Asia and Far East Gender Role and Identity Sex / Sexuality Love
The Short Happy Life of the Poklad 2012 27'
  Directed by Michele Trentini .
In the Dalmatian island of Lastovo, the Poklad is a monumental, all-encompassing annual celebration. Dressed as XIX C. British marines, the Pokladari escort the captive dummy to its death. This
South-East Europe Festivals / Carnival Folklore
Sifinja - The Iron Bride 2009 70'
  Directed by Valerie Haensch .
A film about mobility, human creativity, and technology in a Sudanese truck community. The English Bedford-Lorry was introduced to Sudan in the late 1960s. Since then, local craftsmen technically
North and Northeast Africa Infrastructure / Transport Material Culture Art / Artists / Artisans
Silk, Muthappar and VHS: Portraits from South India 1997 63'
    Directed by Ulrich Grossenbacher Damaris Luethi .
The documentary, filmed during ethnographic field research, shows three portraits of ‘ordinary’ personalities — Mala, a young weaver sharing a one-bedroom house with nine siblings; Santa Cruz,
South Asia Labour Everyday Life Film / Photography / Mass media
The Silvesterchläuse of Hundwil 2014 12'
  Directed by Michele Trentini .
The old Julian New Year’s Eve on January 13th is still observed and celebrated in some Reformed communities in Outer Appenzell in Switzerland. This film is part of **Carnival King of Europe DVD
Western Europe Festivals / Carnival Folklore
The Silvesters of Urnäsch 2011 13'
  Directed by Michele Trentini .
A celebration of mountain wilderness is all too evident in the costumes of the Silvesters of Urnäsch in Outer Appenzell, particularly in their “Pretty/Ugly” version. This film is part of
Western Europe Festivals / Carnival
Since the Company Came 2001 52'
  Directed by Russel Hawkins .
Set in the South Pacific, in a remote Solomon Islands village, 'Since the Company Came' is the story of a community coming to terms with social, cultural and ecological disintegration. When village
Melanesia Land Rights Indigenous peoples / First Nations peoples Social Conflict Socioeconomic conditions
Singing Pictures - Women Painters of Naya 2005 45'
  Directed by Lina Fruzzetti Ákos Östör .
For generations the Patua (Chitrakara) communities of West Bengal have been painters and singers of stories depicted in scrolls. The film follows the daily lives of Muslim Patua women from Naya
South Asia Material Culture Art / Artists / Artisans Music / Ethnomusicology
Sisters in Law 2005 104'
  Directed by Kim Longinotto Florence Ayisi .
Six year old Manka has run away from home, fleeing her abusive aunt. Sonita has daringly accused her neighbor of rape. Amina has decided to end her brutal marriage by taking her husband to court. Set
West Africa Law and Legislation / Bureaucracy Gender Role and Identity Children / Young people
The Skills You Passed On 1992 50'
  Directed by Heimo Lappalainen .
The second of three films about the Evenki people of eastern Siberia. Focuses on Nikolaj Pavlovich Archemku, who experienced the very beginning of Soviet power, two World Wars, and the
Central Asia and Far East Nomads and Nomadism Everyday Life
Smoke 1991 28'
    RAI Basil Wright Directed by Maarten Rens .
The film deals with fish smoking in Monnickendam, a small town twelve miles north of Amsterdam. Using archival footage, interviewing old fishermen, and contrasting the traditional and the modern
Western Europe Hunting / Gathering / Fishing Food Archival material / Museum displays
Some Alien Creatures 2005 74'
  Directed by David MacDougall .
A film about the famous experimental, co-educational boarding school in South India, the Rishi Valley School, founded by the influential Indian thinker Krishnamurti. In this film about a progressive
South Asia Children / Young people Gender Role and Identity Education / Knowledge Transmission
Some Women of Marrakech 1977 52'
    Directed by Melissa Llewelyn-Davies .
In Marrakech, traditional attitudes to women prevail perhaps more strongly than in other Moroccan cities. This is especially true for those women who live by the standards of traditional ideals in
North and Northeast Africa Gender Role and Identity Labour Dance / Theatre / Performance Social Norms
Sons of Haji Omar 1978 58'
  Directed by Timothy Asch Asen Balikci David Newman Richard Sorensen .
Haji Omar and his three sons belong to the Lakenkhel, a Pashtun tribal group in northeastern Afghanistan. Concentrating within one family, the film draw sharp, colourful portraits of the protagonists
Middle and Near East Everyday Life Nomads and Nomadism Herding
Sons of the Moon 1984 25'
  Directed by Frank Speed Deirdre LaPin .
In isolated mountain hamlets in Nigeria’s Jos Plateau the Ngas have traditionally observed the movements of the moon in the night sky. The moon is a key symbol in Ngas cosmology, believed to
West Africa Religion / Belief / Faith Music / Ethnomusicology Everyday Life Ritual
Sophia and Her People 1985 35'
  Directed by Peter Loïzos .
Sofia and her family lost their village home in 1975 when Turkey invaded Cyprus. The film, mainly set in Nicosia in 1983, shows the pressures of refugee economic recovery through shift work in a
South-East Europe Refugees / Displaced populations Social Change Family / Kinship
Southeast London Ethnography - Three Student Films: Anglesea Road; The Good Ol' Days; Talk of Trade 2007 13'
    Directed by Elhum Shakerifar Ed Owles Jamie Taylor .
These 3 films on Southeast London were made by GCC college students who took a course in anthropology & film. ANGLESEA ROAD: Situated in Woolwich, South East London, Anglesea Road is a small
British-Irish Isles Urban
Spear and Sword: a Payment of Bridewealth on the Island of Roti 1988 22'
  Directed by James J. Fox Timothy Asch Patsy Asch .
The film begins as the groom’s side gathers the animals and money for a bridewealth payment, and discusses problems that might arise in negotiating the exchange. In ritual silence, they walk to the
South-East Asia Ritual Marriage Family / Kinship
Speeding the Plough in Stilfs 2015 22'
  Directed by Michele Trentini .
In Upper Vinschgau in South Tyrol a highly charged Carnival parade takes place with the specific purpose of “speeding the plough”. This film is part of **Carnival King of Europe DVD 4 SPEEDING
South-East Europe Festivals / Carnival Folklore
Spring in Dickinson’s Reach 2013 83'
  Directed by Anna Grimshaw .
"Spring in Dickinson’s Reach" provides an introduction to the unique environment that Bill Coperthwaite has crafted in the Maine forest. Beginning in early spring, the film follows
North America Alternative culture Rural Everyday Life Art / Artists / Artisans
St. Anthony Bonfires in Mamoiada 2014 17'
  Directed by Michele Trentini .
St. Anthony’s Day marks the first annual outing of the celebrated Sardinian Mamuthones with their blackened shepherd’s outfit, carefully directed by their eternal antagonists, the Issohadores.
South-East Europe Festivals / Carnival Folklore
St. Martin’s Bonfires in Predazzo 2010 10'
  Directed by Michele Trentini .
On November 11th, great bonfires are lit by the local youth to celebrate the distribution of the annual revenues from the forestry harvest. This film is part of **Carnival King of Europe DVD 3 -
South-East Europe Festivals / Carnival Folklore
St. Nicholas’ Night in Val di Fassa 2010 15'
  Directed by Michele Trentini .
As an early harbinger of celestial light, St. Nicholas and his mixed company of angels and devils visits every home, to tell children off in the most persuasive of manners. This film is part of
South-East Europe Festivals / Carnival Folklore
Steel Lives 2005 45'
  Directed by Massimiliano Mollona .
The anthropologist spent several months working as unskilled labourer alongside Sheffield steelworkers at Morris for his PhD. This film is a look into the working lives of men who earn a living in
British-Irish Isles Labour Socioeconomic conditions Collective / Community identity
Stockman's Strategy 1984 52'
  Directed by David MacDougall Judith MacDougall .
A film which explores the philosophy of teaching and learning of Sunny Bancroft, manager of an Aboriginal-run cattle station in northern New South Wales. It also tells the story of Shane Gordon, a
Australia Indigenous peoples / First Nations peoples Animals Education / Knowledge transmission
The Storyteller 1990 50'
    Student Directed by John Paul Davidson .
Unaware of the written word until the 1950s, the Waura tribe who live in the headwaters of the Xingu river in Brazil still practise the art of storytelling. Tribal storyteller Aruta recounts one of
South America Indigenous peoples / First Nations peoples Dance / Theatre / Performance Religion / Belief / Faith
A Summer Task 2013 47'
  Directed by Anna Grimshaw .
"A Summer Task" examines the rhythm and tempo of work in the forest. The film follows Bill Coperthwaite and his cousin, Steve, as they fell and haul trees to build a bridge and begin
North America Alternative culture Everyday Life Rural Art / Artists / Artisans
Sundanese Culture Alive 1988 46'
    Directed by Jean Hellwig .
Jaipongan is a new style of music and dancing which was ‘invented’ about a decade ago on Western Java, Indonesia. Drawing on more classical Javanese music and taking elements from Japanese and
South-East Asia Music / Ethnomusicology Dance / Theatre / Performance
Sunny and the Dark Horse 1986 86'
  Directed by David MacDougall Judith MacDougall .
A true story of a country family’s gradual involvement and growing passion for ‘picnic racing’. Sunny Bancroft is an Aboriginal cattle-station manager in New South Wales. With his
Australia Rural Indigenous peoples / First Nations peoples Animals
Suspension 2019 73'
    Werbner Award Directed by Simón Uribe .
This film documents the building of a modern road through the imposing geography of southern Colombia. It brilliantly captures some of the absurdities and contradictions of a construction project
South America Development projects Infrastructure / Transport Material Culture Rural
Sweeping Evil Away in Rauris 2017 9'
  Directed by Michele Trentini .
The Schnabelperchten of Rauris in the Salzburger Alps are mysterious, spiteful figures who appear out of nowhere with their brooms, and go round every house to perform a simple and effective
Central Europe Folklore Festivals / Carnival
Séance Reflections with Richard Werbner 2004 45'
    Directed by Richard Werbner .
Njebe and Martha are a childless couple living in Botswana’s capital. Seeking to recover their well-being, they consult a charismatic diviner and healer, in Njebe’s old village, Moremi. They
Southern Africa Health / Health care / Healing Ritual Reproduction (biology)
TOTE_Grandfather 2019 80'
    Main Competition Directed by María Sojob .
This film portrays an unexpected encounter between an old Tzotzil man, who is going blind, and his granddaughter, who does not remember her childhood well. The granddaughter, having grown up in the
Central America Indigenous Filmmaking Gender Role and Identity Family / Kinship Indigenous peoples / First Nations peoples Elderly people Love Intergenerational relations Linguistics / Language Memory
Tablas and Drum Machines: Afghan Music in California 2001 58'
    Directed by John Baily .
Ethnomusicologist John Baily visits Fremont, California, the new home of the large community of exiled Afghans. He is joined by Kabuli master-musician, Ustad Asif Mahmoud, who plans to open a small
North America Music / Ethnomusicology Education / Knowledge transmission Refugees / Displaced populations
Tabom in Bahia 2017 52'
  Directed by Juan Diego Diaz Nilton Pereira .
There is a small community in Ghana who identify as Brazilians. Their name is the Tabom. They are the descendants of former enslaved Africans and creoles who resettled from Bahia to Ghana during the
South America West Africa Music / Ethnomusicology Collective / Community identity Memory Migration Popular Culture Race / Racism / Antiracism Tourism / Travel / Pilgrimage
Takeover 1980 90'
  Directed by David MacDougall Judith MacDougall .
On March 13, 1978 the Queensland Government announced its intention to take over management of Aurukun Aboriginal Reserve from the Uniting Church. The people of Aurukun complained bitterly, fearing
Australia Indigenous peoples / First Nations peoples Resistance Land Rights Social Conflict
Talking to Each Other 1985 52'
  Directed by Toni de Bromhead .
The third film of the **Caught in the Web** trilogy, which compares and contrast aspects of life in a Dorset community in the Bride Valley and a French village in Provence, Villes-sur-Auzon,
Western Europe British-Irish Isles Rural Socioeconomic conditions
Tayuban: Dancing the Spirit in Java 1996 30'
    Directed by Felicia Hughes-Freeland .
Once a year a ritual is held in a Javanese village. After a distribution of food, men dance with professional female dancers. Their allegedly sexual ethos makes these ‘tayuban’ unacceptable as
South-East Asia Ritual Dance / Theatre / Performance Sex / Sexuality Gender Role and Identity
Tempus de Baristas 1993 100'
  Directed by David MacDougall .
This film depicts the characters, and social dilemmas of three generations of Sardinian mountain shepherds. Although born roughly 20 years apart, Franchiscu (62), his son Pietro (17) and their
Western Europe Herding Social Change Family / Kinship Rural
Theatre Girls 1979 57'
  Directed by Kim Longinotto Claire Pollack .
The “Theatre Girls Club” is a hostel for homeless, destitute and alcoholic women in Soho, London. It is run by six paid workers and it is the only hostel in London which takes any women at any
British-Irish Isles Squatter Settlements / Homelessness Socioeconomic conditions Gender Role and Identity
There is Nothing Wrong with my Uncle 2012 78'
  Directed by Sylvie Bringas Dul Johnson .
Nigerian writer Dul Johnson returns to Tarok land to observe the local death rituals and the record of the Tarok ways of dealing with grief and honoring departed. This film provides a rare and
West Africa Death Religion / Belief / Faith Ritual
Three Horsemen 1982 50'
  Directed by David MacDougall Judith MacDougall .
Bob Massey Pootchemunka has spent most of his life as a stockman and drover. Now over 75, his ambition is to see an all-Aboriginal cattle station operating at Ti-Tree on his traditional clan land.
Australia Indigenous peoples / First Nations peoples Herding Animals Land Rights
A Tibetan New Year 1987 45'
  Directed by Jon Jerstad .
This outstanding documentary is placed in Northern India among a group of Tibetan refugees. They celebrate the New Year, following a ritual of their religion, Bonpo, which is older than Buddhism.
South Asia Religion / Belief / Faith Ritual
Tigers Apprentice 1998 57'
    Directed by M. Trinh Nguyen .
Tiger's Apprentice is the story of M. Trinh Nguyen's journey to her native Vietnam. She observes and documents her great-uncle's folk medicine practices treating many patients and making his
South-East Asia Health / Health care / Healing Archaeobotany / Ethnobotany
Tingvong: A Lepcha Village in Sikkim 2005 60'
  Directed by Dawa T Lepcha Anna Balikci-Denjongpa Asen Balikci .
The film illustrates the changes the Lepcha of the Dzongu reserve, North Sikkim, have been through in the last 60 years. From the 1940s, the Lepcha of Tingvong village gradually abandoned hunting,
South Asia Social Change Religion / Belief / Faith Agriculture / Farming
To Get That Country 1978 70'
  Directed by David MacDougall .
An important historical film of events surrounding early meetings of the Northern Land Council in 1977, where uranium mining, land rights and Aboriginal leadership were the key issues.
Australia Indigenous peoples / First Nations peoples Land Rights Social Organisation
To Live With Herds 1972 90'
  Directed by David MacDougall .
The Jie are semi-nomadic pastoral people living in North-eastern Uganda, who are striving to maintain their way of life in the face of unsympathetic government policy, and, at the time of filming, a dry-season famine.
East Africa Nomads and Nomadism Disasters Law and Legislation / Bureaucracy
A Town in Sicily 2015 120'
  Directed by Toni de Bromhead .
Castellammare is a 'high-density Mafia' seaside town. Local government is infiltrated, its economy is stagnant and there is no future for its youth. A group of angry young Sicilians now wish to
South-East Europe Political Activists
Tracking the Pale Fox: Studies on the Dogon 1983 48'
  Directed by Luc de Heusch .
This film tells with verve and a touch of self-irony the history of research on the Dogon since the famous 1931 expedition of Marcel Griaule. The film establishes the original expedition in the
West Africa History of Anthropology
A Transfer of Power 1986 22'
  Directed by Judith MacDougall David MacDougall .
Replacing the engine in an old car is a familiar rural task, but how people go about it differs. For these Aboriginal men in New South Wales, it’s an occasion for affirming continuing
Australia Indigenous peoples / First Nations peoples Education / Knowledge transmission Infrastructure / Transport
Transfiction 2007 58'
  Directed by Johannes Sjøberg .
Transfiction explores 'ethnofiction' - an experimental ethnographic documentary film style in which the participants collaborate with the filmmaker to act out their own and others' life experiences
South America Reflexivity Film / Photography / Mass media Gender Role and Identity Sex / Sexuality LGBTQI* Ethnofiction
Travel (double screen) 2016 63'
  Directed by Nick Mai .
(This version of the film uses a split-screen device throughout. For the single screen version see 'Travel'). Joy left Nigeria to help her family after her father’s death. She knew that she was
Western Europe Sex / Sexuality Labour Migration Ethnofiction Reflexivity
Trobriand Cricket: An Ingenious Response to Colonialism 1974 50'
  Directed by Gary Kildea Jerry Leach .
The film documents the transformation by the Trobriand Islanders of the game of cricket, first introduced by British missionaries into a highly distinctive political ritual. Shot in 1973-1974,
Melanesia Sport Colonialism / Postcolonialism Political Activists
The Trobriand Islanders 1952 58'
    Directed by Harry Powell .
During his field work in the region of Omarakana, H.A.Powell filmed various sequences from which the film is assembled. In spite of the technical handicaps under which he was operating — shooting
Melanesia Everyday Life
The Trobriand Islanders of Papua New Guinea 1990 52'
    Directed by David Wason .
The Trobriand Islands lie off the eastern tip of Papua New Guinea. The island society has a complex balance of male authority and female wealth. Magic spells and sorcery pervade everyday life.
Melanesia Gender Role and Identity Festivals / Carnival Ritual
The Tuareg 1972 52'
    Directed by Charlie Nairn .
This film is about a group of nomadic Tuareg living high up in the Hoggar Mountains near Tamanrasset in Algeria. The main focus of the film is the collapse of the former economic basis of their
North and Northeast Africa Social Organisation Social Change Socioeconomic conditions Nomads and Nomadism
Tuktu 1985 47'
  Directed by Graham Johnston .
Tuktu is the Kuvanmiit Eskimo word for caribou. The film traces the early evolution of Ambler, founded almost 30 years ago on the Kobuk River in Alaska. Change and development mark life now in this
North America Animals Social Change
A Two Day Fair 2009 60'
  Directed by Anjali Monteiro KP Jayasankar .
Nothing in the world will last – it is but a two day fair” sings Mura Lala, drawing inspiration from the Sufi traditions of Sant Kabir and Abdul Lateef Bhitai. He is accompanied on the double
Tyres 2013 30'
    Directed by Kyaw Myo Lwin .
A recycling workshop in South Okkalapa in Myanmar’s former capital of Yangon is a place where discarded tyres are transformed from their original shape and use, and are re-purposed to new uses.
South-East Asia Material Culture Labour Infrastructure / Transport
Uma: a water crisis in Bolivia 2020 76'
  Directed by Ana 𝗟𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗲𝗿 .
Uma: a water crisis in Bolivia tells the story of three Andean indigenous communities in the highlands of Bolivia who are fighting to protect their water from diversion and contamination amid a
South America Environment Food / Water Gender Role and Identity Indigenous peoples / First Nations peoples Land Rights Political Activists Resistance Rural Social Conflict
Umbanda 1977 52'
    Directed by Stephen Cross .
Umbanda is a syncretic religious movement, combining elements from orthodox Catholicism with submerged African and indigenous Indian spiritual beliefs. In spite of past attempts to suppress it,
South America Possession Health / Health care / Healing Religion / Belief / Faith Ritual
Uncanny Strangers 2009 46'
    Directed by David Picard .
Uncanny Strangers has been filmed in a fishing village in the South-West of Madagascar. Through a series of everyday life episodes the film provides insight into the relationships between the
East Africa Tourism / Travel / Pilgrimage Development projects Environment
Under the Men's Tree 1973 15'
  Directed by David MacDougall Judith MacDougall .
At Jie cattle camps in Uganda men often gather under a special tree to make leather and wooden goods and talk, relax, and sleep. This brilliant ethnographic documentary by renowned filmmakers David
East Africa Infrastructure / Transport Informant-researcher relationship Reflexivity
Under the Palace Wall 2013 53'
  Directed by David MacDougall .
From the 16th century the Indian village of Delwara in southern Rajasthan was ruled as a principality of the kingdom of Mewar. Its palace, which overlooks the village, is now a luxury hotel - a
South Asia Education / Knowledge transmission Children / Young people Tourism / Travel / Pilgrimage
Unity through Culture 2011 69'
  Directed by Christian Suhr Ton Otto .
Soanin Killangit is determined to unite the people and attract international tourism through the revival of culture on Baluan Island, Manus, Papua New Guinea in the South Pacific. He organizes the
Melanesia Festivals / Carnival Social Conflict Collective / Community identity
Unwritten Letters 2020 59'
  Directed by Max Bloching Abd Alrahman Dukmak .
Abd is a 24-year-old Syrian who took part in the early days of the 2011 revolution and now lives in Padova, Italy. Together with his German friend Max he is working on a film called Unwritten
South-East Europe Middle and Near East Migration Refugees / Displaced populations Participatory / Collaborative methods Life Story / Life History
Ustad Rahim 2008 55'
    Directed by John Baily .
Shot in the city of Heart, western Afghanistan 1994, in the period between the fall of the last leftist government and the coming of the Taliban, this is a portrait film of an outstanding musician,
South Asia Music / Ethnomusicology Education / Knowledge Transmission Personal Narrative
Vasile Nedea 2009 43'
  Directed by Sjoerd van Grootheest .
The film tells the story of Vasile Nedea, a Romanian gypsy musician an Amsterdam. Due to his former illegal status there have been times in which he was forced to show his skills whilst busking the
Western Europe Travellers / Roma Music / Ethnomusicology
A Village Heritage 1985 52'
  Directed by Toni de Bromhead .
The first of the **Caught in the Web** trilogy, which compares and contrast aspects of life in a Dorset community in the Bride Valley and a French village in Provence, Villes-sur-Auzon, Vauclause.
Western Europe British-Irish Isles Socioeconomic conditions Rural
The Villagers of Sierra de Gredos 1989 52'
    Directed by Peter Carr .
The 130 villagers of Navalguijo in the Sierra de Gredos of Central Spain live in a village perched high in the mountains and they face an extreme climate with very cold winters and hot summers. The
Western Mediterranean Herding Rural Collective / Community identity
Visions of Shrove Thursday in Central Tyrol 2014 10'
  Directed by Michele Trentini .
Due to the strict Jesuit prohibitions in olden days, the central Tyrol Fasnacht tends to ends on Shrove Thursday, a few days earlier than elsewhere. This film is part of **Carnival King of Europe
Central Europe Folklore Festivals / Carnival
Waiting for Harry 1980 57'
  Directed by Kim McKenzie .
Although the events around which this film was planned were the final mortuary rites for Les Angabarraparra, the subject of the film became interaction. Interaction between the anthropologist Les
Australia Informant-researcher relationship Indigenous peoples / First Nations peoples Death Reflexivity
War of the Gods 1971 52'
    Directed by Brian Moser .
While relying on a polemical stance directed against the cultural genocide wrought by missionaries, 'War of the Gods' also contains a wealth of information and detail about Amazonian Indian
South America Religion / Belief / Faith Collective / Community identity Agriculture / Farming Hunting / Gathering / Fishing
The Water Goddess and the Computer 1989 52'
  Directed by André Singer Steven Lansing .
The film demonstrates how in Bali, development projects can threaten a carefully balanced ecological irrigation system that is maintained by temple priests. A biologist and an anthropologist look at
South-East Asia Infrastructure / Transport Development projects Environment
The Water of Words: a cultural ecology of a small island in Eastern Indonesia 1983 30'
  Directed by J. Fox Timothy Asch Patsy Asch .
This film examines the ecology and poetry of everyday life. Two Rotinese narrate this film, each offering his perception of the importance of the Lontar (Borassus) palm: a clan leader describes the
South-East Asia Archaeobotany / Ethnobotany Linguistics / Language Environment
We Are All Neighbours 1993 52'
    Directed by Debbie Christie .
The film shows the effect of war on families in a racially mixed village outside Sarajevo, Bosnia, where Bosnian Croats and Bosnian Moslems lived peacefully together. Norwegian anthropologist Tone
South-East Europe War / Conflict / Reconciliation Collective / Community identity Inter-religious relations
We can be heroes just for (two) days. The Jannisaries of Naoussa 2016 20'
  Directed by Michele Trentini .
The memory of an heroic episode of resistance against the Ottomans is re-enacted in Naoussa every year with the parade of an army of Janissaries. This film is part of **Carnival King of Europe DVD
South-East Europe Folklore Festivals / Carnival
The Wedding Camels 1976 108'
    Directed by Judith MacDougall David MacDougall .
Also about individuals from the Turkana in north-western Kenya (see 'Lorang’s Way' and 'A Wife Among Wives'), this film chronicles a series of events which surround the marriage of Lorang’s
East Africa Family / Kinship Marriage Animals Herding
Were Ni! He is a Madman 1963 30'
  Directed by Frank Speed Raymond Prince .
This ethnopsychiatric film shows the management of psychiatric disorders by the Yoruba of Nigeria. There are two basic types of institutions to deal with psychiatric disorders. First there are
West Africa Health / Health care / Healing Ritual Possession
The Whale Hunters of Lamalera 1988 52'
    Directed by John Blake David Wason .
The Whale Hunters of Lamalera was filmed over a period of four weeks during June 1987. Lamalera is a village which is perched on the rocky slopes of an active volcano on the southern coast of the
South-East Asia Hunting / Gathering / Fishing Animals Everyday Life
When Four Friends Meet 2000 43'
  Directed by Rahul Roy .
Bunty, Kamal, Sanjay and Sanju, best of friends and residents of Jehangiripuri, a working class colony on the outskirts of Delhi are young and trying to make their lives in an environment which is
South Asia Gender Role and Identity Children / Young people Urban
Where the Clouds End 2014 52'
  Directed by Wanphrang Diengdoh .
“My late great grandfather was a Bengali who came to Shillong in the early 1900s - long before the present political border divided the lands.” After the creation of borders between India and
South Asia Colonialism / Postcolonialism Race / Racism / Antiracism Collective / Community identity
The White Primavera of the Agordino 2016 16'
  Directed by Michele Trentini .
The beauty of the village, impersonating a gypsy woman, the Zinghenesta, has the main dancing role in the masquerade. This film is part of **Carnival King of Europe DVD 5 PARADING THE VILLAGE**.
South-East Europe Folklore Festivals / Carnival
Why is Mr W. Laughing? 2017 76'
  Directed by Jana Papenbrook .
Jana Papenbroock with Horst Wässle, Michael Gerdsmann, Bernhard Krebs WHY IS MR W. LAUGHING? is a portrait of three members of a community of artists with different disabilities. Rather than
Western Europe Art / Artists / Artisans Collective / Community identity Elderly people Health / Health care / Healing Life Story / Life History Personal Narrative Social participation
A Wife Among Wives 1981 72'
  Directed by Judith MacDougall David MacDougall .
This segment of the trilogy on the Turkana of northern Kenya (see 'Lorang’s Way' and 'The Wedding Camels' above) evolves around the role of women in the society. The audience follows the
East Africa Gender Role and Identity Marriage Family / Kinship
Winter Days 2013 59'
  Directed by Anna Grimshaw .
"Winter Days" evokes the stillness and quietness of the forest in winter. Life is lived close to the stove. It’s a time for small tasks and chores – making a wedge, sewing a pocket, the
North America Alternative culture Rural Everyday Life Art / Artists / Artisans
Witchcraft Among the Azande 1982 52'
    Directed by André Singer .
*Witchcraft among the Azande' is suitable for showing in undergraduate and graduate classes on topics of religion, philosophy, and African ethnography. It could also be stimulating to discussions of
North and Northeast Africa Religion / Belief / Faith Health / Health care / Healing Social Change
With Morning Hearts 2001 110'
  Directed by David MacDougall .
This film continues MacDougall's long-term study of an elite boys' boarding school in northern India. It focuses on a group of twelve-year-olds during their first year in one of the 'houses' for new
South Asia Children / Young people Education / Knowledge Transmission
Without Fathers or Husbands 1995 26'
  Directed by Hua Cai .
The Na are an ethnic group in south-east China. Their particularity is that all the members of each household are consanguineous relatives; their social organisation is absolutely matrilineal and as
South-East Asia Family / Kinship Collective / Community identity Gender Role and Identity Sex / Sexuality
The Wodaabe 1988 52'
    Directed by Leslie Woodhead David Wason .
*Is the Wodaabe world disappearing? How are we to place the painted male faces? The very considerable success of this film is the ways it answers these questions.* J. Picto The Wodaabe follow
Central Africa Herding Animals Everyday Life Ritual
A Women’s Carnival in Tyrol 2017 9'
  Directed by Michele Trentini .
Patsch is only place in the whole of Tyrol, where a company of women takes on the lead role of the Carnival parade. This film is part of **Carnival King of Europe DVD 5 PARADING THE VILLAGE**. On
Central Europe Festivals / Carnival Folklore
Yanomami: From Machetes to Mobile Phones 2012 58'
  Directed by Cliff Orloff and Olga Shalygin .
The Yanomami Indians are one of the last large relatively unacculturated indigenous groups remaining in the world. In November 2000 filmmakers Orloff and Shalygin documented the lives of a small
South America Indigenous peoples / First Nations peoples Material Culture Social Change
Ymako 1998 52'
  Directed by Laurent Van Lancker Robin Shuffield .
Ymako Teatri, a theatre company based in the Ivory Coast, uses street theatre to question some contemporary West African problems. Their originality consists in using the ‘invisible theatre’
West Africa Dance / Theatre / Performance Health / Health care / Healing Social participation
A good day in Sharnford. God Speed the Plough! 2010 14'
  Directed by Michele Trentini .
In the heart of Ye Olde England, the first Monday after the Epiphany is still “Plough Monday”, with the ritual parading of a decorated plough and the Morris Dance. This film is part of
British-Irish Isles Festivals / Carnival Folklore
The season 2020 63'
  Directed by Anna Grimshaw .
This is part 4 of a 7-part series. Lobsters slowly migrate north, moving into the Machias Bay from warmer, southern waters. George works quickly to finish setting his full quota of traps.
Hunting/Gathering/Fishing Trade
The smokehouse 81'
  Directed by Anna Grimshaw .
George has been smoking fish for as long as he can remember. The smokehouse has a place of pride in his dooryard, and he lovingly tends the racks to ensure perfection. The end of fishing is in
North America Hunting/Gathering/Fishing Trade
The trial, sentence and execution of Johnny Woodstock 2010 15'
  Directed by Michele Trentini .
Carnival trials such as that held in Valda, in the mountains of Trentino, are commonplace throughout Europe. Death sentence is for granted. This film is part of **Carnival King of Europe DVD 8 -
South-East Europe Festivals / Carnival Folklore