Film list

[ayouni--Film-image]
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
[bang-the-drum--Film-image]
Bang the Drum 2020 28'
  Directed by William Nitzky .
For the Yao minority in rural southwest China, the bronze drum is a sacred heritage. Its sound aids the souls of deceased elders in reaching the ancestral land. When the Chinese government steps in
Central Asia and Far East Music/ Ethnomusicology Tourism/ Travel/ Pilgrimage Rural Shamans and Shamanism
[bariz-paris-street-camp-days--Film-image]
Bariz (Paris) Street Camp Days 2020 69'
    Werbner Award Directed by Nicolas Jaoul .
Summer 2015. La Chapelle neighbourhood, Paris. Hundreds of exiled people from East Africa survive on the streets, chased violently by the police, yet seeking to defend their rights as asylum seekers.
[the-body-wont-close--Film-image]
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
[a-colombian-family--Film-image]
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
[cruces--Film-image]
Cruces 2020 23'
    Student Directed by Carlos Tobon Franco .
An immersive expedition throughout the geographies and stories composing the Latin American journey to reach US soil. By weaving together oral histories and the landscape, the film is structured to
[the-daring-young-girl-on-the-flying-trapeze--Film-image]
The Daring Young Girl on the Flying Trapeze 2020 27'
  Directed by Nina Ross .
As a child, Nancy Willis dreamt of joining the circus, longing for freedom and adventure. Diagnosed with muscular dystrophy and told she would not live beyond her twenties, the now 65-year-old artist
British-Irish Isles Art/ Artists/ Artisans Personal Narrative Health/ Health care/ Healing Life Story/ Life History
[death-of-the-one-who-knows--Film-image]
Death of the One who Knows 2020 82'
    Werbner Award Directed by Dana Rappoport .
In the Toraja highlands of Sulawesi (Indonesia), Lumbaa is one of the last masters of ritual speech. After his forced conversion to Pentecostalism, he is compelled to stop all his ritual activity and
[elders-corner--Film-image]
Elder's Corner 2020 96'
    Music Docs Directed by Siji Awoyinka .
From the colourful, celebratory sounds of Juju to the politicized urgency of Afrobeat, Nigerian musicians have spearheaded some of Africa's most prominent musical movements. For over a decade,
[finn-beach--Film-image]
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
[the-float--Film-image]
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
[forget-alberto-for-now--Film-image]
Forget Alberto For Now 2020 19'
  Directed by Beina Xu .
A refugee known only as Alberto flies from Athens to Brussels on a fake passport. Three years later, a small crew from Berlin tries to make a film by shooting the landscape of his transit. Things
Western Europe Western Mediterranean Reflexivity Migration Resettlement Refugees/ Displaced populations
[gula-music-for-a-sacred-time--Film-image]
Gula - Music for a sacred time 2020 15'
  Directed by Remigiusz Sowa .
Introduces the rich and varied Hindu-Buddhist religious and ritual musical heritage of the ancient royal city of Bhaktapur (Nepal).
South Asia Music / Ethnomusicology
[half-elf--Film-image]
Half Elf 2020 64'
    Main Competition Directed by Jón Bjarki Magnússon .
A lighthouse keeper prepares his earthly funeral while trying to reconnect the elf within. Hulda and Trausti have shared a roof on Icelandic shores for over seventy years. Her love of books is
[i-am-belmaya--Film-image]
I Am Belmaya 2020 80'
    Main Competition Directed by Sue Carpenter .
Belmaya is desperate for independence. Born a dalit in Nepal, orphaned aged 9, barely educated, and trapped in an abusive marriage with a baby daughter, Belmaya, 21, has given up hope of finding
[in-the-dooryard--Film-image]
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
[land-lot-s7--Film-image]
Land Lot S7 2020 28'
  Directed by Abtin Sarabi .
Following sugar cane field workers in Senegal as they chop and burn their way through seemingly endless fields, this poetic film takes an unconventional approach to understanding the gruelling work
West Africa Labour Agriculture / Farming
[making-worlds-otherwise--Film-image]
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
[motels--Film-image]
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
[ocak--Film-image]
Ocak 2020 28'
  Directed by Zeynep Kaserci .
The story of a family who earns their livelihood as hazelnut cultivators in rural north-eastern Turkey. Filmed in an observational style, it offers glimpses into the local social life of the village
Middle and Near East Collective / Community identity Agriculture / Farming Rural
[oink--Film-image]
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
[ojo-igbi-with-gl--Film-image]
Ojò Igbì (with Gũlā) 2020 60'
    Music Docs Directed by Daniele Ferreira João Carlos Couto .
The ritual cycle of the Waters of Oxalá is one of the most important ceremonies of candomblé in Brazil. After days of preparation, the sons and daughters of the saint gather to cultivate and relive
[the-olive-pickers--Film-image]
The Olive Pickers 2020 51'
    Werbner Award Directed by Toni de Bromhead .
[on-the-water--Film-image]
On the water 2020 67'
  Directed by Anna Grimshaw .
During April, George and Mark, his son and sternman, begin setting traps for the season ahead. It’s cold and rough on the ocean, and lobsters are scarce. Halibut fishing, permitted for only
North America Hunting/Gathering/Fishing Trade
[ophir--Film-image]
Ophir 2020 97'
    Main Competition Directed by Alexandre Berman Olivier Pollet .
This is a collaborative story of the civil war and ongoing struggle for sovereignty in Bougainville Island in the face of an all-too-familiar pattern of colonial rule and corporate mining interests.
[the-ospreys-and-the-old-man--Film-image]
The Ospreys and the Old Man 2020 9'
  Directed by Ang Gao .
A 76-year-old man living in a village in the middle of China continues the traditional practice of using ospreys (鱼鹰. 鱼鹰 usually referred to as great cormorant in English) to fish while most
Central Asia and Far East Hunting/Gathering/Fishing Animals Elderly People
[rebel-objects--Film-image]
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
[stories-from-cabo-corrientes--Film-image]
Stories from Cabo Corrientes 2020 77'
    Main Competition Directed by Jordi Esteva .
The documentary immerses us in the fantastic and magical stories of the inhabitants of Cabo Corrientes, Chocò District (Colombia) where a community of Afro-Colombians, descended from slaves of
[this-is-a-majlis-a-sound-essay--Film-image]
This Is A Majlis - A Sound Essay 2020 17'
  Directed by Timothy Cooper Abeera Arif-Bashir .
This short film is a multi-platform sound essay. It is primarily illustrated with still images, that conjure an atmosphere of intimacy and intensity of the majlis-e-aza, a mourning gathering central
South Asia Music/Ethnomusicology Urban Art/ Aritists/ Artisans Social Change
[this-land-is-our-land--Film-image]
This Land Is Our Land! 2020 70'
    Arandu - Listen to the Weather Directed by Isael Maxakali Sueli Maxakali Carolina Canguçu Roberto Romero .
“In the old day, whites did not exist on our lands, and we lived hunting with our yãmưyxop spirits. But the whites came, felled the woods, dried the rivers and chased the animals away. Today, our
[tobacco-memories--Film-image]
Tobacco memories 2020 30'
    Student Directed by Manca Filak .
The villages in southwest Bulgaria have long been known for the cultivation and production of tobacco. Muslim Pomaks, still engaged in this work, are facing a decline due to the low purchase price of
[uma-a-water-crisis-in-bolivia--Film-image]
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
[unwritten-letters--Film-image]
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
[vhs-diaries--Film-image]
VHS Diaries 2020 72'
    Decolonising the Archive Directed by Niyaz Saghari .
The filmmaker revisits the diaries she kept during the years when video was banned in Iran. Using her personal VHS archive of films as a point of reference, the film explores a very personal film
[when-the-sea-sends-forth-a-forest--Film-image]
When the Sea Sends Forth a Forest 2020 21'
    Shorts Directed by Guangli LIU .
The story revolves around the memory of a Chinese survivor of the Khmer Rouge. This tragedy, which took the lives of two million people, continues to reshape our present. This forgotten moment of
[the-season--Film-image]
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