RAI Film Admin

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BE' JAM BE the never ending song 2017 85'

Directed by Cyprien Ponson Caroline Parietti .

In Sarawak (Borneo), “the ones who live upstream” are the first affected by deforestation. The Penan, (ex) nomadic hunters, must figure out how to go on living when one’s entire world is being

BROKEN SKIN 2018 24'

Directed by Lidija Burcak .

An emotionally charged poetic encounter between the filmmaker and other psoriasis sufferers, exploring skin as a metaphor of strength, belief, belonging and alienation.

Back to Basics 1994 33'

Directed by Dominic French .

A group of environmentalists and homeless have purchased some land on which to settle and get back to a simpler way of life. But the nearby residents of the 'best-kept village’ in Somerset,

British-Irish Isles Social Conflict Alternative culture Land Rights

Bailarinas 2003 32'

Directed by Heidi Lipsanen .

Majê Molê is an Afro-Brazilian dance group which offers girls and young women in Olinda, Northeast Brazil, the opportunity to rise above the poverty, drug addiction and crime that scars their

South America Dance / Theatre / Performance Gender Role and Identity Children / Young people

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

Ballad for Syria 2017 49'

Directed by Eda Elif Tibet Maisa Al Hafez .

A musical documentary about Maisa Alhafez, a musician and a Syrian refugee living in Istanbul. Separated from many of her loved ones, she builds a multicultural community: “The Oriental Istanbul Mosaic Choir”.

Ballad on the Shore 2017 98'

Intangible Culture Directed by Chi-hang Ma .

On the small isle of Tap Mun, Hong Kong, veteran fishermen sing ballads with pitches and tones that alternate and repeat themselves as if they were synchronising with the ocean waves. But as fewer

Hong Kong Hunting / Gathering / Fishing Music / Ethnomusicology

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

Barah Pal 2009 30'

Directed by Jennifer Rosen .

12 castes of gypsy artists ended their nomadic ways nearly 45 years ago to squat in New Delhi. Now the slum is being dismantled and rehabilitated. These are their last months in the colony as they

South Asia Refugees / Displaced populations Squatter Settlements / Homelessness Travellers / Roma Urban

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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

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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 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

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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

Bath People 2015 60'

Special Interest Directed by Stefania Bona Francesca Scalisi .

A small red-brick building carrying a big neon sign: "bagni". This is the last public baths in a city where everybody can take a shower in their own home. It is a microcosm of people's

Batusha's House 2016 70'

Directed by Tino Glimmann Jan Gollob .

KADRI BATUSHA has been building his tremendous house in the outskirts of Prishtina (Kosovo) for 15 years without any plans or permits. The architecture of this enormous building, with its towers,

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

Bearing 2021 29'

Shorts Directed by Rosie Reed Hillman .

The everyday frustrations, heartache and joy of early motherhood are revealed through intimate, observational vignettes, offering a frank and raw account of the filmmaker’s life as a new mum over

Beats of the Antonov 2014 68'

Global Racialisations Directed by Hajooj Kuka .

Sudan has been in an almost constant state of civil war since it achieved independence in 1956, and it split into a pair of sovereign states in 2011. On the border between the two, Russian-made

Beautiful Dachau 2008 30'

Directed by Alan Marcus .

Beautiful Dachau is an experimental documentary that observes streams of visitors to the Dachau concentration camp, now a popular tourist attraction. 800,000 people visit the site annually.

Western Europe History Tourism / Travel / Pilgrimage War / Conflict / Reconciliation

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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

Belle River 2022 11'

Shorts Directed by Guillaume Fournier Samuel Matteau Yannick Nolin .

It is 2019. Spring flooding in Mississippi hits record highs. In Louisiana, the residents of Pierre-Part are preparing for the worst. Barring an unexpected turn of events, local authorities will soon

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Beneath the Budding Greenwoods 2004 25'

Directed by Evie Wright .

Anne and Rosemary both chose to bury their husbands in the woods, whereas Tony was certain he didn't want a vicar at his wife's funeral. Focusing on the experiences of three grieving widows, the film

British-Irish Isles Environment Ritual Death Religion / Belief / Faith

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

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Between Islam and the Sacred Forest 2017 52'

Directed by Martin Gruber Frank Seidel .

An investigation into the rituals in a small village on the coast of Guinea, West Africa to commemorate a recently deceased woman (a Muslim celebration of the 40th day after death conducted by a

Between Jirina and Anna 2015 5'

Directed by Tereza Stehlikova .

My grandmother Jirina explains the history of a traditional costume that her own mother made. As Jirina's great granddaughter Anna tries the dress on, assisted by her own mother and grandmother, the

Between Memories 2015 34'

Directed by Martha-Cecilia Dietrich .

Eudosia is still searching for her husband’s remains in the highlands of Ayacucho; Lucero has been in prison for 25 years now for the crime of terrorism against the Peruvian state; since 2009 the

South America Memory War / Conflict / Reconciliation

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

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Beyond Life - Cooling and Cleansing, in Kilimanjaro, Tanzania 2018 25'

Directed by Frode Storaas Knut Chr. Myhre Myhre .

On the rural slopes of Mount Kilimanjaro, a young man takes his own life, leaving a wife and small children behind. On the third day after his burial, a ceremony is conducted to cool and cleanse the

Beyond observation '

Talks
.

Beyond observation: A history of authorship in ethnographic film. A discussion with Paul Henley. More than just introducing the best in new ethnographic films, the RAI FILM Festival also aims to take

Bill Reid Remembers 2021 24'

Lifetime Achievement Award - Alanis Obomsawin Directed by Alanis Obomsawin .

Bill Reid Remembers is a beautiful tribute from Alanis Obomsawin to her friend’s remarkable life and rich legacy. Despite spending his early life away from his nation’s culture, renowned Haida

Biographies of Struggle 2015 43'

Directed by Matteo Saltalippi Greca Campus .

Biographies of Struggle is a documentary analysing the longest steelworkers' strike in Italy since the last wave of labour unrest in the 80s. The Terni ThyssenKrupp factory threatened by 550 job cuts

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 Block 2016 60'

Student Directed by Maria Șalaru .

From neighbourly disputes over garlic-heavy cooking to memories of Ceaușescu’s heatless winters, "The Block" explores the rich social and material universe of a Romanian apartment

Eastern Europe and Baltic States Urban Post-communism Infrastructure / Transport

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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

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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

Bonfires 2017 6'

Shorts Directed by Martin Bureau .

Huge bonfires are lit by Protestants in Northern Ireland on July 12 each year, as part of the celebrations of the 1690 Battle of the Boyne. They are made from wooden pallets, tires, and garbage. To

The Book of the Sea 2018 85'

Material Culture Directed by Aleksei Vakhrushev .

An intimate look inside day-to-day life on the frozen fringe of the Bering Strait in Russia, home to the Inuit and Chukchi. We follow community leader Alexei, his wife Galya (a nurse) and their son

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

Born Again 2003 19'

Directed by Carla Huysmans .

Carla last met Maureen Mulozi in 1998 in Lusaka, Zambia where they were colleagues and friends. Since then Maureen's life has changed considerably: she became a 'born again' Christian and moved to

Southern Africa Religion / Belief / Faith Inter-religious relations

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The Boy From Allison Street 1998 30'

Directed by Caroline Allward .

Wayne has left school, sweet 16, disillusioned, with no qualifications. He is briefly distracted by Becka, the girl next door, and the discovery of his father's porno movie. But all he really wants

British-Irish Isles Children / Young people Love

Boya Boya (Shine Shine) 2014 18'

Directed by Karen Boswall Ruba Al Akash .

A portrait of Syrian refugee Mohammed, a 12-year-old shoe shine boy, 'Boya Boya (Shine Shine)' looks at the reality of the growing population of urban refugees from a child's point of view. While

Middle and Near East Children / Young people Refugees / Displaced populations Labour

The Bracewells 2000 49'

Directed by Amanda Ravetz .

In the late 1990s, when BSE (also known as "Mad Cow Disease") was conclusively linked to the fatal brain disorder vCJD, a number of British farmers went out of business whilst others faced

British-Irish Isles Rural Agriculture / Farming Animals

Breaking the Chains 2015 64'

Student Directed by Erminia Colucci .

The practice of using shackles and chains to physically restrain people with mental illness (known as pasung) is widespread in Indonesia (as in many other developing/low middle income countries) and

South-East Asia Prison Health / Health care / Healing Political Activists Development projects

Breaking the Yard 2018 21'

Directed by Richard Werbner .

"Breaking-the-Yard" documents the court hearings and troubled affairs of a quarrelsome young couple, a stay-at-home farmer and his police constable, town-savvy wife. They claim to be still

Southern Africa Family / Kinship Gender Role and Identity Law and Legislation / Bureaucracy Love Marriage

Breeding Cells 2009 39'

Directed by Anna Straube .

Breeding Cells is a film about a reproductive laboratory. A fertility clinic is a place where human reproduction is separated from sex and anatomized into bio/technological components. There

Western Europe Reproduction (biology) Science / Technology

The Bride of the Nile 2015 63'

RAI Basil Wright Directed by Edouard Mills-Affif .

A secluded village in the Nile Delta, a traditional Egyptian family. A drama of tragic proportions is being played out. Like millions of young girls throughout the world, Heba must marry a man that

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

Bridging the Gap 2021 7'

Animation Directed by Nina Ross Meg Barrett .

Aged 18, Meg started hearing a voice. She tried ignoring it, didn’t tell a soul, yet the voice grew. More abusive, more delusional and often completely out of her control. Eventually, her paranoia

Broken Gods 2019 42'

Werbner Award Directed by Dakxinkumar Bajrange (Chhara) Alice Tilche .

Set among the Rathava and Bhil Adivasi communities of western India, Broken Gods documents the social impact of Hindu religious evangelism among India’s Indigenous groups. As Indigenous people join

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

Business as Usual 2002 27'

Directed by Lucy Pardee .

Everyone knows about Ground Zero in New York, but have you bought into the memory? Big Mike, Tyrone and the other street vendors will sell you part of the disaster whilst offering you their views on

North America Trade Memory Disasters

Film list