Film list

[abu--Film-image]
ABU 2017 80'
    RAI Basil Wright Directed by Arshad Khan .
Arshad always knew he was different. Soon after emigrating from Pakistan to Canada with his family, Arshad realized he was gay. With Abu, Arshad tells his own story self discovery at a cultural
[awake-a-dream-from-standing-rock--Film-image]
AWAKE, A Dream from Standing Rock 2017 89'
    RAI Basil Wright Directed by Josh Fox James Spione Myron Dewey .
The native-led resistance to the construction of a pipeline across the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation, North Dakota, captured the world’s attention. Awake tells the story of the defiant Water
[after-the-silence--Film-image]
After the Silence 2018 28'
    Material Culture Directed by Natalie Cubides-Brady .
An affecting portrait of a small town on the Magdalena River in Colombia during Day of the Dead, exploring the spiritual impact of the forced disappearances that became endemic during the nation’s
[amazonimations--Film-image]
Amazonimations 2018 7'
    Shorts Directed by Camilla Morelli Sophie Marsh .
A compilation of three animated films written, voiced and illustrated by the Matses people of the Amazon rainforest, on the Peru-Brazil frontier. Made in collaboration with an indigenous artist, a
[awards-ceremony--Gala event-image]
Awards Ceremony 120'
Gala event
  Convened by Royal Anthropological Institute .
Join us to close the 16th RAI Film Festival as we announce the winners of this year's prizes and awards.
[bonfires--Film-image]
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--Film-image]
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
[cantadoras-musical-memories-of-life-and-death-in-colombia--Film-image]
Cantadoras: Musical Memories of Life and Death in Colombia 2017 70'
    Intangible Culture Directed by María Fernanda Carrillo Sánchez .
A portrait of life in rural Colombia, towards its Carribean coast, told through the words and songs of the resilient Afro-colombian singers that farm there. Through intimate interviews and the
[creative-mentorship-session-1--Forum-image]
Creative Mentorship - Session 1 105'
Forum
  Convened by Caterina Sartori .
This special event provides a chance to glimpse exciting new ethnographic film projects in the making. In these sessions, filmmakers will pitch their projects and share a short extract from their
[creative-mentorship-session-2--Forum-image]
Creative Mentorship - Session 2 105'
Forum
  Convened by RAI Film Festival .
A chance to glimpse exciting new ethnographic film projects in the making. In these sessions, filmmakers will pitch their projects and share a short extract from their works-in-progress. They will
[elder-sister--Film-image]
Elder sister 2017 96'
    RAI Basil Wright Directed by Zheng Long .
From the 1970s, the "family planning" policies of the Chinese state limited its citizens to having one child. These policies are well-known. Lesser known are the smaller stories of how
[engagingempowering-image-voices--Conference-image]
Engaging/Empowering Image-Voices '
Conference
  Convened by Raminder Kaur Mariagiulia Grassilli .
How can anthropologists and filmmakers engage with and empower marginalised individuals and communities? Since the 1950s, ethnographic filmmakers and theorists have advocated for participatory
[ethnographic-film-and-mental-health-transformations-and-impact--Workshop-image]
Ethnographic Film and Mental Health: Transformations and Impact '
Workshop
  Convened by Mike Poltorak .
This interactive workshop explores the challenges and possibilities that emerge when visual anthropologists engage with ideas and experiences associated with mental health – and, in particular,
[even-when-i-fall--Film-image]
Even When I Fall 2017 95'
    RAI Basil Wright Directed by Kate McLarnon Sky Neal .
Sheetal and Saraswoti met as teenagers in a Kathmandu refuge, both survivors of child trafficking to Indian circuses. They had been rescued and brought back across the border to Nepal- but what does
[fadjal-safi-faye-special-focus--Film-image]
Fad'jal (Safi Faye Special Focus) 1979 112'
    Special Interest Directed by Safi Faye .
The work of pioneering Senegalese filmmaker and ethnologist Safi Faye is the subject of our Special Focus at the 16th RAI Film Festival. In Fad'jal, Faye tells the story of a Serer village in the
[fathers-prescription--Film-image]
Father's Prescription 2017 11'
    Shorts Directed by Enke Huang .
A personal exploration of traditional Chinese medicine that considers the importance of its sensory qualities. Huang vividly recalls the extreme bitter taste and smell of the teas consumed by her
[fire-mouth--Film-image]
Fire Mouth 2017 9'
    Shorts Directed by Luciano Pérez Fernández .
A film about a football match in Pernambuco, Northeastern Brazil, in which we see none of the action, or even a single player. We only catch glimpses of the fans as they bake, rather sluggishly,
[gringo-trails--Film-image]
Gringo Trails 2013 79'
    Special Interest Directed by Pegi Vail .
For many the tourist pathway across South America, Africa and Asia known as the “gringo trail” offers life-altering adventures. For host nations, it offers financial security. But this trail
[guardians-of-the-night--Film-image]
Guardians of the Night 2018 17'
    Shorts Directed by Alexandrine Boudreault-Fournier Eleonora Diamanti .
A survey of the happenings in Guantánamo, Cuba during nighttime. We see neighbourhood watchmen on lonely streets, bustling crowds of revellers in illuminated squares, families as they relax at home
[heartbound--Film-image]
Heartbound 2018 90'
    RAI Basil Wright Directed by Janus Metz Sine Plambech .
In a small, wind-swept fishing community on the Northern coast of Denmark live 926 Thai-women. 25 years ago there were none. Heartbound is a unique study of this unprecedented network of Thai/Danish
[honouring-professor-stephen-nugent--Conference-image]
Honouring Professor Stephen Nugent '
Conference
  Convened by Renato Athias .
Professor Stephen Nugent, a major figure in the field of Visual Anthropology, passed away in November 2018. At Goldsmiths, Steve set up the pioneering MA in Visual Anthropology, and more recently
[kim-longinotto--Gala event-image]
Kim Longinotto 120'
Gala event
  Convened by Angela Piccini .
This year, the RAI Lifetime Achievement Award will be awarded in 2019 to multi award winning filmmaker Kim Longinotto. Marking this occasion, Longinotto will give the 2019 George Brandt Lecture at a
[king-on-brasil--Film-image]
King On, Brasil! 2018 15'
    Special Interest Directed by Luiza Folegatti .
King On, Brasil! is a short documentary featuring six Brazilian Drag Kings and their use of social media to share their work, knowledge and performances which in turn strengthen their community. The
[legacies--Film-image]
Legacies 2018 34'
    Student Directed by Clair Maleney .
The pioneering approach of Jubilee School in West Philadelphia seeks to empower its students (mainly black, and from low-income households), via a curriculum which highlights the arts, social
[living-here--Film-image]
Living Here 2017 16'
    Shorts Directed by Sarah Baril Gaudet .
In Aupaluk, Northern Quebec, a small cluster of primary coloured buildings cluster amidst the blinding white tundra. We are introduced to the tiny town (population 200, mainly Inuit) by a thoughtful
[masterclass-laurent-van-lancker--Masterclass-image]
Masterclass: Laurent Van Lancker 105'
Masterclass
  Convened by Chris Wright .
This year's RAI Film Festival Masterclass will be delivered by award-winning filmmaker Laurent Van Lancker, in conversation with Chris Wright. Van Lancker won the Basil Wright Prize at the RAI
[mobail-goroka--Film-image]
Mobail Goroka 2018 17'
    Shorts Directed by Jackie Kauli .
Glossy advertisements for telecommunications company Digicel abound in Goroka, a town in Papua New Guinea’s eastern highlands. This film takes a close look at the footsoldiers of this multinational
[mossane-safi-faye-special-focus--Film-image]
Mossane (Safi Faye Special Focus) 1996 105'
    Special Interest Directed by Safi Faye .
The work of pioneering Senegalese filmmaker and ethnologist Safi Faye is the subject of our Special Focus at the 16th RAI Film Festival. Mossane is one of her greatest achievements, and we present
[nhenha--Film-image]
NHENHA 2018 26'
    Student Directed by Andre Bahule Karen Boswall .
“We work the land and we dance. That’s what we know how to do” explains Maria in this portrait of the lives of three generations of women in southern Mozambique. The dance they dance is the
[niishii-night-worlds--Film-image]
Niishii | Night Worlds 2017 22'
    Student Directed by Saranya Nayak .
What happens to a town after sunset? What happens to life and light? Niishii is an evocative tour through the night time hours in the town of Dubrajpur (West Bengal, India). Here, amidst inky
[of-love-law--Film-image]
Of Love & Law 2017 94'
    RAI Basil Wright Directed by Hikaru Toda .
Fumi and Kazu are partners in love and law; they run the first law firm in Japan set up by an openly gay couple. As lawyers driven by their own experience of being ​outsiders​, they attract a
[opening-night-screening-edge-of-the-knife--Film-image]
Opening Night Screening: Edge of the Knife 2018 100'
    Special Interest Directed by Gwaai Edenshaw Helen Haig-Brown .
We are delighted to open the 16th RAI Film Festival with Edge of the Knife, the recipient of this year's President's Medal. Edge of the Knife is the first feature film in the endangered Haida
[our-freedom--Film-image]
Our Freedom 2017 52'
    Material Culture Directed by Laura Kuen Yury Snigirev .
The inhabitants of the village of Pungino live mostly beyond the reach of the Russian state. Here, in this remote rural location, they create their own sphere of personal freedom. This film explores
[panel-01-indigenous-cinema-past-present-and-future--Conference-image]
Panel 01: Indigenous Cinema: past, present and future 90'
Conference
  Convened by Renato Athias Rodrigo Lacerda .
Full title - Indigenous Cinema: past, present and future Indigenous cinema is a very diverse and global category with more than fifty years of history. The panel seeks submissions to analyze the
[panel-02-how-to-frame-a-poem-in-a-film-with-othersij--Conference-image]
Panel 02: How to frame a poem in a film with others? 90'
Conference
  Convened by Roseline Lambert Rachel McCrum .
Full title - How to frame a poem in a film with others? Experiences of translation between different langages, poems, pictures and borders This panel aims to discuss the realisation of film-poems
[panel-03-precarious-landscapes-part-i--Conference-image]
Panel 03: Precarious landscapes (Part I) 90'
Conference
  Convened by Toma Peiu .
Full title: Precarious landscapes: forensics and decolonial futures This panel will be discussing the practicalities and ethics of producing images and sound in vulnerable landscapes. Work coming
[panel-03-precarious-landscapes-part-ii--Conference-image]
Panel 03: Precarious landscapes (Part II) 90'
Conference
  Convened by Toma Peiu .
Full title- Precarious landscapes: forensics and decolonial futures This panel will be discussing the practicalities and ethics of producing images and sound in vulnerable landscapes. Work coming
[panel-04-indigenous-california--Conference-image]
Panel 04: Indigenous California 90'
Conference
  Convened by Teri Brewer Sue Giles Wendy Teeter .
Full title- Indigenous California: A Forum on Collaborative Archaeological and Ethnographic Visual Media Projects In recent years there have been an increasing number of productive visual media
[panel-05-haptics-and-visual-anthropology--Conference-image]
Panel 05: Haptics and Visual Anthropology 90'
Conference
  Convened by Aparna Sharma Arine Kirstein Høgel .
Full title - Haptics and Visual Anthropology: Audio-Visual Dialogues and Non-Verbal Forms of Knowledge Construction In this workshop, filmmakers and researchers Sharma and Høgel explore how
[panel-06-expanding-ethnographic-film-multimodalityij--Conference-image]
Panel 06: Expanding Ethnographic Film: Multimodality? 90'
Conference
  Convened by Mark Westmoreland Janine Prins .
This panel seeks to investigate the expansion of ethnographic film practices in cases where a combination of different practice-based methodologies led to a multimodal approach. To what extent does
[panel-07-from-the-field-to-the-screen-part-i--Conference-image]
Panel 07: From the Field to the Screen (Part I) 90'
Conference
  Convened by Angélica Cabezas Pino Mattia Fumanti .
Full title - From the Field to the Screen: Reflexive Practices and Collaborative Methods in Ethnographic Film. This panel includes contributions from visual anthropologists and filmmakers of
[panel-07-from-the-field-to-the-screen-part-ii--Conference-image]
Panel 07: From the Field to the Screen (Part II) 90'
Conference
  Convened by Angélica Cabezas Pino Mattia Fumanti .
Full title - From the Field to the Screen: Reflexive Practices and Collaborative Methods in Ethnographic Film This panel includes contributions from visual anthropologists and filmmakers of
[panel-08-golden-wing-silver-wings--Conference-image]
Panel 08: Golden Wing, Silver Wings 90'
Conference
  Convened by Gary Seaman Zhuang Kongshao .
Full title - Golden Wing, Silver Wings: Filmic representations of the autobiographical ethnography of Lin Yueh-hwa This panel will focus on the legacy of the famous Chinese anthropologist Lin
[panel-09-we-three-apparatus-subject-society-part-i--Conference-image]
Panel 09: We Three: Apparatus, Subject, Society (Part I) 90'
Conference
  Convened by Timothy P. A. Cooper Vindhya Buthpitiya .
Departing from the tripartite relationship between apparatus, subject, and society this panel invites reflection on issues of exclusion, consent, cinephobia, cinephilia, censorship, archival
[panel-09-we-three-apparatus-subject-society-part-ii--Conference-image]
Panel 09: We Three: Apparatus, Subject, Society (Part II) 90'
Conference
  Convened by Timothy P. A. Cooper Vindhya Buthpitiya .
Departing from the tripartite relationship between apparatus, subject, and society this panel invites reflection on issues of exclusion, consent, cinephobia, cinephilia, censorship, archival
[panel-10-youth-centred-frames-part-i--Conference-image]
Panel 10: Youth-centred frames (Part I) 90'
Conference
  Convened by Camilla Morelli Flavia Kremer .
Full title - Youth-centred frames: visual collaborations and participatory techniques in the research with young people This panel explores the use of participatory visual methods (film-making
[panel-10-youth-centred-frames-part-ii--Conference-image]
Panel 10: Youth-centred frames (Part II) 90'
Conference
  Convened by Camilla Morelli Flavia Kremer .
Full title - Youth-centred frames: visual collaborations and participatory techniques in the research with young people This panel explores the use of participatory visual methods (film-making and
[panel-11-the-material-mediation-of-the-non-normative-body--Conference-image]
Panel 11: The material mediation of the ‘non-normative’ body 90'
Conference
  Convened by Cathy Greenhalgh Catalin Brylla .
This panel considers filmmakers who seek to work with and represent ‘non-normative’ bodies that are traditionally stereotyped and portrayed as “the other”. The aim is to explore innovative or
[panel-12-transforming-theory-in-and-through-film-part-i--Conference-image]
Panel 12: Transforming theory in and through film (Part I) 90'
Conference
  Convened by Mattijs van de Port Janine Prins .
This panel seeks to expand theoretical ambitions in visual anthropology. We explore audio-visual modes of report that speak about existential issues via the minutiae of life-as-lived. We invite
[panel-12-transforming-theory-in-and-through-film-part-ii--Conference-image]
Panel 12: Transforming theory in and through film (Part II) 90'
Conference
  Convened by Mattijs van de Port Janine Prins .
This panel seeks to expand theoretical ambitions in visual anthropology. We explore audio-visual modes of report that speak about existential issues via the minutiae of life-as-lived. We invite
[pasajuego--Film-image]
Pasajuego 2018 75'
    Material Culture Directed by Daniel Oliveras de Ita .
“Pasajuego” is the name of the court where Oaxacans play the ancient indigenous ball game of Pelota Mixteca. Today more than two million people from the southern Mexican state of Oaxaca live in
[pedagogy-public-anthropology-legacies-of-marshalls-and-aschs-ethnographic-films--Seminar-image]
Pedagogy & Public Anthropology: Legacies of Marshall's and Asch's Ethnographic Films 90'
Seminar
  Convened by Nancy Lutkehaus .
This panel reflects on the role of ethnographic film in pedagogy and public anthropology past, present, and future. It explores the introduction of ethnographic film into school curricula in the
[positive-youtubers-a-machinima-documentary--Film-image]
Positive Youtubers – A Machinima Documentary 2017 15'
    Special Interest Directed by Leandro Goddinho .
An experimental documentary made with footage material recorded from the computer desktop screen, about four Brazilians who have created Youtube Channels to talk openly about their HIV status. They
[the-raven-and-the-seagull--Film-image]
The Raven and the Seagull 2018 70'
    RAI Basil Wright Directed by Lasse Lau .
Denmark and Greenland have been tied together by a complex colonial relationship for centuries. Today, Greenlanders fight for autonomy, whilst acutely aware of their economic dependence on the
[resonating-burra-the-story-of-burrakatha--Film-image]
Resonating Burra - The Story of Burrakatha 2018 42'
    Intangible Culture Directed by Arjun Chavah .
Burrakatha is a storytelling art form in the Telangana and Andhra regions of India. Emerging in the 1940s, amidst the struggle against feudal oppression and the Indian freedom movement, Burrakatha
[rituals-on-tv--Seminar-image]
Rituals on TV 90'
Seminar
  Convened by RAI / BBC / Swan Films .
Several recent television productions have embraced ritual - a classic topic for anthropologists! These shows have sought to document, explore, and interrogate ritual as both spectacle and concept
[sakhisona--Film-image]
Sakhisona 2017 27'
    Intangible Culture Directed by Prantik Basu .
Near Mogulmari in West Bengal lies a mound known locally as Sakhisona. Stories about it are interwoven with myth and still sung by local musicians. A dig nearby recently uncovered the remains of a
[sunday--Film-image]
Sunday 2018 25'
    Special Interest Directed by Paulo Mendel Vitor Grunvald .
A colourful and noisy encounter with Família Stronger, a LGBTQIA+ collective in the neighbourhood of Jardim Nazaré, on São Paulo’s periphery. Across a split screen, Sunday portrays a single day
[thank-you-for-the-rain--Film-image]
Thank You For The Rain 2017 87'
    RAI Basil Wright Directed by Julia Dahr .
Over the last five years Kisilu, a smallholder farmer in Kenya, has used his camera to capture his family life, his village and the impacts of climate change. He has filmed floods, droughts and
[thinking-like-a-mountain--Film-image]
Thinking like a Mountain 2018 91'
    RAI Basil Wright Directed by Alexander Hick .
The Arhuacos are the guardians of the forest and the ice of Colombia’s highest mountain - the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta. This indigenous community draw a sustained and singular spirituality from
[vivre-riche--Film-image]
Vivre Riche 2017 53'
    RAI Basil Wright Directed by Joël Akafou .
“Rolex the Portuguese” has returned to Abidjan with one mission: to make lots of money. He seeks to emulates the hedonistic lifestyle of a new generation of West African music stars. He and his
[walkers--Film-image]
Walker's 2018 11'
    Student Directed by Kyle Myers-Haugh .
In this portrait of a historic black barbershop in Wilmington, North Carolina, we witness the everyday rituals that bind the men in this community together. Tight close ups illuminate intimate
[what-your-eyes-cant-see--Film-image]
What your eyes can’t see 2018 8'
    Shorts Directed by Julieta Pestarino .
An essay-documentary that explores the processes of archival research, and the limits of the kind of knowledge it can provide. Pestarino pursues photographer and traveller André Roosevelt into the
[zahida--Film-image]
Zahida 2018 28'
    Special Interest Directed by Seemab Gul .
Zahida is a unique woman in Pakistan: she is the nation's only female taxi driver. This sensitive film provides fascinating insight into the personal and professional trials faced by this strong
[a-very-dai-girl--Film-image]
A very Dai Girl 2018 27'
    Student Directed by MengHua Zhang .
This film quietly observes her daily life of Xiao Yue, a bright 22-year-old young woman from Yunnan province in the South of China. We see Xiao Yue cook, care for her grandmother, sew, and farm - but
[the-world-is-round-so-that-nobody-can-hide-in-the-corners-part-i-refuge--Film-image]
The world is round so that nobody can hide in the corners – Part I: Refuge 2017 10'
    Student Directed by Leandro Goddinho .
The first instalment in a series of shorts that explore LGBTQ+ experiences across the globe, envisioning a queer diasporic community. In Refuge, we hear the moving account of a young man forced to
[the-world-is-round-so-that-nobody-can-hide-in-the-corners-part-ii-the-kiss--Film-image]
The world is round so that nobody can hide in the corners – Part II: The Kiss 2017 5'
    Student Directed by Leandro Goddinho .
The second instalment in a series of shorts that explore LGBTQ+ experiences across the globe, envisioning a queer diasporic community. The Kiss stages an act of public sensuality at the Gay Holocaust