Film list

[about-love-on-a-small-island--Film-image]
About Love on a Small Island 2018 26'
    Directed by Elaheh Habibi .
The film About Love on a Small Island is a participatory and reflexive ethnographic film exploring the meaning of love among a Sunni Muslim community in an Iranian village on Qeshm Island. Following
[after-prayers--Film-image]
After Prayers 2018 61'
    Directed by Simone Mestroni .
The story of Kashmir's conflict narrated through various life stories.
[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
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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.
[beyond-life-cooling-and-cleansing-in-kilimanjaro-tanzania--Film-image]
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
[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
[the-chateau--Film-image]
The Chateau 2018 113'
    Directed by Lisbet Holtedahl .
A portrait of one of the richest Cameroonian industrialists Al Hajji Mohamadou Ousmanou Abbo. Filmed over a period of more than ten years, the red thread of the story is the construction of Al
[cracks--Film-image]
Cracks 2018 54'
  Directed by Dimitra Kofti .
Shiny supermarkets stand next to dilapidated factory buildings in the Bulgarian city of Pernik, one of the Balkans once most important industrial areas. Pernik used to be a symbol of
[dreaming-the-memories-of-now--Film-image]
Dreaming The Memories of Now 2018 92'
    Directed by Geska Helena Brečević Robert Brečević .
Journeying into the mythical space of southern Mexico, visual artists Geska and Robert Brecevic and their five-year old daughter Katja unearth complex stories in which time, memory and nostalgia are
[an-extraordinary-wedding-marriage-and-modernity-in-highlands-papua-new-guinea--Film-image]
An Extraordinary Wedding: Marriage and Modernity in Highlands, Papua New Guinea 2018 55'
    Directed by Rosita Henry Daniela Vavrova .
An Extraordinary Wedding is a film about contemporary marital exchanges in the Western Highlands of Papua New Guinea. The film presents the complex relationships entangled in a web of bridewealth
[five-faces-of-shiva--Film-image]
Five Faces of Shiva 2018 60'
    Directed by R.A. Fedde .
Five Faces of Shiva follows the rise and fall of the popularity of Hindu god lithographs, arguably India’s first mass media. Lithography — a printing technique which allowed for highly detailed
[floating-raft--Film-image]
Floating Raft 2018 29'
    Directed by Zhang Chong .
Floating Raft takes an observational look at the life of a vibrant Chinese Buddhist monk Shi Yanyi and his Buddhist brothers, in Los Angeles. The Shaolin Temple is famous for its 1500-year Buddhist
[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
[h-is-for-harry--Film-image]
H is for Harry 2018 81'
    Directed by Ed Owles Jaime Taylor .
A coming of age story about Harry, a charismatic 11-year old boy, who arrives at secondary school in suburban London unable to read or write. With the help of Sophie, his extremely dedicated teacher,
[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
[in-the-devils-garden--Film-image]
In the Devil's Garden 2018 25'
    Directed by Pavel Borecký .
The film situates the viewer within the makeshift space of an animal market in Algeria. Drifting between feeding and waiting, one attunes to the bodies of goats and camels, the oldest companions of
[in-search--Film-image]
In Search... 2018 90'
    Main Competition Directed by Beryl Magoko .
As a young girl growing up in a rural village in Kenya, Beryl thought that all women in the world have to be “circumcised” by going through Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting (FGM/C) at a young
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Kashi Labh 2018 43'
    Directed by Rajat Nayyar .
This film explores the aesthetics of dying, family as a unit of care, and taking the last vital breath in Kashi, India’s sacred city. With Kashi Labh, Nayyar reflects upon his work with families
[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
[master-feng-taoist-monk-in-china-today--Film-image]
MASTER FENG, TAOIST MONK IN CHINA TODAY 2018 72'
    Directed by Adeline HERROU .
This ethnographical film paints the portrait of a Taoist monk in central China. Forced to return to a lay life during the Cultural Revolution (1966-76), he was sent to work in the fields for 15th
[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
[new-rise-old-ebb--Film-image]
NEW RISE, OLD EBB 2018 28'
    Directed by Carlo Cubero Enrico Barone Kristiina Pilvet .
In 2016 from May to September, on the island of Piirissaare, a series of fires destroyed several houses and the prayer house, causing insecurities and disagreements in the community.
[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
[naach-bhikhari-naach--Film-image]
Naach Bhikhari Naach 2018 72'
    Directed by Shilpi Gulati Jainendra Dost .
Naach is a form of traditional folk theatre from Bihar, India. In this tradition, male artists often cross dress as women on stage and are referred to as ‘laundas’. The most legendary name in
[new-moon--Film-image]
New Moon 2018 70'
    Directed by Philippa Ndisi-Herrmann .
.See less NICHE African, Islamic, Developing Nations, Women
[not-in-my-neighbourhood--Film-image]
Not in my Neighbourhood 2018 86'
    Global Racialisations Directed by Kurt Orderson .
As cities around the world catapult themselves into ‘world-class city status’, we have to ask ourselves, “at what cost”? This film tells the intergenerational stories of spatial violence in
[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
[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
[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
[sangharsh-strife--Film-image]
Sangharsh. Strife. 2018 105'
    Directed by Nicolas Jaoul .
Shot between 1997 and 2001, Sangharsh takes us deep into the lifeworld of Dalit Panther activists in the late 1990s Uttar Pradesh. By following three activists, one is taken on a rough trip in the
[scratches-on-celluloid--Film-image]
Scratches on Celluloid 2018 53'
    Directed by Vindhya Buthpitiya Timothy Cooper .
In the rapidly changing urban landscapes of Jaffna and Lahore, the social and public space of cinema halls are recognisable for their longevity and resilience amid insurgency, war, and
[singing-bird-carrying-on-the-kumeyaay-tradition--Film-image]
Singing "Bird": Carrying on the Kumeyaay Tradition 2018 30'
    Directed by Teri Brewer .
The Kumeyaay, an indigenous people of Southern California and Northern Mexico still perform more than a dozen ancient song cycles kept alive through a process of apprenticeship and study which can
[specialised-technique--Film-image]
Specialised Technique 2018 6'
    Directed by Onyeka Igwe .
William Sellers and the Colonial Film Unit developed a framework for colonial cinema, this included slow edits, no camera tricks and minimal camera movement. Hundreds of films were created in
[the-storehouses-of-the-world--Film-image]
The Storehouses of the World 2018 27'
    Directed by Timothy Cooper Abeera Arif-Bashir .
In the Pakistani city of Lahore an audiocassette recorded decades ago deep among the crowd at a ritual mourning procession continues to circulate in the neighbourhood in which it was first made.
[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
[survivors--Film-image]
Survivors 2018 84'
    Main Competition Directed by WeOwnTV .
With unflinching intimacy this film chronicles the remarkable stories of four Sierra Leoneans during the Ebola epidemic in what is regarded as the most acute public health crisis of the modern era
[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
[together-apart-ma-thesis--Film-image]
Together Apart (MA Thesis) 2018 57'
    Directed by Maren Wickwire .
Carren has spent most of her adult life apart from her children. When her daughter Guil Ann arrives on the island of Cyprus to join her as domestic worker, unexpected events lead to Carren’s
[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
[walking-is-medicine--Film-image]
Walking is Medicine 2018 5'
    Lifetime Achievement Award - Alanis Obomsawin Directed by Alanis Obomsawin .
This is the story of the Nishiyuu walkers, six young Cree men who decided to trek 1600km from Whapmagoostui, Quebec, to Ottawa, in the spirit of their ancestors, whose traditions were to travel long
[warehouse--Film-image]
Warehouse 2018 8'
    Directed by Lillian Dam Bracia S. Buse Yildirim Constantinos Diamantis Malwa Grabowska .
Warehouse is a meditative ethnographic short film. Warehouse is a place where sound moves the objects. It is an intimate encounter in the cosmos of objects, sounds and textures where carpenter
[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
[yeh-freedom-life-this-freedom-life--Film-image]
YEH FREEDOM LIFE / THIS FREEDOM LIFE 2018 70'
    Directed by Priya Sen .
Yeh Freedom Life / This Freedom Life was filmed over a year in Ambedkar Nagar, a dense, largely working class area in South Delhi. It moves between the two very different worlds of its protagonists,
[yours-truly--Film-image]
Yours Truly 2018 15'
    Directed by Maddi Barber Charlotte Hoskins Christopher Murray .
Yours Truly follows the trail of taxidermic pieces collected by The Manchester Museum during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Archival letters between the museums directors, explorers, and
[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