Film list

[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
[the-ainu-bear-ceremony--Film-image]
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
[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
[the-art-of-andrew-omoding--Film-image]
The Art of Andrew Omoding 2016 9'
  Directed by Trevor H. J. Marchand .
Andrew Omoding is a Ugandan-British artist. Andrew enters into partnership with his materials, allowing their sensible properties to guide his exploratory gestures and fingerwork. In stitching and
[as-aye--Film-image]
As Aye, 2022 26'
    Student Directed by Sam Kenyon .
As Aye, is a fragment of correspondence with author and storyteller, Jess Smith, and with the ‘absent presence’ of Scottish Travellers in the archive and the landscape. Drawing on the memory and
[broken-skin--Film-image]
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.
[bearing--Film-image]
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
[benin-kingship-rituals--Film-image]
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
[between-jirina-and-anna--Film-image]
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--Film-image]
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
[boya-boya-shine-shine--Film-image]
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
[breaking-the-yard--Film-image]
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
[bridging-the-gap--Film-image]
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
[cultivating-death--Film-image]
Cultivating Death 2003 23'
    Directed by Martin Gruber .
Cemeteries are not only places for the dead. They are also spaces in which the living interact with each other – and with the dead. “Cultivating Death” depicts the different ways in which
British-Irish Isles Death Ritual
[a-donation-to-the-museum--Film-image]
A Donation to the Museum 2015 25'
    Directed by Teri F. Brewer .
Human remains from the California Channel Islands were donated to an English city museum nearly a century ago. More recently research began into how they came to be there, and whose remains they
North America Western Europe Archaeology Archival material / Museum displays
[duminea-a-festival-for-the-water-spirits--Film-image]
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
[extended-family--Film-image]
Extended Family 2016 31'
    Student Directed by Ramona Sonderegger .
This films offers an intimate insight into the lives of two same-sex families who found a way to create themselves within a legal grey area in Switzerland. Swiss law bans adoption and access to
Western Europe LGBTQI* Family / Kinship Sex / Sexuality Law and Legislation / Bureaucracy
[the-family-and-the-animals--Film-image]
The Family and the Animals 2015 15'
  Directed by Jacob Hesmondhalgh Marie-Josephine Hobson .
Sunrise to set. An ethnographic film, using no subtitles or narration to depict and illustrate the co-existence of a rural Zimbabwean family and their animals.
[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
[the-five-breakfasts-of-mr-podgoretsky--Film-image]
The Five Breakfasts of Mr Podgoretsky 2016 21'
  Directed by Carl Rowlinson .
In the shadow of Brexit an expat is deported from a country that he has made his home over the last 50 years. This documentary asks what it means to make a country a home.
[the-forgotten-generation--Film-image]
The Forgotten Generation 2015 40'
  Directed by Deepa Dhanraj .
In the Forgotten Generation older people aged over 60 in urban Tamil Nadu, rural Rajasthan and tribal Maharashtra reveal the realities of their lives, relationships and work as well as their
[forms-of-care--Film-image]
Forms of Care 2022 7'
    Animation Directed by Charlotte Kühlbrandt Maayan L. Matz .
A stop-motion animation following the story of a mundane death, and the forms of care that accompany it. The script is taken verbatim from an interview conducted as part of an ethnographic research
[fragments-from-the-past--Film-image]
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
[garden-days-village-in-papua-new-guinea--Film-image]
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--Film-image]
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-guest--Film-image]
The Guest 2012 20'
    Student Directed by Kira de Hemmer Jeppesen .
Following the personal story of a Danish first-time surrogate mother, 'The Guest' explores issues of maternal bonding, modern families, relatedness, and desired control over body and mind. We follow
Scandinavia LGBTQI* Sex / Sexuality Reproduction (biology) Family / Kinship
[gyalmus-house--Film-image]
Gyalmu's House 2016 18'
    RAI Basil Wright Directed by Asmita Shrish Gavin Carver .
In 2015 an earthquake shook the mountains of the Langtang Valley, Nepal, causing landslides and avalanches taking hundreds of lives from the small community. A year later Nima Gyalmu, a woman of
[herat-films-the-city-of-herat--Film-image]
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-shrines-of-herat--Film-image]
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
[horror-in-the-andes--Film-image]
Horror in the Andes 2019 33'
    Special Interest Directed by Martha-Cecilia Dietrich .
Horror in the Andes is a behind-the-scenes documentary that follows the process of making a horror movie in Ayacucho, Peru. Directed by audio-visual anthropologist Martha-Cecilia Dietrich, it
South America Art / Artists / Artisans Dance / Theatre / Performance Ethnofiction Film / Photography / Mass media Indigenous peoples / First Nations peoples
[i-am-the-world--Film-image]
I Am the World 2022 9'
    Shorts Directed by Che Applewhaite .
A speculative documentary that explores how an archive of networked moving images, featuring famed ballroom hosts Selvin “MC Debra” Mizrahi and Kelly Gorgeous Gucci, enables worldly ways of seeing.
[in-the-light-of-memory--Film-image]
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
[the-intelligent-hand--Film-image]
The Intelligent Hand 2015 21'
  Directed by Trevor H. J. Marchand .
The Intelligent Hand introduces us to a first-year cohort of British fine woodwork trainees at the Building Crafts College in Stratford, East London. Through the narratives of the course tutor and
[kwagh-hir--Film-image]
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
[last-round-of-jaldi-five--Film-image]
Last Round of Jaldi Five 2017 26'
  Directed by Ellen Lapper .
2017 marked seventy years since the decolonisation and Partition of India, sparking one of the largest mass migrations in history. One particular community uprooted by this event were the
[letters-from-palestine--Film-image]
Letters from Palestine 2011 35'
    Directed by Ludovica Fales .
What if in your great-grandfather's letters there is a mystery your family doesn't want to talk about? In 1920 Angelo Levi Bianchini set out to Palestine on an Italian diplomatic mission and never
Western Mediterranean Middle and Near East War / Conflict / Reconciliation Memory History
[limpiadores--Film-image]
Limpiadores 2015 39'
  Directed by Fernando Mitjáns .
Migrating is seldom an easy solution. It is rather a journey that begins with a journey. After more than eight years of campaigning, the immigrant cleaners outsourced at the School of Oriental and
[making-a-living-in-the-dry-season--Film-image]
Making a Living in the Dry Season 2016 35'
  Directed by Ines Ponte .
Set in the highlands village of Katuwo, the film is an intimate portrait of the day-to-day life of a family living in an agro-pastoralist farm in Namibe, Angola. Through my request to my host
[masks-of-mer--Film-image]
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
[negotiating-amnesia--Film-image]
Negotiating Amnesia 2015 30'
  Directed by Alessandra Ferrini .
Negotiating Amnesia takes as its starting point two collections of photographs found within the Alinari's photographic Archive in Florence (Italy): a series of black and white images of the Ethiopian
[new-images--Film-image]
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
[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
[pepe--Film-image]
Pepe 2004 23'
  Directed by Juana Schlenker .
Pepe is a Spanish immigrant who came to England more than forty years ago to work as a waiter. After working in several restaurants and hotels, he retired two years ago and now he fills his days with
British-Irish Isles Migration Elderly people
[positive-women-heartache-hope-living-with-hiv--Film-image]
Positive Women: Heartache, Hope & Living with HIV 2017 30'
    Directed by Rebecca Devaraj .
In 2016, filmmaker Bex Devaraj and anthropologist Anne Lotter were given unique access to one of the biggest slums in Kampala, Uganda, where every day is a struggle for survival. In this intimate
[raju-and-his-friends--Film-image]
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
[the-realm-of-forgotten-existence--Film-image]
The Realm of Forgotten Existence 2015 28'
  Directed by Piotr Piasta .
While the images in the film reveal a landscape that often seems unchanged, the narrative reveals fragments of forgotten stories and traditions, skills and working lives no longer of value in
[reclaiming-the-forest--Film-image]
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
[return-of-the-nightingales--Film-image]
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
[sons-of-the-moon--Film-image]
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--Film-image]
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--Film-image]
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
[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
[tayuban-dancing-the-spirit-in-java--Film-image]
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
[ten-by-ten--Film-image]
Ten by Ten 2021 29'
    Student Directed by Jami L. Bennett .
There is no denying the evocative power of food to remind us of who we are and where we come from. After living in Asia for over fifteen years, Jessica was longing for the burgers and barbecue of her
[tindaya-variations--Film-image]
Tindaya Variations 2018 40'
    Special Interest Directed by Isaac Marrero-Guillamon .
The mountain of Tindaya (Fuerteventura, Canary Islands) is more than a mountain. It was a sacred site for the indigenous people of Fuerteventura; later, its rock was quarried and sold for ornamental
Western Mediterranean Archival material / Museum displays Art / Artists / Artisans Environment Material Culture Indigenous peoples / First Nations peoples Archaeology
[treasured-moments--Film-image]
Treasured Moments 2016 33'
    Student Directed by Ravi Hart Lloyd .
This is the personal story of a boy who grew up mixed in every aspect of his life, his parents, where he was from, his race. The black kid who thought that he was white. The white kid who thought
Caribbean Islands North America Family / Kinship Race / Racism / Antiracism Collective / Community identity Film / Photography / Mass media
[undercover-in-underwear--Film-image]
Undercover in Underwear 2016 19'
    Student Directed by Diane Agatha .
The Internet provides an infinite place of freedom where self, mind and body are dislocated. We are able to reinvent and present ourselves the way we want. It is in this world that Circle, my alter
[unravel--Film-image]
Unravel 2012 14'
    Directed by Meghna Gupta .
'Unravel' follows the Western worlds least wanted clothes, on a journey across Northern India, from sea to industrial interior. They get sent to Panipat, a sleepy town and the only place in the world
South Asia Labour Material Culture Collective / Community identity
[a-village-with-a-view--Film-image]
A Village with a View 2022 20'
    Shorts Directed by Joseph Inman .
In wartime Britain, a Lord permitted unused land on Cornwall’s Rame Peninsula to be built on. Tiny chalets appeared, each as individual as its owner, and the community of Freathy came to life. In
[the-water-holds-me-the-water-binds-us--Film-image]
The Water Holds Me / The Water Binds Us 2021 2'
    Animation Directed by Lily Mae Kroes .
Based on the stories of women who dip, dive and swim in rivers, lakes and seas, this animated film evokes many different experiences in one swim, from the anticipation of getting in cold water to the
[women-in-sink--Film-image]
Women in Sink 2015 36'
  Directed by Iris Zaki .
At “Fifi’s”, a hair salon owned by a Christian Arab in Haifa, Iris Zaki installs a minimalist film set over the sink, where she converses with the clients she’s shampooing. She thus paints an
[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
[on-sea--Film-image]
on-sea 2016 20'
    Student Directed by Hatty Bell .
on-sea is a portrait film about the small community that lives on the Bush Estate at Eccles-on-sea, Norfolk. It is a film about landscape, and how people interact with it through day-to-day minutiae