Film list

[75-grams--Film-image]
75 Grams 2008 31'
    Directed by Priscilla Clarissou .
Nestled below the rugged Chilean peaks of the Andes lies the gold mining town of Andacollo. The town's remoteness and mining economy has nurtured religious beliefs in the power of the Virgin over the
South America Labour Material Culture Religion / Belief / Faith
[the-art-of-regret--Film-image]
The Art of Regret 2007 60'
    Directed by Judith MacDougall .
Photography is known in China as the “Art of Regret”. In the rapidly changing city of Kunming, people are ambivalent about whether they want photography to be a medium of preservation and
South-East Asia Material Culture Film / Photography / Mass media
[at-low-tide--Film-image]
At Low Tide 2016 63'
  Directed by Anna Grimshaw .
Every day, carrying the simplest of tools, diggers across coastal Maine set out at low tide to dig for clams on the wide mud flats that stretch far into the bay. It is backbreaking work. But it has
North America Material Culture Labour Hunting / Gathering / Fishing
[the-blooms-of-benjeli-technology-and-gender-in-west-african-ironmaking--Film-image]
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
[a-chair-in-six-parts--Film-image]
A Chair: in six parts 2013 42'
    Student Directed by Anna Grimshaw .
A poem about a chair. In 1960, Bill Coperthwaite bought 300 acres of wilderness in Machiasport, Maine. Influenced by the poetry of Emily Dickinson and by the back to the land movement of Scott and
North America Material Culture Alternative culture Art / Artists / Artisans
[copperworking-in-santa-clara-del-cobra-michoacan-mexico-artisans-facing-change--Film-image]
Copperworking in Santa Clara del Cobra, Michoacán, Mexico - Artisans Facing Change 2001 52'
    Directed by Beate Engelbrecht .
Santa Clara del Cobre, a village in Mexico's province Michoacán, is well-known for its copperwork, a craft originating from pre-Spanish times. In the late 1940s the people of Santa Clara tried to
Central America Material Culture Labour Art / Artists / Artisans
[diya--Film-image]
Diya 2001 55'
    Directed by Judith MacDougall .
A diya is a small terra cotta oil lamp used throughout India in Hindu ceremonies. The film follows the life history of an object through the every day experience of people who make, sell and use it
South Asia Trade Material Culture Religion / Belief / Faith Art / Artists / Artisans
[fatmawatis-wedding-the-weddings-of-two-sisters-the-preparations--Film-image]
Fatmawati's Wedding: the Weddings of two Sisters, the Preparations 1998 50'
    Directed by Fiona Kerlogue .
This film records the preparations for the wedding of two sisters in eastern Sumatra in December 1996. There is an emphasis on the importance of the role of women in the village. Ritual exchanges
South-East Asia Gender Role and Identity Marriage Ritual Material Culture
[in-a-state-of-dress--Film-image]
In a State of Dress 2010 21'
    Directed by Madelief de Heer .
Filmed in Walcheren, a region in the south-west of the Netherlands, this film tells of the lived experience of wearing regional dress. Once worn by the whole community, today this complex attire is
Western Europe Material Culture Elderly people Intergenerational relations
[in-and-out-of-africa--Film-image]
In and Out of Africa 1993 59'
    Directed by Ilisa Barbash Lucien Taylor .
A classic in ethnographic filmmaking, In and Out of Africa traces the transnational trade of African Art between West Africa and the USA, providing an insight into how value, commoditization and
North America Art / Artists / Artisans Trade Material Culture
[kutaay--Film-image]
Kutääy 2014 20'
    Directed by Isis Contreras .
Fili, a 22-year-old Mixe, makes ornamental paper hot air balloons. Since this is an important tradition in his community, Fili —an expert in the art— is recognized and accepted. Yet, he is
Central America Material Culture Social Change Intergenerational relations
[little-waterfall--Film-image]
Little Waterfall 2002 52'
    Directed by Joshka Wessels .
Shallalah Saghirah ('Little Waterfall') is a small village of about 20 households located in the Khanasser valley, in north Syria. The village has no electricity and still uses an ancient ganat
Middle and Near East Infrastructure / Transport Material Culture Development projects
[living-through-things--Film-image]
Living Through Things 2005 32'
    Directed by Anna Waddell .
Kristin, Mark and Bob collect things. The film explores attachment, possession and the way that objects inhabit their lives.
British-Irish Isles Material Culture
[the-log-rafters-of-lake-aegeri--Film-image]
The Log Rafters of Lake Aegeri 2016 29'
    Material Culture Directed by Thomas Horat .
Aegeri, in a remote part of Switzerland, is one of the few lakes in Central Europe where professional log rafters can still be found. This film is based on the gentle observation of the work of a
Western Europe Material Culture Labour Rural
[native--Film-image]
Native 2002 29'
    Directed by Rachel Greenwood .
Through his clothing, a young South African fashion designer of mixed race urges freedom and unity in post-apartheid South Africa. His message is reaching not only his fellow South Africans, but also
Southern Africa Collective / Community identity Material Culture
[ringtone--Film-image]
Ringtone 2014 30'
  Directed by Jennifer Deger Paul Wunungmurra .
Yolngu Aboriginal families offer glimpses into their lives and relationships through their choice of ringtones. From ancestral clan songs to 80s hip hop artists and local gospel tunes, these songs
Australia Indigenous peoples / First Nations peoples Music / Ethnomusicology Material Culture
[sifinja-the-iron-bride--Film-image]
Sifinja - The Iron Bride 2009 70'
  Directed by Valerie Haensch .
A film about mobility, human creativity, and technology in a Sudanese truck community. The English Bedford-Lorry was introduced to Sudan in the late 1960s. Since then, local craftsmen technically
North and Northeast Africa Infrastructure / Transport Material Culture Art / Artists / Artisans
[singing-pictures-women-painters-of-naya--Film-image]
Singing Pictures - Women Painters of Naya 2005 45'
  Directed by Lina Fruzzetti Ákos Östör .
For generations the Patua (Chitrakara) communities of West Bengal have been painters and singers of stories depicted in scrolls. The film follows the daily lives of Muslim Patua women from Naya
South Asia Material Culture Art / Artists / Artisans Music / Ethnomusicology
[suspension--Film-image]
Suspension 2019 73'
    Werbner Award Directed by Simón Uribe .
This film documents the building of a modern road through the imposing geography of southern Colombia. It brilliantly captures some of the absurdities and contradictions of a construction project
South America Development projects Infrastructure / Transport Material Culture Rural
[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
[tyres--Film-image]
Tyres 2013 30'
    Directed by Kyaw Myo Lwin .
A recycling workshop in South Okkalapa in Myanmar’s former capital of Yangon is a place where discarded tyres are transformed from their original shape and use, and are re-purposed to new uses.
South-East Asia Material Culture Labour Infrastructure / Transport
[unity-dress-scapes-of-accra--Film-image]
Unity: Dress-scapes of Accra 2016 37'
  Directed by Mara Lin Visser .
This is a film about African fashion in the capital of Ghana. African printed fabrics seem to making a comeback in the fashion system of Accra. While following Allan, a fashion designer and his wife
West Africa Trade Material Culture Art / Artists / Artisans
[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
[the-veil-unveiled--Film-image]
The Veil Unveiled 2004 29'
  Directed by Vanessa Langer .
In Yemen, the land of Queen Saba, a wide variety of veils can be found. In the capital Sana’a, the women, although at first sight appearing to all be wearing but black, distinguish themselves one
Middle and Near East Gender Role and Identity Material Culture Religion / Belief / Faith
[the-women-weavers-of-assam--Film-image]
The Women Weavers of Assam 2019 98'
    Special Interest Directed by Aparna Sharma .
The Women Weavers of Assam focuses on the craft, labour and the everyday lives of a group of women weavers in India’s northeastern state of Assam. The weavers belong to a non-profit collective
South Asia Art / Artists / Artisans Gender Role and identity Material Culture
[yanomami-from-machetes-to-mobile-phones--Film-image]
Yanomami: From Machetes to Mobile Phones 2012 58'
  Directed by Cliff Orloff and Olga Shalygin .
The Yanomami Indians are one of the last large relatively unacculturated indigenous groups remaining in the world. In November 2000 filmmakers Orloff and Shalygin documented the lives of a small
South America Indigenous peoples / First Nations peoples Material Culture Social Change