Film list

[ama-san--Film-image]
Ama-san 2016 113'
    RAI Basil Wright Directed by Cláudia Varejão .
A dive, the noon sunlight cuts through the water. The air in both lungs will have to be enough to rip the abalone from the rocks at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean. With no aid from air tanks or any
[the-archipelago--Film-image]
The Archipelago 2015 41'
    RAI Basil Wright Directed by Benjamin Huguet .
The Faroe Islands: a remote group of islands, battered by the ever-changing weather patterns of the North Atlantic. For centuries, the Faroese have lived proudly off the natural resources that
[archival-resources-and-ethnographic-film--Workshop-image]
Archival resources and Ethnographic Film '
Workshop
  Convened by Caterina Sartori .
This session brings together archivists and professionals who are involved in the preservation, cataloguing and digitisation of archival film and photographic material; and artists and ethnographers
[artists-films-and-ethnography--Workshop-image]
Artists’ Films and Ethnography '
Workshop
  Convened by Marko Ray Wilkinson Al Cameron Barbara Knorpp .
Practitioners of ethnography and art have crossed paths multiple times in the 20th and 21st centuries - sometimes viewing each other with enthusiasm, sometimes suspicion. This programme consists
[authors-at-the-festival-reception--Gala event-image]
Authors at the Festival & Reception '
Gala event
  Convened by Paul Henley .
A number of authors attending the Festival will present their books in the course of a Drinks Reception to which all Festival pass holders are cordially invited. Copies of the books will also be
[bath-people--Film-image]
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
[the-bride-of-the-nile--Film-image]
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
[careers-in-ethnographic-film--Workshop-image]
Careers in Ethnographic Film '
Workshop
  Convened by Ed Owles .
What do people do with a degree in visual anthropology? A panel from a variety of roles across academia, TV and independent filmmaking discuss their career paths and how their training in
[carnival-king-of-europe--Workshop-image]
Carnival King of Europe '
Workshop
  Convened by Giovanni Kezich .
European winter festival masquerades possess a number of common elements - relating to character and content as well as structure - that are astonishingly similar across great geographical distances,
[centenary-of-jean-rouch--Gala event-image]
Centenary of Jean Rouch '
Gala event
  Convened by Paul Henley .
After a brief introduction to the work of Jean Rouch, there will be a screening of one of his major works, "Moi, un Noir". This will be followed by a Round Table discussion and Q&A,
[changa-revisited--Film-image]
Changa Revisited 2016 60'
    RAI Basil Wright Directed by Peter Biella Leonard Kamerling .
This is the story of Tanzania Maasai elder Toreto ole Koisenge and his passage through three decades of cultural and economic change. Seen from two points across a thirty year divide, the film uses
[the-cinema-travellers--Film-image]
The Cinema Travellers 2016 96'
    RAI Basil Wright Directed by Shirley Abraham Amit Madheshiya .
An affectionate but melancholy ode to a vanishing phenomenon in rural India: the travelling cinema. The huge projector has been repaired countless times by its ingenious operator. The tent and screen
[closing-reception-awards-ceremony--Gala event-image]
Closing Reception & Awards Ceremony '
Gala event
  Convened by Paul Henley .
Steven Hughes, chair of the panel of judges will invite his fellow judges to announce the 2017 film prizes and to give a brief explanation of the reasons for their decision. After each prize
[damiana-kryygi--Film-image]
Damiana Kryygi 2015 94'
    RAI Basil Wright Directed by Alejandro Fernández Mouján .
The year is 1896. In the Paraguayan forest, a three-year-old Aché girl survives the massacre of her family by white settlers. She is baptised 'Damiana' by her captors. At the age of 14, she is
[dust--Film-image]
Dust 2016 44'
    Material Culture Directed by Deepak Tolange .
Every winter, thousands of Nepalis and Indians migrate to various parts of Nepal to work in brick factories. Many of these labourers are children who drop out of school, engage in hard labour and
[the-eagle-huntress--Film-image]
The Eagle Huntress 2016 87'
    Special Interest Directed by Otto Bell .
Aishol-pan, a 13-year-old girl, trains to become the first female in 12 generations of her Kazakh family to become an eagle hunter and rises to the pinnacle of a tradition that has been handed down
[employment-office--Film-image]
Employment Office 2015 74'
    RAI Basil Wright Directed by Anne Schiltz Charlotte Grégoire .
An office interior, a row of desks, people facing each other. This is where unemployed people come to meet with their advisers. What is at stake are their benefit payments. Here everyone has to abide
[eoha--Film-image]
Eoha 2015 22'
    Intangible Culture Directed by Vladimir Perovic .
In a timeless rocky mountain landscape evoking the time of Creation, a shepherd communicates with his goats and sheep. Twenty or so different cries, screams, chirps, babbles, mumbles, whispers,
[ethnographic-film-in-the-marketplace--Forum-image]
Ethnographic Film in the Marketplace '
Forum
  Convened by André Singer .
This Forum will consider the distribution of films of an anthropological nature to broad general and international audiences as well as within the academic sphere. Chaired by André Singer, President
[the-face-behind-the-mask--Film-image]
The Face Behind the Mask 2015 54'
    Intangible Culture Directed by Nirmal Chander Dandriyal .
Weaving between past and present, performances and daily routine, this film focuses on the life and struggle of Shashadhar Acharya, a member of the fifth generation of a family of traditional Chhau
[film-identity-and-nation-building--Workshop-image]
Film, Identity and Nation-Building '
Workshop
  Convened by Jeremy MacClancy .
This workshop will consist of two presentations that query the relations between film, identity, and nation-building. They will interrogate the connections between an ever-developing technology, a
[the-george-brandt-lecture-an-open-conversation-with-hugh-brody--Gala event-image]
The George Brandt Lecture - An Open Conversation with Hugh Brody '
Gala event
  Convened by Jacqueline Maingard Angela Piccini .
The RAI Life Achievement Award, which has been given at a number of RAI Film Festivals since 1990, has been awarded in 2017 to anthropologist, filmmaker and writer Hugh Brody. In collaboration with
[interactive-documentary-and-ethnographic-film--Workshop-image]
Interactive Documentary and Ethnographic Film '
Workshop
  Convened by Judith Aston Paolo Favero .
This workshop will aim to generate a constructive dialogue between innovative or emerging non-linear (or interactive) documentary practices and the terrain of ethnographic film. It will be structured
[j-c-abbey-ghanas-puppeteer--Film-image]
J. C. Abbey, Ghana's Puppeteer 2016 55'
    Intangible Culture Directed by Steven Feld .
This film presents an exceptional fifty-year artistic career, from Accra’s streets to Ghana’s villages to international TV. In fifteen delightful puppet shows, Mr. Abbey chronicles Ghana's music
[john-baily-masterclass-afghan-music--Masterclass-image]
John Baily Masterclass - Afghan Music '
Masterclass
  Convened by Barley Norton .
In this revelatory masterclass John Baily will trace his ‘career’ as an ethnomusicological film maker, starting with the films he made as a result of research in Herat, Afghanistan, in the 1970s:
[journey-to-the-maggot-feeder--Film-image]
Journey to the Maggot Feeder 2015 68'
    RAI Basil Wright Directed by Liivo Niglas Priit Tender .
This film tries to solve the mystery of a bizarre Arctic fairy tale. Priit Tender, an Estonian animator, makes a film about an old Chukchi legend – The Maggot Feeder. The unconventional narrative
[the-king-of-the-cockroaches--Film-image]
The King of the Cockroaches 2016 70'
    Student Directed by Timothy Cooper .
The degraded surfaces of mass-copied films - the glitches, scanlines, errors, and coding artifacts - rather than the filmmaker’s imprint, reveal the material culture and social life of film
[kivalina--Film-image]
Kivalina 2016 64'
    RAI Basil Wright Directed by Gina Abatemarco .
More than a hundred miles above the Arctic Circle, an Inupiaq Eskimo community is living on an island that is fast disappearing into the ocean. With no resources to move and only a precarious sea
[lampedusa-in-winter--Film-image]
Lampedusa in Winter 2015 93'
    RAI Basil Wright Directed by Jakob Brossmann .
The Italian "refugee island" of Lampedusa is in the firm grip of winter's tristesse. The tourists have left, the remaining refugees fight to be taken to the mainland. As a fire destroys the
[the-land-beneath-our-feet--Film-image]
The Land Beneath Our Feet 2016 60'
    RAI Basil Wright Directed by Sarita Siegel Gregg Mitman .
The Land Beneath Our Feet weaves together rare archival footage from a 1926 Harvard expedition to Liberia with the journey of a young Liberian man, uprooted by war, seeking to understand how the past
[macdougall-masterclass-turkana-conversations-revisited--Masterclass-image]
MacDougall Masterclass - Turkana Conversations Revisited '
Masterclass
  Convened by Michael Stewart .
Marking 40 years since its original release as well as its more recent digital remastering, David MacDougall will present the classic trilogy he made with his wife Judith on the Turkana pastoralists
[my-name-is-eeooow--Film-image]
My Name is Eeooow 2016 52'
    Intangible Culture Directed by Oinam Doren .
Imagine a village where you sing every time you call someone's name. In the village of Kongthong, everybody has a song tune as a name - the 'Jingrwai Iawbei'. The name comes from a mother as an
[nodas-launeddas-at-the-time-of-crisis--Film-image]
Nodas. Launeddas at the time of crisis. 2015 29'
    Intangible Culture Directed by Umberto Cao Andrea Mura .
Dating back 3000 years to the Nuragic civilisation on Sardinia, 'launeddas' are wind instruments that testify to contacts from across the Mediterranean. Although they nearly vanished in the 1960s, in
Western Mediterranean Music / Ethnomusicology Festivals / Carnival Intergenerational relations
[pulse--Film-image]
Pulse 2015 26'
    Student Directed by Robin Petré .
This poetic, highly sensorial film takes place on one of Europe’s largest deer farms, which is home to 1,500 red deer and their caretakers. The animals are essentially still wild. They were first
[reclaiming-fiction--Workshop-image]
Reclaiming Fiction '
Workshop
  Convened by Isaac Marrero-Guillamón .
This roundtable discussion will consider the politics and aesthetics of ethnofiction in relation to current debates in ethnographic film around collaboration and self-representation. Participating
[shepherds-in-the-cave--Film-image]
Shepherds in the Cave 2016 87'
    Material Culture Directed by Anthony Grieco .
An international team of art restorers, archaeologists and volunteers begin work on the restoration of religious frescoes inside a network of ancient caves. Faced with local bureaucratic challenges
Western Mediterranean Archaeology Herding Art / Artists / Artisans Law and Legislation / Bureaucracy
[those-who-jump--Film-image]
Those Who Jump 2016 80'
    Special Interest Directed by Estephan Wagner Moritz Siebert Abou Bakar Sidibé .
In northern Morocco, lies the Spanish enclave of Melilla: Europe on African Land. On the mountain above, live over a thousand hopeful African migrants, watching the border fence. Abou from Mali is
[tracing-roots-a-weavers-journey--Film-image]
Tracing Roots: A Weaver's Journey 2015 26'
    Material Culture Directed by Ellen Frankenstein .
This film follows master Haida weaver Delores Churchill on a journey to replicate the spruce root hat found with Kwäday Dän Ts’ìnchi, also known as the Long Ago Person Found. The remains of the
[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
[trends-in-ethnographic-film-making-in-china--Workshop-image]
Trends in Ethnographic Film-making in China '
Workshop
  Convened by Gary Seaman Paul Henley .
This workshop will assess contemporary ethnographic filmmaking in academic contexts in China and will include presentations by the following scholars. (Further presentations may be added later). All
[trends-in-ethnographic-film-making-in-latin-america-i--Workshop-image]
Trends in Ethnographic Film-making in Latin America (I) '
Workshop
  Convened by Carlos Flores Angela Torresan Antonio Zirion .
This workshop will offer a space for Latin American researchers to discuss methodological and theoretical issues around their own ethnographic film-making or works of other relevant film-makers. The
[trends-in-ethnographic-film-making-in-latin-america-ii--Workshop-image]
Trends in Ethnographic Film-making in Latin America (II) '
Workshop
  Convened by Carlos Flores Angela Torresan Antonio Zirion .
This workshop will be a continuation of the workshop offered at 9:00 am on Thursday 30 March (Cinema 2, Watershed). It will offer a space for Latin American researchers to discuss methodological
[twenty-two--Film-image]
Twenty Two 2016 95'
    RAI Basil Wright Directed by Guo Ke .
The film focuses on Chinese ‘comfort women’ during World War II. At the time of filming, only 22 of the 200,000 Chinese victims forced into sexual slavery remained alive. Quietly humanistic, this
[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
[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
[uzu--Film-image]
Uzu 2015 27'
  Directed by Gaspard Kuentz .
Held every October in the city of Matsuyama, the Dogo Autumn Festival is one of the most violent religious festivals celebrated in Japan. Eight teams of men carrying massive portable wood shrines
Central Asia and Far East Ritual Gender Role and Identity
[visual-anthropology-interventions-and-climate-change--Workshop-image]
Visual Anthropology Interventions and Climate Change '
Workshop
  Convened by Mike Poltorak .
**Interested participants are invited to submit proposals for presentations to M.S.Poltorak@kent.ac.uk** There is a recognised disconnect between publicly available scientific information on
[visual-worlds-of-difference--Workshop-image]
Visual Worlds of Difference '
Workshop
  Convened by Raminder Kaur Paul Boyce .
This workshop will highlight the role of (audio-) visual and participatory arts works in the development of representations that move away from the fixity and/or Othering of identities. Our aim is to
[the-way-we-live-now--Film-image]
The Way We Live Now 2016 32'
    Student Directed by Sophia Hersi Smith .
'The Way We Live Now' is an intimate portrait of the daily routines and rituals of the Hadza; modern-day hunter-gatherers living in the acacia-baobab woodlands surrounding Lake Eyasi in North-Central
East Africa Hunting / Gathering / Fishing Everyday Life
[welcome-reception--Gala event-image]
Welcome Reception '
Gala event
  Convened by RAI FILM FESTIVAL .
Join us for a reception to welcome our guests and to celebrate the start of the festival. All welcome. Sponsored by Wiley.
[youth-group--Film-image]
Youth Group 2015 28'
    Student Directed by Wanwan Lu .
Set in the predominantly Asian “ethnoburbs” of Los Angeles County, this film follows a vibrant Buddhist youth group in a Chinese-American temple. Youth group members, most raised by immigrant
North America Collective / Community identity Religion / Belief / Faith Intergenerational relations
[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
[making-of-anthropology-on-tv--Workshop-image]
‘Making of’ Anthropology on TV '
Workshop
  Convened by Evie Wright .
Filmmakers working with the BBC Natural History Unit will describe the practicalities of all the various stages of production – from the development of an idea with which to approach commissioners,