Film list

[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
[agave-is-life--Film-image]
Agave is Life 2014 59'
    Directed by Meredith Dreiss David Brown .
Agave is Life is a documentary film about mankind’s 10,000 year-long symbiotic alliance with the marvelous agave plant, from which tequila, Mexico’s iconic distilled spirit, is derived. The
Central America Archaeobotany / Ethnobotany Food History
[all-gods-children--Film-image]
All God's Children 2022 67'
    Werbner Award Directed by Robert Lemelson Chisako Yokoyama Adair .
Well over half a million children in Indonesia are on the autism spectrum and have varying difficulty with social interaction and communication. Idris is a nonverbal autistic boy living in rural Java
[anshan-diaries--Film-image]
Anshan Diaries 2022 27'
    Student Directed by Xiuzhi Dong .
Director Charles Xiuzhi Dong uses real family life as its backdrop. Casting his grandpa he investigates and retraces his family saga spanning three decades of Chinese post-cultural revolution history.
[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
[cara-romero-following-the-light--Film-image]
Cara Romero: Following the Light 2022 27'
    Shorts Directed by Kaela Waldstein .
An enrolled citizen of the Chemehuevi Indian Tribe, Romero was raised between contrasting settings: the rural Chemehuevi reservation in Mojave Desert, CA and the urban sprawl of Houston, TX.
[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
[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
[chosen-people--Film-image]
Chosen People 2016 18'
  Directed by Qihui Wu .
Responding to systematic racism and historical erasure, the African diapora has developed a multitude of tactics for mitigating oppressive ideological conditions. Among them, the Hebrew Israelite
[collum-calling-canberra--Film-image]
Collum Calling Canberra 1983 59'
    Directed by David MacDougall Judith MacDougall .
An account of Aboriginal people steering their way through the often frustrating processes of official decision-making, as it is seen from their viewpoint far away from Canberra. Gordon Smith, head
Australia Law and Legislation / Bureaucracy Indigenous peoples / First Nations peoples
[democracia-indigena--Film-image]
Democracía Indígena 2000 39'
    Directed by Bruce Pacho Lane .
This film examines the indigenous rights revolution sweeping Mexico through the municipal elections in Huehuetla, Puebla. In 1989, the Huehuetla Totonacs formed the Organización Independiente
Central America Indigenous peoples / First Nations peoples Political Activists
[doctors-of-two-worlds--Film-image]
Doctors of Two Worlds 1989 55'
    Directed by Natasha Solomons .
In the Bolivian highlands an English doctor is setting up a network of health care for remote mountain villages. While teaching the inhabitants the essentials of Western medicine the doctor is
South America Health / Health care / Healing Informant-researcher relationship Development projects
[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
[dreamcatcher--Film-image]
Dreamcatcher 2015 98'
    Directed by Kim Longinotto .
A film set in Chicago about an inspirational woman who has defied her past and now rescues girls and young women from a life on the streets.
North America Gender Role and Identity Labour Sex / Sexuality
[drokpa--Film-image]
Drokpa 2016 79'
    RAI Basil Wright Directed by Yan Chun Su .
Drokpa is an intimate portrait of the lives and struggles of nomads on the eastern Tibetan plateau. With rare access to a small community of nomads living on the vast yet rapidly degrading
[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
[the-eye-begins-in-the-hand--Film-image]
The Eye Begins in The Hand 2022 16'
    Shorts Directed by Yehuda Sharim .
El Ojo Comienza En La Mano is a tribute to campesino histories in rural California through the artwork of an artist largely absent from critical conversations on Chicanx art, Ruben A. Sanchez, as
[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
[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
[the-house-opening--Film-image]
The House-Opening 1980 45'
    Directed by Judith MacDougall .
When Geraldine Kawanka’s husband died, she and her children left their house at Aurukun on Cape York Peninsula. In earlier times a bark house would have been burnt, but today a ‘house-opening’
Australia Ritual Indigenous peoples / First Nations peoples Death
[i-heart-jack-lalanne-a-cartoon-memoir--Film-image]
I (heart) Jack Lalanne: A Cartoon Memoir 2022 14'
    Animation Directed by LeAnn Erickson .
The filmmaker, a lesbian, feminist baby boomer, shares her coming out story with the help of exercise guru Jack LaLanne. Combining animation with the written memoir, I (heart) Jack LaLanne pushes the
[imbalu-ritual-of-manhood-of-the-gisu-of-uganda--Film-image]
Imbalu: Ritual of Manhood of the Gisu of Uganda 1988 69'
    Directed by Richard Hawkins .
An insightful documentary, constructed with visual restraint, about the male circumcision ritual among the Gisu of Uganda. The narrative follows one male participant through the ritual and contrasts
East Africa Ritual Gender Role and Identity
[in-the-land-of-the-war-canoes--Film-image]
In the Land of the War Canoes 1972 47'
    Directed by Edward S. Curtis .
The film was made in 1914 by Edward Curtis. The plot concerns the efforts of a young man, Motana, son of a great chief, to obtain a bride and how he is thwarted by a wicked sorcerer. Many of the
North America Archival material / Museum displays Marriage Film / Photography / Mass media
[in-search-of-the-hamatsa-a-tale-of-headhunting--Film-image]
In Search of the Hamat’sa: A Tale of Headhunting 2004 33'
    Directed by Aaron Glass .
The Hamat’sa (or “Cannibal Dance”) is the most important—and highly represented ceremony of the Kwakwaka’wakw (Kwakiutl) people of British Columbia. This film traces the history of
North America Archival material / Museum displays Dance / Theatre / Performance Ritual Informant-researcher relationship Indigenous peoples / First Nations peoples
[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
[the-intersection--Film-image]
The Intersection 2021 30'
    Shorts Directed by Daniel Quintanilla Jessamine Irwin .
Cecile reconnects with the French of her childhood, thanks to recently-arrived Franco-African immigrants, like Trésor, seeking asylum in Cecile’s hometown of Lewiston, Maine. Cecile’s Franco
[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
[journey-into-europe--Film-image]
Journey into Europe 2015 122'
  Directed by Akbar Ahmed .
In Journey into Europe, Akbar Ahmed, a world-renowned anthropologist, Islamic scholar, and filmmaker who the BBC has called “the world’s leading authority on contemporary Islam,” explores Islam
Central Europe Western Europe South-East Europe History Religion / Belief / Faith Collective / Community identity
[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
[koriams-law-and-the-dead-who-govern--Film-image]
Koriams Law and the Dead who Govern 2005 110'
    Directed by Gary Kildea Andrea Simon .
In ‘Koriam's Law’ Australian anthropologist Andrew Lattas meets his match in philosopher-informant Peter Avarea of Matong village, Pomio, Papua New Guinea. Motivated by their lively dialogue the
Melanesia Religion / Belief / Faith Collective / Community identity Possession
[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
[the-last-navigator--Film-image]
The Last Navigator 1989 50'
    Directed by André Singer .
This is the story of two cultures and two technologies. An American navigator is taught the skills of navigation by a traditional Micronesian navigator on Satawal island. The American tries to
Micronesia Tourism / Travel / Pilgrimage Infrastructure / Transport Education / Knowledge Transmission
[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
[the-modern-jungle--Film-image]
The Modern Jungle 2016 72'
    RAI Basil Wright Directed by Charles Fairbanks .
The Modern Jungle is a portrait of globalization filtered through the fever dream of its main character – a Mexican shaman, don Juan – who falls under the spell of a pyramid-scheme-marketed
[nawi--Film-image]
Nawi 1970 20'
    Directed by David MacDougall Judith MacDougall .
This classic ethnographic documentary, by the renowned filmmaking team of David and Judith MacDougall, explores the nomadic life of the Jie of Uganda. During the dry season the Jie leave their
East Africa Herding Music / Ethnomusicology Nomads and Nomadism
[paltik-families--Film-image]
Paltik Families 2016 60'
    RAI Basil Wright Directed by Jason Fox Roel Arcilla .
Set in the ten days leading up to mayoral elections in Danao, Philippines, Paltik Families follows the Arcillas, a family engaged in an illegal network of counterfeit American gun manufacturers, an
[promenade--Film-image]
Promenade 2016 31'
    RAI Basil Wright Directed by Philip Cartelli .
Recorded during two years but organized around a single day, “Promenade” observes a series of movements and interactions on a renovated section of the Marseille waterfront. During the day a cast
[sailing-a-sinking-sea--Film-image]
Sailing a Sinking Sea 2015 65'
  Directed by Olivia Wyatt .
Sailing A Sinking Sea explores the culture of the Moken people of Myanmar and Thailand. The Moken are a nomadic seafaring community and one of the smallest ethnic groups in Asia. Spending eight
[seed-and-earth--Film-image]
Seed and Earth 1989 36'
  Directed by Lina Fruzzetti Alfred Guzzetti Ned Johnston Ákos Östör .
Seed on Earth is a film about everyday life in rural Bangladesh (village of Janta, near Bishnupur town). It follows the daily schedule of two families and observes the complementary and difference of
South Asia Rural Family / Kinship Gender Role and Identity
[a-sheepherders-homecoming--Film-image]
A Sheepherder's Homecoming 1996 40'
  Directed by Allen Moore Louis Werner .
This film documents a migrant worker’s experiences as a herder on a Nevada sheep ranch who then returns to his family in Mexico after a long absence to renew ties and find a job at home. It
North America Central America Migration Labour
[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
[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
[slow-return--Film-image]
Slow Return 2021 80'
    Main Competition Directed by Philip Cartelli .
A river flows out to sea through a network of wetlands, salt marshes, and petrochemical plants. A melting glacier, its surface covered in protective cloth, still attracts tourists. Slow Return
[the-song-collector--Film-image]
The Song Collector 2016 54'
  Directed by Erik Koto .
In the 1960s Morup Namgyal sparked a social movement to preserve the traditional Himalayan culture of his homeland. What Morup could not imagine at that time was that he would ultimately embrace
[sons-of-haji-omar--Film-image]
Sons of Haji Omar 1978 58'
  Directed by Timothy Asch Asen Balikci David Newman Richard Sorensen .
Haji Omar and his three sons belong to the Lakenkhel, a Pashtun tribal group in northeastern Afghanistan. Concentrating within one family, the film draw sharp, colourful portraits of the protagonists
Middle and Near East Everyday Life Nomads and Nomadism Herding
[stockmans-strategy--Film-image]
Stockman's Strategy 1984 52'
  Directed by David MacDougall Judith MacDougall .
A film which explores the philosophy of teaching and learning of Sunny Bancroft, manager of an Aboriginal-run cattle station in northern New South Wales. It also tells the story of Shane Gordon, a
Australia Indigenous peoples / First Nations peoples Animals Education / Knowledge transmission
[stories-about-mlimani-park-orchestra--Film-image]
Stories about Mlimani Park Orchestra 2022 110'
    Ethnomusicology Directed by Frank Gunderson .
Tanzanian rhumba band, Mlimani Park Orchestra (aka Sikinde), performs in the music genre musiki wa dansi (literally, “music for dancing”), a variation of the Cuban-based rumba idiom that has been
[tribal-justice--Film-image]
TRIBAL JUSTICE 2017 87'
  Directed by ANNE MAKEPEACE .
TRIBAL JUSTICE is a feature documentary about a little known, under-reported but effective criminal justice reform movement in America today: the efforts of tribal courts to create alternative
[tigers-apprentice--Film-image]
Tigers Apprentice 1998 57'
    Directed by M. Trinh Nguyen .
Tiger's Apprentice is the story of M. Trinh Nguyen's journey to her native Vietnam. She observes and documents her great-uncle's folk medicine practices treating many patients and making his
South-East Asia Health / Health care / Healing Archaeobotany / Ethnobotany
[to-live-with-herds--Film-image]
To Live With Herds 1972 90'
  Directed by David MacDougall .
The Jie are semi-nomadic pastoral people living in North-eastern Uganda, who are striving to maintain their way of life in the face of unsympathetic government policy, and, at the time of filming, a dry-season famine.
East Africa Nomads and Nomadism Disasters Law and Legislation / Bureaucracy
[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
[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
[trobriand-cricket-an-ingenious-response-to-colonialism--Film-image]
Trobriand Cricket: An Ingenious Response to Colonialism 1974 50'
  Directed by Gary Kildea Jerry Leach .
The film documents the transformation by the Trobriand Islanders of the game of cricket, first introduced by British missionaries into a highly distinctive political ritual. Shot in 1973-1974,
Melanesia Sport Colonialism / Postcolonialism Political Activists
[two-poets-and-a-river--Film-image]
Two Poets and a River 2021 76'
    Ethnomusicology Directed by Richard K. Wolf .
Using the Oxus river as a topos, this film explores themes of love and loss through the lives and musical poetry of the two most prominent and innovative Wakhi musicians in Central and South Asia:
[under-the-mens-tree--Film-image]
Under the Men's Tree 1973 15'
  Directed by David MacDougall Judith MacDougall .
At Jie cattle camps in Uganda men often gather under a special tree to make leather and wooden goods and talk, relax, and sleep. This brilliant ethnographic documentary by renowned filmmakers David
East Africa Infrastructure / Transport Informant-researcher relationship Reflexivity
[unearthed--Film-image]
Unearthed 2021 16'
    Shorts Directed by Colin Rosemont .
The film examines the intersections of history, spirituality, colonialism, and contemporary archaeology through the experiences of archaeologists and Native Californians brought together by an excavation.
[virtual-me-gender-and-identity-in-world-of-warcraft--Film-image]
Virtual me: Gender and Identity in World of Warcraft 2013 11'
  Directed by Trent Monahan Sarah Prothero Jennifer Torson .
'Virtual Me' examines the experiences of players of the online game World of Warcraft, focusing specifically on their experience and understanding of issues surrounding gender and identity within
North America Gender Role and Identity Animation Internet
[visible-silence--Film-image]
Visible Silence 2015 43'
  Directed by Ruth Gumnit .
Visible Silence offers a rare glimpse into the lives of Thai tomboys (toms), ladies (dees), and lesbians striving for recognition and acceptance in a traditional Buddhist society. The film highlights
[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
[the-water-goddess-and-the-computer--Film-image]
The Water Goddess and the Computer 1989 52'
  Directed by André Singer Steven Lansing .
The film demonstrates how in Bali, development projects can threaten a carefully balanced ecological irrigation system that is maintained by temple priests. A biologist and an anthropologist look at
South-East Asia Infrastructure / Transport Development projects Environment
[were-ni-he-is-a-madman--Film-image]
Were Ni! He is a Madman 1963 30'
  Directed by Frank Speed Raymond Prince .
This ethnopsychiatric film shows the management of psychiatric disorders by the Yoruba of Nigeria. There are two basic types of institutions to deal with psychiatric disorders. First there are
West Africa Health / Health care / Healing Ritual Possession
[what-about-china--Film-image]
What about China? 2022 135'
    President's Award - Trinh T. Minh-ha Directed by Trinh T. Minh-ha .
Influential filmmaker, writer, composer Trinh T. Minh-ha’s latest film takes the notion of harmony in China as a site of creative manifestation. Highly valued as a virtue and a guiding criterion in
[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
[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
[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
[the-world-like-a-jewel-in-the-hand-unlearning-imperial-plunder-ii--Film-image]
The world like a jewel in the hand: unlearning imperial plunder ii 2022 58'
    Focus on: Ariella Aïsha Azoulay Directed by Ariella Aïsha Azoulay .
This film travels over open books, looted objects and postcards to look for the imperial foundations of the world in which we live. Within this wide landscape the film focuses on the destruction of