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About
About RAI Film
Meet the team
Prices
Film Distribution
Watch on demand
Ethnographic Film Catalogue
Teaching resources
RAI Film Festival
About RAI Film Festival
Film Festival 2025
Film Festival 2025 Group passes
Film Festival prizes and awards
Film Conference 2025
Archive of past editions
RAI FILM
Login
Facebook
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Twitter
About
About RAI Film
Meet the team
Prices
Film Distribution
Watch on demand
Ethnographic Film Catalogue
Teaching resources
RAI Film Festival
About RAI Film Festival
Film Festival 2025
Film Festival 2025 Group passes
Film Festival prizes and awards
Film Conference 2025
Archive of past editions
Menu
About
About RAI Film
Meet the team
Prices
Film Distribution
Watch on demand
Ethnographic Film Catalogue
Teaching resources
RAI Film Festival
About RAI Film Festival
Film Festival 2025
Film Festival 2025 Group passes
Film Festival prizes and awards
Film Conference 2025
Archive of past editions
Login
Facebook
Instagram
Twitter
Films
6 Films
shorter than 40 minutes
x
Keywords
“Dance Theatre Performance”
and
“Ritual”
x
films with a digital version
3
short films
6
x
Region
North America
1
South-East Asia
2
Southern Africa
1
West Africa
2
Country
Canada
1
Indonesia
2
Nigeria
2
not set
1
Keywords
Archival material / Museum displays
1
Dance / Theatre / Performance
6
x
Festivals / Carnival
1
Gender Role and Identity
1
History
1
Indigenous peoples / First Nations peoples
1
Informant-researcher relationship
1
Religion / Belief / Faith
1
Ritual
6
x
Sex / Sexuality
1
Directors
Asch, Patsy
1
Bradbury, Ray
1
Glass, Aaron
1
Harper, Peggy
1
Hughes-Freeland, Felicia
1
Namondwe, Charles
1
Speed, Frank
2
Series
ANU, Indonesia Series
1
Granada Center for Visual Anthropology Student Film
1
not set
4
Country of production
Australia
1
Canada
1
Nigeria
2
United Kingdom
4
United States
1
Year of production
1963
1
1975
1
1991
1
1992
1
1996
1
2004
1
Film list
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
Gule Wamkulu: The Great Dance
1991
37
‘
Directed by
Charles Namondwe
.
Performed by the Chewa secret societies, Gule Wamkulu is a form of masked dance which takes place at male initiation ceremonies, funerals, and other major celebrations. Acting as a medium between the
Southern Africa
Dance / Theatre / Performance
Ritual
In the Play of Life: a wayang performance in East Java
1992
25
‘
Directed by
Patsy Asch
.
These companion films examine the philosophy and ritual practices of the followers of a holy man popularly known as Embah Wali. The movement, centred in Blitar, East Java, regards wayang as a model
South-East Asia
Ritual
Religion / Belief / Faith
Dance / Theatre / Performance
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
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
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