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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
Instagram
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
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Films
34 Films
shorter than 40 minutes
x
available to watch on demand
x
films with a digital version
21
films hosted on Kanopy
2
short films
34
x
films available on demand
34
x
Region
Australia
2
British-Irish Isles
2
Caribbean Islands
2
Central Asia and Far East
8
Middle and Near East
1
North America
4
North and Northeast Africa
2
South America
3
South Asia
4
South-East Asia
2
South-East Europe
1
West Africa
2
Western Europe
5
Western Mediterranean
1
not set
1
Country
Anguilla
1
Australia
2
Belgium
1
China
2
Colombia
2
Ethiopia
2
Germany
2
Greece
1
Haiti
1
India
2
Indonesia
2
Italy
1
Japan
1
Los Angeles
1
Nepal
2
Netherlands
1
Nigeria
1
Pakistan
1
Peru
1
Senegal
1
Sierra Leone
1
Singapore
1
South Korea
1
Taiwan
1
Turkey
1
United Kingdom
3
United States
3
Uzbekistan
1
not set
1
Keywords
Agriculture / Farming
3
Agriculture/ Farming
1
Animals
3
Archaeology
1
Archival material / Museum displays
3
Art / Artists / Artisans
1
Art/ Aritists/ Artisans
1
Art/ Artists/ Artisans
2
Children/ Young people
1
Collective / Community identity
4
Colonialism / Postcolonialism
4
Dance / Theatre / Performance
1
Digital media
1
Disasters
1
Elderly People
1
Environment
2
Ethnofiction
1
Everyday Life
3
Family / Kinship
1
Family/ Kinship
1
Festivals / Carnival
1
Festivals/ Carnival
1
Film / Photography / Mass media
3
Folklore
1
Food / Water
3
Gender Role and Identity
2
Gender Role and identity
1
Health/ Health care/ Healing
1
History of Anthropology
1
Hunting / Gathering / Fishing
1
Hunting/Gathering/Fishing
1
Indigenous Filmmaking
1
Indigenous peoples / First Nation peoples
2
Indigenous peoples / First Nations peoples
3
Infrastructure/transport
1
Intergenerational relations
1
Internet
2
LGBTQI*
2
Labour
1
Life Story / Life History
1
Life Story/ Life History
1
Love
3
Marriage
1
Material Culture
1
Migration
3
Music / Ethnomusicology
2
Music/ Ethnomusicology
1
Music/Ethnomusicology
1
Myths/ Fairy tales
1
Nationalism
1
Participatory / Collaborative methods
1
Personal Narrative
1
Race / Racism / Antiracism
4
Reflexivity
2
Refugees/ Displaced populations
1
Religion / Belief / Faith
3
Research Methods
1
Resettlement
1
Ritual
1
Rural
3
Sensory Ethnography
1
Sex / Sexuality
3
Shamans and Shamanism
1
Social Change
1
Social Organisation
1
Tourism/ Travel/ Pilgrimage
2
Urban
2
Directors
Arif-Bashir, Abeera
1
Balanydjarrk, Meredith
1
Balpatji, Warren
1
Baskin Coffey, Victoria
1
Basu, Paul
1
Brandão, Joana
1
Brewer, Teri F.
1
Burstin, Costanza
1
Choi, Hyewon
1
Cooper, Timothy
1
Danusiri, Aryo
1
Deger, Jennifer
2
Dietrich, Martha-Cecilia
1
Djingadjingawuy, Kayleen
1
Dyson, Jane
1
Eagle, Rob
1
F. Quigua, Claudia
1
Ferrarese, Adriana
1
Gabrehiwot, Mitiku
1
Ganambarr, James
1
Gao, Ang
1
Gurrumuruwuy, Paul
1
Guruŋulmiwuy, Enid
1
Gómez Ruíz, Sebastián
1
Harrison, Ross
1
Kaserci, Zeynep
1
Lloyd, Ravi Hart
1
Lopes, André
1
Lowe, Sebastian
1
Magnússon, Jón Bjarki
1
Mekonen, Solomon
1
Meliqo’ziev, Iqbol
1
Nitzky, William
1
Owles, Edward
1
Palmer, Lisa
1
Ross, Nina
1
Sarabi, Abtin
1
Satija, Dhruv
1
Sowa, Remigiusz
1
Sterre Schmitz, Julia
1
Tamura (aka John Wells), Can
1
Teo, Qi Yu
1
Thomas Allen, Christopher
1
Tsai, Futuru C.L.
1
Villafaña Chaparro, Amado
1
Wunungmurra, Paul
1
Xu, Beina
1
Series
Decolonising Shorts
4
Guardians of Productive Landscapes
1
Pleasure Shorts
3
Shorts Collection 1
1
Shorts Collection 2
11
Shorts collection 2
5
not set
9
Country of production
Australia
3
China
1
Colombia
2
Denmark
1
Ethiopia
1
France
2
Germany
3
Iceland
1
India
2
Indonesia
1
Italy
1
Japan
1
Pakistan
1
Peru
1
Singapore
1
South Korea
1
Taiwan
1
Turkey
1
United Kingdom
9
United States
3
Uzbekistan
1
Year of production
2014
1
2015
1
2016
2
2017
2
2018
6
2019
11
2020
11
Film list
Bang the Drum
2020
28
‘
Directed by
William Nitzky
.
For the Yao minority in rural southwest China, the bronze drum is a sacred heritage. Its sound aids the souls of deceased elders in reaching the ancestral land. When the Chinese government steps in
Central Asia and Far East
Music/ Ethnomusicology
Tourism/ Travel/ Pilgrimage
Rural
Shamans and Shamanism
Come Here Come Here
2019
28
‘
Directed by
Julia Sterre Schmitz
.
As a poetic manifesto for a more plural understanding of female sexuality, this associative film interweaves many theories, images, fantasies, memories and confusions drawn from popular culture,
Western Europe
Sex / Sexuality
Love
Gender Role and Identity
Research Methods
Dancing Grass. Harvesting teff in the Tigrean highlands
2018
40
‘
Directed by
Mitiku Gabrehiwot
.
Dancing Grass is a film in the Guardians of Productive Landscapes series (editor Ivo Strecker). It captures the communal harvesting of teff among Tigreans of Northern Ethiopia. Teff, an ancient
North and Northeast Africa
Agriculture / Farming
Food / Water
The Daring Young Girl on the Flying Trapeze
2020
27
‘
Directed by
Nina Ross
.
As a child, Nancy Willis dreamt of joining the circus, longing for freedom and adventure. Diagnosed with muscular dystrophy and told she would not live beyond her twenties, the now 65-year-old artist
British-Irish Isles
Art/ Artists/ Artisans
Personal Narrative
Health/ Health care/ Healing
Life Story/ Life History
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
Emails to My Little Sister
2018
35
‘
Directed by
Solomon Mekonen
.
An autoethnographic phenomenology of blackness in Berlin via Ethiopia. The film explores the historical and ongoing relationship between the so-called West and Africa. A brother who lives north of
Western Europe
North and Northeast Africa
Migration
Race / Racism / Antiracism
Colonialism / Postcolonialism
Reflexivity
Even Asteroids Are Not Alone
2018
17
‘
Directed by
Jón Bjarki Magnússon
.
Eve Online is a computer game in which players mine, trade and fight their way through computer-generated galaxies. Whilst computer game aficionados are often depicted as isolated, this game is
Internet
Faces Voices
2018
18
‘
Directed by
Paul Basu
Christopher Thomas Allen
.
The film complicates any simple reading of a colonial photographic archive from Southern Nigeria and Sierra Leone that was collected between 1909 and 1915. Through a collaborative creative effort
West Africa
British-Irish Isles
Archival material / Museum displays
Colonialism / Postcolonialism
Race / Racism / Antiracism
Forget Alberto For Now
2020
19
‘
Directed by
Beina Xu
.
A refugee known only as Alberto flies from Athens to Brussels on a fake passport. Three years later, a small crew from Berlin tries to make a film by shooting the landscape of his transit. Things
Western Europe
Western Mediterranean
Reflexivity
Migration
Resettlement
Refugees/ Displaced populations
From There to Here
2019
30
‘
Directed by
Qi Yu Teo
.
In 1949, the author’s young grandfather migrated from An Xi, China, to Singapore. Spending almost 70 years in Singapore, he has only been back home four times. As an immigrant from China,
Central Asia and Far East
Migration
Intergenerational relations
Life Story / Life History
Gula – Music for a sacred time
2020
15
‘
Directed by
Remigiusz Sowa
.
Introduces the rich and varied Hindu-Buddhist religious and ritual musical heritage of the ancient royal city of Bhaktapur (Nepal).
South Asia
Music / Ethnomusicology
Guli Armug’on
2019
23
‘
Directed by
Iqbol Meliqo’ziev
.
Uzbek and Tajik women in eastern Uzbekistan celebrate the arrival of spring by gathering at the grave of an Islamic saint. The Afghan redbud trees growing on the site are in full bloom. The magical
Central Asia and Far East
Religion / Belief / Faith
Ritual
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
House No. 15
2018
7
‘
Directed by
Aryo Danusiri
.
Jakarta, Indonesia. Monsoon season. Children are at play in their flooded house, located in the riverside area of Ciliwung, known for its informal housing settlements. What unfolds before the camera
South-East Asia
Everyday Life
Children/ Young people
Sensory Ethnography
IntranQu’îllités
2019
20
‘
Directed by
Edward Owles
.
Lyrically narrated by award-winning Haitian poet James Noël, the short film interweaves the work of several Haitian artists who want to redefine how their nation is perceived. The film explores the
Caribbean Islands
Art/ Artists/ Artisans
Nationalism
Social Organisation
Land Lot S7
2020
28
‘
Directed by
Abtin Sarabi
.
Following sugar cane field workers in Senegal as they chop and burn their way through seemingly endless fields, this poetic film takes an unconventional approach to understanding the gruelling work
West Africa
Labour
Agriculture / Farming
Lives and Deaths between Ebbs and Flows
2019
14
‘
Directed by
Futuru C.L. Tsai
.
Futuru Tsai explores the relationship between Amis people and the sea in this playful portrait of maritime culture in coastal Taiwan. The film focuses on various social and practical activities in
Central Asia and Far East
Animals
Indigenous peoples / First Nation peoples
Making Worlds Otherwise
2020
28
‘
Directed by
Paul Gurrumuruwuy
Jennifer Deger
Enid Guruŋulmiwuy
Warren Balpatji
Meredith Balanydjarrk
James Ganambarr
Kayleen Djingadjingawuy
Victoria Baskin Coffey
Sebastian Lowe
.
An exuberant experiment in the ethnographic art of remix that gives new form to Miyarrka Media’s project of yuṯa, or new, anthropology. Sound, images, colour, light, and deeply felt patterns of
Australia
Collective / Community identity
Colonialism / Postcolonialism
Internet
Digital media
Participatory / Collaborative methods
Motels
2020
27
‘
Directed by
Claudia F. Quigua
.
Have you ever been in a motel room with rounded beds, love chairs, coloured lights and dancing poles? This film explores a prominent yet often overlooked aspect of Colombian culture through the
South America
Sex / Sexuality
Love
Tourism/ Travel/ Pilgrimage
New York Just Another City
2019
18
‘
Directed by
André Lopes
Joana Brandão
.
Brazilian Guarani filmmaker Patrícia Ferreira reflects on New York City and Indigenous representation in dioramas at the American Museum of Natural History. This film is part of the collected DVD
North America
Archival material / Museum displays
Colonialism / Postcolonialism
Indigenous peoples / First Nation peoples
Race / Racism / Antiracism
Ocak
2020
28
‘
Directed by
Zeynep Kaserci
.
The story of a family who earns their livelihood as hazelnut cultivators in rural north-eastern Turkey. Filmed in an observational style, it offers glimpses into the local social life of the village
Middle and Near East
Collective / Community identity
Agriculture / Farming
Rural
Oink!
2020
22
‘
Directed by
Rob Eagle
.
An experimental research documentary offering a portrait of gay men who‚ in different ways‚ relate to the “pig” sexual imaginary. It provides insight into their experiences of identity,
Western Europe
North America
Sex / Sexuality
LGBTQI*
Collective / Community identity
Okinami
2019
24
‘
Directed by
Can Tamura (aka John Wells)
.
This film features a Japanese seaside ritual performed in honour of a marine deity, who is considered to hold the power to determine a safe and successful year of local fishing. This two-day event
Central Asia and Far East
Festivals/ Carnival
Urban
Folklore
Myths/ Fairy tales
The Ospreys and the Old Man
2020
9
‘
Directed by
Ang Gao
.
A 76-year-old man living in a village in the middle of China continues the traditional practice of using ospreys (鱼鹰. 鱼鹰 usually referred to as great cormorant in English) to fish while most
Central Asia and Far East
Hunting/Gathering/Fishing
Animals
Elderly People
Paani: of women and water
2018
22
‘
Student
Directed by
Costanza Burstin
.
Against the bleached sky of Rajasthan, we encounter the women of a small Muslim village as they engage in their work. Here, water binds their daily labour rituals: they collect and carry water in
South Asia
Environment
Food / Water
Gender Role and Identity
Rural
Everyday Life
The People Next to Coal Power Plant
2019
22
‘
Directed by
Hyewon Choi
.
Vegetable crops are contaminated, fish have disappeared, illness is rife. Life in the shadow of a Korean coal power plant is difficult, but the locals have no choice but to struggle on nonetheless.
Central Asia and Far East
Infrastructure/transport
Environment
Disasters
Processes
2016
23
‘
Directed by
Adriana Ferrarese
.
Like every year, Corigliano Calabro, a small village in the south of Italy, celebrates Easter: from the investiture of a man to embody Jesus during a night procession, to the passionate debates for
South-East Europe
Religion / Belief / Faith
Festivals / Carnival
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
Spirit
2019
19
‘
Directed by
Jane Dyson
Ross Harrison
.
Saraswati is a new arrival in an Indian Himalayan village. She wonders how she will ever feel at home in the new setting. “Spirit” by Jane Dyson and Ross Harrison is a story of longing and
Central Asia and Far East
Gender Role and identity
Agriculture/ Farming
Everyday Life
Family/ Kinship
This Is A Majlis – A Sound Essay
2020
17
‘
Directed by
Timothy Cooper
Abeera Arif-Bashir
.
This short film is a multi-platform sound essay. It is primarily illustrated with still images, that conjure an atmosphere of intimacy and intensity of the majlis-e-aza, a mourning gathering central
South Asia
Music/Ethnomusicology
Urban
Art/ Aritists/ Artisans
Social Change
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
Welcome Valentine 2017
2017
16
‘
Student
Directed by
Dhruv Satija
.
In a temple dedicated to Hanuman in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, a priest flouts convention by marrying couples who are shunned elsewhere: mostly those who have eloped from families who disapprove of their
South Asia
Marriage
Love
LGBTQI*
Religion / Belief / Faith
Wild Honey: Caring for bees in a divided land
2019
30
‘
Directed by
Lisa Palmer
.
For more than a century, the island of Timor has been divided by a colonial border. Timor’s migratory wild honey bees challenge this division. In community honey harvest rituals, queen bees are
South-East Asia
Animals
Food / Water
Hunting / Gathering / Fishing
Wási
2017
16
‘
Shorts
Directed by
Sebastián Gómez Ruíz
Amado Villafaña Chaparro
.
As the sun rises on a village in northern Colombia, we glimpse its inhabitants as they begin their day. As the scene emerges from obscurity, a voiceover reflects on the nature of sight. It is the
South America
Indigenous peoples / First Nations peoples
Indigenous Filmmaking
History of Anthropology
Film / Photography / Mass media