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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
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Films
11 Films
shorter than 40 minutes
x
Series
“0”
x
Country of production
“United States”
x
films with a digital version
6
short films
11
x
films available on demand
1
Region
Central America
2
East Africa
2
North America
5
South Asia
1
West Africa
2
Western Europe
1
Country
Bangladesh
1
Canada
1
Mexico
2
Nigeria
1
Togo
1
Uganda
2
United Kingdom
1
United States
4
Virtual Space
1
Keywords
Animation
1
Archaeology
1
Archival material / Museum displays
3
Art / Artists / Artisans
1
Collective / Community identity
1
Dance / Theatre / Performance
1
Family / Kinship
1
Gender Role and Identity
2
Health / Health care / Healing
1
Herding
1
History
1
Indigenous peoples / First Nations peoples
2
Informant-researcher relationship
2
Infrastructure / Transport
1
Intergenerational relations
1
Internet
1
Labour
1
Material Culture
1
Migration
1
Music / Ethnomusicology
1
Nomads and Nomadism
1
Political Activists
1
Possession
1
Reflexivity
1
Religion / Belief / Faith
1
Ritual
2
Rural
1
Directors
Brewer, Teri F.
1
Fruzzetti, Lina
1
Glass, Aaron
1
Guzzetti, Alfred
1
Johnston, Ned
1
Lane, Bruce Pacho
1
Lu, Wanwan
1
MacDougall, David
2
MacDougall, Judith
2
Monahan, Trent
1
Moore, Allen
1
Prince, Raymond
1
Prothero, Sarah
1
Saltman, Carlyn
1
Speed, Frank
1
Torson, Jennifer
1
Werner, Louis
1
Östör, Ákos
1
Series
not set
11
x
Country of production
Australia
2
Canada
1
Mexico
1
Nigeria
1
United Kingdom
1
United States
11
x
Year of production
1963
1
1970
1
1973
1
1989
1
1996
1
1997
1
2000
1
2004
1
2013
1
2015
2
Film list
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
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
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
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
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
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 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
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
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
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
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