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About
About RAI Film
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Watch on demand
Ethnographic Film Catalogue
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About RAI Film Festival
Film Festival 2025
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Film Festival prizes and awards
Film Conference 2025
Archive of past editions
RAI FILM
Login
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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
36 Films
with a digital version available
x
Keywords
“Social Change”
x
films with a digital version
36
x
short films
7
films available on demand
1
Region
Central America
1
Central Asia and Far East
8
Central Europe
1
East Africa
3
Melanesia
2
North America
3
North and Northeast Africa
3
South America
5
South Asia
4
South-East Asia
1
South-East Europe
3
West Africa
1
Western Europe
1
Country
Albania
1
Algeria
1
China
5
Colombia
2
Cyprus
1
Ethiopia
2
France
1
Greece
1
Greenland
1
Hungary
1
India
2
Indonesia
1
Kenya
2
Mexico
1
Mongolia
1
Nepal
1
Pakistan
1
Papua New Guinea
1
Peru
1
Russian Federation
2
Senegal
2
Solomon Islands
1
Sudan
1
United States
1
Venezuela
1
not set
1
Keywords
Agriculture / Farming
1
Animals
1
Art / Artists / Artisans
1
Art/ Aritists/ Artisans
1
Collective / Community identity
3
Colonialism / Postcolonialism
1
Death
2
Environment
1
Everyday Life
1
Family / Kinship
5
Festivals / Carnival
1
Film / Photography / Mass media
1
Gender Role and Identity
4
Health / Health care / Healing
2
Herding
5
History
2
Hunting / Gathering / Fishing
1
Indigenous peoples / First Nations peoples
5
Intergenerational relations
1
Labour
2
Land Rights
4
Life Story / Life History
1
Linguistics / Language
1
Marriage
3
Material Culture
2
Music / Ethnomusicology
1
Music/Ethnomusicology
1
Nomads and Nomadism
5
Political Activists
1
Post-communism
1
Race / Racism / Antiracism
1
Reflexivity
1
Refugees / Displaced populations
2
Religion / Belief / Faith
4
Resistance
1
Ritual
3
Rural
6
Shamans and Shamanism
1
Social Change
36
x
Social Conflict
2
Social Organisation
3
Socioeconomic conditions
2
Tourism / Travel / Pilgrimage
2
Trade
1
Urban
1
Directors
Arif-Bashir, Abeera
1
Ash, David
1
Balikci, Asen
1
Balikci-Denjongpa, Anna
1
Contreras, Isis
1
Cooper, Timothy
1
Curling, Chris
2
Drion, Georges
1
Elixhauser, Sophie
1
Fossgard-Moser, Titus
1
Golovnev, Ivan
1
Henley, Paul
1
Iteanu, Andre
1
Johnston, Graham
1
Kapon, Eytan
1
Lasko, Claire
2
Lepcha, Dawa T
1
Loizos, Peter
1
Loïzos, Peter
1
Moser, Brian
2
Nairn, Charlie
1
Pasini, Carlos
1
Rousso-Schindler, Steven
2
Seaman, Gary
2
Seitz, Anni
1
Shalygin, Cliff Orloff and Olga
1
Sheppard, John
2
Singer, André
2
Song, Zhifang
2
Sowa, Remigiusz (aka Remi)
1
Strasse, Cornelia
1
Tari, János
1
Wason, David
2
Wester, Hasse
1
Winter, Pattie
1
Woodhead, Leslie
7
Series
Ambulante Beyond
1
Disappearing World Series
18
In Search of Cool Ground: The Mursi Trilogy
1
National Film and Television School
1
Shorts Collection 2
1
Song Family Village
2
not set
13
Country of production
China
2
France
1
Germany
1
Hungary
1
India
1
Mexico
1
Norway
1
Pakistan
1
Russia
1
Senegal
2
Sweden
1
Switzerland
1
United Kingdom
23
United States
3
Year of production
1971
1
1972
1
1974
4
1975
2
1977
1
1982
2
1983
3
1985
3
1987
3
1989
1
1991
1
2002
1
2005
1
2006
1
2008
2
2009
2
2012
1
2013
1
2014
1
2015
2
2016
1
2020
1
Film list
The Albanians of Rrogam
1991
52
‘
Directed by
David Wason
.
With the fall of the Stalinist regime in Albania, one of the poorest countries in Europe, the people of a remote mountain village, Rrogam, are faced with the dilmma of how to re-allocate the land and
South-East Europe
Post-communism
Social Change
Land Rights
Rural
The Basques of Santazi
1987
52
‘
Directed by
Leslie Woodhead
.
*In her book ‘The Circle of Mountains’ Sandra Ott provided a fascinating analysis of social reciprocity (…) The film highlights the village’s contemporary dilemmas and thereby complements rather
Western Europe
Herding
Social Change
Rural
The Devil’s Mills. Roundabouts don’t Build Houses any more
2006
56
‘
Directed by
János Tari
.
The everyday life of migrant fun fair operators is the filter through which we view the social and economic factors of the 20th and early 21st century that define the life and work of this social
Central Europe
Labour
Social Change
Trade
Festivals / Carnival
The Golden Beach
2008
58
‘
Directed by
Hasse Wester
.
A small group of farmers belonging to the Halakki Gowda tribe live near a small beach in a valley in southern India. When the Swedish film maker Hasse Wester was first there twenty years ago the
South Asia
Tourism / Travel / Pilgrimage
Rural
Social Change
The Herders of Mongun-Taiga
1989
52
‘
Directed by
John Sheppard
.
The Tuvinians live deep inside the Soviet Union, at the very centre of Asia. Tuva is geographically closer to Peking than to Moscow. It only entered the USSR in 1944 and was closed to foreigners
Central Asia and Far East
Herding
Nomads and Nomadism
Shamans and Shamanism
Gender Role and Identity
Social Change
Ignacio’s Legacy
2016
52
‘
Special Interest
Directed by
Titus Fossgard-Moser
.
Between 1960 and 1992, the acclaimed documentary filmmaker Brian Moser made four films concerning indigenous peoples of northwest Amazonia: "Piraparana" (1960), "War of the Gods"
South America
Film / Photography / Mass media
Social Change
Reflexivity
Indigenous peoples / First Nations peoples
In Search of Cool Ground: The Mursi Trilogy
1987
52
‘
Directed by
Leslie Woodhead
.
This is a trilogy about aspects of the culture of two groups of people, the Kwegu and the Mursi, in Ethiopia. The titles are: THE MURSI , THE KWEGU, THE MIGRANTS *What made this trilogy special
North America
Social Change
Socioeconomic conditions
Health / Health care / Healing
Kanraxël: the Confluence of Agnack
2015
52
‘
Student
Directed by
Remigiusz (aka Remi) Sowa
.
**DVD copies are available for secondary teaching and home use at the following prices: £35 (plus VAT) schools and colleges; £20 (plus VAT) individual / home use licence** Agnack is a
West Africa
Linguistics / Language
Social Change
The Kazakhs of China
1983
52
‘
Directed by
André Singer
.
The Kazakhs of Xinjiang (Sinkiang) are one of the fifty-five national minorities that now live within the borders of the People’s Republic of China. The policy of the Chinese Communist Party toward
Central Asia and Far East
Social Change
Nomads and Nomadism
Collective / Community identity
Kutääy
2014
20
‘
Directed by
Isis Contreras
.
Fili, a 22-year-old Mixe, makes ornamental paper hot air balloons. Since this is an important tradition in his community, Fili —an expert in the art— is recognized and accepted. Yet, he is
Central America
Material Culture
Social Change
Intergenerational relations
Land of Udehe
2015
26
‘
Student
Directed by
Ivan Golovnev
.
This film takes us into the world of Udehe – indigenous people of the Far East of Russia. According to the census of 2010, their population dropped to 1,490 souls…
Central Asia and Far East
Indigenous peoples / First Nations peoples
Social Change
The Last of the Cuiva
1971
52
‘
Directed by
Brian Moser
.
The film focuses on recent changes in the culture and society of the Cuiva, hunters and gatherers in a remote forest region of south-eastern Colombia, brought about through contact with Colombian
South America
Social Change
Race / Racism / Antiracism
Land Rights
Hunting / Gathering / Fishing
The Lau of Malaita
1982
52
‘
Directed by
Leslie Woodhead
.
*Pierre Miranda and a team from Granada Television have made a fine film exploring the trouble realities of the people of the lagoon in the 1980s.* (B. Shore) This film focuses on the people of
Melanesia
Social Change
Social Conflict
Ritual
Death
Religion / Belief / Faith
Letter to the Dead
2002
62
‘
Directed by
Andre Iteanu
Eytan Kapon
.
The film is about the encounter between tradition and modernity. In a small village of Papua New Guinea three exceptional men rival with each other in the field of rituals and artistic creation in
Melanesia
Social Change
Art / Artists / Artisans
Death
Life Chances: Four Families in a Greek Cypriot Village
1974
43
‘
Directed by
Peter Loizos
.
A careful account of social change in a prosperous Greek Cypriot village, which follows four closely related families before the Turkish made them all refugees. Their lives reflect the possibilities
South-East Europe
Social Change
Life Story / Life History
Rural
Family / Kinship
Living with the Revolution
1983
52
‘
Directed by
Leslie Woodhead
Claire Lasko
.
*These three films (‘Inside China: Living with the Revolution’; ‘The Newest Revolution’; ‘The Kazakhs of China’) present a valuable record of aspects of most recent developments in China.* (A.
Central Asia and Far East
Social Change
History
Family / Kinship
Marriage, Maoism and Modernity
2009
30
‘
Directed by
Zhifang Song
Gary Seaman
Steven Rousso-Schindler
.
This film outlines the types of marriage exchange practiced in a Chinese village over the last fifty years. Dowry, brideprice and exchange marriages have dominated the marriage market in turn as
Central Asia and Far East
Marriage
History
Social Change
Masai Manhood
1975
52
‘
Directed by
Chris Curling
.
This film was made after ‘Masai Women’ and in the same area. Together the two films provide a vivid view of Masai men and women and their place in Masai society. The Masai are pastoral nomads in
East Africa
Gender Role and Identity
Social Change
Ritual
Social Organisation
Nomads and Nomadism
Herding
Masai Women
1974
52
‘
Directed by
Chris Curling
.
The Masai are cattle herders living in the East African rift valley: they grow no crops and are proud of being a non-agricultural people. Cattle are the all-important source of wealth and social
East Africa
Gender Role and Identity
Social Change
Ritual
Social Organisation
Nomads and Nomadism
Herding
Messages by Music – Senegal in Transition
2013
76
‘
Directed by
Cornelia Strasse
.
The traditional musicians in Senegal were in charge of retaining the history of their ethnic group, along with ways of thinking and behaving. Their aim was to conserve the society. Nowadays the
East Africa
Music / Ethnomusicology
Colonialism / Postcolonialism
Social Change
Political Activists
Resistance
The Migrants
1985
52
‘
Directed by
Leslie Woodhead
David Wason
.
The Migrants is the third film in the trilogy ‘In Search of Cool Ground’ for Granada Television’s Disappearing World series. It is about a drought-induced migration of Mursi from their traditional
North and Northeast Africa
Social Change
Collective / Community identity
Refugees / Displaced populations
Mongolia, part 1: On the Edge of the Gobi
1975
52
‘
Directed by
Brian Moser
.
Mongolia is a country the size of Western Europe with under 1.5 million people but over 23 million head of livestock. This film concentrates on life in the great plains of Mongolia, at the foot of
Central Asia and Far East
Herding
Social Change
Rural
Everyday Life
The Newest Revolution
1983
52
‘
Directed by
Leslie Woodhead
Claire Lasko
.
This film is a continuation of ‘Living with the Revolution’, set in the same communes near Wuxi and focusing on the same families. This film concentrates, however, on the new social and economic
Central Asia and Far East
Family / Kinship
Social Change
The Quechua
1974
52
‘
Directed by
Carlos Pasini
David Ash
.
This film is set in a community of peasant agriculturalists 2 1/4 miles above sea level in the southern Peruvian Andes. Concentrating on a single family, the film explores aspects of religious and
South America
Indigenous peoples / First Nations peoples
Religion / Belief / Faith
Social Change
Reclaiming the Forest
1987
39
‘
Directed by
Paul Henley
Georges Drion
.
National governments, itinerant gold-miners, and indigenous inhabitants compete for control of an area of the South American rainforest. The film shows the potential conflict between the interests
South America
Land Rights
Indigenous peoples / First Nations peoples
Social Change
Social Conflict
The Sakuddei
1974
52
‘
Directed by
John Sheppard
.
The Sakuddei are a small and ethnically separate community living on the island of Siberut off the west coast of Sumatra in Indonesia. Their distinctive way of life and elaborate religious
South-East Asia
Collective / Community identity
Social Change
Land Rights
Sermiligaag 65°54’N, 36°22’W
2008
64
‘
Directed by
Anni Seitz
Sophie Elixhauser
.
The people of East Greenland inhabit a small string of coastal land at the edge of the biggest island of the world. Long winters have always shaped daily life here, a life that has gone within a few
North America
Rural
Social Change
Environment
Sherpas of Nepal
1977
52
‘
Directed by
Leslie Woodhead
Pattie Winter
.
Thami is a village 12,000 feet up in the Himalayas in the Kingdom of Nepal. As the film’s opening shots illustrate, in a type of filmic short-hand, Thami is composed of a patchwork of individual
South Asia
Tourism / Travel / Pilgrimage
Labour
Marriage
Social Change
Song Family Village Takes a Bride
2009
27
‘
Directed by
Zhifang Song
Gary Seaman
Steven Rousso-Schindler
.
Most weddings in the village still reflect traditional patterns of patrilineal descent and patrilocal residence. The bride leaves her natal home to marry into her husband’s village, where she is a
Central Asia and Far East
Marriage
Family / Kinship
Gender Role and Identity
Social Change
Sophia and Her People
1985
35
‘
Directed by
Peter Loïzos
.
Sofia and her family lost their village home in 1975 when Turkey invaded Cyprus. The film, mainly set in Nicosia in 1983, shows the pressures of refugee economic recovery through shift work in a
South-East Europe
Refugees / Displaced populations
Social Change
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
Tingvong: A Lepcha Village in Sikkim
2005
60
‘
Directed by
Dawa T Lepcha
Anna Balikci-Denjongpa
Asen Balikci
.
The film illustrates the changes the Lepcha of the Dzongu reserve, North Sikkim, have been through in the last 60 years. From the 1940s, the Lepcha of Tingvong village gradually abandoned hunting,
South Asia
Social Change
Religion / Belief / Faith
Agriculture / Farming
The Tuareg
1972
52
‘
Directed by
Charlie Nairn
.
This film is about a group of nomadic Tuareg living high up in the Hoggar Mountains near Tamanrasset in Algeria. The main focus of the film is the collapse of the former economic basis of their
North and Northeast Africa
Social Organisation
Social Change
Socioeconomic conditions
Nomads and Nomadism
Tuktu
1985
47
‘
Directed by
Graham Johnston
.
Tuktu is the Kuvanmiit Eskimo word for caribou. The film traces the early evolution of Ambler, founded almost 30 years ago on the Kobuk River in Alaska. Change and development mark life now in this
North America
Animals
Social Change
Witchcraft Among the Azande
1982
52
‘
Directed by
André Singer
.
*Witchcraft among the Azande’ is suitable for showing in undergraduate and graduate classes on topics of religion, philosophy, and African ethnography. It could also be stimulating to discussions of
North and Northeast Africa
Religion / Belief / Faith
Health / Health care / Healing
Social Change
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