Films

Film list

Journey into Europe 2015 122‘

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

Coming of Age – Margaret Mead (1901-1978) 1986 52‘

Directed by André Singer .

Central Television’s major documentary series looks at the first anthropologists to stop ‘armchair theorising’ and go out to live among the peoples who so interested them. The six part series

Various History of Anthropology Public Figure

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 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 Log Rafters of Lake Aegeri 2016 29‘

Material Culture Directed by Thomas Horat .

Aegeri, in a remote part of Switzerland, is one of the few lakes in Central Europe where professional log rafters can still be found. This film is based on the gentle observation of the work of a

Western Europe Material Culture Labour Rural

The Secret of the Stone 2009 39‘

Directed by Zhifang Song Gary Seaman Steven Rousso-Schindler .

Located on the North China Plain about 200 miles south of Beijing, ‘Song Family Village’ is home to about 1,300 people. Some 80% of all villagers are members of a single lineage of the Song surname.

Central Asia and Far East Family / Kinship Collective / Community identity Ritual Festivals / Carnival

The Trobriand Islanders of Papua New Guinea 1990 52‘

Directed by David Wason .

The Trobriand Islands lie off the eastern tip of Papua New Guinea. The island society has a complex balance of male authority and female wealth. Magic spells and sorcery pervade everyday life.

Melanesia Gender Role and Identity Festivals / Carnival Ritual

The Kalasha: Rites of Spring 1990 60‘

Directed by John Sheppard .

The Kalasha are a tribal people, 3,000 strong, who live in the high valleys of the Hindu Kush mountains in the North West Frontier Province of Pakistan. The Kalasha are unique as a pagan people in

South Asia Festivals / Carnival Land Rights Agriculture / Farming Social Conflict

Masks of Mer 2010 37‘

Directed by Michael Eaton .

The film Alfred Haddon made in 1898 in the Torres Straits, lasting for less than a minute, is the world’s first example of anthropological cinema. ‘The Masks of Mer’ tells the extraordinary story of

Australia History of Anthropology Film / Photography / Mass media Archival material / Museum displays Ritual

Nodas. Launeddas at the time of crisis. 2015 29‘

Intangible Culture Directed by Umberto Cao Andrea Mura .

Dating back 3000 years to the Nuragic civilisation on Sardinia, ‘launeddas’ are wind instruments that testify to contacts from across the Mediterranean. Although they nearly vanished in the 1960s, in

Western Mediterranean Music / Ethnomusicology Festivals / Carnival Intergenerational relations

The Shackles of Tradition – Franz Boas (1858-1942) 1986 52‘

Directed by André Singer .

Central Television’s major documentary series looks at the first anthropologists to stop ‘armchair theorising’ and go out to live among the peoples who so interested them. The six part series

Various History of Anthropology Public Figure

In the Light of Memory 2010 40‘

Directed by Alyssa Grossman .

‘In the Light of Memory’ explores evocations of memory in contemporary post-socialist Bucharest, nearly twenty years after the fall of Romanian communism. The film is shot in Cismigiu Gardens, one of

South-East Europe Memory Post-communism

A Month in the Life of Ephtim D. 1999 56‘

Directed by Antonii Dontchev .

Ephtim D., 73 years old, is a retired postman. He lives in Sofia with his wife Ghinka in a three room suburban apartment. As a socialist he feels confused by the ‘crazy’ democracy and the

South-East Europe Health / Health care / Healing Post-communism Socioeconomic conditions

The Guga Hunters of Ness 2010 59‘

Directed by Mike Day .

This film follows a vanishing community’s beloved and unique tradition. The Gaelic speakers of Lewis and Scotland are the only people in the EU exempt from a ban on hunting gannets, but they are

Western Europe Hunting / Gathering / Fishing Animals Ritual

Returning Home: Revival of a Bosnian Village 2001 48‘

Directed by Tone Bringa Peter Loizos .

The film is the sequel to ‘We are all Neighbours’, the 1993 Granada Disappearing World film, about the breakdown of relations between Muslims and Croats as war overtakes their ethnically mixed

South-East Europe War / Conflict / Reconciliation Collective / Community identity Refugees / Displaced populations

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

Off the Verandah – Bronislaw Malinowski (1884-1942) 1986 52‘

Directed by André Singer .

Central Television’s major documentary series looks at the first anthropologists to stop ‘armchair theorising’ and go out to live among the peoples who so interested them. The six part series

Various History of Anthropology Public Figure

Tracking the Pale Fox: Studies on the Dogon 1983 48‘

Directed by Luc de Heusch .

This film tells with verve and a touch of self-irony the history of research on the Dogon since the famous 1931 expedition of Marcel Griaule. The film establishes the original expedition in the

West Africa History of Anthropology

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 Shilluk of Southern Sudan 1976 52‘

Directed by Chris Curling .

This film presents a compelling visual and aural analysis of Shilluk kingship in 1975, and provides a very useful complement to Evans-Pritchard’s 1948 text, The Divine Kingship of the Shilluk.

North and Northeast Africa Collective / Community identity Social Organisation

The Eskimos of Pond Inlet 1977 52‘

Directed by Michael Grigsby .

For the Eskimos of Pond Inlet – a new village in North Baffin Island in which they have been settled by the Canadian Government – the life of the semi-nomadic hunter has given way to that of

North America Indigenous peoples / First Nations peoples Hunting / Gathering / Fishing Collective / Community identity Social Conflict

Travel 2016 63‘

Special Interest Directed by Nick Mai .

(This version of the film is edited using a single screen. For the split screen version see ‘Travel – double screen version’). Joy left Nigeria to help her family after her father’s death. She

Western Europe Sex / Sexuality Labour Migration Ethnofiction Informant-researcher relationship Reflexivity

Travel (double screen) 2016 63‘

Directed by Nick Mai .

(This version of the film uses a split-screen device throughout. For the single screen version see ‘Travel’). Joy left Nigeria to help her family after her father’s death. She knew that she was

Western Europe Sex / Sexuality Labour Migration Ethnofiction Reflexivity

Other Europe 2011 75‘

Directed by Rossella Schillaci .

What happens to African migrants once granted political refugee status? In Turin, a northern Italian city, an abandoned clinic has been squatted by more than 200 refugees since December 2008. Khaled,

Western Mediterranean Migration Urban Squatter Settlements / Homelessness

Fieldwork – Sir Walter Baldwin Spencer (1860-1929) 1986 52‘

Directed by André Singer .

Central Television’s major documentary series looks at the first anthropologists to stop ‘armchair theorising’ and go out to live among the peoples who so interested them. The six part series

Various History of Anthropology

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

Unity: Dress-scapes of Accra 2016 37‘

Directed by Mara Lin Visser .

This is a film about African fashion in the capital of Ghana. African printed fabrics seem to making a comeback in the fashion system of Accra. While following Allan, a fashion designer and his wife

West Africa Trade Material Culture Art / Artists / Artisans

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

Orphans of Passage: The Uduk 1993 52‘

Directed by Bruce MacDonald .

In 1987 Sudanese government forces attacked the Uduk of Southern Sudan, and 20-25000 Uduk fled. Since then they have criss-crossed the Sudanese/Ethiopian border 5 times. In the spring of 1992, 13000

North and Northeast Africa Refugees / Displaced populations War / Conflict / Reconciliation Religion / Belief / Faith Squatter Settlements / Homelessness

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

Embera — the End of the Road 1971 52‘

Directed by Brian Moser .

The way of life of the 10,000 Embera Indians who live in the Choco region of Colombia, South American, is threatened by the encroachments of Negro Libres (descendants of freed slaves) and by the

South America Land Rights Indigenous peoples / First Nations peoples

Daba – Portrait of a Na Shaman 1999 40‘

Directed by Hua Cai .

After more than a quarter of a century without any form of religious ceremony, the Na, an ethnic group living on the Himalayan plateau, began openly practising their religion again in the early

South-East Asia Education / Knowledge transmission Religion / Belief / Faith Shamans and Shamanism

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

Some Women of Marrakech 1977 52‘

Directed by Melissa Llewelyn-Davies .

In Marrakech, traditional attitudes to women prevail perhaps more strongly than in other Moroccan cities. This is especially true for those women who live by the standards of traditional ideals in

North and Northeast Africa Gender Role and Identity Labour Dance / Theatre / Performance Social Norms

Vasile Nedea 2009 43‘

Directed by Sjoerd van Grootheest .

The film tells the story of Vasile Nedea, a Romanian gypsy musician an Amsterdam. Due to his former illegal status there have been times in which he was forced to show his skills whilst busking the

Western Europe Travellers / Roma Music / Ethnomusicology

Everything is Relatives – William Rivers (1864-1922) 1986 52‘

Directed by André Singer .

Central Television’s major documentary series looks at the first anthropologists to stop ‘armchair theorising’ and go out to live among the peoples who so interested them. The six part series

Various History of Anthropology Public Figure

Scenes of Afghan Music: London, Kabul, Hamburg, Dublin 2007 97‘

Directed by John Baily .

Scenes of Afghan Music is Part IV of ‘A Quartet of Afghan Music Films’, made in the author’s personal “fieldwork movie” style. It reveals the diversity of music and dance practices in the

Middle and Near East Music / Ethnomusicology Migration Collective / Community identity

Dervishes of Kurdistan 1973 52‘

Directed by Brian Moser .

A community of Kurds resident in Iran on the border with Iraq forms the subject of this film. Many of the inhabitants of the community are refugees from Kurdish areas of Iraq and the villagers are

Middle and Near East Refugees / Displaced populations Religion / Belief / Faith

The Kirghiz of Afghanistan 1975 51‘

Directed by Charlie Nairn André Singer .

The Kirghiz of Afghanistan are a group of some 2,000 pastoralists living on a bleak mountain plateau in a narrow isthmus of land between the borders of the Soviet Union and China. For nine months of

Middle and Near East Herding Nomads and Nomadism Social Organisation

The Guardian of the Forces 1991 52‘

Directed by Anne Laure Folly .

‘The Guardian of the Forces’ introduces the viewer to the world of Sikavi, a ‘fetish priest’ in Lome, Togo. He controls the spirits of several voodoos or gods. The film explores the significance

West Africa Health / Health care / Healing Possession Ritual

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 Villagers of Sierra de Gredos 1989 52‘

Directed by Peter Carr .

The 130 villagers of Navalguijo in the Sierra de Gredos of Central Spain live in a village perched high in the mountains and they face an extreme climate with very cold winters and hot summers. The

Western Mediterranean Herding Rural Collective / Community identity

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

Journey of the Maggot Feeder 2015 68‘

Directed by Liivo Niglas Priit Tender .

This film tries to solve the mystery of a bizarre Arctic fairy tale. Priit Tender, an Estonian animator, makes a film about an old Chukchi legend – The Maggot Feeder. The unconventional narrative

Central Asia and Far East Animation Film / Photography / Mass media Myths / Fairy tales

The Whale Hunters of Lamalera 1988 52‘

Directed by John Blake David Wason .

The Whale Hunters of Lamalera was filmed over a period of four weeks during June 1987. Lamalera is a village which is perched on the rocky slopes of an active volcano on the southern coast of the

South-East Asia Hunting / Gathering / Fishing Animals Everyday Life

Keepers of the Faith: The Buddhist Nuns of Sagaing Hills 1996 51‘

Directed by Hiroko Kawanami .

In the Sagaing Hills, 12 miles from the ancient capital of Mandalay are hundreds of pagodas, stupas, monasteries and nunneries which form a focal point of worship for Buddhism in Burma. In 1986 the

South-East Asia Religion / Belief / Faith Collective / Community identity Gender Role and Identity

The Mystery of the Frozen Tombs: A Young Lady Emerges From the Ice 1994 44‘

Directed by Francoise Levie .

The film unfolds the archaeological discovery of the frozen tombs of Altai, part of the Scythian culture in the Siberian steppe.

Central Asia and Far East Archaeology

Cakchiquel Maya of San Antonio Palopó 1987 52‘

Directed by Bruce MacDonald .

The documentary shows how Cakchiquel Maya of a village on Lake Atitlan in Guatemala adapted to changes that took place in the decades before the film was made, when the lake became a favoured spot

Central America Tourism / Travel / Pilgrimage Indigenous peoples / First Nations peoples

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

Herat Films: The City of Herat 1983 21‘

Directed by John Baily .

These videos were edited from seven hours of Super 8 film shot by John Baily during two years of ethnomusicological fieldwork carried out in the Herat region of western Afghanistan between 1973 and

Middle and Near East Urban Trade

The Longest Struggle: The Karen of Burma 1993 52‘

Directed by John Sheppard .

In the forested hills of eastern Burma, a war has been going on for more than 50 years. A war that is rarely reported and is often apparently at a stalemate. For the Karen people of this part of

South-East Asia War / Conflict / Reconciliation Memory

Herat Films: The Shrines of Herat 1983 30‘

Directed by John Baily .

These videos were edited from seven hours of Super 8 film shot by John Baily during two years of ethnomusicological fieldwork carried out in the Herat region of western Afghanistan between 1973 and

Middle and Near East Religion / Belief / Faith Urban

Return of the Nightingales 2013 33‘

Directed by John Baily .

In 2010 Afghan musicologist Dr. Ahmad Sarmast opened the Afghanistan National Institute of Music (ANIM), a coeducational vocational music school in Kabul that teaches Afghan, Indian and Western

South Asia Music / Ethnomusicology Education / Knowledge Transmission Children / Young people

War of the Gods 1971 52‘

Directed by Brian Moser .

While relying on a polemical stance directed against the cultural genocide wrought by missionaries, ‘War of the Gods’ also contains a wealth of information and detail about Amazonian Indian

South America Religion / Belief / Faith Collective / Community identity Agriculture / Farming Hunting / Gathering / Fishing

Herat Films: The Annual Cycle of Music in Herat 1983 54‘

Directed by John Baily .

These videos were edited from seven hours of Super 8 film shot by John Baily during two years of ethnomusicological fieldwork carried out in the Herat region of western Afghanistan between 1973 and

Middle and Near East Dance / Theatre / Performance Music / Ethnomusicology

Sons of the Moon 1984 25‘

Directed by Frank Speed Deirdre LaPin .

In isolated mountain hamlets in Nigeria’s Jos Plateau the Ngas have traditionally observed the movements of the moon in the night sky. The moon is a key symbol in Ngas cosmology, believed to

West Africa Religion / Belief / Faith Music / Ethnomusicology Everyday Life Ritual

The Kayapo: Out of the Forest 1989 52‘

Directed by Michael Beckham .

Early in 1989 the Kayapo rallied other Brazilian Indians to attend a reunification of the tribes at Altamira«the proposed site of a massive hydro-electric dam, that will flood large parts of the

South America Land Rights Indigenous peoples / First Nations peoples Resistance Film / Photography / Mass media Political Activists Social Conflict

Fatmawati’s Wedding: the Weddings of two Sisters, the Preparations 1998 50‘

Directed by Fiona Kerlogue .

This film records the preparations for the wedding of two sisters in eastern Sumatra in December 1996. There is an emphasis on the importance of the role of women in the village. Ritual exchanges

South-East Asia Gender Role and Identity Marriage Ritual Material Culture

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

Confluences – Emerillon of French Guiana 2007 78‘

Directed by Perle Møhl .

Like self-fulfilling prophecies, scientific reports have hitherto depicted the Emerillon of French Guiana as cultureless and doomed to disappear. With this film, an anthropologist proposes to defy

South America Indigenous peoples / First Nations peoples Everyday Life

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

The Absence of Apricots 2018 49‘

Student Directed by Daniel Asadi Faezi .

In the Hunza Valley in the northern Pakistan there is a magnificent turquoise lake. But the lake hasn’t been always there: it is the result of a massive landslide that blocked a river, causing

South Asia Environment Memory Development projects Resettlement

Hundreds of Homes 1992 50‘

Directed by Heimo Lappalainen .

Taiga Nomads is a film series about the Evenki (previously the Tungus), a nomadic people scattered all over eastern Siberia, and living under harsh conditions in the taiga, an area predominated by

Central Asia and Far East Nomads and Nomadism Animals

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

Out of Focus 2013 37‘

Directed by Adrian Arcé Antonio Zirión .

This is a collaborative documentary about arts, culture and everyday life inside a prison for minors. It was shot during a photography and video workshop with young inmates at the Juvenile Community

Central America Children / Young people Prison Art / Artists / Artisans Reflexivity

Southeast London Ethnography – Three Student Films: Anglesea Road; The Good Ol’ Days; Talk of Trade 2007 13‘

Directed by Elhum Shakerifar Ed Owles Jamie Taylor .

These 3 films on Southeast London were made by GCC college students who took a course in anthropology & film. ANGLESEA ROAD: Situated in Woolwich, South East London, Anglesea Road is a small

British-Irish Isles Urban

Smoke 1991 28‘

RAI Basil Wright Directed by Maarten Rens .

The film deals with fish smoking in Monnickendam, a small town twelve miles north of Amsterdam. Using archival footage, interviewing old fishermen, and contrasting the traditional and the modern

Western Europe Hunting / Gathering / Fishing Food Archival material / Museum displays

The Block 2016 60‘

Student Directed by Maria Șalaru .

From neighbourly disputes over garlic-heavy cooking to memories of Ceaușescu’s heatless winters, "The Block" explores the rich social and material universe of a Romanian apartment

Eastern Europe and Baltic States Urban Post-communism Infrastructure / Transport

Cannibalism 1999 60‘

Directed by André Singer Tom Sheahan .

The history of cannibalism around the world and its role in different culture, from ancient Britain to Papua New Guinea. The Forbidden Rites trilogy explores cannibalism, head hunting and human

Various Ritual Archival material / Museum displays History of Anthropology

Head Hunting 1999 60‘

Directed by André Singer .

The history of human decapitation, featuring the story of two British engineers beheaded by rebels in modern Russia and the psychological and religious implications of contemporary headhunting in

Various Ritual History of Anthropology

Mongolia part 2: The City on the Steppes 1975 52‘

Directed by Brian Moser .

The second of two films on Mongolia made by Granada Television in 1974–75 looks at life in Ulan Bator, the capital of Mongolia and home of a quarter of the population. The city celebrates the 53rd

Central Asia and Far East Festivals / Carnival Urban Everyday Life

Gelede: A Yoruba Masquerade 1970 30‘

Directed by Frank Speed Peggy Harper .

Among the Yoruba of Western Nigeria and Dahomey the Gelede cult honours the earth spirits, the ancestors and especially the Great Mother. The festival filmed here emphasises the status of women and

West Africa Gender Role and Identity Ritual Festivals / Carnival Social Conflict

Matai Samoa 1989 65‘

Directed by George Milner .

The film is a valuable treatment of archival footage that George Milner shot while conducting fieldwork in 1955 and 1959. The footage (18 minutes of the total film) focuses on the traditional Samoan

New Zealand and Polynesia History of Anthropology Film / Photography / Mass media Social Organisation Archival material / Museum displays Ritual

The Kawelka: Ongka’s Big Moka 1974 52‘

Directed by Charlie Nairn .

Ongka is a charismatic big-man of the Kawelka tribe who live scattered in the Western highlands, north of Mount Hagen, in Papua New Guinea. The film focuses on the motivations and efforts involved

Melanesia Ritual Festivals / Carnival Social Conflict

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

Cuyagua – the Saint With Two Faces 1987 56‘

Student Directed by Paul Henley .

The film centres on the predominantly female celebration of the feast of Saint John. The women sing the songs associated with the Feast, describe their beliefs and how they organise the feast.

South America Ritual Religion / Belief / Faith Festivals / Carnival

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

Body Games – Capoeira and Ancestry 2014 87‘

Student Directed by Richard Pakleppa Matthias Röhrig Assunção Christine Dettmann .

The film follows master Cobra Mansa and his friends in the search for the African roots of the Brazilian martial art Capoeira. A powerful myth links Capoeira to a legendary Angolan game called Engolo

South America Southern Africa Dance / Theatre / Performance Music / Ethnomusicology Festivals / Carnival

The Condor and the Bull 1989 56‘

Directed by Peter Getzels Harriet Gordon .

Villagers from remote hamlets high in the Andes join together with people from the roadside village of Ocongate for the Peruvian Independence Day celebration. Festivities require that a wild condor

South America Animals Festivals / Carnival Ritual

Je ne suis pas moi-même 2009 50‘

Directed by Alba Mora Anna Sanmartí .

Shot in Cameroon and Brussels, ‘Je ne suis pas moi-même’ examines the complex network surrounding the international market of African antiquities, and the contradictions in a European art market

Central Africa Western Europe Art / Artists / Artisans Trade

The Ethnographer 2012 86‘

Directed by Ulises Rosell .

John Palmer arrived in a Wichí community, located in Argentina, thirty years ago as an anthropologist – today he has married a Wichí woman with whom he has five sons in the last 5 years, who babble

South America History of Anthropology Everyday Life Informant-researcher relationship

Strange Beliefs – Sir Edward Evans-Pritchard (1902-1973) 1986 52‘

Directed by André Singer .

Central Television’s major documentary series looks at the first anthropologists to stop ‘armchair theorising’ and go out to live among the peoples who so interested them. The six part series

Various History of Anthropology Public Figure

Across the Tracks – The Vlach Gypsies in Hungary 1988 52‘

Directed by John Blake .

*’Across the Tracks’ is a gripping film for the general viewer. It is beautifully filmed in observational style (lingering scenes of muddy courtyards) with enough subtitled interview material to

Central Europe Animals Labour Travellers / Roma

Human Sacrifice 1999 60‘

Directed by André Singer .

The documentary gives insight into the ancient rituals and religious practices involved in human sacrifice. The Forbidden Rites trilogy explores cannibalism, head hunting and human sacrifice. This

Various Ritual History of Anthropology

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

The Kwegu 1979 52‘

Directed by Leslie Woodhead Andy Harries .

*’The Kwegu’ is an entirely tasteful and dignified presentation of the harsh realities of subsistence living, and it may help us understand how, even in stateless societies, dominated groups come to

North and Northeast Africa Collective / Community identity Agriculture / Farming Social Organisation Marriage Trade

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

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

Extended Family 2016 31‘

Student Directed by Ramona Sonderegger .

This films offers an intimate insight into the lives of two same-sex families who found a way to create themselves within a legal grey area in Switzerland. Swiss law bans adoption and access to

Western Europe LGBTQI* Family / Kinship Sex / Sexuality Law and Legislation / Bureaucracy

A Hospice in Amsterdam 2005 62‘

Directed by Steef Meyknecht .

At the end of Van Goghstraat in Amsterdam is the Veerhuis. A normal residential house in a normal urban area, where children play outside in front of the door. But people come to the Veerhuis to die.

Western Europe Health / Health care / Healing Elderly people

Rockerill: Rekindling the Fire 2011 53‘

Directed by Yves Mora .

Five years ago, one of the oldest industrial buildings of Charleroi- ‘les Forges de la Providence’- was saved from demolition being brought by two citizens: Thierry Camuy and Mika Hell. Together

Western Europe Alternative culture Art / Artists / Artisans

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

We Are All Neighbours 1993 52‘

Directed by Debbie Christie .

The film shows the effect of war on families in a racially mixed village outside Sarajevo, Bosnia, where Bosnian Croats and Bosnian Moslems lived peacefully together. Norwegian anthropologist Tone

South-East Europe War / Conflict / Reconciliation Collective / Community identity Inter-religious relations

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

Ghetto PSA 2016 15‘

Special Interest Directed by Rossella Schillaci .

Jacob arrived in Italy alone from French Guinea when he was 11 years old. Today he is 27, and hip hop music is his whole world: it is his way to express dreams, hopes and frustrations, and to not

Western Europe Music / Ethnomusicology Migration Education / Knowledge Transmission

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

Breeding Cells 2009 39‘

Directed by Anna Straube .

Breeding Cells is a film about a reproductive laboratory. A fertility clinic is a place where human reproduction is separated from sex and anatomized into bio/technological components. There

Western Europe Reproduction (biology) Science / Technology

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

Atieno 2018 64‘

Directed by June Ndinya Effie Awino Ruth Njoki Lavine Atieno Dorcas Akin .

Atieno is a collaborative fiction film scripted, acted and directed by DreamGirls, a group of adolescent girls and young women from Nairobi and Kisumu. The film tells of Atieno, a 16 year old girl

East Africa Health / Healthcare / Healing Children / Young people Gender Role and Identity Ethnofiction Dance / Theatre / Performance Participatory / Collaborative methods Sex / Sexuality

The Mursi 1974 52‘

Directed by Leslie Woodhead .

The Mursi are a cattle-keeping and agricultural group without chiefs or leaders from south-west Ethiopia. This film, made under extremely difficult conditions, focuses on the way decisions are made

North and Northeast Africa War / Conflict / Reconciliation Social Organisation

Living with the Invisibles 2003 52‘

Directed by Dirk Dumont .

When they emigrated to Europe in the 60’s and 70’s, Moroccans brought with them their culture and their “diseases” ( caused by the the jinn that inhabit some of them). In Europe, most North

North and Northeast Africa Health / Health care / Healing Possession Migration

Sea Boundary 2012 55‘

Directed by Rosella Schillaci .

The film depicts the daily struggle of fishermen to earn a living in a harsh physical environment that brings out the social and economic tensions of modern society. Manning the Priamo are Cola, the

Western Mediterranean Labour Hunting / Gathering / Fishing Socioeconomic conditions Migration

Breaking the Chains 2015 64‘

Student Directed by Erminia Colucci .

The practice of using shackles and chains to physically restrain people with mental illness (known as pasung) is widespread in Indonesia (as in many other developing/low middle income countries) and

South-East Asia Prison Health / Health care / Healing Political Activists Development projects

Transfiction 2007 58‘

Directed by Johannes Sjøberg .

Transfiction explores ‘ethnofiction’ – an experimental ethnographic documentary film style in which the participants collaborate with the filmmaker to act out their own and others’ life experiences

South America Reflexivity Film / Photography / Mass media Gender Role and Identity Sex / Sexuality LGBTQI* Ethnofiction

Mirror Mirror 2006 58‘

Directed by Zemirah Moffat .

Mirror Mirror is based on an audio-visual ethnography of London’s queer Club Wotever. Begun in the autumn of 2003, it promoted itself as a club that welcomed all genders and sexualities – a

British-Irish Isles LGBTQI* Sex / Sexuality Gender Role and Identity

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

Leaving Greece 2013 79‘

Directed by Anna Brass .

When entering the EU for the first time, a refugee must submit an application for asylum. So much is clear. Less well known, however is the fact that for 90% of all refugees, the Aegean is the

Western Mediterranean Children / Young people Migration Love

Garden Days: Village in Papua New Guinea 1988 25‘

Directed by Ariane Lewis Jon Jerstad .

A detailed account of domestic life in the Sepik area of Papua New Guinea, mainly from the women’s point of view. It describes their everyday activities in the ‘gardens’ in order to produce

Melanesia Agriculture / Farming Children / Young people Ritual

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

The Carrot and the Stick 1988 44‘

Directed by Susi Arnott .

When they retired from selling insurance and teaching, John and Irene Brown volunteered to work overseas under a British Aid programme. They were sent to expand a marketing project aimed at

Melanesia Development projects Agriculture / Farming Rural

Together as One 2013 39‘

Directed by Kilian Lamtur Tanlaka .

Nso’ is the biggest kingdom of the Western Grassfields and an ethnic group in the northeast corner of Cameroon’s northwest region. Its capital Kumbo is where the ruler (Fon) lives. The Nso’

Central Africa Archaeobotany / Ethnobotany Collective / Community identity Inter-religious relations

The smokehouse 81‘

Directed by Anna Grimshaw .

George has been smoking fish for as long as he can remember. The smokehouse has a place of pride in his dooryard, and he lovingly tends the racks to ensure perfection. The end of fishing is in

North America Hunting/Gathering/Fishing Trade

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

Sundanese Culture Alive 1988 46‘

Directed by Jean Hellwig .

Jaipongan is a new style of music and dancing which was ‘invented’ about a decade ago on Western Java, Indonesia. Drawing on more classical Javanese music and taking elements from Japanese and

South-East Asia Music / Ethnomusicology Dance / Theatre / Performance

Polka 1986 50‘

Directed by Robert Boonzajer-Flaes .

The film confronts the accordion music of Chicano immigrants in southern Texas with the traditional music of accordion players in Austria. Without making any final judgements on the ‘roots’ of

North America Music / Ethnomusicology Collective / Community identity

Winter Days 2013 59‘

Directed by Anna Grimshaw .

"Winter Days" evokes the stillness and quietness of the forest in winter. Life is lived close to the stove. It’s a time for small tasks and chores – making a wedge, sewing a pocket, the

North America Alternative culture Rural Everyday Life Art / Artists / Artisans

A Clearing in the Jungle 1970 52‘

Directed by Charlie Nairn .

Like that of many other Indian groups in South America, the culture of the Panare Indians of Venezuela is threatened by their almost daily contact with neighbouring creoles, Spanish-speaking

South America Hunting / Gathering / Fishing Informant-researcher relationship Indigenous peoples / First Nations peoples

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

Black Mountain 2008 84‘

Directed by Charlotte Whitby-Coles Amin Hajee .

A once unremarkable site of multi-faith pilgrimage to a Sufi Saint has been transformed and its local history rewritten – the film documents the journey of Charlotte, a student undertaking her PhD

South Asia Religion / Belief / Faith Tourism / Travel / Pilgrimage Inter-religious relations

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

Steel Lives 2005 45‘

Directed by Massimiliano Mollona .

The anthropologist spent several months working as unskilled labourer alongside Sheffield steelworkers at Morris for his PhD. This film is a look into the working lives of men who earn a living in

British-Irish Isles Labour Socioeconomic conditions Collective / Community identity

Fragments from the Past 2006 27‘

Directed by Vedide Kaymak Hakan Demiralay .

In the days before DVD and satellite television, the cinema was important to London’s Turkish speaking population as a place to meet and as a link with home. Eight individuals recount their

British-Irish Isles Popular Culture Migration Film / Photography / Mass media

Boya Boya (Shine Shine) 2014 18‘

Directed by Karen Boswall Ruba Al Akash .

A portrait of Syrian refugee Mohammed, a 12-year-old shoe shine boy, ‘Boya Boya (Shine Shine)’ looks at the reality of the growing population of urban refugees from a child’s point of view. While

Middle and Near East Children / Young people Refugees / Displaced populations Labour

The Storyteller 1990 50‘

Student Directed by John Paul Davidson .

Unaware of the written word until the 1950s, the Waura tribe who live in the headwaters of the Xingu river in Brazil still practise the art of storytelling. Tribal storyteller Aruta recounts one of

South America Indigenous peoples / First Nations peoples Dance / Theatre / Performance Religion / Belief / Faith

The Float 2020 75‘

Directed by Anna Grimshaw .

The peak of the lobster season has arrived. George works closely with his son and grandson to repair their float ravaged by high tides, strong winds and the constant erosion of salt water. Towing

North America Hunting/Gathering/Fishing Trade

HARMONI: HEALING TOGETHER 2021 98‘

Directed by Erminia Colucci .

As a nation of 270 million, Indonesia is facing the grave task of caring for millions of people living with mental illness. Many have experienced human rights abuses in their lifetime. In communities

South-East Asia Health / Health care / Healing Religion / Belief / Faith

The season 2020 63‘

Directed by Anna Grimshaw .

This is part 4 of a 7-part series. Lobsters slowly migrate north, moving into the Machias Bay from warmer, southern waters. George works quickly to finish setting his full quota of traps.

Hunting/Gathering/Fishing Trade

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

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

Playing with Nan 2012 88‘

Directed by Dipesh Kharel Asami Saito .

Playing with Nan is the story of a Nepali young man who migrated to work in a Nepali restaurant in northern Japan. The film explores his daily life at work and his family at home, which reflects

South Asia Central Asia and Far East Labour Migration Socioeconomic conditions

Fatuma and Asya. Two Afar Girls in Ethiopia 2014 59‘

Directed by Francesco Sincich .

Two young Afar girls, Fatuma (10) and Asya (13), show us their daily life in two different contexts of the Afar Region in Ethiopia. Both of them face hard challenges: finding an alternative way to

West Africa Gender Role and Identity Marriage Children / Young people Rural

Kataragama: A God for All Seasons 1973 52‘

Directed by Charlie Nairn .

In ever-increasing numbers Sinhalese of all religions (Muslims, Christians and Buddhists) are turning to Kataragama, an ancient Hindu God, at times of trouble and desperation. Once a year pilgrims

South Asia Religion / Belief / Faith Ritual Possession

A Summer Task 2013 47‘

Directed by Anna Grimshaw .

"A Summer Task" examines the rhythm and tempo of work in the forest. The film follows Bill Coperthwaite and his cousin, Steve, as they fell and haul trees to build a bridge and begin

North America Alternative culture Everyday Life Rural Art / Artists / Artisans

The Way We Live Now 2016 32‘

Student Directed by Sophia Hersi Smith .

‘The Way We Live Now’ is an intimate portrait of the daily routines and rituals of the Hadza; modern-day hunter-gatherers living in the acacia-baobab woodlands surrounding Lake Eyasi in North-Central

East Africa Hunting / Gathering / Fishing Everyday Life

Pepe 2004 23‘

Directed by Juana Schlenker .

Pepe is a Spanish immigrant who came to England more than forty years ago to work as a waiter. After working in several restaurants and hotels, he retired two years ago and now he fills his days with

British-Irish Isles Migration Elderly people

Nkabom: A little medicine A little prayer 2021 79‘

Werbner Award Directed by Erminia Colucci .

A mother is caring for her son at a healing shrine on the edge of a village in the central belt of Ghana. In another village, a father has taken his son to several Christian and traditional healers

West Africa Health / Health care / Healing Religion / Belief / Faith

Calcutta Calling 2006 16‘

Directed by André Hörmann .

“Business Process Outsourcing” is the fastest growing industry in the world. In India, approximately 350,000 people are currently working in call centres to maintain the contact between western

South Asia Labour

Khyber 1979 49‘

Directed by André Singer Andy Harries .

For more than a century Britain was engaged in war with the Pashtun tribesmen of India’s North West frontier. It began with the bloodiest massacre in the history of the British Empire when, in

South Asia War / Conflict / Reconciliation Colonialism / Postcolonialism History

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

A Kabul Music Diary 2003 52‘

Directed by John Baily .

Ethnomusicologist John Baily returns to Kabul to see what is happening in the world of music one year after the defeat of the Taliban. The film documents a variety of musical activities, including

Middle and Near East Music / Ethnomusicology War / Conflict / Reconciliation

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

The Rendille 1977 52‘

Directed by Chris Curling .

The Rendille are camel herders who live in villages and camps dotted over 10,000 square miles of desert and scrub bush in Northern Kenya. As the terrain they occupy is so dry, the Rendille grow no

East Africa Herding Animals Social Organisation Everyday Life

Nuba Conversation 1989 53‘

Directed by Arthur Howes .

Ten years after he made ‘Kafi’s Story’, director Arthur Howes returns to the Sudan to find the members of the Nuba who featured in his earlier documentary film. Soon after he had left the Sudan, the

North and Northeast Africa Children / Young people War / Conflict / Reconciliation Refugees / Displaced populations

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

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

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

Autumn’s Work 2013 47‘

Directed by Anna Grimshaw .

"Autumn’s Work" follows Bill Coperthwaite as he prepares for winter. Wrestling with a large felled tree amidst its vast tangle of branches, Bill slowly and methodically breaks it down

North America Alternative culture Rural Everyday Life Art / Artists / Artisans

The Meo 1972 52‘

Directed by Brian Moser Chris Curling .

Over the last three thousand years the Meo (Miao or Hmong) have migrated south from north and central China to avoid oppression and protect their way of life. Today they live in scattered mountain

South-East Asia War / Conflict / Reconciliation Shamans and Shamanism Ritual Social Organisation Rural

In the dooryard 2020 71‘

Directed by Anna Grimshaw .

Spring in Buck’s Harbor is about preparing for the fishing season ahead. Work on lobster traps and on halibut hooks begins in earnest. But it is rarely a solitary activity. Every day people

North America Hunting/Gathering/Fishing Trade

Finn Beach 2020 63‘

Directed by Anna Grimshaw .

The summer draws to a close, but the season is not yet over. Work continues — baiting and hauling traps, sorting and shipping lobsters. There are always tasks to be done. But within the daily

North America Hunting/Gathering/Fishing Trade

On the water 2020 67‘

Directed by Anna Grimshaw .

During April, George and Mark, his son and sternman, begin setting traps for the season ahead. It’s cold and rough on the ocean, and lobsters are scarce. Halibut fishing, permitted for only

North America Hunting/Gathering/Fishing Trade

Counterpoint Botswana 2011 45‘

Directed by Richard Werbner .

Seeing ‘Holy Hustler’, the 2009 film made in Botswana, local viewers respond and discuss it with the filmmaker Richard Werbner in 2011. ‘Counterpoint Botswana’ captures the reception by home

British-Irish Isles Reflexivity

Distant Temple 2002 90‘

Directed by János Tari .

The last orthodox synagogue in Makó was renewed and inaugurated in 2002. The little temple, as they call it, is more than hundred years old and represents the link between the Jews who emigrated

Middle and Near East Migration Religion / Belief / Faith

The Cellar 2018 84‘

Directed by Anna Grimshaw .

George Sprague lives and works in Buck’s Harbor, Maine. He is widely known for his "cellar" (affectionately called the whine cellar), where people gather to talk, make lobster traps, share

North America Hunting/Gathering/Fishing Trade

Gods and Satans 2005 87‘

Directed by Martine Journet Gérard Nougarol Gabriel Chabanier .

Among the Wana people, semi nomads from the Indonesian (Sulawesi) forest, Indo Pino is a shaman recognized by everybody. Her nephew, who is also a shaman’s son, converted to Christianity some

South-East Asia Religion / Belief / Faith Shamans and Shamanism Inter-religious relations

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

Cultivating Death 2003 23‘

Directed by Martin Gruber .

Cemeteries are not only places for the dead. They are also spaces in which the living interact with each other – and with the dead. “Cultivating Death” depicts the different ways in which

British-Irish Isles Death Ritual

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

Kafi’s Story 1979 53‘

Directed by Arthur Howes Amy Hardie .

Shot in 1989, Kafi’s Story captures Nuba life at the moment before it was engulfed in the Sudanese civil war. Kafi narrates his own story into a portable tape record as he travels from his village,

North and Northeast Africa Film / Photography / Mass media Marriage Tourism / Travel / Pilgrimage

Spring in Dickinson’s Reach 2013 83‘

Directed by Anna Grimshaw .

"Spring in Dickinson’s Reach" provides an introduction to the unique environment that Bill Coperthwaite has crafted in the Maine forest. Beginning in early spring, the film follows

North America Alternative culture Rural Everyday Life Art / Artists / Artisans

Benjamin and His Brother 1999 87‘

Directed by Arthur Howes .

Years of war and ethnic conflict in the Sudan have created a generation of young men, known as the "Lost Boys", who have spent more years in refugee camps than in their home communities.

North America East Africa Refugees / Displaced populations War / Conflict / Reconciliation Children / Young people Family / Kinship

Cuyagua – Devil Dancers 1987 52‘

Directed by Paul Henley .

The men of the Afro-Caribbean population of Cuyagua enact a ritual that occurs 60 days after Easter. The film is a portrait of two men who direct the devil dancing. They tell the history of the

South America Ritual Religion / Belief / Faith

Dor, Low is Better 1988 47‘

Directed by Robert Boonzajer-Flaes .

The film offers an experimental approach to the comparative study of cultures: the monks of a Tibetan monastery compare their own flutes with the Swiss alphorn and the Dutch windhorn introduced to

South Asia Music / Ethnomusicology Ritual

John the Eel Trapper 1982 28‘

Directed by Toni de Bromhead .

The fens of East Anglia provide the scenery for this documentary. At the centre of the film is John, a solitary character, who makes his living by trapping eels in the numerous canals of the area.

British-Irish Isles Animals Hunting / Gathering / Fishing

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

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

The Skills You Passed On 1992 50‘

Directed by Heimo Lappalainen .

The second of three films about the Evenki people of eastern Siberia. Focuses on Nikolaj Pavlovich Archemku, who experienced the very beginning of Soviet power, two World Wars, and the

Central Asia and Far East Nomads and Nomadism Everyday Life

Tindaya Variations 2018 40‘

Special Interest Directed by Isaac Marrero-Guillamon .

The mountain of Tindaya (Fuerteventura, Canary Islands) is more than a mountain. It was a sacred site for the indigenous people of Fuerteventura; later, its rock was quarried and sold for ornamental

Western Mediterranean Archival material / Museum displays Art / Artists / Artisans Environment Material Culture Indigenous peoples / First Nations peoples Archaeology

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

Drugs & Prayers 2009 55‘

Directed by Helene Basu .

The Sufi shrine of Mira Datar in North Gujarat is a large pilgrimage centre specialising in healing possession and mental illness. It has become a site of experimenting with new forms of community

South Asia Health / Health care / Healing Ritual Religion / Belief / Faith

Lessons from Gulam 1986 52‘

Directed by John Baily .

A detailed study of musical enculturation within the Asian community of Bradford in northern England. Gulam Musa is the principal character and he is shown as a teacher and as a musician. The film

British-Irish Isles Music / Ethnomusicology Education / Knowledge Transmission

Ustad Rahim 2008 55‘

Directed by John Baily .

Shot in the city of Heart, western Afghanistan 1994, in the period between the fall of the last leftist government and the coming of the Taliban, this is a portrait film of an outstanding musician,

South Asia Music / Ethnomusicology Education / Knowledge Transmission Personal Narrative

Sacred Harp Singers 1984 85‘

Directed by Mark Brice .

A moving portrait of harp singers Leonard and Mazine Lacy. Sacred harp music is a kind of harmonised plainsong practised in rural America. This film was shot in Sand Mountain, Alabama, and is

North America Music / Ethnomusicology Rural

The Veil Unveiled 2004 29‘

Directed by Vanessa Langer .

In Yemen, the land of Queen Saba, a wide variety of veils can be found. In the capital Sana’a, the women, although at first sight appearing to all be wearing but black, distinguish themselves one

Middle and Near East Gender Role and Identity Material Culture Religion / Belief / Faith

The Mende 1990 52‘

Directed by Bruce MacDonald .

This is a portrait of Kpuawala, Sierra Leone, a village of some 260 Mende people living in a clearing in the forest in houses of mud brick and tin. Like any village portrait it gossips, happy

West Africa Everyday Life Social Organisation Rural

Campo 9 2013 25‘

Directed by Carlos R. Rivero Uicab .

Carlos, the director of the documentary, worked for four years with Abraham and his family of Mennonites who have lived in the Campeche region for over a decade. Abraham mainly worked cutting down

Central America Indigenous peoples / First Nations peoples Social Conflict Inter-religious relations

Duminea: A Festival for the Water Spirits 1966 20‘

Directed by Frank Speed Robin Horton .

The communal rituals of most villages of the Eastern Niger Delta focus on two great classes of spirits – the heroes and the water people. The heroes once lived with the men, founded their

West Africa Ritual Possession

The Orchard Keepers 2014 24‘

Directed by Bryony Dunne .

Against the backdrop of political upheaval, an ancient network of orchards thrives in the mountains of the Sinai desert. Filmmaker Bryony Dunne shadows two Bedouins as they nurture their gardens and

North and Northeast Africa Environment Archaeobotany / Ethnobotany Rural

Shepherds in the Cave 2016 87‘

Material Culture Directed by Anthony Grieco .

An international team of art restorers, archaeologists and volunteers begin work on the restoration of religious frescoes inside a network of ancient caves. Faced with local bureaucratic challenges

Western Mediterranean Archaeology Herding Art / Artists / Artisans Law and Legislation / Bureaucracy

Indo Pino 2002 84‘

Directed by Martine Journet Gérard Nougarol Gabriel Chabamier .

The small ethnic group of the Wana Wewaju live in Indonesia in the eastern part of Sulawesi (Celebes Island) among the dense equatorial rain forest of the Tokkala Mountains. The film documents the

South-East Asia Shamans and Shamanism Health / Health care / Healing

Room 11, Ethiopia Hotel 2006 23‘

Directed by Itsushi Kawase .

The film recounts the life of children living on the street in Gondar, Ethiopia, by witnessing the interaction between two children and the filmmaker. The entire film was shot in the room of Ethiopia

North and Northeast Africa Children / Young people Squatter Settlements / Homelessness Informant-researcher relationship Reflexivity

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

Fighting for Nothing to Happen 2015 48‘

Student Directed by Nora Wildenauer .

After the volcanic eruption of Mount Rokatenda, the people of the island of Pulau Palue in east Indonesia are to be relocated. But are the planned relocation and the "new" life at the

South-East Asia Law and Legislation / Bureaucracy Refugees / Displaced populations Development projects Disasters

Holy Men and Fools 2005 61‘

Directed by Michael Yorke .

The film narrates the story of Uma Giri, a Swedish woman who has become a Hindu nun, called Uma Giri. She is one of the few western women to be accepted into the most radical order of wandering

South Asia Religion / Belief / Faith Inter-religious relations Tourism / Travel / Pilgrimage

Across the Border: Afghan Musicians exiled in Peshawar 2008 54‘

Directed by John Baily .

It is the year 2000 and most of Afghanistan is under the control of the Taliban. Hearing that many of Afghanistain’s musicians are now in exile across the border in Pakistan, ethnomusicologist John

South Asia Refugees / Displaced populations Music / Ethnomusicology Religion / Belief / Faith

The Guest 2012 20‘

Student Directed by Kira de Hemmer Jeppesen .

Following the personal story of a Danish first-time surrogate mother, ‘The Guest’ explores issues of maternal bonding, modern families, relatedness, and desired control over body and mind. We follow

Scandinavia LGBTQI* Sex / Sexuality Reproduction (biology) 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

Mursi: The Land is Bad 1991 52‘

Directed by Leslie Woodhead .

A further visit to the Mursi of Southern Ethiopia with whom contact was established 17 years ago, for an important coming of age ceremony which has had to be postponed many times. An elder of the

North and Northeast Africa Ritual Social Conflict Health / Health care / Healing

Raju and His Friends 1988 40‘

Directed by Marcus Banks .

This film is set in the city of Jamnagar, western India. The film focuses on the emotions, quality of life, and on duty. Raju’s friendship with different people, including the director, provide a

South Asia Urban Informant-researcher relationship Life Story / Life History

37 Uses for a Dead Sheep 2006 85‘

Directed by Ben Hopkins .

The Pamir Kirghiz are a tribe of some 2,000 people from the Pamir region of Central Asia. For the last 27 years they have lived in exile in Eastern Turkey. In 2005 an Anglo-Turkish film crew arrives

Middle and Near East Film / Photography / Mass media Animals Migration

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

Habilito – Debt for Life 2010 52‘

Directed by Chuck Sturtevant .

This documentary explores many of the conflicts and tensions that arise at the point of contact between highland migrants and lowland indigenous peoples, focusing particularly on the system of debt

South America Socioeconomic conditions Migration Indigenous peoples / First Nations peoples Labour

Uzu 2015 27‘

Directed by Gaspard Kuentz .

Held every October in the city of Matsuyama, the Dogo Autumn Festival is one of the most violent religious festivals celebrated in Japan. Eight teams of men carrying massive portable wood shrines

Central Asia and Far East Ritual Gender Role and Identity

New Images 1964 27‘

Directed by Ulli Beier Frank Speed .

The film is a brief description of life in a busy commercial centre that still depends upon and retains its ancient traditions. These are based on the history of the town which was founded on the

West Africa Art / Artists / Artisans Religion / Belief / Faith Archival material / Museum displays

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

Nuba Wrestling 1991 42‘

Directed by Rolf Husmann Werner Sperschneider .

The weekly wrestling tournaments of the Sudanese Nuba migrants in Khartoum usually take place between Northern and Southern Nuba men. The sport helps them strengthen their ethnic identity in a

North and Northeast Africa Collective / Community identity Gender Role and Identity Urban Sport

Ritual Journeys 2011 75‘

Directed by Dawa Lepcha Anna Balikci .

The film is an intimate portrait of Merayk, an 80 years old Lepcha shaman or Padim. Merayk lives with his family in Dzongu, a Lepcha reserve in North Sikkim. He performs healing rituals for

South Asia Ritual Shamans and Shamanism Health / Health care / Healing

Heal the Whole Man 1974 50‘

Directed by Paul Robinson .

The ‘Barolong boo Ratshidi’ are one of the group of Tswana peoples, who together form a culturally homogeneous population of over two million. The Barolong themselves number about 75’000 and

Southern Africa Religion / Belief / Faith Health / Health care / Healing

Muktuk 1983 40‘

Directed by Graham Johnston .

Shot on the mosquito-ridden shores of the Mackenzie Delta in Canada’s North-West territories, the film deals with the annual Beluga (white whale) hunt. Three families are followed who have

North America Hunting / Gathering / Fishing Animals Indigenous peoples / First Nations peoples Education / Knowledge transmission

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

The Trobriand Islanders 1952 58‘

Directed by Harry Powell .

During his field work in the region of Omarakana, H.A.Powell filmed various sequences from which the film is assembled. In spite of the technical handicaps under which he was operating — shooting

Melanesia Everyday Life

Between two Villages 2003 94‘

Directed by Muriel Jaquerod Eduardo Saraiva Pereira .

Between two Villages tells the story of Aldeia da Luz, population of 330, bound to disappear with the construction of the Alqueva dam in the south of Portugal. A new village is being built a few

Western Mediterranean Resettlement Development projects Infrastructure / Transport

The Ainu Bear Ceremony 1931 27‘

Directed by Neil G. Munro .

The RAI has reedited the original film of this ceremony among the Ainu people of Japan. In the bear ceremony, now no longer performed, a specially reared bear was reverently killed and its flesh and

Central Asia and Far East Ritual Animals Indigenous peoples / First Nations peoples

The Mehinacu 1974 52‘

Directed by Carlos Pasini .

The Mehinacu live near the head-waters of the River Xingu in Central Brazil, in a single village within the protective confines of the Xingu National Park. Although the film concentrates upon the

South America Social Organisation Indigenous peoples / First Nations peoples Collective / Community identity Ritual

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

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

This is My Face 2018 57‘

Student Directed by Angélica Cabezas Pino .

In Chile, people living with HIV fear stigma, and often conceal their condition and remain silent about what they are going through. This is My Face explores what happens when a range of men living

South America LGBTQI* Participatory / Collaborative methods Health / Health care / Healing Gender Role and Identity Film / Photography / Mass media Memory Life Story / Life History Art / Artists / Artisans

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

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

The Kayapo 1987 52‘

Directed by Michael Beckham .

This film focuses on the conflicts and determination of a group of people trying to survive and maintain their ethnic identity in the face of almost overpowering odds. The film contrasts the

South America Land Rights Indigenous peoples / First Nations peoples Political Activists Resistance Social Conflict

Asante Market Women 1982 52‘

Directed by Claudia Milne .

As retailers, wholesalers, and negotiators, Asante women of Ghana dominate the huge Kumasi Central Market amid the laughter, argument, colour and music. The crew of this Disappearing World film have

West Africa Marriage Trade Gender Role and Identity

The Poet’s Salary 2008 59‘

Directed by Eric Wittersheim Alexandre Francois .

For the first time in many years, on the little island of Motalava in Vanuatu, a new song will be composed in the island’s ancestors’ language, the language of god Quat, and become part of the

Melanesia Music / Ethnomusicology Linguistics / Language Informant-researcher relationship

Little Waterfall 2002 52‘

Directed by Joshka Wessels .

Shallalah Saghirah (‘Little Waterfall’) is a small village of about 20 households located in the Khanasser valley, in north Syria. The village has no electricity and still uses an ancient ganat

Middle and Near East Infrastructure / Transport Material Culture Development projects

Adhiambo – Born in the Evening 2001 66‘

Directed by Ruth Prince Wenzel Geißler Ruth Tuchtenhagen .

‘Adhiambo’ means ‘the one born in the evening’ in the language of the Luo of western Kenya. The film follows NyaSeme, a married mother and grandmother in her late 30s, during the last month

East Africa Children / Young people Health / Health care / Healing

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

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

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

Q2P 2006 55‘

Directed by Paromita Vohra .

Q2P is a film about toilets and the city. It sifts through the dream of Mumbai as a future Shanghai and searches for public toilets, watching who has to queue to pee. As the film observes who has

South Asia Gender Role and Identity Urban Socioeconomic conditions

Tablas and Drum Machines: Afghan Music in California 2001 58‘

Directed by John Baily .

Ethnomusicologist John Baily visits Fremont, California, the new home of the large community of exiled Afghans. He is joined by Kabuli master-musician, Ustad Asif Mahmoud, who plans to open a small

North America Music / Ethnomusicology Education / Knowledge transmission Refugees / Displaced populations

Between Memories 2015 34‘

Directed by Martha-Cecilia Dietrich .

Eudosia is still searching for her husband’s remains in the highlands of Ayacucho; Lucero has been in prison for 25 years now for the crime of terrorism against the Peruvian state; since 2009 the

South America Memory War / Conflict / Reconciliation

Orania 2012 94‘

Directed by Tobias Lindner .

Orania is situated in South Africa’s barren Northern Cape province. All of its 800 inhabitants are white Afrikaners. They live here on private property which was bought in 1991. People of other

Southern Africa Race / Racism / Antiracism Collective / Community identity Social Conflict

A Tibetan New Year 1987 45‘

Directed by Jon Jerstad .

This outstanding documentary is placed in Northern India among a group of Tibetan refugees. They celebrate the New Year, following a ritual of their religion, Bonpo, which is older than Buddhism.

South Asia Religion / Belief / Faith 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

Chantal’s Choice 1990 30‘

Directed by Priscilla Hinckley Carlyn Saltman .

Adolescents in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, create a play for their peers in Europe and the USA. They enact an African folktale about a girl who faces a painful dilemma because she is determined to stay in school.

West Africa Dance / Theatre / Performance Children / Young people Reproduction (biology)

Uncanny Strangers 2009 46‘

Directed by David Picard .

Uncanny Strangers has been filmed in a fishing village in the South-West of Madagascar. Through a series of everyday life episodes the film provides insight into the relationships between the

East Africa Tourism / Travel / Pilgrimage Development projects Environment

A Life with Slate 2006 59‘

Directed by Dipesh Kharel .

Alampu is a beautiful and exceedingly remote village in Nepal. The majority of the settlers there are Thami people, one of the indigenous groups of Nepal. More than 90 percent of them have been

South Asia Labour Socioeconomic conditions

Los Guardianes del Mayab 2012 34‘

Directed by Jaime Magaña .

Luis Puc is a Yucatecan Mayan jmen (shaman). He dies and travels to the dimension of the seven heavens where he meets the báalam (guardians). Through them, he receives healing powers and wisdom,

Central America Indigenous peoples / First Nations peoples Shamans and Shamanism

Rain in the Mirror 2012 48‘

Directed by Nilanjan Bhattachary Kanchan Mukhopadhayay .

Dorji Bhutia, a Buddhist monk and a reputed mask-maker with supernatural powers of bringing or stopping rain chose a self-determined death at the age of eighty-six. Dorji leaves his mystic image

South Asia Religion / Belief / Faith Children / Young people Education / Knowledge Transmission Intergenerational relations

Wives 2017 85‘

RAI Basil Wright Directed by Lisbet Holtedahl .

Alhajji Ibrahim is an Islamic scholar who has served as judge at the Sultanate of Ngaoundéré in Northern Cameroon for 46 years. The film follows Alhajji during the last years of his life, focusing

West Africa Family / Kinship Everyday Life Gender Role and Identity Marriage Personal Narrative Religion / Belief / Faith Social Norms

Silk, Muthappar and VHS: Portraits from South India 1997 63‘

Directed by Ulrich Grossenbacher Damaris Luethi .

The documentary, filmed during ethnographic field research, shows three portraits of ‘ordinary’ personalities — Mala, a young weaver sharing a one-bedroom house with nine siblings; Santa Cruz,

South Asia Labour Everyday Life Film / Photography / Mass media

Born 2008 56‘

Directed by Andy Lawrence Judith Kurutuac .

*Our hope is to create a magical-real environment in which to go beyond the limits of our historical perspective on childbirth and its culturally bound rites, and to demonstrate an emotionally

British-Irish Isles Health / Health care / Healing Family / Kinship Children / Young people

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

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

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

1700 Metres from the Future 1990 86‘

Directed by Ulla Rasmussen .

Ulla Boje Rasmussen portrays with humour and empathy life in the small Faroese village of Gásadalur, inhabited by just 16 adults and a 9-year old boy. The film gives a unique insight into the

Scandinavia Land Rights Infrastructure / Transport

Home from the Hill 1984 60‘

Directed by Molly Dineen .

Anthropology’s relationship with colonialism has been discussed widely. Yet the ethnography of the colonial service remains largely unexplored on film. This entertaining documentary shows, not

British-Irish Isles Colonialism / Postcolonialism

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

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

Without Fathers or Husbands 1995 26‘

Directed by Hua Cai .

The Na are an ethnic group in south-east China. Their particularity is that all the members of each household are consanguineous relatives; their social organisation is absolutely matrilineal and as

South-East Asia Family / Kinship Collective / Community identity Gender Role and Identity Sex / Sexuality

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

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

Since the Company Came 2001 52‘

Directed by Russel Hawkins .

Set in the South Pacific, in a remote Solomon Islands village, ‘Since the Company Came’ is the story of a community coming to terms with social, cultural and ecological disintegration. When village

Melanesia Land Rights Indigenous peoples / First Nations peoples Social Conflict Socioeconomic conditions

Depending on Heaven 1988 56‘

Directed by Peter Entell .

The film is in two parts and focuses on the Mongols living in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region of China. Part One (28 minutes) follows the life of a nomadic Mongol family on their yearly journey

Central Asia and Far East Environment Nomads and Nomadism Herding Everyday Life

There is Nothing Wrong with my Uncle 2012 78‘

Directed by Sylvie Bringas Dul Johnson .

Nigerian writer Dul Johnson returns to Tarok land to observe the local death rituals and the record of the Tarok ways of dealing with grief and honoring departed. This film provides a rare and

West Africa Death Religion / Belief / Faith Ritual

The Pathans 1980 52‘

Directed by André Singer Andy Harries .

There are twelve million Pathans. Bound by a common language, a common heritage and the unifying force of Islam, these proud and independent people do not acknowledge the geographical boundary which

South Asia War / Conflict / Reconciliation Social Organisation Gender Role and Identity

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

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

The Wodaabe 1988 52‘

Directed by Leslie Woodhead David Wason .

*Is the Wodaabe world disappearing? How are we to place the painted male faces? The very considerable success of this film is the ways it answers these questions.* J. Picto The Wodaabe follow

Central Africa Herding Animals Everyday Life Ritual

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

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

Law and War in Rural Kenya 2010 64‘

Directed by Suzette Heald .

In 1998, a new movement swept through Kuria, in south western Kenya with dramatic effect. Cattle raiding fuelled by the increasing presence of guns had led to a situation of total insecurity, with

East Africa War / Conflict / Reconciliation Law and Legislation / Bureaucracy

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

Ian Gleadell: A Falkland Farmer 1987 34‘

Directed by Bob Edwards Alastair Kenneil .

The 1982 war between Britain and Argentina brought the Falkland or Malwinas Islands into the news headlines. This film is less spectacular: It shows the way of life of one inhabitant of this

South America Animals Agriculture / Farming

Casado’s Legacy 2009 49‘

Directed by Valentina Bonifacio .

For 100 years Maskoy people worked in Carlos Casado’s tannin factory. The factory, which had been founded on their land, based its production on the exploitation of local natural resources. After

South America Political Activists Labour Land Rights

Where the Clouds End 2014 52‘

Directed by Wanphrang Diengdoh .

“My late great grandfather was a Bengali who came to Shillong in the early 1900s – long before the present political border divided the lands.” After the creation of borders between India and

South Asia Colonialism / Postcolonialism Race / Racism / Antiracism Collective / Community identity

Umbanda 1977 52‘

Directed by Stephen Cross .

Umbanda is a syncretic religious movement, combining elements from orthodox Catholicism with submerged African and indigenous Indian spiritual beliefs. In spite of past attempts to suppress it,

South America Possession Health / Health care / Healing Religion / Belief / Faith Ritual

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

Afghan Exodus 1980 52‘

Directed by André Singer .

When Granada Television visited Afghanistan to make the award-winning Disappearing World ‘The Kirghiz’, they were a proud, independent, nomadic people who made their living by rearing herds of yaks

South Asia Refugees / Displaced populations War / Conflict / Reconciliation Migration

The Heavenly Court in Song Family Village 2009 30‘

Directed by Zhifang Song Gary Seaman Steven Rousso-Schindler .

Religious life in the village is highly gendered, with female shamans dominating most religious activities. These shamanesses and their gods are organised as a “court”, which expresses a

Central Asia and Far East Gender Role and Identity Shamans and Shamanism Ritual

The Bastard Sings the Sweetest Song 2012 71‘

Directed by Christy Garland .

‘The Bastard Sings the Sweetest Song’, using direct cinema style, introduces us to the Smith family in Georgetown, Guyana, where both Muscle, and his mother Mary, each struggle to fight the family

South America Elderly people Family / Kinship Intergenerational relations

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

Barbara and Her Friends in Candombleland 1997 52‘

Directed by Sylvie Timbert Carmen Opipari .

In the divine Afro Brazilian cult Candomble is an initiation religion centred around possession. The filmmakers concentrate on children who introduce and guide us to this world. The children play

South America Children / Young people Dance / Theatre / Performance Possession Ritual

We Don’t Need A Grave 2014 27‘

‘We Don’t Need a Grave’ attempts to show how the people who choose Shizenso rather than the typical family grave try to accept one’s death. Shizenso is a natural mortuary practice that has no

Central Asia and Far East Religion / Belief / Faith Death Ritual

Sifinja – The Iron Bride 2009 70‘

Directed by Valerie Haensch .

A film about mobility, human creativity, and technology in a Sudanese truck community. The English Bedford-Lorry was introduced to Sudan in the late 1960s. Since then, local craftsmen technically

North and Northeast Africa Infrastructure / Transport Material Culture Art / Artists / Artisans

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

The School and the Village 1992 50‘

Directed by Heimo Lappalainen .

Taiga Nomads is a film series about the Evenki (previously the Tungus), a nomadic people scattered all over eastern Siberia, and living under harsh conditions in the taiga ± an area predominated by

Central Asia and Far East Nomads and Nomadism Everyday Life

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

Mursi: Nitha 1991 52‘

Directed by Leslie Woodhead .

The proper time for a man to go through the Age Set Ceremony, the nitha, is just as he reaches physical maturity. But many years may elapse from one nitha to the next, so it is inevitable that some

North and Northeast Africa Ritual Social Conflict Gender Role and Identity

Letters from Palestine 2011 35‘

Directed by Ludovica Fales .

What if in your great-grandfather’s letters there is a mystery your family doesn’t want to talk about? In 1920 Angelo Levi Bianchini set out to Palestine on an Italian diplomatic mission and never

Western Mediterranean Middle and Near East War / Conflict / Reconciliation Memory History

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

Enet Yapai – an Ambonwari Girl 2008 25‘

Directed by Daniela Vávrová .

Enet Yapai was six years old when Vavrova met her for the first time in 2005 in Ambonwari village, East Sepik Province, Papua New Guinea. Between November 2007 and April 2008 she followed Enet and

Melanesia Children / Young people Rural Everyday Life

Every Good Marriage Begins With Tears 2007 63‘

Directed by Simon Chambers .

East London Muslim girl Shahanara is changing form pink hot pants into a sari to meet her husband at the airport. She has only met him once before, when she was married in a union arranged by her

London Family / Kinship Gender Role and Identity Marriage Intergenerational relations Social Norms

Kusum 2000 69‘

Directed by Jouko Aaltonen Antti Pakaslahti .

Kusum is a 14-year-old Indian girl. She lives and attends school in Delhi. Kaushal, her father, drives a motorised rickshaw and works his fingers to the bone to support his family. Sumitra, Kusum’s

South Asia Children / Young people Health / Health care / Healing Possession

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

Ymako 1998 52‘

Directed by Laurent Van Lancker Robin Shuffield .

Ymako Teatri, a theatre company based in the Ivory Coast, uses street theatre to question some contemporary West African problems. Their originality consists in using the ‘invisible theatre’

West Africa Dance / Theatre / Performance Health / Health care / Healing Social participation

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