Films - RAI FILM

RAI FILM

Film list

[75-grams--Film-image]

75 Grams 2008 31‘

Directed by Priscilla Clarissou .

Nestled below the rugged Chilean peaks of the Andes lies the gold mining town of Andacollo. The town’s remoteness and mining economy has nurtured religious beliefs in the power of the Virgin over the

South America Labour Material Culture Religion / Belief / Faith

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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

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Beneath the Budding Greenwoods 2004 25‘

Directed by Evie Wright .

Anne and Rosemary both chose to bury their husbands in the woods, whereas Tony was certain he didn’t want a vicar at his wife’s funeral. Focusing on the experiences of three grieving widows, the film

British-Irish Isles Environment Ritual Death Religion / Belief / Faith

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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

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Born Again 2003 19‘

Directed by Carla Huysmans .

Carla last met Maureen Mulozi in 1998 in Lusaka, Zambia where they were colleagues and friends. Since then Maureen’s life has changed considerably: she became a ‘born again’ Christian and moved to

Southern Africa Religion / Belief / Faith Inter-religious relations

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Burying Hallelujah 2014 51‘

Directed by Richard Werbner .

Hallelujah, a ‘bush mechanic’ turned archbishop, gets the funeral he deserves, one of the very biggest in Botswana’s railway town, Palapye. Many churches come together, their robes, splendid, their

Southern Africa Religion / Belief / Faith Death

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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

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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

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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

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Encountering Eloyi 2008 56‘

Directed by Richard Werbner .

Of all the faith-healing churches in Botswana, Eloyi is the most controversial. Sensational stories in newspapers and on television have made Eloyi notorious for so-called witch-busting and for

Southern Africa Health / Health care / Healing Ritual Religion / Belief / Faith Reproduction (biology)

[faith--Film-image]

Faith 2010 30‘

Directed by Insa Langhorst .

Together with a Pentecostal youth group, teenagers Colin and Salo are on a mission trip to East Germany preaching the word of God. On the streets of Wismar they experience the highs and lows of what

Western Europe Children / Young people Religion / Belief / Faith

[harmoni-healing-together--Film-image]

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

[heal-the-whole-man--Film-image]

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

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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

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Holy Hustlers 2009 53‘

Directed by Richard Werbner .

Charismatic, street-wise young men, living in Botswana’s capital, command the prophetic domain in Eloyi, their Apostolic faith-healing church, at a time of escalating crisis. Bitter, sinful

Southern Africa Religion / Belief / Faith Urban Possession

[holy-men-and-fools--Film-image]

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

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In Our Blood 2003 26‘

Directed by Steve Vella .

In Malta, devotion to the Virgin Mary is very fervent, particularly in the village of Naxxar, where the most important annual feast, taking place over several days, is dedicated to her honour. But

Western Mediterranean Religion / Belief / Faith Ritual

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Into the Field 2005 28‘

Directed by Alyssa Grossman .

‘Into the Field’ follows the everyday “secular” lives of nuns in a Orthodox nunnery in Romania. Documenting the nuns’ activities, relationships and roles within their community, the film also

South-East Europe Religion / Belief / Faith Animation

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Join Me in Shambala 2001 30‘

Directed by Anya Bernstein .

Once brutally persecuted under the Soviet regime, Buddhism is re-emerging in Siberia. But with a past where Lamas were killed in prisons and temples burnt to the ground, there are few masters left to

Central Asia and Far East Religion / Belief / Faith Post-communism

[kalanda-the-knowledge-of-the-bush--Film-image]

Kalanda – the Knowledge of the Bush 2014 62‘

Directed by Lorenzo Ferrarini .

In some parts of West Africa, hunting is much more than killing animals. A donso is no common hunter, but a healer, a diviner, a ritual specialist and amulet maker. Kalanda is a unique initiatory

West Africa Hunting / Gathering / Fishing Religion / Belief / Faith Education / Knowledge Transmission Ritual

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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

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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

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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

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Message from a Saint 2003 27‘

Directed by Andrew Tucker .

During the celebration of the Feast of San Juan Bautista in the village of Chuao, on the Caribbean coast of Venezuela, an image of Jesus appeared on a drinks tray. The community is trying to find out

South America Religion / Belief / Faith

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Milking the Desert 2004 25‘

Directed by Yasmin Fedda .

This film follows the lives and choices of two monks living at Mar Musa, the Abyssinian Monastery in the desert of Syria. Through their daily lives, the issue of dialogue with Islam emerges.

Middle and Near East Inter-religious relations Religion / Belief / Faith

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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

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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

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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

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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

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The Ragged Ones 2002 30‘

Directed by David Griggs .

The Basotho live in Lesotho, a kingdom of high mountains surrounded by South Africa. Afflicted by famine, poverty and AIDS, they carry on making a science out of their witchcraft beliefs.

Southern Africa Religion / Belief / Faith Socioeconomic conditions

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The Red Bowmen 1981 50‘

Directed by Chris Owen .

In a remote part of the West Sepik Province of Papua New Guinea, the Umeda people eke out a difficult living from the sago swamps and primary rain forest that surround them. Until recently, these

Melanesia Ritual Religion / Belief / Faith History of Anthropology

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Rock ‘n’ Pray 2001 24‘

Directed by Fotini Stefani .

The monks from the monastery of Saints Augustine and Serapheim Sarow on mainland Greece have found modern ways to appeal to young people. The film explores how their traditional life co-exists with

South-East Europe Religion / Belief / Faith Intergenerational relations

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A Saint from New York 1995 30‘

Directed by Line Hatland .

Dorothy Day, ex-communist, anarchist, single mother and co-founder of the widespread ‘Catholic Worker’ movement — died in New York in 1980. Soon after the Claretian Fathers started a campaign

North America Alternative culture Religion / Belief / Faith

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Shade Seekers and The Mixer 2006 60‘

Directed by Richard Werbner .

Set in Moremi village within Botswana’s awesome Tswapong hills, the film makes village elders self-consciously reflexive. The elders, including a controversial healer, view and discuss an earlier

Southern Africa Health / Health care / Healing Religion / Belief / Faith Informant-researcher relationship

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A Small Light 2004 32‘

Directed by Julia Yezbick .

Through following the daily life of a home for the elderly in Kathmandhu, Nepal, run by Catholic nuns but situated beside the cremation ghats of Pashupathinath Hindu temple, this film explores

South Asia Death Inter-religious relations Religion / Belief / Faith Elderly people

[sons-of-the-moon--Film-image]

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-storyteller--Film-image]

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

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Thanks Be to God 2008 31‘

Directed by Patrícia Pedrosa .

Four Christian women work and live in a Muslim and patriarchic world. The ‘Sisters of the Consolata Missionaries’ are building a new library in Empada, a small village in the south of

West Africa Religion / Belief / Faith

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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

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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

[umbanda--Film-image]

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

[uncle-poison--Film-image]

Uncle Poison 1998 60‘

Directed by Ricardo Leizaola .

Filmed in the city of Caracas, capital of Venezuela, Uncle Poison is an intimate portrait of a traditional faith healer, set against the backdrop of his community’s Easter celebrations. Every day,

South America Health / Health care / Healing Religion / Belief / Faith Archaeobotany / Ethnobotany

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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

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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

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Women of a Divided Land 1997 22‘

Directed by Joanna Hill .

This film follows the activities of Israeli and Palestinian women peace activists in Jerusalem and the West Bank, portraying both the collective and individual experiences of resistance.

Middle and Near East Resistance Political Activists Religion / Belief / Faith

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Worldwide, Streetwise 2003 32‘

Directed by Naomi Richards .

A film that explores issues of faith and activism at a radical church in an ethnically and religiously diverse area of Leeds.

British-Irish Isles Religion / Belief / Faith Urban Political Activists