Skip to content
RAI FILM
About
About RAI Film
Meet the team
Prices
Film Distribution
Watch on demand
Ethnographic Film Catalogue
Teaching resources
RAI Film Festival
About RAI Film Festival
Film Festival 2025
Film Festival 2025 Group passes
Film Festival prizes and awards
Film Conference 2025
Archive of past editions
Menu
About
About RAI Film
Meet the team
Prices
Film Distribution
Watch on demand
Ethnographic Film Catalogue
Teaching resources
RAI Film Festival
About RAI Film Festival
Film Festival 2025
Film Festival 2025 Group passes
Film Festival prizes and awards
Film Conference 2025
Archive of past editions
RAI FILM
Login
Facebook
Instagram
Twitter
About
About RAI Film
Meet the team
Prices
Film Distribution
Watch on demand
Ethnographic Film Catalogue
Teaching resources
RAI Film Festival
About RAI Film Festival
Film Festival 2025
Film Festival 2025 Group passes
Film Festival prizes and awards
Film Conference 2025
Archive of past editions
Menu
About
About RAI Film
Meet the team
Prices
Film Distribution
Watch on demand
Ethnographic Film Catalogue
Teaching resources
RAI Film Festival
About RAI Film Festival
Film Festival 2025
Film Festival 2025 Group passes
Film Festival prizes and awards
Film Conference 2025
Archive of past editions
Facebook
Instagram
Twitter
Films
10 Films
Keywords
“Shamans and Shamanism”
x
films with a digital version
9
short films
5
films available on demand
1
Region
Central America
1
Central Asia and Far East
4
South Asia
1
South-East Asia
4
Country
China
4
India
1
Indonesia
2
Mexico
1
Mongolia
1
Russian Federation
1
Keywords
Education / Knowledge transmission
1
Gender Role and Identity
2
Health / Health care / Healing
2
Herding
1
Indigenous peoples / First Nations peoples
1
Inter-religious relations
1
Music/ Ethnomusicology
1
Nomads and Nomadism
1
Post-communism
1
Religion / Belief / Faith
2
Ritual
3
Rural
2
Shamans and Shamanism
10
x
Social Change
1
Social Organisation
1
Tourism/ Travel/ Pilgrimage
1
War / Conflict / Reconciliation
1
Directors
Balikci, Anna
1
Cai, Hua
1
Chabamier, Gabriel
1
Chabanier, Gabriel
1
Curling, Chris
1
Journet, Martine
2
Lepcha, Dawa
1
Magaña, Jaime
1
Merli, Laetitia
1
Moser, Brian
1
Nitzky, William
1
Nougarol, Gérard
2
Rousso-Schindler, Steven
1
Seaman, Gary
1
Sheppard, John
1
Song, Zhifang
1
Series
Ambulante Beyond
1
Disappearing World Series
2
Granada Center for Visual Anthropology Student Film
1
Shorts Collection 2
1
Song Family Village
1
not set
4
Country of production
China
2
France
2
India
1
Mexico
1
United Kingdom
3
United States
2
Year of production
1972
1
1989
1
1999
1
2000
1
2002
1
2005
1
2009
1
2011
1
2012
1
2020
1
Film list
Bang the Drum
2020
28
‘
Directed by
William Nitzky
.
For the Yao minority in rural southwest China, the bronze drum is a sacred heritage. Its sound aids the souls of deceased elders in reaching the ancestral land. When the Chinese government steps in
Central Asia and Far East
Music/ Ethnomusicology
Tourism/ Travel/ Pilgrimage
Rural
Shamans and Shamanism
Call for Grace
2000
30
‘
Student
Directed by
Laetitia Merli
.
During Mongolia’s seventy years of domination by the Soviet Union, shamanism, like many aspects of Mongolian tradition, was forbidden by the Communist authorities, and went into decline. Since the
Central Asia and Far East
Shamans and Shamanism
Post-communism
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
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
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 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
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
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
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
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