RAI FILM

Films

Film list

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 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
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
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
Aeroplane Dance 1994 58'
    Directed by Trevor Graham .
December 1942: US bomber ‘Little Eva’ was returning to base after a bombing raid over New Guinea. It hit a storm and crashed at Moonlight Creek in Australia’s far north. Aeroplane Dance
Australia Indigenous peoples / First Nations peoples War / Conflict / Reconciliation Memory
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
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
Amir - An Afghan Refugee Musician's Life in Peshavar, Pakistan 1985 52'
    Directed by John Baily .
The film investigates and portrays the life of Afghan refugees living in and around the city of Peshawar in northern Pakistan through the experiences of the musician Amir. The aspirations of Afghan
South Asia Music / Ethnomusicology Refugees / Displaced populations
Are You Listening! 2012 90'
    Directed by Kamar Ahmad Simon Sara Afreen .
By the coastal belts of Bangladesh, in a small village named Sutarkhali, Rakhi, 27, lives with her husband Soumen, 32, and their 6 year-old son Rahul. Fighting against all the odds of the woods,
South Asia Environment Disasters Refugees / Displaced populations Development projects
Arnav At Six 2012 28'
    Directed by David MacDougall .
Filmed as a collaborative project with Arnav Koshy in 2008, this film explores the mind and activities of an intelligent and observant child of six. Arnav is fascinated by the geology, plant-life,
South Asia Children / Young people Education / Knowledge Transmission
The Art of Regret 2007 60'
    Directed by Judith MacDougall .
Photography is known in China as the “Art of Regret”. In the rapidly changing city of Kunming, people are ambivalent about whether they want photography to be a medium of preservation and
South-East Asia Material Culture Film / Photography / Mass media
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
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
Awareness 2011 67'
    Directed by David MacDougall Judith MacDougall .
Filmed in South India, Andhra Pradesh, at Rishi Valley School, founded by the 20th Century Indian thinker Krishnamurti, 'Awareness' explores the sensibilities of two groups of young Indian teenagers,
South Asia Education / Knowledge transmission Children / Young people
Ayouni 2020 75'
  Directed by Yasmin Fedda .
Bassel was a successful open source developer and hacker in Damascus. Paolo was a well-known priest based in Mar Musa monastery. Both men were active in the 2011 Syrian revolution, and witnesses to
Middle and Near East War / Conflict / Reconciliation Memory Political Activists
Ballad on the Shore 2017 98'
    Intangible Culture Directed by Chi-hang Ma .
On the small isle of Tap Mun, Hong Kong, veteran fishermen sing ballads with pitches and tones that alternate and repeat themselves as if they were synchronising with the ocean waves. But as fewer
Hong Kong Hunting / Gathering / Fishing Music / Ethnomusicology
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
The Blooms of Benjeli: Technology and Gender in West African Ironmaking 1997 29'
    Directed by Carlyn Saltman .
The filmmaker and two historians went into the village of Banjeli in 1985 to recreate for the film the traditional iron smelting techniques (which are no longer used) of the area. By focusing on the
West Africa Art / Artists / Artisans Archival material / Museum displays History Material Culture
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
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
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
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
Breaking the Yard 2018 21'
  Directed by Richard Werbner .
"Breaking-the-Yard" documents the court hearings and troubled affairs of a quarrelsome young couple, a stay-at-home farmer and his police constable, town-savvy wife. They claim to be still
Southern Africa Family / Kinship Gender Role and Identity Law and Legislation / Bureaucracy Love Marriage
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
Bridewealth for a Goddess 2000 72'
    Directed by Chris Owen .
A unique insight into a secret spirit cult among the Kawelka people in the Western Highlands of Papua New Guinea. After a dream, a clan leader initiates a long and complex 'work’, when he and a
Melanesia Ritual Marriage Possession
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
Camels of the Pitjantjara 1969 45'
  Directed by Roger Sandall .
From the 1920s onwards, when motor vehicles displaced camels as a mode of supply in central Australia, camels gradually went feral. As this film shows, however, in the 1960s, the Pitjantjara were
Australia Indigenous peoples / First Nations peoples Infrastructure / Transport Animals
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
Caught in Between 2016 56'
  Directed by Richard Werbner .
The focus is on a leading village elder, John Lelatlhego, a retired Human Resources administrator trained in settling disputes in the South African mines. John gets entangled in the long troubled
Southern Africa Family / Kinship Gender Role and Identity Law and Legislation / Bureaucracy Love Marriage
Celso and Cora 2000 109'
    Directed by Gary Kildea .
The film is about one family who live in the slums of Manila. Gary Kildea and a Filipino collaborator enter this family's life, filming them as they eat, as they care for their children, as they work
South-East Asia Squatter Settlements / Homelessness Family / Kinship Urban
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
Cham in the Lepcha Village of Lingthem 2007 52'
    Directed by Dawa Tsering Lepcha .
Every winter, over a period of six days, the lamas of Lingthem's village monastery hold their annual cham. These dramatic ritual masked dances impart elementary Buddhist teachings while providing
South Asia Ritual Dance / Theatre / Performance Religion / Belief / Faith
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)
The Child's Eye 2018 '
  Directed by David MacDougall .
This video is a series of 12 short films that are the result of ethnographic filmmaker David MacDougall’s a five-year project video workshop project with Indian children. In six workshops held in
South Asia Children / Young people Informant-researcher relationship Participatory / Collaborative methods
The City Beautiful 2003 78'
    Directed by Rahul Roy .
Sunder Nagri (Beautiful City) is a small working class colony on the margins of India’s capital city, Delhi. Most families residing here come from a community of weavers. The last ten years have
South Asia Urban Labour Socioeconomic conditions
Collum Calling Canberra 1983 59'
    Directed by David MacDougall Judith MacDougall .
An account of Aboriginal people steering their way through the often frustrating processes of official decision-making, as it is seen from their viewpoint far away from Canberra. Gordon Smith, head
Australia Law and Legislation / Bureaucracy Indigenous peoples / First Nations peoples
A Colombian Family 2020 80'
    Main Competition Directed by Tanja Wol Sørensen .
A powerful mother-daughter drama is at the centre of this film. Rooted in disagreement—both personal and political—the film follows the consequences of a war that leaves them with an impossible
South America War / Conflict / Reconciliation Family / Kinship Gender Role and Identity Intergenerational relations Memory Migration Personal Narrative Political Activists Refugees / Displaced populations Social Conflict
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
Conversations with Dundiwuy Wanambi 1984 50'
    Directed by Ian Dunlop Philippa Deveson .
A series of interviews with Dundiwuy Wanambi, shot over twelve years. They reveal the struggles of one man in the face of the huge changes brought about by the coming of a mining project, and
Australia Indigenous peoples / First Nations peoples Health / Health care / Healing Social Change
Copperworking in Santa Clara del Cobra, Michoacán, Mexico - Artisans Facing Change 2001 52'
    Directed by Beate Engelbrecht .
Santa Clara del Cobre, a village in Mexico's province Michoacán, is well-known for its copperwork, a craft originating from pre-Spanish times. In the late 1940s the people of Santa Clara tried to
Central America Material Culture Labour Art / Artists / Artisans
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
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
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
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 Dancer and the Dance 1988 44'
    Directed by Felicia Hughes-Freeland .
This film is an invitation to see Javanese palace dancing as performed in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, and to go beyond appearances to discover what the dance means to those who continue the tradition. In
South-East Asia Dance / Theatre / Performance
The Day I Will Never Forget 2002 92'
    Directed by Kim Longinotto .
The documentary explores the local dimensions of the female circumcision debate in Kenyan societies. In a region of Kenya that is home to Muslims, Massai and Somali and crosscut by Christian
East Africa Gender Role and Identity Ritual Law and Legislation / Bureaucracy Political Activists
The Day the Sun Fell 2015 78'
    Special Interest Directed by Aya Domenig .
Swiss-Japanese filmmaker Aya Domenig, the granddaughter of a doctor on duty for the Red Cross during the 1945 atomic bombing of Hiroshima, approaches the experience of her deceased grandfather by
South-East Asia History Memory Health / Health care / Healing War / Conflict / Reconciliation
Delhi at Eleven 2013 82'
    Directed by Ravi Shivhare Anshu Singh Kumar Kashyap Shikha Kumar .
This film presents the work of four young filmmakers of New Delhi. From March to May 2012 they took part in a video workshop at the CIE Experimental Basic School, a government primary school. Each of
South Asia Film / Photography / Mass media Children / Young people Education / Knowledge Transmission
A Delicate Weave 2017 61'
    Intangible Culture Directed by Anjali Monteiro KP Jayasankar .
A fascinating tapestry of four different musical journeys across Gujarat, India: we meet a group of young men in Bhujodi who meet every night to sing the verses of 15th-century Indian mystic and poet
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
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
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
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
Divorce Iranian Style 1989 80'
    Directed by Kim Longinotto .
This film is set in the Family Law Courts in central Tehran. The three main characters are Jamileh who punishes her husband for beating her, Ziba, a 16 year old girl who is trying to get a divorce
Middle and Near East Marriage Gender Role and Identity Law and Legislation / Bureaucracy Family / Kinship
Diya 2001 55'
    Directed by Judith MacDougall .
A diya is a small terra cotta oil lamp used throughout India in Hindu ceremonies. The film follows the life history of an object through the every day experience of people who make, sell and use it
South Asia Trade Material Culture Religion / Belief / Faith Art / Artists / Artisans
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
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
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
Dream Girls 1993 50'
    Directed by Kim Longinotto Jano Williams .
This award-winning film opens a door into the amazing world of the Takarazuka Revue, the all-female theatre troupe in Japan. Thousands of young women aspire to perform in the Revue’s glitzy musical
Central Asia and Far East Public Figure Popular Culture Dance / Theatre / Performance Gender Role and Identity
Dreamcatcher 2015 98'
    Directed by Kim Longinotto .
A film set in Chicago about an inspirational woman who has defied her past and now rescues girls and young women from a life on the streets.
North America Gender Role and Identity Labour Sex / Sexuality
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
Duka's Dilemma 2001 87'
    Directed by Jean Lydall Kaira Strecker .
Filmmaker and anthropologist Jean Lydall has been making films with the Hamar community of southern Ethiopia since the 1970s. In 2001 she returned with her daughter and grandson to follow the
North and Northeast Africa Family / Kinship Marriage Gender Role and Identity
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
Eat the Kimono 1989 60'
    Directed by Kim Longinotto Claire Hunt .
A compelling biography of Hanayagi Genshu, a feminist and dancer who spent her lifetime defying the conservative traditions of Japanese society with her radical politics and unconventional
Central Asia and Far East Public Figure Gender Role and Identity Art / Artists / Artisans Dance / Theatre / Performance Alternative culture
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
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
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
Ever The Land 2015 93'
    Material Culture Directed by Sarah Grohnert .
This film explores the bond between people and their land through a landmark architectural undertaking by one of New Zealand’s most passionately independent Maori tribes, Ngāi Tūhoe. For the past
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
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
Familiar Places 1980 50'
    Directed by David MacDougall .
Anthropologist Peter Sutton is taken by an Aboriginal family, the Naponans, to map hereditary clan country in northern Queensland where they hope to live one day. To the children it is all new; to an
Australia Indigenous peoples / First Nations peoples Land Rights Education / Knowledge Transmission
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
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
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
Firth on Firth 1993 49'
    Directed by Rolf Husmann Peter Loizos Werner Sperscheinder .
In a series of interviews in his London home and the London School of Economics, Sir Raymond Firth talks about his life and some of his personal views. The film focuses thus on his Maori studies,
British-Irish Isles History of Anthropology Public Figure
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
Future Remembrance - Photography and Image Arts in Ghana 1998 54'
    Directed by Tobias Wendl Nancy du Plessis .
The film portrays a vibrant range of contemporary and historical images by artists and photographers in Ghana. While glancing through the history of black & white photography in Ghana, the film
West Africa Film / Photography / Mass media Art / Artists / Artisans Memory
Gaea Girls 2000 106'
    Directed by Kim Longinotto Jano Williams .
A film about courage, transformation and dreams in the extraordinary world of Japanese women's wrestling. Gaea Girls focuses on the hopes and fears of the beleaguered Gaea Japan squad, whose
Central Asia and Far East Gender Role and Identity Sport
Gandhi's Children 2008 185'
    Directed by David MacDougall .
A monolithic building on the outskirts of Delhi provides food and shelter for 350 boys. Some are orphans, some have been abandoned, others have run away from home. About half are held under a court
South Asia Children / Young people Squatter Settlements / Homelessness Socioeconomic conditions
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
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
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
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 Golden Beach 2008 58'
    Directed by Hasse Wester .
A small group of farmers belonging to the Halakki Gowda tribe live near a small beach in a valley in southern India. When the Swedish film maker Hasse Wester was first there twenty years ago the
South Asia Tourism / Travel / Pilgrimage Rural Social Change
The Good Wife of Tokyo 1992 52'
    Directed by Kim Longinotto Clare Hunt .
Kazuko Hohki goes back to Tokyo with her band, the ‘Frank Chickens’, after living in England for 15 years. This wry and delightful film records her re-experiencing of Japan after a long absence,
Central Asia and Far East Music / Ethnomusicology Gender Role and Identity Marriage Social Change
Good-bye Old Man 1977 70'
    Directed by David MacDougall .
A last request of a Tiwi man on Melville Island was that a film be made of the pukumani (bereavment) ceremony to follow his death. The film follows his family, from the days of preparation to their
Australia Indigenous peoples / First Nations peoples Death Elderly people Film / Photography / Mass media Ritual
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
Hidden Faces 1990 52'
    Directed by Kim Longinotto .
This film reveals contradictions in the lives of Egyptian women in Muslim society. Living abroad, Safaa Fathy returns to Egypt to interview the internationally renowned feminist writer Nawal El
North and Northeast Africa Gender Role and Identity Development projects
Hold Me Tight Let Me Go 2007 99'
    Directed by Kim Longinotto .
*The main reason I wanted to shoot is that when the kids misbehave, the teachers don’t punish them but try to find out why they are acting in such a way. The driving idea behind the school is to
British-Irish Isles Children / Young people Education / Knowledge Transmission Health / Health care / Healing
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
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
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
The House-Opening 1980 45'
    Directed by Judith MacDougall .
When Geraldine Kawanka’s husband died, she and her children left their house at Aurukun on Cape York Peninsula. In earlier times a bark house would have been burnt, but today a ‘house-opening’
Australia Ritual Indigenous peoples / First Nations peoples Death
IT WAS TOMORROW 2018 53'
    Student Directed by Alexandra D'onofrio .
After living in Italy for almost ten years without documents, three Egyptian men - Ali, Mahmoud and Mohamed - are suddenly awarded legal residence. As a whole new world of opportunities opens up to
Western Mediterranean Animation Art / Artists / Artisans Dance / Theatre / Performance Film / Photography / Mass media Life Story / Life History Memory Migration Research methods Participatory / Collaborative methods
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
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
In the Land of the War Canoes 1972 47'
    Directed by Edward S. Curtis .
The film was made in 1914 by Edward Curtis. The plot concerns the efforts of a young man, Motana, son of a great chief, to obtain a bride and how he is thwarted by a wicked sorcerer. Many of the
North America Archival material / Museum displays Marriage Film / Photography / Mass media
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
In Search of the Hamat’sa: A Tale of Headhunting 2004 33'
    Directed by Aaron Glass .
The Hamat’sa (or “Cannibal Dance”) is the most important—and highly represented ceremony of the Kwakwaka’wakw (Kwakiutl) people of British Columbia. This film traces the history of
North America Archival material / Museum displays Dance / Theatre / Performance Ritual Informant-researcher relationship Indigenous peoples / First Nations peoples
In and Out of Africa 1993 59'
    Directed by Ilisa Barbash Lucien Taylor .
A classic in ethnographic filmmaking, In and Out of Africa traces the transnational trade of African Art between West Africa and the USA, providing an insight into how value, commoditization and
North America Art / Artists / Artisans Trade Material Culture
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
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
Journey into Europe 2015 122'
  Directed by Akbar Ahmed .
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
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
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
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
A Kali Temple Inside Out 2018 83'
    Werbner Award Directed by Dipesh Kharel Frode Storaas .
Religious boundaries in India are not necessarily as sharp and antagonistic as news media lead us to believe. This film portrays everyday life inside and around a Kali temple in the city of Kanpur,
South Asia Religion / Belief / Faith Collective / Community identity
Kalès 2017 63'
    RAI Basil Wright Directed by Laurent van Lanker .
A film of wind and despair, of fire and solidarity, of hope and hell. An intimate and inside perspective of the ‘jungle’ of Calais, evoked through a polyphony of bodies, tales, and
Western Europe Migration Refugees / Displaced populations Squatter Settlements / Homelessness Participatory / Collaborative methods
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
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
Komian 2015 72'
  Directed by Jordi Esteva .
Four years after the filming of “Return to the Land of Souls”, about the rituals of trance and possession, the narrator travels to Ivory Coast in search of a priestess possessed by the Spirit of
West Africa Possession Ritual Music / Ethnomusicology
Koriams Law and the Dead who Govern 2005 110'
    Directed by Gary Kildea Andrea Simon .
In ‘Koriam's Law’ Australian anthropologist Andrew Lattas meets his match in philosopher-informant Peter Avarea of Matong village, Pomio, Papua New Guinea. Motivated by their lively dialogue the
Melanesia Religion / Belief / Faith Collective / Community identity Possession
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
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
Land of Udehe 2015 26'
    Student Directed by Ivan Golovnev .
This film takes us into the world of Udehe – indigenous people of the Far East of Russia. According to the census of 2010, their population dropped to 1,490 souls…
Central Asia and Far East Indigenous peoples / First Nations peoples Social Change
The Last 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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
Link-up Diary 1997 86'
    Directed by David MacDougall .
The filmmaker goes on the road with Link-Up, an organisation which re-unites Aboriginal families separated in earlier decades by the New South Wales government. As the film shows, being reunited
Australia Resettlement Family / Kinship Collective / Community identity Indigenous peoples / First Nations peoples
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
Living with Boko Haram 2016 37'
    Special Interest Directed by Trond Waage .
January 2015. Boko Haram's violent insurgency is approaching Mogdé, on the Nigerian/Cameroonian border, where Antoniette lives. Just outside Oslo, Norway, lives her son Vakote, worried and afraid
West Africa Scandinavia Religion / Belief / Faith Social Conflict War / Conflict / Reconciliation Migration
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
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
Mabo: Life of an Island Man 1997 87'
    Directed by Trevor Graham .
On June 3rd 1992, six months after Eddie ‘Koiki’ Mabo’s tragic death, the High Court upheld his claim that Murray Islanders held native title to land in the Torres Strait. The legal fiction
Australia Public Figure Colonialism / Postcolonialism Life Story / Life History Political Activists Land Rights Law and Legislation / Bureaucracy
Majma 2001 54'
    Directed by Rahul Roy .
Aslam sells medicines for sexual problems on the pavements of Meena Bazar near Jama Masjid in Delhi. Khalifa Barkat presides over an wrestling gym (akhara) in the adjacent park and puts a group of
South Asia Gender Role and Identity Sport Socioeconomic conditions
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
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
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
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
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
My Eyes as a Stranger 1984 53'
  Directed by Toni de Bromhead .
This film tells the story of the friendship between an English filmmaker and Nicola, a Sicilian ex-gangster who lives in Florence. The film moves to and fro between a street of ill repute, and the
South-East Europe 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
NGAT IS DEAD: STUDYING MORTUARY TRADITIONS 2007 59'
    Directed by Christian Suhr Nielsen Ton Otto .
A film about how anthropological knowledge is developed through active participation in traditional exchange ceremonies on the small island of Baluan in the South Pacific. The film follows the
Melanesia Death Ritual Informant-researcher relationship Social Conflict
Namatjira Project 2017 87'
  Directed by Sera Davies .
An extraordinary first-hand account of the international battle to reclaim the artwork and heritage of one of Australia’s most important Indigenous figures: Albert Namatjira. Albert Namatjira was
Australia Art / Artists / Artisans Collective / Community identity Colonialism / Postcolonialism Indigenous peoples / First Nations peoples Law and Legislation / Bureaucracy Political Activists Race / Racism / Antiracism
Nawi 1970 20'
    Directed by David MacDougall Judith MacDougall .
This classic ethnographic documentary, by the renowned filmmaking team of David and Judith MacDougall, explores the nomadic life of the Jie of Uganda. During the dry season the Jie leave their
East Africa Herding Music / Ethnomusicology Nomads and Nomadism
A New Era 2019 71'
    Werbner Award Directed by Boris Svartzman .
In 2008, local authorities evicted 2,000 villagers from Guanzhou, a river island in Southern China, to make way for new urban planning projects. In spite of the demolition of their houses and police
Central Asia and Far East Urban Development projects Infrastructure\transport Land rights Resettlement
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
Paani: of women and water 2018 22'
    Student Directed by Costanza Burstin .
Against the bleached sky of Rajasthan, we encounter the women of a small Muslim village as they engage in their work. Here, water binds their daily labour rituals: they collect and carry water in
South Asia Environment Food / Water Gender Role and Identity Rural Everyday Life
Palimpsest of the Africa Museum 2019 69'
    Decolonising the Archive Directed by Matthias De Groof .
In 2013, the Royal Museum for Central Africa in Brussels (Belgium) closed for renovation. It is not only the building and the museum cabinets that are in need of renewal: the spirit of the museum has
Western Europe Archival materials / Museum displays Archaeology Education / Knowledge transmission History of Anthropology Colonialism / Postcolonialism Race / Racism / Antiracism
Palimpsest of the Africa Museum 2019 69'
  Directed by Matthias De Groof .
In 2013, the Royal Museum for Central Africa in Brussels (Belgium) closed for renovation. It is not only the building and the museum cabinets that are in need of renewal: the spirit of the museum has
Western Europe Archival material / Museum displays Colonialism / Postcolonialism Race / Racism / Antiracism Education / Knowledge Transmission History of Anthropology
Paradise Bent. Boys will be Girls in Samoa 1999 51'
  Directed by Heather Croall .
Paradise Bent is a fascinating and entertaining film that tells the story of the Samoan fa'afafines: boys who are raised as girls and take on the domestic duties performed by women around the home,
Melanesia Gender Role and Identity Sex / Sexuality
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
Persistence 2019 54'
    Main Competition Directed by Anne Huffschmid Jan-Holger Hennies .
Human bodies don’t simply disappear. They were kidnapped, buried, broken into pieces. But they are also searched for, recovered and if forensic experts achieve the unlikely, reconstructed as
Central America Forensic Memory
Photo Wallahs 1991 60'
    Directed by David MacDougall Judith MacDougall .
This film is an exploration of the cultural and personal meanings of photographs in a hill station in northern India. The ‘photo wallahs’ are the local photographers of Mussoorie, a town which
South Asia Film / Photography / Mass media Tourism / Travel / Pilgrimage
Pink Saris 2010 100'
    Directed by Kim Longinotto .
Pink saris are worn by the Gulabi Gang, a group of women vigilantes in Northern India. From the untouchable caste, they resist being condescended to as the lowest social class. They have a champion
South Asia Gender Role and Identity Resistance Socioeconomic conditions
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
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
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
The Price of Memory 2014 83'
  Directed by Karen Marks Mafundikwa .
In 2002, Queen Elizabeth II visited Jamaica for her Golden Julibee Celebrations. While there she was petitioned by a group of Rastafari for slavery reparations. For Rastafari, reparations are linked
Caribbean Islands British-Irish Isles Colonialism / Postcolonialism Political Activists
Pride of Place - Observations of lives of girls at a Public School 1976 59'
  Directed by Dorothea Gazidis Kimona Landseer Kim Longinotto .
A rarely seen classic, PRIDE OF PLACE was made as a first project while Longinotto was a student at England’s National School of Television and Film. As a teenager, the filmmaker had been condemned
British-Irish Isles Children / Young people Education / Knowledge Transmission Gender Role and Identity
Processes 2016 23'
    Directed by Adriana Ferrarese .
Like every year, Corigliano Calabro, a small village in the south of Italy, celebrates Easter: from the investiture of a man to embody Jesus during a night procession, to the passionate debates for
South-East Europe Religion / Belief / Faith Festivals / Carnival
The Professional Foreigner 2009 60'
  Directed by Rolf Husmann .
Asen Balikci has been a leading figure in making ethnographic films for many decades. In a series of talks between Balikci and filmmaker Rolf Husmann in different locations, the life and work of Asen
Various Film / Photography / Mass media History of Anthropology Public Figure
Promise and Unrest 2010 79'
    Directed by Alan Grossman Áine O’Brien .
Separated from her daughter Gracelle at 7 months, Noemi Barredo left the Philippines for work in Malaysia before arriving in Ireland in 2000. Filmed over a five-year period, 'Promise and Unrest' is
South-East Asia British-Irish Isles Family / Kinship Labour Migration Linguistics / Language
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
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
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
Reclaiming the Forest 1987 39'
  Directed by Paul Henley Georges Drion .
National governments, itinerant gold-miners, and indigenous inhabitants compete for control of an area of the South American rainforest. The film shows the potential conflict between the interests
South America Land Rights Indigenous peoples / First Nations peoples Social Change Social Conflict
The 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
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
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
Ringtone 2014 30'
  Directed by Jennifer Deger Paul Wunungmurra .
Yolngu Aboriginal families offer glimpses into their lives and relationships through their choice of ringtones. From ancestral clan songs to 80s hip hop artists and local gospel tunes, these songs
Australia Indigenous peoples / First Nations peoples Music / Ethnomusicology Material Culture
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
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
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
Rough Aunties 2008 103'
  Directed by Kim Longinotto .
Jackie, Mildred, Eureka and Thuli are the women behind Bobbi Bear, a nonprofit organization based in Durban, South Africa, that counsels sexually abused children and works to bring their abusers to
Southern Africa Socioeconomic conditions Children / Young people Development projects
Runaway 2001 87'
    Directed by Kim Longinotto Ziba Mir-Hosseini .
This film is set in a refuge for girls in Tehran and follows the stories of five girls who come here. These girls, in leaving a situation that has become intolerable, show incredible courage and
Middle and Near East Children / Young people Social Change Gender Role and Identity
Salma 2013 90'
    Directed by Kim Longinotto .
When Salma, a young Muslim girl in a south Indian village, was 13 years old, her family locked her up for 25 years, forbidding her to study and forcing her into marriage. During that time, words were
South Asia Gender Role and Identity Social Norms Marriage Art / Artists / Artisans
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
SchoolScapes 2007 77'
    Directed by David MacDougall .
Inspired by the cinema of Lumière and the ideas of the 20th century Indian thinker Jiddu Krishnamurti, David MacDougall follows up the Doon School Quintet, his series of films about a traditional
South Asia Children / Young people Education / Knowledge transmission Film / Photography / Mass media
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
Seed and Earth 1989 36'
  Directed by Lina Fruzzetti Alfred Guzzetti Ned Johnston Ákos Östör .
Seed on Earth is a film about everyday life in rural Bangladesh (village of Janta, near Bishnupur town). It follows the daily schedule of two families and observes the complementary and difference of
South Asia Rural Family / Kinship Gender Role and Identity
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
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
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
Shinjuku Boys 1997 54'
    Directed by Kim Longinotto Jano Williams .
A film about love and gender. This film is set in the New Marilyn night club in Tokyo where all the hosts are women who have decided to live as men. They make their living by working in a club with
Central Asia and Far East Gender Role and Identity Sex / Sexuality Love
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
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
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
Singing Pictures - Women Painters of Naya 2005 45'
  Directed by Lina Fruzzetti Ákos Östör .
For generations the Patua (Chitrakara) communities of West Bengal have been painters and singers of stories depicted in scrolls. The film follows the daily lives of Muslim Patua women from Naya
South Asia Material Culture Art / Artists / Artisans Music / Ethnomusicology
Sisters in Law 2005 104'
  Directed by Kim Longinotto Florence Ayisi .
Six year old Manka has run away from home, fleeing her abusive aunt. Sonita has daringly accused her neighbor of rape. Amina has decided to end her brutal marriage by taking her husband to court. Set
West Africa Law and Legislation / Bureaucracy Gender Role and Identity Children / Young people
Socotra, the Island of Djinns 2016 64'
    RAI Basil Wright Directed by Jordi Esteva .
The film is the story of a journey across the island of Socotra in the Indian Ocean, off the coast of Yemen. Socotra is isolated during the monsoon season, when it is impossible to land on it. This
Middle and Near East Myths / Fairy tales Nomads and Nomadism Tourism / Travel / Pilgrimage Trade
Some Alien Creatures 2005 74'
  Directed by David MacDougall .
A film about the famous experimental, co-educational boarding school in South India, the Rishi Valley School, founded by the influential Indian thinker Krishnamurti. In this film about a progressive
South Asia Children / Young people Gender Role and Identity Education / Knowledge Transmission
Sons of Haji Omar 1978 58'
  Directed by Timothy Asch Asen Balikci David Newman Richard Sorensen .
Haji Omar and his three sons belong to the Lakenkhel, a Pashtun tribal group in northeastern Afghanistan. Concentrating within one family, the film draw sharp, colourful portraits of the protagonists
Middle and Near East Everyday Life Nomads and Nomadism Herding
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
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
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
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
Stockman's Strategy 1984 52'
  Directed by David MacDougall Judith MacDougall .
A film which explores the philosophy of teaching and learning of Sunny Bancroft, manager of an Aboriginal-run cattle station in northern New South Wales. It also tells the story of Shane Gordon, a
Australia Indigenous peoples / First Nations peoples Animals Education / Knowledge transmission
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
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
Sunny and the Dark Horse 1986 86'
  Directed by David MacDougall Judith MacDougall .
A true story of a country family’s gradual involvement and growing passion for ‘picnic racing’. Sunny Bancroft is an Aboriginal cattle-station manager in New South Wales. With his
Australia Rural Indigenous peoples / First Nations peoples Animals
Suspension 2019 73'
    Werbner Award Directed by Simón Uribe .
This film documents the building of a modern road through the imposing geography of southern Colombia. It brilliantly captures some of the absurdities and contradictions of a construction project
South America Development projects Infrastructure / Transport Material Culture Rural
TOTE_Grandfather 2019 80'
    Main Competition Directed by María Sojob .
This film portrays an unexpected encounter between an old Tzotzil man, who is going blind, and his granddaughter, who does not remember her childhood well. The granddaughter, having grown up in the
Central America Indigenous Filmmaking Gender Role and Identity Family / Kinship Indigenous peoples / First Nations peoples Elderly people Love Intergenerational relations Linguistics / Language Memory
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
Tabom in Bahia 2017 52'
  Directed by Juan Diego Diaz Nilton Pereira .
There is a small community in Ghana who identify as Brazilians. Their name is the Tabom. They are the descendants of former enslaved Africans and creoles who resettled from Bahia to Ghana during the
South America West Africa Music / Ethnomusicology Collective / Community identity Memory Migration Popular Culture Race / Racism / Antiracism Tourism / Travel / Pilgrimage
Takeover 1980 90'
  Directed by David MacDougall Judith MacDougall .
On March 13, 1978 the Queensland Government announced its intention to take over management of Aurukun Aboriginal Reserve from the Uniting Church. The people of Aurukun complained bitterly, fearing
Australia Indigenous peoples / First Nations peoples Resistance Land Rights Social Conflict
Tara's footprint 2018 70'
    Intangible Culture Directed by Georgina Barreiro .
Tara's Footprint skilfully conjures the atmosphere of Khechuperi, a village in the Himalayas in north eastern India. Eschewing standard exposition the film follows four young siblings as they go
South Asia Children / Young people Dance / Theatre / Performance Everyday Life Music / Ethnomusicology Religion / Belief / Faith Rural
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
Tempus de Baristas 1993 100'
  Directed by David MacDougall .
This film depicts the characters, and social dilemmas of three generations of Sardinian mountain shepherds. Although born roughly 20 years apart, Franchiscu (62), his son Pietro (17) and their
Western Europe Herding Social Change Family / Kinship Rural
Theatre Girls 1979 57'
  Directed by Kim Longinotto Claire Pollack .
The “Theatre Girls Club” is a hostel for homeless, destitute and alcoholic women in Soho, London. It is run by six paid workers and it is the only hostel in London which takes any women at any
British-Irish Isles Squatter Settlements / Homelessness Socioeconomic conditions Gender Role and Identity
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
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
Three Horsemen 1982 50'
  Directed by David MacDougall Judith MacDougall .
Bob Massey Pootchemunka has spent most of his life as a stockman and drover. Now over 75, his ambition is to see an all-Aboriginal cattle station operating at Ti-Tree on his traditional clan land.
Australia Indigenous peoples / First Nations peoples Herding Animals Land Rights
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
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
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
To Get That Country 1978 70'
  Directed by David MacDougall .
An important historical film of events surrounding early meetings of the Northern Land Council in 1977, where uranium mining, land rights and Aboriginal leadership were the key issues.
Australia Indigenous peoples / First Nations peoples Land Rights Social Organisation
To Live With Herds 1972 90'
  Directed by David MacDougall .
The Jie are semi-nomadic pastoral people living in North-eastern Uganda, who are striving to maintain their way of life in the face of unsympathetic government policy, and, at the time of filming, a dry-season famine.
East Africa Nomads and Nomadism Disasters Law and Legislation / Bureaucracy
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
A Town in Sicily 2015 120'
  Directed by Toni de Bromhead .
Castellammare is a 'high-density Mafia' seaside town. Local government is infiltrated, its economy is stagnant and there is no future for its youth. A group of angry young Sicilians now wish to
South-East Europe Political Activists
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
A Transfer of Power 1986 22'
  Directed by Judith MacDougall David MacDougall .
Replacing the engine in an old car is a familiar rural task, but how people go about it differs. For these Aboriginal men in New South Wales, it’s an occasion for affirming continuing
Australia Indigenous peoples / First Nations peoples Education / Knowledge transmission Infrastructure / Transport
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
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
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
Trobriand Cricket: An Ingenious Response to Colonialism 1974 50'
  Directed by Gary Kildea Jerry Leach .
The film documents the transformation by the Trobriand Islanders of the game of cricket, first introduced by British missionaries into a highly distinctive political ritual. Shot in 1973-1974,
Melanesia Sport Colonialism / Postcolonialism Political Activists
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
A Two Day Fair 2009 60'
  Directed by Anjali Monteiro KP Jayasankar .
Nothing in the world will last – it is but a two day fair” sings Mura Lala, drawing inspiration from the Sufi traditions of Sant Kabir and Abdul Lateef Bhitai. He is accompanied on the double
Uma: a water crisis in Bolivia 2020 76'
  Directed by Ana 𝗟𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗲𝗿 .
Uma: a water crisis in Bolivia tells the story of three Andean indigenous communities in the highlands of Bolivia who are fighting to protect their water from diversion and contamination amid a
South America Environment Food / Water Gender Role and Identity Indigenous peoples / First Nations peoples Land Rights Political Activists Resistance Rural Social Conflict
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
Under the Men's Tree 1973 15'
  Directed by David MacDougall Judith MacDougall .
At Jie cattle camps in Uganda men often gather under a special tree to make leather and wooden goods and talk, relax, and sleep. This brilliant ethnographic documentary by renowned filmmakers David
East Africa Infrastructure / Transport Informant-researcher relationship Reflexivity
Under the Palace Wall 2013 53'
  Directed by David MacDougall .
From the 16th century the Indian village of Delwara in southern Rajasthan was ruled as a principality of the kingdom of Mewar. Its palace, which overlooks the village, is now a luxury hotel - a
South Asia Education / Knowledge transmission Children / Young people Tourism / Travel / Pilgrimage
Unity through Culture 2011 69'
  Directed by Christian Suhr Ton Otto .
Soanin Killangit is determined to unite the people and attract international tourism through the revival of culture on Baluan Island, Manus, Papua New Guinea in the South Pacific. He organizes the
Melanesia Festivals / Carnival Social Conflict Collective / Community identity
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
Unravel 2012 14'
    Directed by Meghna Gupta .
'Unravel' follows the Western worlds least wanted clothes, on a journey across Northern India, from sea to industrial interior. They get sent to Panipat, a sleepy town and the only place in the world
South Asia Labour Material Culture Collective / Community identity
Unwritten Letters 2020 59'
  Directed by Max Bloching Abd Alrahman Dukmak .
Abd is a 24-year-old Syrian who took part in the early days of the 2011 revolution and now lives in Padova, Italy. Together with his German friend Max he is working on a film called Unwritten
South-East Europe Middle and Near East Migration Refugees / Displaced populations Participatory / Collaborative methods Life Story / Life History
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
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
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
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
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
Waiting for Harry 1980 57'
  Directed by Kim McKenzie .
Although the events around which this film was planned were the final mortuary rites for Les Angabarraparra, the subject of the film became interaction. Interaction between the anthropologist Les
Australia Informant-researcher relationship Indigenous peoples / First Nations peoples Death Reflexivity
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 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
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
Welcome Valentine 2017 2017 16'
    Student Directed by Dhruv Satija .
In a temple dedicated to Hanuman in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, a priest flouts convention by marrying couples who are shunned elsewhere: mostly those who have eloped from families who disapprove of their
South Asia Marriage Love LGBTQI* Religion / Belief / Faith
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
When Four Friends Meet 2000 43'
  Directed by Rahul Roy .
Bunty, Kamal, Sanjay and Sanju, best of friends and residents of Jehangiripuri, a working class colony on the outskirts of Delhi are young and trying to make their lives in an environment which is
South Asia Gender Role and Identity Children / Young people Urban
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
Why is Mr W. Laughing? 2017 76'
  Directed by Jana Papenbrook .
Jana Papenbroock with Horst Wässle, Michael Gerdsmann, Bernhard Krebs WHY IS MR W. LAUGHING? is a portrait of three members of a community of artists with different disabilities. Rather than
Western Europe Art / Artists / Artisans Collective / Community identity Elderly people Health / Health care / Healing Life Story / Life History Personal Narrative Social participation
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
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
The Women Weavers of Assam 2019 98'
    Special Interest Directed by Aparna Sharma .
The Women Weavers of Assam focuses on the craft, labour and the everyday lives of a group of women weavers in India’s northeastern state of Assam. The weavers belong to a non-profit collective
South Asia Art / Artists / Artisans Gender Role and identity Material Culture
Wási 2017 16'
    Shorts Directed by Sebastián Gómez Ruíz Amado Villafaña Chaparro .
As the sun rises on a village in northern Colombia, we glimpse its inhabitants as they begin their day. As the scene emerges from obscurity, a voiceover reflects on the nature of sight. It is the
South America Indigenous peoples / First Nations peoples Indigenous Filmmaking History of Anthropology Film / Photography / Mass media
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
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
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