Screening Room with John Whitney Sr - PREVIEW Documentary Educational Resources 2026-09-22 | Screening Room with John Whitney Sr - PREVIEW
Two Poets and a River – PREVIEW Documentary Educational Resources 2024-04-29 | store.der.org/two-poets-and-a-river-p1077.aspxRichard K. Wolfcolor, 75 min, 2021In Wakhi, Tajik and Dariwith English subtitlesUsing the Oxus river as a topos, this film explores themes of love and loss through the lives and musical poetry of the two most prominent and innovative Wakhi musicians in Central and South Asia, Qurbonsho in Tajikistan and Daulatsho in Afghanistan. In the 19th century their Wakhan homeland became a buffer zone between Czarist Russia and the British Empire and the river Oxus became a border. The condition of being separated by a river grounds the poets’ discussions of love and loss in their own lives as well as in their musical arts. Richard Wolf shot the film over 2.5 years (2012-2020).
Bride Market of Imilchil – PREVIEW Documentary Educational Resources 2024-04-15 | store.der.org/the-bride-market-of-imichil-p1086.aspxChristian & Steffen Pierce51 min, 1986Arabic and English,with English subtitlesEach September, during a three-day event, eligible men and women from the Berber tribes of Ait Ben Haddadou gather in front of the shrine of Imilchil to select a spouse and marry. Through interviews and observational footage The Bride Market of Imilchil presents an intimate portrayal of the marriage festival, enabling viewers to read the signs and subtle behaviors that shape this unique ritual, and offering insight into local ideas about marriage and divorce. In the final sequences, the film suggests the increasing presence of tourists as an explanation for the declining participation in the festival. Shot in 1985 and originally released in 1987, the film remains a classic in ethnographic cinema and is an excellent resource for teaching about gender, kinship, and related topics.
Sama In the Forest – PREVIEW Documentary Educational Resources 2024-03-18 | store.der.org/sama-in-the-forest-p1087.aspxCarlos Gómez76 min, 2023in Maithil and Englishwith English subtitlesIn a creative collaboration with local community members in Madhubani, India, this hybrid documentary highlights the tale of Sama, a young princess who wanders into the forest and befriends a young man, only to be slandered by a muckraking confidante of the king, and subsequently cursed and banished by her father, Lord Krisna. The film combines footage of women telling different versions of the tale, the making of elaborate narrative paintings, a dramatization of the story, a yearly festival that celebrates Sama, and in-depth conversations about the morals and meanings of this and other traditional tales. The girls and women at the heart of the film are students and teachers at the Mithila Art Institute, a small school for young aspiring artists. Additional participants — community members of different genders, castes, and generations — help paint a complex picture of the social tensions evident in Mithila today.
The Intersection – PREVIEW Documentary Educational Resources 2024-03-04 | store.der.org/the-intersection-p1085.aspxJessamine Irwin, Daniel Quintanilla32 min, 2021in English, French, Lingalawith English subtitlesCecile reconnects with the French of her childhood thanks to recently arrived Franco-African immigrants, like Trésor, seeking asylum in Cecile’s hometown of Lewiston, Maine. Cecile’s Franco roots tie her to the thousands of French-Canadians who came before her to power the local mills, and who suffered from decades of discrimination and oppression. As history repeats itself, Cecile and Trésor develop a close friendship that helps Cecile finally find her pride in being Franco-American.
Light Upon Light – PREVIEW Documentary Educational Resources 2024-02-19 | store.der.org/light-upon-light-p1084.aspxChristian Suhr78 min, 2022in Arabic, English and Danishwith English SubtitlesOne day, his Egyptian friend gave Danish anthropologist Christian Suhr a piece of advice: Stop focusing on all the darkness in the world, and look at the light instead. Tired of studying the tensions between Muslim and Western world views in Europe (Descending With Angels, Suhr 2013), Suhr began to study religious experiences of light in post-revolutionary Egypt. Light Upon Light seeks to understand what light – in the context of faith – means to practitioners of Sufi Islam. Along his journey in Cairo and back home in Denmark, Suhr engages in conversations with friends and acquaintances while also observing and participating in mystical rituals. The film ultimately offers a nuanced portrayal of religious practices that are too often reduced to simplistic clichés as the filmmaker embarks on a transcendant journey to understand ecstatic experiences associated with Sufism.
A Thousand Fires – PREVIEW Documentary Educational Resources 2023-11-20 | store.der.org/a-thousand-fires-p1083.aspxSaeed Taji Farouky90 min, 2021in Burmesewith English subtitlesIn the Magway region of Myanmar, a country home to one of the oldest petroleum industries in the world, live husband and wife Thein Shwe and Htwe Tin. Running an unregulated oil field, they produce a barrel every few days. They wish above all else to see their youngest son succeed, to break the cycle of poverty. A kettle boils. Mud slicked hands work sputtering machines. The ambient sound of a football match hums from a nearby television. “These days passed quickly”, Htwe says. From Palestinian-British filmmaker Saeed Taji Farouky, A Thousand Fires is a portrait of a family in flux, and a story of intergenerational conflict and compromise. It is a film of transient moments; of hopes and aspirations; of faith in the forces of karma and luck; of a place, a community, and the rhythms of a day to day; of lingering memories and a turbulent past; and of life persisting, regardless.
Ujirei (Regeneration) – PREVIEW Documentary Educational Resources 2023-11-13 | store.der.org/ujirei-p1080.aspxMateo Sobode Chiquenocolor, 54 min, 2017Ayoreo, Spanishwith English subtitlesFor Ayoreo peoples in the Gran Chaco of northern Paraguay, the future remains unclear. In this radical experimental film, Ayoreo leader Mateo Sobode Chiqueno visually explores the terms of present-day life on an evangelical mission. The filmmaker creates a visionary cinematic reflection on what it means to affirm Ayoreo life in the aftermath of colonial violence and social upheaval.
Unearthed – PREVIEW Documentary Educational Resources 2023-10-10 | store.der.org/unearthed-p1081.aspxColin Rosemontcolor, 16 min, 2021Archaeology is generally seen as an innocuous, innocent, and objective academic pursuit in Western culture. Archaeologists, after all, excavate into the earth to unearth the remnants of past human activities and lives. In doing so, offering objective evidence for how the world was—so that we might better situate ourselves now and into our future. But there is more to the story. Archaeology has long been a colonial enterprise in the Americas. Archaeologists have desecrated Native American sacred sites and ancestors in the name of science. In doing so, furthering harm to Native communities and taking part in cultural genocide. Archaeologists have also made narratives from their “findings,” which have directly contributed to the erasure of Native people, their loss of sovereignty, and communal traumas. That is not to say the field of Archaeology does not hold great benefit for Native Communities—there is no doubt it does. The question becomes: Who is the Archaeological Research For, How is it Done, and For What Ends? In recent decades, Native-led research, Native scholars, Native archaeologists, and their accomplices have begun a revolution to decolonize archaeology and the future looks bright. Unearthed offers a vignette into this complexity as it is unfolding today. This section offers a deeper view into the rich material culture excavated from Cache Cave. The materials shared here are shared with the collaboration and consent of the Tejon Indian Tribe.
Experimental Curator: The Sally Dixon Story – PREVIEW Documentary Educational Resources 2023-09-21 | store.der.org/experimental-curator-the-sally-dixon-story-p1082.aspxBrigid Maher56 min, 2022Experimental Curator: The Sally Dixon Story is a documentary that delves into the life of experimental film curator Sally Dixon. Her story began in the 1960's when she received a small hand-held movie camera from her father-in-law and started making films, that she later called "Film Poems." Sally is known as a trailblazer in the "film as art" movement and created the film program at The Carnegie Museum of Art in 1970. She founded the program with the purpose of "promoting a greater understanding and appreciation of film as an art form and the filmmaker as an artist." It was one of the first museum-based film programs in the country.This one hour biographic documentary reflects Sally’s life as a woman in a man’s art world. The film beautifully weaves in archival footage of Sally as her love of film first emerged as she captured her first images on Super 8 as well as archival footage of her collaborations with artists in Pittsburgh, and finally St. Paul. The documentary threads in contemporary footage of Sally, her family and her friends as they reflect on her enormous impact.
King for a Day – PREVIEW Documentary Educational Resources 2023-08-09 | store.der.org/king-for-a-day-p1079.aspxBarbara Santicolor, 62 min, 2022King for a Day is a poetic archive-led documentary immersing us in the personal story of the people of Padstow, their ancient rituals and the challenges they face in a rapidly changing world. Tensions between tradition and progress punctuate the importance of cultural identity and the relevance of folk customs in our globalized society. King for a Day is an intimate portrait of a place and community pushed to the margins. A cinematic journey interweaving audio-visual archive spanning 150 years. Will this be the last generation to tease the ‘Old Oss’ from her stable to welcome the Summer? King for a Day is the inspirational story of indigenous Britain following a marginalized community at the heart of one of Europe’s oldest folk customs, told through the narratives and archives of its people. A personal insight into a community in transition – Padstow’s “sexy, savage springtime rite”, known as the Obby Oss, is an ancient, ritualistic celebration welcoming the summer on May 1st. Filmed over nine years in the shadow of Brexit, the documentary reveals how the tradition acts as a form of community defiance and a vehicle for the Padstow people to have a voice. For the first time, we see the significance of May Day through local eyes.
Seeking the Spirit - PREVIEW Documentary Educational Resources 2023-08-01 | store.der.org/seeking-the-spirit-p400.aspxBeatrice Medicine, Liucija Baskauskascolor, 27 min, 1999What qualities are necessary for a ritual to be ethnically "authentic"?Dr. Beatrice "Bea" Medicine, a Native American anthropologist and her Lithuanian colleague, Dr. Liucija Baskauskas explore this issue as they visit a group of Russians who have met for their annual two week Pow Wow in an isolated wooded area outside of St. Petersburg. The Russians, predominantly couples with young children, tell us they initially became interested in Native American culture via Hollywood films. Back on a reservation in South Dakota, upon viewing a video of the dances and elaborate costumes of the Russians, a Lacota woman good-naturedly jokes, "they must've seen A Man Called Horse". We see at close range the careful attention to detail the Russians have invested in the recreation of the look and the feel of Native America ritual and life. When asked why they are doing this they tell us it is for their children. They are seeking the "right way to live", in order to impart authentic Native American values to their offspring and to escape the cycle of consumerism and the negative aspects that they see in their own culture.
Seed and Earth - PREVIEW Documentary Educational Resources 2023-07-20 | store.der.org/seed-and-earth-p398.aspxLina Fruzzetti, Alfred Guzzetti, Ákos Östör & Ned Johnstoncolor, 36 min, 1995Made by a team of distinguished filmmakers/anthropologists, Seed and Earth is a film about everyday life in rural West Bengal, India. It follows the daily schedule of the families of two brothers who live side by side and cooperate in many daily activities. We see how gender and age determine work, ritual and leisure activities. Janta is a prosperous, multicaste village that derives its livelihood from agriculture. Rice, the main crop, is cultivated in small plots. The working day starts early with men ploughing and women beginning preparations for cooking. The ritual cycle of the village moves from brief daily prayers to big village-wide celebrations lasting several days. Seasonal worship of the gods and numerous life cycle rituals complete the sacred year. Eating, washing, gossiping, visiting — the fabric of daily life is captured eloquently on film with no intrusive narration.
Machanic Manyeruke PREVIEW Documentary Educational Resources 2023-06-29 | store.der.org/machanic-manyeruke-p1078.aspx Mechanic Manyeruke: The Life of Zimbabwe's Gospel Music LegendJames Aultcolor, 85 min, 2020in Shona and Englishwith English subtitlesThis is a feature-length ethnographic film on the life of Zimbabwe’s gospel music legend, Machanic Manyeruke, considered by many the “father” of gospel music in Zimbabwe. An intimate film about family, faith, culture and music exploring the sources of Manyeruke’s persistently popular music, its impact in contextualizing Christian faith in local Shona culture, and how his music, and his very person, reflect fundamental forces of Christian growth in Zimbabwe and other parts of Sub-Saharan Africa.
Waaki (Sanctuary) - PREVIEW Documentary Educational Resources 2023-04-03 | store.der.org/waaki-sanctuary-p1076.aspxVictor Masayesva, Jr.in Hopi, Tzeltal Maya, Nahuatl, English, Spanishwith English subtitlescolor, 56 min, 2019Renowned Hopi filmmaker Victor Masayesva, Jr. explores the centrality of corn for the Hopi, Nahua, and Maya, tracing the role of corn from creation stories to today's struggles against climate change. The film presents complex interrelationships between humans, plants, food systems, animals, birds, ceremonies and the cycles of the earth, sun and moon within the universe from a Hopi, Maya, and Nahua perspective. By tracing the lineage and mysterious origins of corn, we gain a deeper understanding of the ancestry of communities that transcend borders.Masayesva writes, "The idea of sanctuary in our time is colored by the politics of human immigration. As contemporary media consumers, we are saturated with threats and security measures originating from alerts about immigration into our neighborhood. Today state borders have restricted and closed the numerous routes blazed by migrants and only wild birds and animals move freely without visas but nonetheless restricted to wildlife refuges.Humankind has been in constant movement since the emergence, intent on leaving an oppressive order, seeking a better life, seeking sanctuary. For our age, sanctuary cannot be only within familiar beliefs and borders but beyond in the hope we carry in our soul. Sanctuary is the best we can be at the moment, and in the future."
SanDance! – PREVIEW Documentary Educational Resources 2023-03-14 | store.der.org/sandance-p1075.aspxRichard Wicksteed, Edwin Anglesscolor, 60 min, 2020in Nharo, Buga-Kwhe, ||Ani-khwe, Ju|’hoansi, Ts'ixwith English SubtitlesSet in the transcendent dance culture of Africa’s San First Peoples, SanDance! celebrates humanity’s original essence of dance. Our enchanting film follows San dancers from rehearsals in remote villages in Namibia, South Africa and Botswana, to their electrifying performances at the Kuru San Dance Festival in Botswana.Held on full moon, the Kuru San Dance Festival draws San dancers and musicians from across southern Africa to the largest annual gathering of San peoples. SanDance! expresses the hopes and dreams of San dancers as they strive to revitalize their beautiful dance traditions, which are threatened by ongoing marginalization of the San’s fragile hunter-gatherer culture.Radiating from the Kuru San Dance Festival into the visionary world of the trance-healing dance, SanDance! illuminates the spiritual traditions that underpin ancestral San culture across southern Africa.
Wawans Prayer – PREVIEW Documentary Educational Resources 2023-03-03 | store.der.org/wawans-prayer-p1074.aspxRobert Lemelsoncolor, 23 min, 2021in Indonesian & Balinesewith English SubtitlesWawan is an autistic boy from Banjarmasin, Indonesia. Struggling to meet his needs at home, his parents make the difficult decision to send him to a brand new school on another island to receive specialized education and therapeutic support. Together Wawan and his teacher, Yasin, learn how to build an inclusive community for youth on the spectrum that accommodates their differences and celebrates their abilities. As the school grows, Wawan matures into a young man respected for his skill in prayer recitation. The 2-disc DVD also includes the film All God's Children.
All Gods Children – PREVIEW Documentary Educational Resources 2023-03-03 | store.der.org/all-gods-children-p1073.aspxRobert Lemelsoncolor, 67 min, 2021in Indonesian & Balinesewith English SubtitlesWell over half a million children in Indonesia are on the autism spectrum and have varying difficulty with social interaction and communication, as well as uneven access to resources, education and services. “All God’s Children” tells the story of Idris, a nonverbal autistic teenager living in rural Central Java. Idris’s mother, Isti, struggles to understand Idris and meet their basic needs, especially since the two moved away from Idris’s neurotypical twin brother and biological father over thirteen years ago. Shot over the course of five years, the film follows Idris and Isti to traditional healers, biomedical treatment centers, specialized schools, activist organizations, and community gatherings as they seek the acceptance and support they long for. As the family ultimately finds new avenues to healing and hope, the film also tells a story of how grassroots disability awareness movements, local cultural models of inclusion, and religious principles can unite to better support all members of a community.The 2-disc DVD also includes the film Wawan's Prayer.
Threads: Sustaining Indias Textile Traditions – PREVIEW Documentary Educational Resources 2022-09-08 | store.der.org/threads-p1069.aspxKatherine Sender and Shuchi Kotharicolor, 58 min, 2022in English, Gujarati, Kutchhi, Hindiwith English subtitlesThreads explores the relationship between traditional weavers and fashion designers in India.After decades of decline in a demand for legacy fabrics, collaborative relationships between designers and artisans (communicated and negotiated between social economic classes from different social positions) have led to fashion designers now recognizing the autonomy of artisan designers and the need to work with them. A highly regarded Indian designer reflects by saying, “artists [weavers] will not stop for my work, the craft is their lifestyle, if I change their lifestyle, it reflects in their work. Now I work according to them instead of according to me.”In contemporary India, fashion houses strive for engagement with their weavers which is mutually beneficial for more than financial reasons, “we are going to create together, it’s what India wants.”
Ophir – PREVIEW Documentary Educational Resources 2022-08-10 | store.der.org/ophir-p1070.aspxAlexandre Berman, Olivier Polletcolor, 97 min, 2020in English, Tok Pisin, Nasioiwith English subtitlesOphir tells the story of an extraordinary indigenous revolution for life, land and culture, leading up to the potential creation of the newest nation in the world, in Bougainville, Papua New Guinea. A poetic yet dramatic ode to the indelible thirst of a people for freedom, culture and sovereignty, the film sheds light on the biggest conflict of the Pacific since Second World War, revealing the visible and invisible chains of colonization and its enduring cycles of physical and psychological warfare.
Death of the One who Knows – PREVIEW Documentary Educational Resources 2022-07-15 | store.der.org/death-of-the-one-who-knows-p1071.aspxDana Rappoportcolor, 82 min, 2020in Toraja, Indonesianwith English subtitlesIn the Toraja highlands of Sulawesi (Indonesia), Lumbaa is one of the last masters of ritual speech. After his forced conversion to Pentecostalism, he is compelled to stop all his ritual activity and oratory. Concerned by the disappearance of “those who know”, a young Catholic priest named Yans Sulo sets out in search of the society’s ancient oral genres, seeking to invent new forms that would keep them alive. The two men meet. But it is too late. By recounting the life and death of Lumbaa, the film shows how the intrusion of world religion disrupts a Southeast Asian society.
Padauk: Myanmar Spring – PREVIEW Documentary Educational Resources 2022-05-16 | store.der.org/padauk-p1067.aspxJeanne Marie Hallacy, Rares Michael Ghilezancolor, 56 min, 2021Burmese and Englishwith English SubtitlesPadauk: Myanmar Spring takes the viewer to the streets of Myanmar during the heady days following the February 2021 military coup. Through Nant, a young, first-time protester, we meet three human rights activists whose lives have been turned upside down by the coup.As the protests continue, Nant comes to understand the truth of a brutal regime that has continued to wage war against its own people for decades. Against a foreboding backdrop, Nant’s political awakening regarding the plight of others in her ethnically diverse country gives hope for the future.Beautifully augmented by poetry and art, Padauk: Myanmar Spring shows the resilience and determination of the people of Myanmar, and the sacrifices they've made.
My Rembetika Blues – PREVIEW Documentary Educational Resources 2022-05-06 | store.der.org/my-rembetika-blues-p1068.aspxMary Zournazicolor, 83 min, 2021in English and GreekEnglish subtitlesRembetika music or the Greek blues is a music born of exile and the streets. Developing its roots from the mass migration of people in the early twentieth century, filmmaker M. Zournazi traces the journey of her forebears from Smyrna in Turkey to Sydney Australia but discovers more than family history, she finds out how music connects people during times of struggle and crises. By weaving together different stories of music and migration, she documents experiences that are often left out of the chronicles of history.
Kinshasa Septembre Noir – PREVIEW Documentary Educational Resources 2022-03-25 | www.der.org/films/jean-michel-kibushi.htmlby Jean-Michel Kibushiin Frenchwith English subtitlesKinshasa, Black September (black and white, 7 min, 1992)Horrible! Terrible! Remembering the looting and riots by the military in one of the largest cities in the world. Told by children with pencil on found paper.
Following the Thread – PREVIEW Documentary Educational Resources 2021-11-11 | store.der.org/following-the-thread-p1066.aspxKathy Brew22 min, 2021in Spanish and QuechuaEnglish and Spanish SubtitlesIn the Peruvian Andes, textiles are omnipresent in the lives of indigenous people; they are both eminently practical and stunningly beautiful as generations of weavers have applied their creativity to invent techniques and designs found nowhere else in the world.Textiles still form a powerful part of identity. But this identity is at risk. Indigenous people still face racism on a daily basis. And a globalized market economy that produces cheap, machine-made products destroys respect and interest in the hand-made. Infringement on the intellectual rights of native peoples only makes this worse.The Center for Traditional Textiles of Cusco (CTTC) was established by Andean weavers and their supporters to aid in the survival of Cusqueñan textile traditions and to provide support to the indigenous people who create them. This short film presents some of the communities affiliated with the Center and includes special celebrations and ceremonies, rituals with the animals (llamas and sheep), natural dying processes, weaving and knitting demonstrations, and much more.
Wax Print – PREVIEW Documentary Educational Resources 2021-11-04 | store.der.org/wax-print-p1058.aspxAiwan Obinyancolor, 97 min, 2018Surprised to learn from her Nigerian grandmother that ‘traditional’ African wax printed fabrics were a colonial invention made in the UK and Holland, British-born filmmaker and fashion designer, Aiwan Obinyan, sets out on a journey across the globe to trace the two-hundred year history of this iconic textile.From the intricate hand-crafted batiks of Indonesia to the cotton fields of North America and from European industrial mills to the bustling markets of West Africa, the story of how one fabric came to symbolise a continent, its people and their struggle for freedom.
On the Cowboy Trail - PREVIEW Documentary Educational Resources 2021-06-02 | store.der.org/on-the-cowboy-trail-p546.aspxRandy Strothmann, Barry Head, Michael Ambrosinoexecutive produced by Michael Ambrosinocolor, 59 min, 1981The heyday of the American cowboy was in the last half of the nineteenth century. As the economics of ranching changed in the twentieth century, the cowboy's role became more peripheral and his image increasingly romanticized. Cowboy culture does still exist, although barely, in southeastern Montana, where Ray Holmes rides herd for his land-owning neighbors. These include a family who owns a small but flourishing ranch, and a descendant of Ralph Waldo Emerson who runs her own small ranch virtually single-handedly.The film explores the lives of these three households and their cattle, and the imminent demise of what remains of cowboy culture. Even the land is threatened: huge strip mining operations have already encroached upon the nearby Montana grasslands.About the Odyssey series In an attempt to cut the often esoteric ice of anthropology, PBS released in 1980 the first season of ODYSSEY, a newly-created series of anthropological documentaries, with a second season in 1981. The entire series was produced by Public Broadcasting Associates of Boston, with major funding by the National Endowment for the Humanities. Additional funding was provided by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and Polaroid. Michael Ambrosino is the Executive Producer of the series.
Mundo – PREVIEW Documentary Educational Resources 2021-04-26 | store.der.org/mundo-p1037.aspxAna Edwardscolor, 19 min, 2020in SpanishEnglish SubtitlesEvery day, the elderly herder Matilde and her dog Lucas tend her herd of sheep and alpacas. She spins wool by hand, and skins an alpaca that was attacked by a fox. Her daily life is steeped in the gospel; the Bible is her faithful companion. The Aymara community, to which Matilde belongs, has long lived in the mountains and high plains along what are now the borders of Chile, Bolivia, Peru, and Argentina. After the Spanish evangelization campaigns, a second wave of conversions has reached this community in the last few decades. Now the Aymara believe in Heaven rather than Earth.In the prologue we hear that, according to their adopted belief, Earth is Satan’s domain. The once revered natural world has been demoted in status—it is now regarded as an unpredictable and threatening place. One outcome of this worldview is that Matilde is convinced that the fox that attacked her alpaca was sent by the devil. All the while, this elderly woman is surrounded by magnificent natural scenes: the majestic mountains stand like silent witnesses to a connection that is changing.
Sankara Is Not Dead - PREVIEW Documentary Educational Resources 2021-03-03 | store.der.org/sankara-is-not-dead-p1036.aspxLucie Vivercolor, 109 min, 2019in French, More, DioulaEnglish subtitlesAfter Burkina Faso’s October 2014 popular uprising, the young poet Bikontine starts to question his dreams of seeking a better life in the West. He decides to go meet his fellow citizens along the country’s only rail line. From south to north, through cities and villages, he learns about their dreams and disappointments, confronting his poetry with the realities of a rapidly shifting society. His journey ultimately reveals the enduring political legacy of storied former president Thomas Sankara, assassinated in 1987 and known as the “African Che Guevara.”
Khalfan and Zanzibar - PREVIEW Documentary Educational Resources 2021-02-09 | store.der.org/khalfan-and-zanzibar-p716.aspxLina Fruzzetti, Alfred Guzzetti, Ákos Östörcolor, 25 min, 2000Khalfan and Zanzibar is an anthropological documentary shot on digital video — a new departure for the filmmakers, who previously worked exclusively with 16-mm film. Three separate topics are woven together in this innovative project: 1) the life and work of Khalfan Hemed Khalfan, founder of Zanzibar's Association of the Disabled; 2) scenes from the lives of Zanzibar's disabled — job skill training, a class for deaf children, a soccer scrimmage; 3) the history and culture of Zanzibar. This video is a study of Mr. Khalfan Hamid Khalfan and the handicapped people's organization Mr. Khalfan founded and continues to run. Mr. Khalfan, a charismatic figure well known in Zanzibar, is himself wheelchair-bound and oversees the tasks of representing, training, and helping handicapped people throughout the island state. Mr. Khalfan coordinates the efforts of donor agencies, state and federal governments, politicians and development experts, but he is not paid by the government and does not belong to any political party. For many years a high school principal, he looks on his work as primarily an educational one, "raising consciousness" about the needs and potential contributions of people with handicaps. Not a portrait film pure and simple, Khalfan and Zanzibar's differentiation is to place the protagonist in Zanzibar culture, history, ethnicity, religion and everyday life. It intersperses interviews, scenes of Mr. Khalfan's daily chores at work and at home, handicapped people at work and leisure activities, and footage of Zanzibar (with innovative use of superimposed texts discussing history, ethnicity, politics, and Islam). The challenge of the video is to integrate, through visual form and style, the diverse materials mentioned above, in a single unfolding film structure.
The Hunters - PREVIEW Documentary Educational Resources 2021-01-21 | store.der.org/the-hunters-p798.aspxFrom the !Kung seriesby John Marshallcolor, 72 min, 1957This re-release of an early classic in anthropological film follows the hunt of a giraffe by four men over a five-day period. The film was shot in 1952-53 on the third joint Smithsonian-Harvard Peabody sponsored Marshall family expedition to Africa to study Ju/'hoansi, one of the few surviving groups that lived by hunting - gathering. John Marshall was a young man when he made this, his first feature length film. He was a natural cameraman who found a subject that would dominate the rest of his life. He has since shot over 600,000 feet of film from which 24 films were edited. The value of the footage as an encyclopedia of !Kung life is unequaled by any other body of ethnographic film. The entire series is currently available through DER.
A Year in the Field - PREVIEW Documentary Educational Resources 2020-12-02 | store.der.org/a-year-in-the-field-p1033.aspxDennis Lanson, George Gmelchcolor, 33 min, 2020A Year in the Field shows, through the experiences of a young Estonian anthropologist in a Newfoundland fishing village, how cultural anthropologists carry out ethnographic field research or “fieldwork.” This methodology, particularly “participant observation,” more than any other attribute gives cultural anthropology its unique identity.We see anthropologist Joonas Plaan at first struggling to gain acceptance among the locals, some of whom think he is a Russian spy. But then, by working alongside the fishers as a crew member on crab and lobster boats he not only develops rapport but gains their respect. The film illustrates all the main elements of field research: from moving into a foreign community, learning the language, defining one’s role, living as closely as possible to the ways of the “natives,” and recording their culture for a year or more.The film highlights the value of local or indigenous knowledge. It also shows how the long-term and immersive nature of fieldwork becomes a transformative experience for the individual who engages in it.A Year in the Field is a valuable resource for anthropology students and for scholars interested in the methods of anthropology.
The Healer and the Psychiatrist - PREVIEW Documentary Educational Resources 2020-11-05 | store.der.org/the-healer-and-the-psychiatrist-p1034.aspxMike Poltorakcolor, 74 min, 2019Tongan and Englishwith English subtitlesOn the South Pacific Island group of Vava’u, the traditional healer Emeline Lolohea treats people affected by spirits. One day away by ferry, the only Tongan Psychiatrist Dr Mapa Puloka has established a public psychiatry well known across the region.Though they have never met in person, this film creates a dialogue between them on the nature of mental illness and spiritual affliction. Their commitment and transformative communication offers challenges and opportunities to help address the growing global mental health crisis.
Forsaken Fragments - PREVIEW Documentary Educational Resources 2020-08-10 | store.der.org/forsaken-fragments-p1019.aspxRobert Gardnercolor / b&w, 84 min, 1958-2010This collection of short films and “uncompleted” fragments made by renowned filmmaker Robert Gardner spans his life and career, and reflects his interests, from ethnography to the art world. Though presented as a set, the pieces stand on their own as riveting cinematic experiences, offering insight into Gardner’s personality and curiosity.The DVD comes packaged with a full-color 24-page booklet and extra features including selectable director's commentary tracks and an audio recording from Gardner's in-person appearance when an earlier incarnation of Forsaken Fragments screened at the Harvard Film Archive in Cambridge MA in October, 2010.Includes the following films:The Old Lady, AKA A Human Document (4 min, 1958)In 1957, Gardner visited the Kalahari with John Marshall to help film The Hunters. This short, observing an elderly !Kung woman, was made by Gardner alone while there.Tide (6 min, 1966)In the late 1960’s, Gardner visited the tidal flats of Nova Scotia where he filmed this short piece. The film follows an elderly farmer as he directs his horse and carriage across the beach, eventually stopping to fish a weir.The Photographer (3 min, 1966/2007)While traveling in Nova Scotia in 1966, Gardner and still photographer Len Gittleman found an old view camera which proved the inspiration for this short homage to the silent film era.Salt (3 min, 1966)While traveling northeastern Ethiopia in 1968, Gardner rode with a caravan of Afar camel herders plying the salt trade between the highlands and the salt flats of the Dallol Depression, which he called a “wondrous environment of unbearable heat and intense color.”Creatures of Pain (5 min, 1968)Gardner visited Nigeria in 1968, hoping to make a film about sheepherders. Civil war intervened, and he was only able to film this short piece about the “sharo” ritual in a small village near Kano.Three Non-commercials: Policeman, Lobsterman, Farmer (4 min, 1973)In the 1970’s, Gardner was involved in the programming of WCVB, an ABC affiliate TV station in Boston. He took this opportunity to make what he called “non-commercials” – short vignettes of people in their ordinary lives – to be shown between programs.Anthem (2 min, 1973)In the days of Gardner’s involvement with Boston Broadcasters, Inc and Channel 5, TV stations stopped transmitting for the night – sometime in the early morning. Traditionally stations “signed off” with a clip of the American flag waving as the national anthem played. Bob asked filmmaker Richard Rogers to make a more interesting variation on this theme. Channel 5 declined to use it.Healing (9 min, 1978)This film arose from a trip to Ladakh, India, as Gardner searched for a shaman. There, he encountered this tradition of Buddhist healing, which involved trance and music.Supplicating Women (3 min, 1985)While shooting in Benares for Forest of Bliss, Gardner stumbled upon a temple frequently visited by women who suffered from ailments including love sickness and familial problems. This fragment details their pleading for healing.Life Keeps on Passing (4 min, 1985)Also filmed while on location for Forest of Bliss, this short was Gardner’s attempt to see and hear what local poets had to say about their surroundings. This beautiful short recounts some of their thoughts.Hauling Sharks (10 min, 1988)Upon returning to Ethiopia in 1988, Gardner visited the coastal Danakil. There he filmed communities who had developed an environmentally suitable way of netting sharks far out at sea, which they exported to southern Arabian states.It Could Be Good, It Could Be Bad (6 min, 1997)In 1997, Gardner joined his friend Robert Fulton to shoot aerial photography in the Southern Chilean Andes. Microphones were rigged to record their conversations as they flew among these extraordinary formations.Deus Ex Boltanski (11 min, 2010)In 2010, Gardner and photographer Michael Hutcherson travelled to Paris to make a film about French artist Christian Boltanski as he installed a piece entitled PERSONNES within the immense confines of the Grand Palais.Still Journey On (20 min, 2010)In his last years, Gardner worked at intervals constructing a film intended to weave together threads of thought and meaning that ran through his life and films. He took the title from “Keep Right On Till the End of the Road” a song by the Scottish singer, Harry Lauder – a favorite song of Robert’s father, who would play it on the record player every year as the family left the island in Maine where they spent much of the summer. Still Journey On remains a fragment.
A Long Way Home - PREVIEW Documentary Educational Resources 2020-06-22 | store.der.org/a-long-way-home-p1031.aspxLuc Schaedlercolor, 73 min, 2018in ChineseEnglish, German or French subtitlesA Long Way Home takes us on a fascinating journey into both the grim days of recent Chinese history and the dazzling cultural scene in present-day China. The film centers around five of the most significant representatives of contemporary Chinese counterculture: the visual artists the Gao Brothers, the choreographer and dancer Wen Hui, the animation artist Pi San and the poet Ye Fu. With bravery and subversive wit, they each shed light on the social problems in their country from their unique perspective. Their vision is of a democratic and humane civil society, and, increasingly, their struggle seems as relevant for the world today as it is for China.Selected ScreeningsFestival International de Programmes Audiovisuels Biarritz, France, 201942e Festival des films du monde Montréal, Canada, 201853. Solothurner Filmtage, Switzerland, 2018Dharamshala International Film Festival, India, 2018Innsbruck International Film Festival, Austria, 2019
The Village (Remastered) - PREVIEW Documentary Educational Resources 2020-04-23 | store.der.org/the-village-p283.aspxMark McCartyblack & white, 70 min, 1968, digitally remastered 2020The Village is an intimate study of the slow-paced diurnal round of activity in Dunquin, County Kerry, Ireland.At the time of filming in 1967, the village consisted of only 180 people, most elderly and poor. This traditional portrait was filmed at a time when acculturation by urban tourists was just beginning; as such, the language, customs and subsistence techniques of Dunquin are presented without commentary or narration.Throughout this cinéma vérité exploration, key village characters emerge: the postmistress, who dispenses sweets, gossip, and pensions; and the pub owner, who is also a landlord, and traditional yarn-spinner. Despite being isolated from the rest of the country and depleted by emigration, the society, traditions, and lives of Dunquin carry on.
Voices of the Rainforest - PREVIEW Documentary Educational Resources 2020-04-14 | store.der.org/voices-of-the-rainforest-p1025.aspxProduced by Steven Feld and Dennis LeonardDirected by Steven Feld and Jeremiah Ra Richardscolor, 67 min, 2019Voices of the Rainforest: A Day in the Life of Bosavi is a 70-minute cinema concert–an experiential documentary about the ecological and aesthetic coevolution of Papua New Guinea's Bosavi rainforest region and its inhabitants. Through sound and image, the film immerses viewers in the rainforest, and makes audible myriad connections between the everyday sounds of the rainforest biosphere and the creative practices of singing to, with, and about it by the Bosavi people. Structured around a day in the life of the rainforest and the music it inspires for the Bosavi people, the film brings to life the everyday activities of work, leisure, and ritual–heard in the full ambient setting of the rainforest–throughout the day and night.Voices of the Rainforest was produced by Steven Feld and Dennis Leonard and Directed by Steven Feld and Jeremiah Ra Richards in collaboration with the Bona community of Bosavi, Papua New Guinea. Feld conducted anthropological and ethnomusicological fieldwork in Bosavi from 1975 to 2000. The original Voices of the Rainforest CD was produced during this time (1991) with production support from Grateful Dead drummer Mickey Hart. Working with acclaimed sound editor Dennis Leonard at Skywalker Sound in 2016-2017, Feld recomposed a 25th anniversary 7.1 Voices soundtrack. A 2018 return to Bosavi with filmmaker Jeremiah Ra Richards and digitization of Feld's extensive archival photographs led to the creation of the immersive film joined to the 7.1 soundtrack. Voices of the Rainforest is the first in a series of films based on Feld's work. While Voices offers a visualization of the original audio experience, New Voices of the Rainforest, the companion film, will provide an update on the state of the forest and the problems of development in what remains a remote and underserved region of Papua New Guinea. This Deluxe Edition includes a 150-page color photobook, 7.1 Blu-ray (with a 2.0 stereo track) and the 25th Anniversary edition audio CD. All sales benefit the Bosavi Peoples Fund, advocating for environmental and cultural justice in a remote part of Papua New Guinea.
Mother, Daughter, Sister - PREVIEW Documentary Educational Resources 2020-03-23 | store.der.org/mother-daughter-sister-p1022.aspxJeanne Hallacycolor, 27 min, 2018English subtitlesMother, Daughter, Sister exposes the Burmese military’s practice of using rape as a weapon of war. The film brings light to Kachin and Rohingya women activists' efforts to enact justice for Burma's crimes. The film revolves around the stories of four women: Shamima, a volunteer counselor working with survivors of military rape in the Rohingya refugee camp in Bangladesh, Dil Kayas, a teenage survivor, and San Lung and Lu Ra, sister and mother of two Kachin school teachers brutally raped and killed in 2015, allegedly by the Burmese military. Powerful testimonies from survivors, witnesses, and activists explore the far-reaching impact of sexual violence and trauma upon these communities, and together, the women call for justice and an end to the army's impunity.
Buddha Mummies of North Japan - PREVIEW Documentary Educational Resources 2020-03-18 | store.der.org/the-buddha-mummies-of-north-japan-p1021.aspxShayne Dahl, Satoshi Watanabe20 min, 2017At select temples throughout northeastern Japan, the robed bodies of self-mummified Buddhist monks are worshipped as “Living Buddhas.” They are thought to heal the sick, protect the living, and continue to inspire monks with the intense dedication of their ascetic discipline centuries before. The Buddha Mummies of North Japan includes interviews with the monks who attend to these “Living Buddhas,” descriptions of the dieting regime and austerities required in order to self-mummify, and a rare redressing ritual in which the robes of the mummies are cut into talismans for devotees.This is the first independent documentary to capture these mummified monks on film, to observe key ceremonies of their 12-year ritual cycle, and to present interviews with leading scholars on this rare form of contemporary Buddhism.
Tarahumara - PREVIEW Documentary Educational Resources 2019-12-12 | store.der.org/tarahumara-p309.aspxCharles Naumancolor, 28 min, 1976Shot in 1976, but never released, this film is a rare visual document of the Tarahumara - one of the most remote and isolated tribes of the North American continent. Filmed during a gathering at the mission village of Norogachic of northwest Mexico, the nomadic Tarahumara are observed celebrating their special interpretation of the Easter Festival. The week-long gathering uniquely explores both Christian and pre-Christian expressions of honoring the Easter Moon, the time when traditionally the Tarahumara dance, plant corn and drink Tesvino, the corn wine that blesses nearly every Tarahumara occasion from birth to death.Coming from caves and rocky rancheros that range from the tropics to the northern Sierre Madre, the celebrants arrive on foot with giant tambours, flutes and the violins that the Spaniards introduced centuries ago, violins that the Tarahumara still carve from their native pine. Clay painted and dressed in flamboyantly colorful garments, the Tarahumaras make the celebration an epic of dance which concludes by preparing the shamans for the final dance in which the effigies of Judas and Judas's son are destroyed.
Sweetheart Dancers - PREVIEW Documentary Educational Resources 2019-11-15 | store.der.org/sweetheart-dancers-p1029.aspxBen-Alex Dupriscolor, 13 min, 2019in EnglishIndigenous dancers Sean and Adrian challenge the rulebook of San Manuel's Native American Sweetheart Special as they attempt to compete in the annual couple's competition. Dancing not only against the other dancers, but against the drums of oppression and closed-mindedness, this Two-Spirit couple is determined to rewrite the rules of "one man, one woman" with their resplendent charisma, character and resilience.
Stories From The Archive (NYU Culture & Media series Volume 1) - PREVIEW Documentary Educational Resources 2019-09-19 | store.der.org/stories-from-the-archive-nyu-cm-vol-1-p1017.aspxMultiple Filmmakerscolor, 116 min, 2012-2017Films:Archives of Extinction (Alyse Takeyesu, 12 min, 2016)Archives of Extinction explores the concept of "saving" nature through a look at a museum's preserved bird collection. The history of the scientific collection, accompanied by voice overs drawn from texts of late 19th century collectors, provide a backgrop to the modern processes of de-extinction, an emerging science dedicated to bringing extinct species back into the world. Archives of Extinction evokes questions about nature conservation then and now; about the role of science in disassembling past and reassembling future ecologies; and about the human will to resurrect lost species and re-animate the past.Pixelating Holiness (Sarah Riccardi-Swartz, 15 min, 2017)West Virginian Russian Orthodox priest, Father Jonah Campbell, manufactures religious icons using contemporary digital technologies. Observational scenes documenting Cambell's production process, are juxtaposed with interviews exploring current controversies surrounding these digitally-produced icons, particualrly the suggestion that these icons are less holy than hand-painted works. Through this case study, the film looks at the relationship between religious art and divinity as it is transformed through digital technologies, while also suggesting the importance of entrepreneurial enterprises to a changing Christianity.What Remains (Lee Douglas, 29 min, 2015)After the exhumation of a mass grave in Spain's southern province of Ciudad Real, two local anthropologists meet Angelita González Yepes, a woman whose family was torn apart by post-war political violence. In the intimate space of her living room, Angelita's home, family snapshots, and defiant voice make sense and gives meaning to a haunting legacy that refuses to pass, despite more than seven decades of silence. Though an intense and emotional process of fieldwork, Angelita and her interlocutors piece together fragmented memories, forensic evidence, and archival documentation to understand the city's painful history. More than a Face in the Crowd (Sami Chan, 25 min, 2012)A filmmaker explores the life of her great-aunt, Jane Chung, an actress who made a career for herself at a time when Asian Americans faced widespread racism in Hollywood. Working mostly in small parts and as an extra, Jane's fifty-year career reflects many of the struggles and triumphs of the Asian Americans working in the entertainment industry. Jane had parts in over fifty films and TV shows including Chinatown, When Harry Met Sally, M*A*S*H, and I Love Lucy, but much of her work is uncredited. The filmmaker brings together multiple generations of her family, and mines the film archive for evidence of her great-aunt, to provide a portrait of the real person beyond the often stereotypical roles and bit parts that constituted her screen presence.A Correspondence (Leili Sreberny-Mohammadi, 16 min, 2014)The film brings to life the year-long correspondence between the filmmaker's grandparents during the years following WWII. After fleeing Nazi Germany and Poland Srebernya, Margo and David met in London in 1947, only to be separated when David was sent to Palestine as a doctor in the British Army. Constructed through photographs, letters, telegrams and archival footage from the era, their story is one of love across distance and the search for a partner during troubled times.Ode to Fazil's (Marcel Rosa-Salas, 19 min, 2017)Fazil's Dance Center, located in New York City, was considered sacred ground for flamenco, tap, hip hop and Middle Eastern dancers often unwelcome at other studios. In 2008, after nearly forty years in operation, Fazil's was torn down and replaced by a luxury high-rise hotel. Marcel Rosa-Salas' personal film brings together stories of a magical place that no longer physically exists, yet lives on in the memories of dancers who continue to cherish it. Through archival footage and present-day interviews, Ode to Fazil's tells the story of this lost New York landmark, and the displacement of artists in a rapidly transforming city.
Point Of View (NYU Culture & Media series Volume 2) - TRAILER Documentary Educational Resources 2019-09-19 | store.der.org/point-of-view-nyu-cm-vol-2-p1018.aspxPOINT OF VIEW (NYU C&M VOL. 2)NYU Culture & Media seriesMultiple Filmmakerscolor / b&w, 97 min, 1998-2017Point of View: First Person to Observational explores different methodologies in ethnographic documentary filmmaking. In each short film, the filmmaker establishes a unique point of view, and thus entry point for the audience, as observer of their own or others' lives. All reveal the importance of observation - of the physical spaces and of their characters' interactions - for engaging audiences in otherwise inaccessible spaces and intimate conversations. Stories range from a young filmmaker's new appreciation of his mother in his attempt to grow up, that offer a glimpse into a suburban white, economically privileged community; a woman's reflections on her recovery from a breakdown after experiencing an attempted coup in Turkey; a humorous, keen observation of a couple negotiating their newlywed portraits with a lively photographer in a Chinese wedding photography shop; observations of Eastern European women telling stories as they make dumplings in the basement of a Ukranian church; and a filmmaker's encounters with the workers who create manhole covers that, upon their completion, travel from India to the streets of New York. Films:Cast in India (Natasha Raheja, 26 min, 2014)Iconic and ubiquitous, approximately 300,000 manhole covers dot the streets of New York City. This observational documentary takes the viewer behind-the-scenes, to Howrah, India, where skilled workers heat, weld, melt, and mold iron into manhole cover castings. Cast in India gives life to the men, the processes, and the transnational journey behind these everyday objects. My Mom's Name is Jean (Myles Jewell, 27 min, 2008)New York City based filmmaker Myles Jewell still relies on his Boston-based mom to complete tasks he is perfectly capable of, such as making dentist appointments and buying new underwear. In an effort to shed his adolescence, Myles moves home for thirty days and calls his mom by her first name. Combining first person narration and observational camera, the film offers a unique approach to the coming-of-age story.The Bride Who Wouldn't Smile (Camilla Neilsson, 8 min, 1998)At Nancy's Wedding Center in Chinatown, New York, Nancy Ma and the wedding photographer, Mr. Ma, work to recreate big-screen beauty and glamour for their customers. Through close attention to the interactions between a young Vietnamese couple and the studio owners, and to the material objects around the studio, this short observational film captures the tensions inevitably encountered in the pursuit of the ideal photo. The Ladies (Tyler Zoanni, 14 min, 2015)For 50 years, a group of Ukrainian women has gathered in New York's East Village to make dumplings for their church. This observational short offers an evocative portrait of 'the ladies' and the work, faith, gossip, and humor that brings them together.Back to Me (Zeynep Sertbulut, 22 min, 2017)In the summer of 2016, Turkish filmmaker Zeynep Sertbulut experienced a temporary psychotic episode. An ISIS airport bombing and a military coup in her home country set her world off axis and, with the camera rolling, she begins her journey down the path of emotional recovery. Back to Me documents the many stages of recovery from a traumatic event, while exploring identity and change in the midst of global conflict. The film tackles difficult subjects: How do you convey a traumatic event, and how you evoke a subject's ever-changing internal states? DVD Produced by: Cheryl Furjanic and Pegi VailThis is part of the NYU Culture & Media series
Life is a Very Strange Thing - TRAILER Documentary Educational Resources 2019-08-13 | store.der.org/life-is-a-very-strange-thing-p1026.aspxLes McLaren, Annie Stivencolor, 78 min, 2018in English, FrenchEnglish subtitlesLife Is A Very Strange Thing is an intriguing mosaic of post-colonial France revealed through four generations of a remarkable French family.The Australian filmmakers last saw Frédéric Duvelle in the 1970s when he was a rebellious teenager recording traditional music in remote villages of Papua New Guinea. Thirty-five years later, a chance reunion became an opportunity to fill in missing decades and to discover his remarkable family history, from his Governor grandfather in colonial Indochina to the populist politics and terror attacks of contemporary France.We meet Frédéric's parents: mother Elisabeth, a politically engaged textile artist who raised Fred and his two sisters in a working-class suburb of Paris; and composer father Charles who grew up in Laos and Cambodia, and became celebrated for his pioneering recordings of traditional music in Africa.Frédéric's recounts his own unlikely journey from school dropout, to ethnomusicologist then executive of a multinational garbage enterprise.He is a wily raconteur and avid collector of brocante. Shadowed by his endearing ancient dog Punch, encounters with friends in Paris and Bordeaux unfold rich layers of French culture and identity: an enigmatic African artist discusses Cubism; a cameo family lunch with a menu of oysters, history and politics; a 93-year-old WW2 Resistance veteran who forgives; and an irascible brocanteur who can't forget.The youngest generation confront issues at the heart of cosmopolitan France: Frédéric's niece is an activist with FEMEN who protest against conservative values as the populist right-wing National Front is on the rise, and his daughter has a near encounter on the night of the Bataclan terror attack.Life Is A Very Strange Thing is part road movie, part meditation. It's unique mix of observation, archive footage from Papua New Guinea and Indochina, indigenous music and rich sound design evokes a lyrical and compelling portrait of family, place, politics and memory.
Sittwe - PREVIEW Documentary Educational Resources 2019-07-31 | store.der.org/sittwe-p1027.aspxJeanne Hallacycolor, 20 min, 2017in Rakhine, Bengali, Burmese and EnglishEnglish subtitlesSittwe is about two teenagers separated by conflict and segregation in Burma's Rakhine state, Phyu Phyu Than, a Rohingya girl and Aung San Myint, a Buddhist boy. Both youth saw their homes burned down during communal violence in 2012.Phyu Phyu Than is confined in an apartheid-style camp and has no chance to go to school or travel to her home just a few miles away. Aung San Myint's family struggles to survive and support his high school studies to fulfill his dream to go to medical school.Interviews filmed over two years with the teenagers reveal their ideas about each other's communities and the hope of reconciliation.Sittwe was produced as a tool for facilitated discussions about peacebuilding in Burma. The film was due to premiere in Yangon at the Human Rights, Human Dignity Film Festival but was banned by the government censors.
Small Family Happy Family - PREVIEW Documentary Educational Resources 2019-07-30 | store.der.org/small-family-happy-family-p1028.aspxZoe Hamilton & Annie Mungercolor, 39 min, 2019in English, Hindi, Thethiwith English subtitles"Marry young, have two children, and get sterilized" - this is the advice women across India have heard for decades. Families, health workers, the central government all spread the same message. What alternatives are there, anyway? With limited information about other forms of birth control, sterilization is the only option for many. This lack of choice is not an oversight by the government; rather, it's a deliberate policy aimed at controlling India's alarming population size. Women are corralled into temporary "camps" where hundreds are sterilized at a time. Quality is sacrificed for quantity; individual attention for efficiency.Small Family, Happy Family is a short documentary following Mitilesh, a young woman from rural Madhya Pradesh, as she is recruited by health workers in her village to undergo sterilization and decides with her husband to pursue the surgery. Her story is situated in the larger context of population control in India, revealing how these policies affect the lives of women. The film is an immersive, highly personal glimpse into the lives of women positioned at the turbulent nexus of government policy and reproductive rights. In Mitilesh we see so many other women - in India and in our own countries - who also have tenuous control over their bodies and choices.
Jean Rouch Premier Film - PREVIEW Documentary Educational Resources 2019-05-24 | store.der.org/jean-rouch---premier-film-1947-1991-p700.aspxDominique Dubosccolor, 27 min, 1991The director, Dominique Dubosc, gives Jean Rouch the opportunity to improvise a new commentary for his first film made in 1947, In the Land of the Black Magi (Au pays des mages noirs) of a Songhay possession dance in Niger. Rouch explains the sacrifices he made due to the producer that took on his film and the “monster” thus created; his footage was re-edited with a new ending, new titles, stock footage, “tropical muzak,” and a newsreel-style narration heavy on drama and highlighting the exotic. After viewing the first version, Rouch critiques his own work and puts it in perspective in the context of the time. Finally, the intelligence and insight of Rouch emerge as he “finishes” his first film: “This is not only an evocation of the beginnings of Jean Rouch, ethnologue and film director - it is his first film. One sees him improvising a new commentary to In the Land of the Black Magi, just as he improvised the voiceovers of most of his other films.” The film transforms from a product of colonialism built around the commentary in which “you no longer see the images,” into a new form in which the film's true meaning is illuminated and the humanity of the subjects restored.
Encountering Jean Rouch - PREVIEW Documentary Educational Resources 2019-05-24 | store.der.org/encountering-jean-rouch-p889.aspxHu Tai-Licolor, 11 min, 2003This short film was shot in 2002 during Bilan du Film Ethnographic for the purpose of introducing Jean Rouch to the audience at 2003 Taiwan International Ethnographic film festival. Unexpectedly, Jean Rouch passed away in 2004. In this film Jean Rouch talked about his new marriage, his anger towards the moving of the artifacts of the Mankind Museum, his anarchistic nature, his dreams and fantasies, etc..
Fireland Dogs - PREVIEW Documentary Educational Resources 2019-05-21 | store.der.org/fireland-dogs-p1023.aspxJohn Dickinsoncolor, 70 min, 2019SpanishEnglish subtitlesFireland Dogs (‘Perros del Fin del Mundo’) is set in the context of an imbalance that threatens the people and way of life of Tierra del Fuego. It shows how dogs, abandoned to their fate by irresponsible owners, become increasingly feral as they regress toward their ancestral wolf state. In the island’s countryside the farmers must counter the conduct of these dogs, that are rapidly killing off their sheep flocks, and increasingly affect wildlife and the ecosystem. Each farm has its own strategy, the battle for survival taking on different characteristics… as farmers try to defend their livelihood. The film is about how man is dealing with this new and fearsome reality, which threatens his way of life and yet is entirely of his own making.
Oyate - PREVIEW Documentary Educational Resources 2019-05-21 | store.der.org/oyate-p1024.aspxDan Girmuscolor, 72 min, 2019in English, LakotaOyate is a time capsule of moments, feelings, gestures, and events that took place on Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota during the summer of 2015. The narrative, pieced together from the day-to-day activities of two families and a few other secondary subjects, aims to show what it is like to live on the reservation, while at the same time avoiding a direct, issue-based dialogue with the viewer. The history of representation of native folks within the nonfiction and ethnographic communities is a highly checkered one, and the film’s goal is to sidestep those potentially problematic approaches by firmly entrenching the audience within the rhythms, sounds, and feelings of everyday life. While not an outwardly politicized film, Oyate is a deeply political one; a film that represents and repositions a collection of seemingly commonplace events (a conversation in the back of a truck, a group of young girls lighting off fireworks, a wedding reception) as deeply felt grasps toward purpose in an often difficult world.
Popol Vuh - PREVIEW Documentary Educational Resources 2019-04-17 | store.der.org/popol-vuh-p520.aspxAna María Pavezcolor, 10 min, 2006This animated short from Chile tells the tale of creation based on "Popol Vuh: the Ancient Stories of the Quiché," written by the indigenous Maya Quiché people after the Spanish Conquest. The vibrant illustrations are taken from Mayan codices, paintings found on vessels, and stones carved with scenes from the "Popol Vuh" between the years 300-900 A.D. Accompanying the narrator is original music performed with pre-Columbian and other ethnographic instruments from the Americas. The text relates solely to the creation of the world and humankind, and gives the viewer a unique look into Mayan culture and history. The story is told in its native Spanish language, with English subtitles. Perfect for the K-12 classroom.
