Documentary Educational Resources - By Title / B / All Films

Ballad on the Shore

Wed, 2 Oct 2024 17:47:26 GMT

Ballad on the Shore
Buy Now: $320.00

Ma Chi Hang’s ethnomusicological film records a centuries-old oral tradition of fishermen and fisherwomen who identify as People on Water (水上人 ). Living in fishing communities on Grass Island and in Aberdeen, Hong Kong, they sing ballads about life on and in connection with the sea. The ballads, sung in what the practitioners call ''fisherman language'' are melodic and the lyrics poetic and rich.

The lyrics of these ballads tell the stories of the trials and tribulations of the life of the fisherman. They tell of a past way of life on the water and reflect a strong attachment to and knowledge of their maritime environment–where to anchor safely, where to avoid big waves or windy and cold conditions, and where fish are plentiful. “Anchor large boats at the tip of To Nin, a sampan sends the lover to Sai See Island.....” Ballads have been traditionally passed down from one generation to the next, but with the boat people's way of life disappearing and the songs reaching fewer and fewer listeners today, will the ballads continue to be sung?

SELECTED SCREENINGS & AWARDS

Taiwan International Documentary Festival, Taiwan 2023

Sinophone Musics Film Festival, Taiwan 2022

RAI Film Festival, UK 2019

MOViE MOViE Life Is Art Festival, Hong Kong 2018

Chiayi Int'l Art Doc Film Festival, Taiwan 2018

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The Bride Market of Imilchil

Fri, 19 Jan 2024 10:15:17 GMT

The Bride Market of Imilchil
Buy Now: $320.00

Each September, during a three-day event, eligible men and women from the Berber tribes of Aït Benhaddou in central Morocco 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 Souk Aam 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.

“This is an exciting film. The very content captures attention. The photography is superb, not only aesthetically satisfying with its often muted colors, but also sensitive in its lingering portrayal of hands, faces, body language. An old woman praying, a dust storm in slow motion, accelerated shadows of clouds across the tent city: these are scenes of rare beauty…”
— Visual Anthropology Review, Spring 1990

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The Buddha Mummies of North Japan

Fri, 12 Apr 2019 15:49:00 GMT

The Buddha Mummies of North Japan
Buy Now: $295.00

At select temples throughout northeastern Japan, the robed bodies ofself-mummified Buddhist monks are worshipped as “Living Buddhas.” Theyare thought to heal the sick, protect the living, and continue toinspire monks with the intense dedication of their ascetic disciplinecenturies before. The Buddha Mummies of North Japan includes interviewswith 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 intotalismans for devotees.

This is the first independentdocumentary to capture these mummified monks on film, to observe key ceremoniesof their 12-year ritual cycle, and to present interviews with leading scholarson this rare form of contemporary Buddhism.

"Combining ascendant global proclivities toward nature and spirituality alongside the inherent stunning visuals, the historical layers, interwoven doctrines, and surrounding socio-demographic challenges of the subject (rural depopulation, an aging society, declining parishes) offer filmmakers—several of whom are scholars in the field—ample material to explore."
- Caleb Carter, Kyushu University, Religion and Society 2021 Reviews

"The film is particularly suitable for undergraduate and graduateclasses in Japanese studies and Cultural Anthropology, since it deals withtopics such as asceticism, Esoteric Buddhism, and folk religion in Japan,as well as anthropological themes such as materiality and devotionalpractices. Also, Religious Studies courses covering subjects such as deathand the afterlife could widely benefit from the content."
- Filippo Pedretti, Canadian Journal of Buddhist Studies

SELECTED AWARDS AND SCREENINGS

Best Cinematography, Documentary Short FilmFestival, Toronto, 2018

Best Documentary, University of Toronto FilmFestival, 2017

Society for the Anthropology of ReligionBiennial Conference, Toronto, 2019

Association of Asian Studies Annual Meeting,Washington, D. C., 2018

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A Balinese Trance Seance & Jero on Jero

Tue, 9 Oct 2018 15:11:00 GMT

A Balinese Trance Seance & Jero on Jero
Buy Now: $320.00

A Balinese Trance Seance

Bringing offerings of rice, flowers, and woven coconut leaves, clients visit Jero in her household shrine to determine the cause of their son's death. Jero lights an incense brazier, sprinkles holy water, and recites mantras as preliminaries to trance. Several ancestors and finally the young son speak through her voice, revealing the nature of his premature death (witchcraft) and his wishes for cremation.

In contrast to other films about Balinese trance which focus on spectacular, community performances, this film provides an intimate view of a fascinating process of communication between Jero, the spirits, and her clients who are at one point moved to tears.

Jero on Jero: A Balinese Trance Seance

ObservedIn 1980, anthropologist Linda Connor and filmmakers Tim and Patsy Asch returned to Bali with video cassette recordings of A Balinese Trance Seance. The resulting film presents some of her reactions to Connor as she watched and listened to herself for the first time.

Jero had a unique opportunity to spontaneously and consciously react to and reflect upon the experience of possession. Her comments provide insight into how she feels while possessed, her understanding of sorcery, and her humility in the presence of the supernatural world. More mundane thoughts are revealed as well, for example the importance of the fine appearance of her house.

Jero On Jero could most fruitfully be used as a companion to A Balinese Trance Seance, which would be shown first and followed by a discussion, before screening Jero Tapakan's own response.

Other films in the Jero Tapakan series:

Medium is the Masseuse: A Balinese Massage w/Jero Tapakan

Releasing the Spirits: A Village Cremation in Bali

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Banjo Romantika

Thu, 26 Jul 2018 09:36:00 GMT

Banjo Romantika
Buy Now: $320.00

Banjo Romantika shares the story of Czech musicians who play a unique version of American Bluegrass, melding their political past and present into a lively musical tradition. Czechs first heard bluegrass during World War II, when the Armed Forces Network broadcast American music for soldiers. For many dissatisfied Czechs living in a communist state, bluegrass was an outlet of creative expression, and more so, a look towards freedom.

In this film, ethnomusicologist Lee Bidgood explores the genre’s fascinating history with musicians in the Czech Republic, and performs original Czech Bluegrass songs at renowned venue, The Down Home, in Johnson City, Tennessee.

“In Tennessee every cowboy or every farmer loves this music and that's why everyone young and old knows how to play it. Guitars, harmonicas, banjos, bass…I'll stay forever in the land of this music.”
— 'Bluegrass Tennessee', Czech Song

“It was the discovery of a musical genre…because it was forbidden, it was more tantalizing.”
— Marko Čermák, Greenhorns

"Clocking in at fifty-six minutes, the film is tailor-made to screenin in a classroom and will kick-start discussions of unexpected cross-cultural connections, musical imaginaries, local reception and reinvention, and tradition and innovation. Banjo Romantika is recommended for bluegrass aficionados, global traditional music scholars, and anyone with an hour to spend with an enriching, human-centered project."
— Scott V. Linford, Ethnomusicology

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Baobab Play

Thu, 26 Jul 2018 09:36:00 GMT

Baobab Play
Buy Now: $545.00

Children and teenagers throw sticks, berries, and leaves at each other from perches in a large baobab tree. Part of the !Kung Series.

This film is available as part of the !Kung Shorts set. This collection combines fourteen of Marshall's short !Kung films onto two newly remastered/re-authored DVDs, complete with a full-color booklet containing photos, writings, and additional information about the series.

Disc One:
A Curing Ceremony (bw) (9:00)
Group of Women (6:00)
A Joking Relationship (13:00)
N/um Tchai: The Ceremonial Dance of the !Kung Bushmen (bw) (20:00)
N!owa T'ama: The Melon Tossing Game (15:00)
The Lion Game (5:00)
An Argument About a Marriage (18:00)
Men Bathing (14:00)

Disc Two:
Playing with Scorpions (5:00)
A Rite of Passage (15:00)
Debe's Tantrum (9:00)
The Wasp Nest (13:00)
The Meat Fight (14:00)
Baobab Play (8:00)

Orthography Note
The group of people depicted in these films are the Ju/'hoansi, speakers of the Ju/'hoan language. Ju/'hoan is part of the !Kung language group; the term !Kung was previously used by the Marshall family and others to refer to Ju/'hoansi. Although the term is outdated, it has been retained here for the sake of consistency with John Marshall's previously published work. The films and their related printed materials also employ antiquated spellings of names and places. For current Ju/'hoan orthography, please see the Ju/'hoan - English Dictionary, compiled by Patrick Dickens and the Ju/'hoan Peoples Literacy Committee.

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Barbarians: Fierce and Friendly

Thu, 26 Jul 2018 09:36:00 GMT

Barbarians: Fierce and Friendly
Buy Now: $275.00

Like people elsewhere, Japanese throughout their history have encountered aliens in reality and in fantasy, and then have tried to incorporate them into their view of the world. Ronald P. Toby, noted Japanese historian, examines ways in which the Japanese have expressed their understanding of the foreign such as Koreans, Okinawans, Chinese and Americans, both black and white. The program includes a rich array of drawings, paintings and other visual images, mostly from eighteenth and nineteenth century Japan, showing aliens in popular art and aliens as enacted in festivals of the era. The program is suitable for use at the secondary school level and above, for courses not only about Japan but also about ethnic relations anywhere.

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Barracks Man

Thu, 26 Jul 2018 09:36:00 GMT

Barracks Man
Buy Now: $320.00

This film deals with the issue of mandatory military service in Switzerland. For four months, from February to May 1990, filmmaker Jacqueline Veuve and her team filmed a platoon engaged in basic training at Colombier, Switzerland.

Having previously filmed recruitment, Veuve was now allowed to document exercises, inspections and rest breaks. Although she interviewed the entire platoon on several occasions, the film focusses on five recruits from different parts of French-speaking Switzerland, each with a different background and a unique opinion on serving in the military.

Time is also spent on the superior officers; the Colonel, the Major, the platoon-leader, and a Corporal. The recruits' remarks underline problems concerning not only the army, but life in general, including unemployment, drugs and the many changes going on in the world today.

"It's hard to really describe Swiss army life. The only one who did it was Max Frisch, and the only one who makes us live it, is Jacqueline Veuve with her film! One can only feel the greatest tenderness for our army of good citizens. It is the perfect image of our country: sublime and absurd.”
— Patrick Nordmann, Le Matin

SELECTED SCREENINGS & AWARDS

Quality Award (Swiss Federal Office of Culture)

Munich, Leipzig, Namur, Reality Film, Paris, Amasculture-Portugal - Shown abroad by Pro Helvetia

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Bastards of Utopia

Thu, 26 Jul 2018 09:36:00 GMT

Bastards of Utopia
Buy Now: $320.00

Three Croatian activists struggle to change the world. As children, they lived through the violent collapse of Yugoslavia. But now, amid the aftershocks of socialism's failure, they fight in their own way for a new leftism. In the middle of the struggle, a skeptical American is won over by their cause and even goes to jail with them. The activists, whether clashing with police or squatting in an old factory, risk everything to live their politics. But as the setbacks mount, will they give up the fight?The film, shot during years of fieldwork with a Croatian anarchist collective, applies EnMasseFilm's unique blend of observation, direct participation and critical reflection to this misunderstood political movement. Its portrayal of activism is both empathetic and unflinching — an engaged, elegant meditation on the struggle to re-imagine leftist politics and the power of a country's youth.

“Dramatic proof that the struggle for liberty is irrepressible.”
— Howard Zinn, author of A People's History of the United States

“Bastards of Utopia is an inspiring story of militant creativity and invention. What can you do when the global cycle of struggles is in decline? How can you confront the fact that strategies of action and models of organization developed elsewhere just don't work here? Experiment, these activists tell us, experiment relentlessly until you discover through the brambles a path forward.”
— Michael Hardt, author of Empire, Multitude and Commonwealth

“In the midst of the dark times we are now enduring, Bastards of Utopia sheds light on the anti-authoritarian activism that now flourishes in 'post-Communist' Croatia. For those seeking evidence of twenty-first century experiments in both constructive rebellion and 'concrete utopia,' Razsa and Velez's documentary will prove a seminal film.”
— Richard Porton, Cineaste Magazine

“Bastards of Utopia offers an intimate glimpse into the contradictions faced by committed young people trying to lead principled lives. Anarchism by its very nature has attracted the rebellious, the idealistic, and the passionate, and this documentary masterfully highlights the difficulties in spinning this sort of theory into practice.”
— Joel Sucher, director of Anarchism in America

“The film is exceptionally authentic thanks to the willingness of the directors to share the fate of their subjects and because of their commitment to observing this theme over a long time period.”
— Liburnia Film Festival Jury

“This film provides an interesting case study for the experience, intent, and technique of anarchist activism… This film would be suitable for classes on social movements, radicalism, protest, and democracy.”
— Daniel Margolies, Anthropology Review Database

“Bastards of Utopia is a powerful meditation on the possibility for alternative, progressive politics in the aftermath of disintegrating socialist utopias. …The film would be a powerful addition to any course or educational forum dealing with social movements, youth, protest, gender and politics, antiglobalization, as well as the former Yugoslavia, Eastern Europe, and the European Union. It would also serve well for courses focusing on ethnographic film and methods.”
— Jessica Greenberg, American Anthropologist, September 2012

SELECTED SCREENINGS & AWARDS

Days of Ethnographic Film, Slovenia, 2012

Göttingen International Ethnographic Film Festival, Germany, 2012

12th goEast Festival of Central and Eastern European Film, Germany, 2012

Worldfilm 2012 - Tartu Festival of Visual Culture, 2012

Finger Lakes Environmental Film Festival, 2011

Big Sky Documentary Film Festival, 2011

Society for Visual Anthropology Film, Video, and Multimedia Festival, 2010

Union Docs, 2010

Honorary Jury Mention, Liburnia Film Festival, 2010

Motovun Film Festival, 2010

Maine International Film Festival, 2010

World Premier, Zagreb Film Festival, 2010

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Being Innu

Thu, 26 Jul 2018 09:36:00 GMT

Being Innu
Buy Now: $320.00

For thousands of years the Innu lived off the land. They were nomads, sometimes also known as the Montagnais. In the 1960s, government policy forced them to settle and form communities in Labrador and Quebec. Ancestral ways collided with modern ones, and gave rise to ongoing struggles. Now the grandchildren tell their own story.

Being Innu takes an unvarnished look at life in the village of Sheshatshiu, Labrador. Six savvy, gutsy young people talk to Montreal filmmaker Catherine Mullins about addiction, suicide, lack of jobs, hopelessness. They will grab your heart with their stories: "I first thought about suicide when I was 7," says April, 16. They will make you laugh with their wry humour: "What do you do when you live in a shoe?" Jimmy, 25.

Interviews with Elders, grandparents and teachers round out this portrait of a community in crisis - sadly a situation not unlike that of many other aboriginal nations.

What is remarkable about Innu youth is their love of the land and of their native language. For them, being Innu means finding a balance between the traditional ways of the past and today's reality.

Produced by Green Lion Productions in association with Société Radio-Canada, RDI, Aboriginal Peoples Television Network, CBC, SCN; with the financial participation of the Quebec Film and Television Tax Credit, SODEC, Rogers Documentary Fund, Canadian Television Fund, Canadian Heritage, Star Choice Communications Inc., Canadian Independent Film and Video Fund, the Canadian Film or Video Production Tax Credit; with development assistance from the National Film Board of Canada - Unité ACIC.

SELECTED SCREENINGS & AWARDS

World premiere - Montreal International Film Festival, 2007

St. John's International Women's Film Festival, Newfoundland, 2007

American Indian Film Festival, San Francisco, 2007

Göttingen International Ethnographic Film Festival, Germany, 2008

Wisconsin Film Festival, 2008

American Indian Film Festival, San Francisco, CA, 2007

ViewFinders — International Film Festival for Youth, Halifax, Nova Scotia, 2008

Finger Lakes Environmental Film Festival, Ithaca, NY, 2008

Athens International Film & Video Festival, Ohio, 2008

American Psychological Association Convention, Boston, 2008

Society for Visual Anthropology/American Anthropological Association Conference, San Francisco, 2008

Festival of Visual Culture, Finland, 2008

Miradas-Doc International Film Festival, Spain, 2008

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