Documentary Educational Resources - By Title / G / All Films

Goodbye, Captain

Wed, 13 Mar 2024 14:42:23 GMT

Goodbye, Captain relates the story of Brazil's indigenous Gavião people and their efforts to maintain their language, livelihood, and identity throughout a half-century of upheavals. At the center of this historical narrative is "Captain" Krôhôkrenhum Jopaipairé, leader of the Gavião community in the south of Pará. Krôhôkrenhum shares the history of his people and details his commitment to restoring the community’s cultural traditions.

Krôhôkrenhum’s tells filmmaker Vincent Carelli the history of his community, beginning with the wars of the “brave Indian” and the terrible devastation that began with contact with the kupen or white man, who brought with them new diseases and left few survivors scattered around the region. Further encroachment of the kupen resulted in the loss of Gavião lands and resources, including the nut trees that offered them economic independence, the imposition of slave labor, and a generation raised outside of their culture and language.

As the story continues, strategic alliances with other Gavião groups enable Krôhôkrenhum and his people to rebel against harmful government policies and ultimately gain control of their plantation and obtain financial autonomy. Contact with other Gavião groups also inspires Krôhôkrenhum and the community to revitalize the Gavião language and ceremonies.

Woven throughout this history is the relationship between the captain and Vincent Carelli, who began filming the community using a VHS camera in 1987. The film opens with Carelli’s return of an audio-visual archive to the Gavião community and the promise of fulfilling Krôhôkrenhum’s wish to maintain the memory of his people.

Selected Screenings & Awards

Prix Mondes en Regards, Jean Rouch International Ethnographic Film Festival, France, 2023
Sheffield International Documentary Festival, United Kingdom, 2022

Doclisboa International Film Festival, Portugal, 2022

IDFA (International Documentary Film Festival), Amsterdam, 2022

It’s All True - International Documentary Festival, Brazil, 2022

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Good Luck Soup

Wed, 10 Oct 2018 15:13:00 GMT

Good Luck Soup
Buy Now: $320.00

When we think of Asian America, Cleveland is not the first place that comes to mind. In Good Luck Soup, filmmaker Matthew Hashiguchi shows us why this often overlooked part of the country is as important as others in understanding the Asian American story. Through interviews, personal home movies and thoughtful narration by the filmmaker, Hashiguchi shows us what it was like to grow up mixed race in a predominantly white Midwestern neighborhood, where it wasn't always welcoming or accepting.

The journey for the Hashiguchi family begins with Matthew's grandmother, Eva, who moved to the Cleveland area following her family's internment during World War II. Though she and many other Japanese Americans were invited to the area, assimilating, working and living with the regions black and white population was an ongoing struggle.

These obstacles did not end with Eva and her generation. Eva's three children grew up in Cleveland's black and white neighborhoods in the 60s and 70s and also found it difficult to fit in. When Cleveland Public Schools launched a bussing program in the 60s, which sent students from inner city, black neighborhoods into white schools, Eva's daughter, Beverly, found herself in the middle of a confusing and tumultuous racial struggle between blacks and whites.

Even as the family assimilated into the community through interracial marriage, the confusion and struggle persisted. Eva's six grandchildren are half-white and half-Asian, and grew up in white, Catholic neighborhoods. And though each grandchild had one parent who matched the race, religion and culture of their community, they were still confronted with racism, bullying and bigotry as a result of their Asian heritage.

For filmmaker Matthew Hashiguchi, the inability to fit in created a struggle with his own racial and cultural identity, and in Good Luck Soup, Matthew takes us on a personal journey to uncover and understand his racial identity while growing up mixed race in white suburbia.

a compelling look at one Asian-American clan's still-evolving journey.
-Video Librarian

SELECTED SCREENINGS & AWARDS

CAAM Doc Fund Award, Center for Asian American Media, US, 2016

Best Local Documentary, Chagrin Documentary Film Festival, US, 2016

Seattle Asian American Film Festival, US, 2017

Cleveland International Film Festival, US, 2016

American Documentary Film Festival, 2016

Mixed Remixed Festival, US, 2016

Powell Street Festival, Canada, 2016

Philadelphia Asian American Film Festival, US, 2016

TV Broadcasts
America ReFramed, US Broadcast, 2017

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Greek series

Wed, 5 Sep 2018 11:07:00 GMT

Greek series
Buy Now: $1,570.00

Filmed through the 1970s and 80s, these six films follow different aspects of life in Ano Ravenia, a mountain village in Greece which has been progressively deserted by its most active population. Within these films, intimate observations of the isolated villagers' daily lives - work, family life, marriage - reveal the profound in the ordinary and everyday.

Films in the Greek series:

Charcoal-Makers

Every Day Is Not A Feast Day

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The Girl Next Door

Wed, 29 Aug 2018 13:27:00 GMT

The Girl Next Door
Buy Now: $320.00

In 1995, Oklahoma housewife Stacy Baker posed for a photograph that changed her life. Encouraged by her husband to pose nude for a contest, she was soon gracing the cover of Hustler and accepting offers to perform in X-rated films. Finding liberation through breast implants and her new career, she files for divorce and becomes "Stacy Valentine." Award-winning filmmaker Christine Fugate spent two years documenting Valentine's rise to fame in the adult film industry, as well as her quest to find real love and happiness. The camera follows the actress through her daily grind: the tedious production days, unforeseen crises on the set, industry gossip circles, and frequent trips to the plastic surgeon. Eventually, Stacy Valentine earns the title of "Best American Starlet." Unlike her persona on the big screen, Stacy allows the filmmaker to witness her vulnerable side. Stacy's self-confident ambition and fierce independence gradually give way to signs of insecurity, cynicism and loneliness. An entertaining and humanizing portrait, The Girl Next Door allows us to experience the world of pornography through the eyes of one of its hardworking employees. Of interest to Gender Studies, the Anthropology of Work, Psychology, and Women's Studies.

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The Girl's Celebration

Wed, 29 Aug 2018 13:27:00 GMT

The Girl's Celebration
Buy Now: $295.00

The Nambiquara of Mato Grosso are trying to re-establish their traditional practices. In The Girl's Celebration a girl undergoes puberty rites after her first menstruation, entering seclusion for several months; a neighboring village is then invited to fetch her out of isolation and to take part in a feast and celebration.

Ceremonies like this double as political events, strengthening ties between Nambiquara and other Indian groups, and watching video footage of the ceremony allows the people of the village to assess themselves and their visitors. Video also allows the Nambiquara to proudly record the revival of their most distinctive practice: the lip and nose-piercing of boys.

Films in the Video in the Villages series

Daritidzé, Trainee Healer
The Girl's Celebration
Jungle Secrets
Pemp
The Spirit of TV
Video Cannibalism
Video in the Villages Presents Itself
Video in the Villages

Disclaimer on Naming:
Please be aware that this documentary may include outdated or potentially offensive language. Such terms are not endorsed by DER but are presented in their original context to promote awareness, education, and discussion. Learn more about DER’s efforts to use reparative language and honor the preferred names of Indigenous communities by clicking here.

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The Goddess and the Computer

Wed, 29 Aug 2018 13:27:00 GMT

The Goddess and the Computer
Buy Now: $320.00

For centuries, rice farmers on the island of Bali have taken great care not to offend Dewi Danu, the water goddess who dwells in the crater lake near the peak of Batur volcano. Toward the end of each rainy season, the farmers send representatives to Ulun Danu Batur, the temple at the top of the mountain, to offer ducks, pigs, coins and coconuts in thanks for the water that sustains their terraced fields. Outsiders have long considered the rituals of Agama Tirtha, "the religion of holy water" an interesting but impractical way to grow crops. Development companies have spent millions trying to improve on the ancient system.

With the help of an ingenious computer program, anthropologist Steve Lansing and ecologist James Kremer have shown that the Balinese rice growers have been practicing state-of-the-art resource management. Besides placating the goddess, it turns out, the island's ancient rituals serve to coordinate the irrigation and planting schedules of hundreds of scattered villages. And as a new computer model makes clear, the result is one of the most stable and efficient farming systems on the planet.

Andre Singer and Steve Lansing have made an innovative film about the water temples, the dams and the development of the computer program at the University of Southern California. In the film we see the government officials call upon the priests and recognize the importance of their role. We also see the power play that results, as each group wants to control the use of the computer.

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A Group of Women

Wed, 29 Aug 2018 13:26:00 GMT

A Group of Women
Buy Now: $545.00

Ju/'hoan women often share an intimate sociability and spend many hours together discussing their lives, enjoying each other's company and children. In this short film, Ju/'hoan women rest, talk and nurse their babies while lying in the shade of a baobab tree. This film is a good illustration of "collective mothering" in which several women support each other and share the nurturing role. Part of the !Kung Series.

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

DiscOne:
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)

DiscTwo:
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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Gesture Performance

Wed, 29 Aug 2018 13:26:00 GMT

Gesture Performance
Buy Now: $295.00

Deaf youth talk about some of the painful experiences they had as Russian children in an environment where they were ostracized and not understood. They are speaking from their current perspective as student actors and actresses in the very special Theatre School for the Deaf in Moscow. The relationship between the students, with their family and friends and their professors at the school is thoroughly explored. Prof. Semakov notes " working with the deaf, and any theatre work involving mime and gesture requires a lot of focus on physical expressiveness. The language is made of gestures, it's a very image-rich language. It involves a selection, a search for new gestures to convey ideas and words." We see the students at rehearsals and get to know them individually. In the end Sveta tells us "I want to enter the Director's Course and collect an ensemble of deaf actors. My mother suggests heading abroad and working in the theatre there. I'm not sure. We'll see..." It is apparent that the methods used here have assisted these hearing impaired youth to find a new sense of themselves and given them confidence to express complex feelings and ideas. As a result of their commitment and work in the theater, their world view has expanded with opportunities for a successful future.

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Ghosts and Numbers

Wed, 29 Aug 2018 13:26:00 GMT

Ghosts and Numbers
Buy Now: $320.00

Set in the aftermath of the devastating financial crash of the Thai baht and the Asian monetary crisis, Ghosts and Numbers is a fantastic meditation on Thai encounters with the spirit world and the world of numbers, as these intersect in unexpected ways. The film journeys with displaced farmers who can no longer work the land for a living and can only eek one out by selling lottery tickets on Bangkok streets. They are double-threatened by an impending conversion of the Thai national lottery to completely virtual form, displacing the paper ticket and cutting them out of the economy of numbers altogether.

Intercut with the story of migrant lottery sellers are the stories of an avid lottery seller who communicates with spirits and the story of the devastating financial crash visually represented through a surreal journey through Bangkok streets. The film includes an amazing possession séance that is boosted by mobile technology and also relates stories of ghosts and haunting that span past and present and which are set among frightful trees in the country and ruined buildings in Bangkok, left half-built after the financial crash. The dream-like passages are presented by an ambiguous narrator who takes on increasingly spectral form in the stories she tells.

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Ghurbal

Wed, 29 Aug 2018 13:26:00 GMT

Ghurbal
Buy Now: $295.00

This film examines the Egyptian rural craft of making a sieve called ghurbal (from the Arabic ghurbal meaning “to winnow” which is used to both “winnow” babies on their seventh day of life and to winnow grains for making ceremonial dishes, particularly kouskousi. Embedded in this material culture artifact are layered meanings of creative regeneration of the cosmic and human worlds.

We visually follow the material process from tree log cutting to making the tara (ghurbal frame), to ghurbal crafting, through the voice and image of two key persons: Na’ima, the craftswoman and owner of the frame shop, and Hoksha, the rural ghurbal craftsman. The ethnographer/filmmaker engages them to speak and we are drawn into their lives by their stories as we view self-confident mastery of their craft. While Hoksha relates how he has kept this child from his father, we see his son next to him making a modern flour sieve, having never learned the family tradition. Hoksha sits in the courtyard of his village home skillfully weaving animal skins to create a ghurbal that celebrates a new life in sebou’ ceremonies, as his own identity intertwines with the sacred and earthy rhythms of daily Egyptian rural life. This is woven by the anthropologist into a visual ethnography of the sociology, technology, economy, politics and religion of a traditional Egyptian sieve.

Films in the Egypt series

El Moulid

El Sebou'

Ghurbal

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