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A Reckoning in Boston

Wed, 19 Aug 2026 12:07:04 GMT

A Reckoning in Boston
Buy Now: $340.00

Kafi Dixon dreams of starting a land cooperative for women of color who have experienced trauma and disenfranchisement in the city of Boston. By day she drives a city bus. At night she is enrolled in the Clemente Course in the Humanities, a tuition-free college-level program for those who have experienced homelessness, transitioned out of incarceration, or faced barriers to a college education. Her classmate Carl Chandler, a community elder, is the class's intellectual leader.

White suburban filmmaker James Rutenbeck documents the students' engagement with the humanities. As he looks for transformations in their lives, he's awakened to the violence, racism and gentrification that threaten their very place in the city. Troubled by his failure to bring the film together, he enlists Kafi and Carl as collaborators. Five years later the students arrive at a new place, and with their support, James does too.

Selected Screenings & Awards

Rocky Mountain Women's Film Festival, Colorado, 2024

Nationwide Broadcast on PBS's Independent Lens, 2022

Video Librarian's Best Documentaries of the Year List 2022

Best Feature, Morehouse College Human Rights Film Festival, Washington DC, 2021

Big Sky Documentary Film Festival, Missoula, MT, 2021

BronzeLens Film Festival of Atlanta, GA, 2021

Hamptons Doc Fest, New York, 2021

Human Rights Watch Film Festival, San Diego, CA 2021

Independent Film Festival of Boston, Massachusetts, 2021

Roxbury International Film Festival, Massachusetts, 2021

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Rasputin's Shadow

Wed, 14 May 2025 12:48:50 GMT

Rasputin's Shadow
Buy Now: $295.00

This short is a sensorial ethnographic exploration of the entangled relationships between humans, other-than-human beings, and technologies that shape social life in communities across the province of Piacenza in Italy. The film traces efforts of care and conservation, while also exposing the tensions and complexities of coexisting with wildlife. This is conveyed audiovisually through an experimental layering of conversation fragments with environmental and animal sounds, unfolding across fields, forests, the Trebbia River, and the industrial outskirts of the city.

Acknowledging the deep interdependence among all beings, it invites viewers to reflect on what it means—and what it might take—to live alongside wolves and other forms of life.

SELECTED SCREENINGS & AWARDS

Ethnofest - Athens Ethnographic Film Festival, Greece, 2023

Beijing International Short Film Festival, China, 2023

Freiburger Filmforum, Germany, 2023

International Animal Future Film Festival, UK, 2023

IceDocs, Iceland, 2023

Premiers Regards, France, 2023

Society for Visual Anthropology Film and Media Festival, Canada, 2023

Festival Film Dokumenter, Indonesia, 2023

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Riada

Sun, 1 Dec 2024 16:48:23 GMT

Riada
Buy Now: $320.00

In 2018, Colombia's second most powerful waterway was stopped because of a controversial infrastructure project: the Hidroituango dam. Once completed, this massive hydropower project is projected to provide for 20% of the country’s energy needs. Yet, the social and environmental impacts are perhaps equivalent in scale to the dam’s colossal size. Already the area's inhabitants have suffered forced displacement, massacres, and systematic persecution, along with a permanent alteration in their ways of living.

Riada is an ethnographic inquiry into the impacts of this infrastructure project. The film’s poetic construction brings to life the river and the communities who have waged a thirty year battle to preserve their way of life. The film takes viewers through the river waterways in the Hidroituango dam's influence area to meet peasants, gold panners, fishermen, and scientists. Finished on the verge of the dam's inauguration date, this 100-minute journey poetically connects the survivor's raw oral stories and the harrowing landscape in three acts: swirls, debris, and mutations.

SELECTED SCREENINGS & AWARDS

25th Bogota Int'l Documentary Showcase (MIDBO), Colombia 2024

19th Galician Ethnographic Film Showcase (MICE), Spain 2024

Latin American Anthropology Film Festival (ALA), Argentina 2024

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Return to the Brouck

Wed, 24 Oct 2018 13:44:00 GMT

Return to the Brouck
Buy Now: $320.00

Forty years after the production of The Fenland (Le Brouck) comes a follow up about the Audomarois Fenland.

Return to the Brouck (Retour au Brouck) (55 min, 2011)

Set in the natural environment of northern France, criss-crossed with water ways, market gardening as well as breeding remain the only productive activities. Nevertheless, the number of fenlanders has seriously diminished from 200 farms in the 1970 to 40 in 2010. Other elements are now intervening such as ecology, preservation and development like the Natural Regional Park and the Romelaere Natural Reserve, or leisure activities like waterfowl hunting, fishing and tourism.

Through images and words Return to the Brouck expresses this new reality, confronting the actors of the past - young fenlanders of the 70s - with the present. Juxtaposing the images of the past with those of 2010. The core of the film still remains, as in the 70s, the vivid problem of the present and the future of the Audomarois Fenland and its inhabitants.

Included on the DVD is the original feature:

The Fenland (Le Brouck) (black & white, 38 min, 1972)

Devised and shot in close collaboration with a group of eight local fenlanders, young men and women who lived and worked as market gardeners in the area of Saint Omer, northern France, the film bears witness to a particular moment in time - a moment of recognition when these young agriculturalists, who belong to a relatively closed specific socio-economic group, asked themselves some hard practical questions about the social and economic problems facing their kind of agriculture.

The film aims to be sociological to the extent that it reveals and fixes a moment of social change. But it takes care not to freeze this in an ideological or political analysis; it does not try to smooth over the positions they take, which are often contradictory yet all the more illuminating for that.

It was the young fenlanders themselves who chose the sequences to film and the themes to bring up in the discussions. These young people offered their views on the future of the Fenland, on aspects of trade unionism in agriculture and the possible options open to them. More than the commentary, which serves merely as introduction or to make a link, it is the discussions between the young people that really weave the film together.

SELECTED SCREENINGS & AWARDS

The Fenland

Festival dei Popoli, Florence, 1972

Festival of Ethnographical & Sociological Film, Venice, 1972

Festival of Visual Culture, Finland, 2010

Return to the Brouck

Days of Ethnographic Cinema, Russia, 2012

SVA Ethnographic Film Festival, USA, 2012

Camera in the Fields, France, 2011

31st Nordic Anthropological Film Association, Scotland, 2011

30th International Ethnographic Film Festival Jean Rouch, Paris, 2011

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A Right to Belong

Tue, 28 Aug 2018 08:59:00 GMT

A Right to Belong
Buy Now: $275.00

While once a dormant issue in Thailand, the inability to gain citizenship has developed into a problem that affects over 400,000 people in its low-income mountain regions. Recognizing citizenship among a nation is a basic human right, however the people of the mountain region - referred to as "Hill Tribes" - are facing a crisis that has led to the growth of trafficking of woman and children.

In A Right to Belong, various Hill Tribe individuals discuss their personal experiences in attempts to gain citizenship, as well as explain how their communities as a whole have suffered. Some effects caused by the lack of citizenship have been the inability to receive health care, register marriages, and participate in politics. Organizations such as UNESCO have begun to aid in the development of the Highland Citizenship Registration Project to assist in granting citizenship, and jointly stop trafficking. Additionally, this short film explores the progression and implementation of this program, and the hope that many have for the future.

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A Rite of Passage

Tue, 28 Aug 2018 08:59:00 GMT

A Rite of Passage
Buy Now: $545.00

This film, shot in 1952-53, documents the scarification ceremony called "marking," which was traditionally held for Ju/'hoan boys after they had killed their first large animal. Here, /Ti!kay, a boy of thirteen, shoots his first wildebeest with an arrow. /Ti!kay's father, Kan//a, and Crooked /Qui help the young hunter track, skin, and butcher the animal.

After the meat is brought back to the village, a scarification ceremony takes place, symbolizing the importance of hunting and /Ti!kay's passage into social manhood. He is now considered an acceptable son-in-law by the parents of the girl to whom he has long been betrothed. Part of the !Kung Series.

A Rite of Passage 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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Race or Reason

Tue, 28 Aug 2018 08:59:00 GMT

Race or Reason
Buy Now: $320.00

“If you get involved in the community when growing up, and adults listen, you'll feel empowered and never forget it.” — Betty Puleston

In 1969-70, when race riots were sweeping across America in the wake of the civil rights movement, Bellport, a small town on Long Island, NY, was caught in the storm. The town was divided between its poor African-American and Puerto Rican population and affluent whites. The local high school became the scene of angry confrontations, resulting in its temporary closure and a police presence.

The house of community resident Betty Puleston was being used as a meeting place where black, white and Latino students could air their grievances. To help out, she gave the students two port-a-pac video cameras following a concept introduced by the National Film Board of Canada. The hope was that media could be used to facilitate dialog. That hope was realized, as the students recorded their concerns and felt empowered by being able to question adults in their community.

Thirty years later, these same students regroup to view the tapes. Despite the crude production values of these early black and white tapes, the images clearly reveal the passion of the young activists who felt that minority rights could no longer be ignored. We learn that the students have gone on to lead productive lives -- a social worker, lawyer, community organizer and a policeman are among them.

This film will introduce today's youth to the civil rights problems of the 70's, where suburban schools, even in the North, did not employ African-American teachers nor teach black history. It will inspire students, learning that they can make a difference as their predecessors did, and it will show how effective media can be to facilitate conflict resolution.

SELECTED SCREENINGS & AWARDS

Margaret Mead Film Festival, 2002

Museum of Modern Art, George Stoney Retrospective screening, 2009

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Red White Black & Blue

Tue, 28 Aug 2018 08:59:00 GMT

Red White Black & Blue
Buy Now: $320.00

Together, Bill Jones and Andy Petrus, life-long friends, fought 3,000 Japanese people in a secret Alaskan invasion during World War II. Now, 60 years later, these two former soldiers embark on an intense and emotional journey back to the remote Aleutian island of Attu, where they relive the brutal 19-day battle that the American government kept secret.

As Bill and Andy retrace their steps over this desolate, untouched battlefield - a living museum littered with crashed airplanes, collapsing buildings, and unexploded bombs - the line between past and present begins to blur and long-forgotten memories resurface with moving force.

Red White Black & Blue isn't just two soldiers' story - it is the story of every soldier who faces an enemy he does not understand and returns home with scars that are slow to heal. Walk through one of the bloodiest battles of World War II with the soldiers who lived it. Through their eyes you'll experience the complicated, and sometimes contradictory, mindset of a nation at war and what it really means to be an American soldier.

Red White Black & Blue is the first feature-length documentary to tell the story of the Battle of Attu, one of the bloodiest battles of World War II and the only invasion of the United States since the War of 1812.

"Rescues the battle from oblivion while asking how 4,000 dead soldiers became an obscure footnote in history... Reveals the psychological scars of warfare with a respect that doesn't preclude deeper questions about morality."
— Variety

"A wrenching look at a forgotten battle."
— The Boston Globe

SELECTED SCREENINGS & AWARDS

Port Townsend Film Festival, WA, 2008

Veterans Day screenings on PBS, 2007

Bend Film Festival, Oregon, 2007

Opening Night Film, Critics Week, Locarno International Film Festival, 2007

World Premiere, Independent Film Festival of Boston, 2007

Maryland Film Festival, 2007

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Releasing the Spirits

Tue, 28 Aug 2018 08:59:00 GMT

Releasing the Spirits
Buy Now: $295.00

Cremation rites are the most elaborate rites of passage performed by Balinese householders. Poor families may wait years before accumulating enough resources to cremate their dead, who are buried in the meantime. In 1978 many more cremations than usual were carried out because of the great purification cermony, Eka Dasa Rudra, held at Bali's main temple, Besakih, in 1979. Religious officials recommended that all Balinese cleanse the island by cremating their dead, as part of the preparations for the great Besakih ceremony. Villagers of limited means pooled their resources to perform group cremations which greatly reduced the cost for each family. This film is about a group of villagers in Central Bali who cooperated to carry out a group cremation.

The film shows the way they approached this task, as well as the cycle of rituals: the cremation, post-cremation, and casting of ashes into the ocean. It had been 15 years since they last held this ceremony. Most of the narration is provided by four participants, recorded as they were watching videotapes of the ceremonies two years later. Each brings a different perspective to the events documented on the film.

The three voices of the filmmakers also provide different insights. This film is linked to the previous films on Bali because it, too, deals with ritual and possession. Furthermore, the cremation is held in Jero Tapakan's hamlet and she is a central participant.

Other films in the Jero Tapakan series

A Balinese Trance Seance & Jero on Jero: A Balinese Trance Seance Observed

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

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Remembering John Marshall

Tue, 28 Aug 2018 08:59:00 GMT

Remembering John Marshall
Buy Now: $295.00

A portrait of filmmaker and activist John Kennedy Marshall, who began his career in the 1950s documenting the lives of the Ju/'hoansi people of Namibia - among the last remaining hunter-gatherers - for anthropological audiences. In the 1980s, Marshall became an activist helping the Ju/'hoansi fight for land and water rights. He made important contributions to cinéma vérité filmmaking and leaves behind an extensive ethnographic film archive including over 20 films on the Ju'/hoansi.

Features interviews with Elizabeth Marshall Thomas, Robert Gordon, Alexandra Eliot Marshall, Cynthia Close, Sandeep Ray, Karma Foley, Jayasinhji Jhala, and Rakhi Jhala.

"Gives a beautiful sense of Marshall's life."
— Faye Ginsburg, Director, Center for Media, Culture & History, New York University

"Alice Apley and David Tamés, combining anthropological and filmmaking expertise, have rescued the reputation of an important anthropological filmmaker from his own obsessive perfectionism with this brief, graceful and intensely moving tribute to the late John Marshall."
— Tim Wright, filmmaker & educator

"Expertly-edited, fascinating glimpse into the psyche and politics of a trailblazing filmmaker"
— Kim Romano, filmmaker

SELECTED SCREENINGS & AWARDS

EthnoFilmfest, Berlin, 2007

Society for Visual Anthropology/AAA Conference, Washington DC, 2007

Plymouth Independent Film Festival, Plymouth, MA, July 18-22, 2007

Washington DC Independent Film Festival, 2007

International Ethnographic Film Festival of the Royal Anthropological Institute, UK, 2007

Tribute to John Marshall, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, April 2006

Woods Hole Film Festival, Massachusetts, 2006

Vermont International Film Festival, 2006 Northampton Independent Film Festival, 2006

The Tank, New York City, 2006

European Association of Social Anthropologists' Film, Video & New Media Festival, Slovenia, 2008

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