A film on a charming, 'unofficial' subject - authentic ethnographic record or exotica for western eyes?
In today's climate debate, there is only one factor that cannot be calculated in climate models - humans. How can we nevertheless understand our role in the climate system and manage the crisis? Climate change is a complex global problem. Increasingly extreme weather events, rising sea levels, and more difficult living conditions - including for us humans - are already the order of the day. Global society has never faced such a complex challenge. For young people in particular, the frightening climate scenarios will be a reality in the future. For the global south, it is already today. To overcome this crisis, different perspectives are needed. "THE UNPREDICTABLE FACTOR" goes back to the origins of the German environmental movement, accompanies today's activists in the Rhineland in their fight against the coal industry and gives a voice to scientists from climate research, ethnology and psychology.
Set in the British colonial territories of Africa, Sanders of the River follows the story of a British officer named Sanders. He navigates the complexities of the region, dealing with issues like slavery, kidnapping, and murder. The movie sheds light on the brutalities of colonialism and explores the cultural clash between the black people of Africa and the British Empire.
A documentary on African Zulu tribes narrated by Vincent Price.
Century of Smoke is a thought-provoking documentary that delves into the profound impact of opium addiction on a father-son relationship in Laos. Through the lens of art and personal experiences, the film sheds light on the struggles faced by an ethnic-minority family, highlighting the complexities of addiction and its repercussions on family dynamics.
Manakamana is a documentary film that takes viewers on a unique journey. The film follows the lives of various individuals as they take a cable-car ride to the Manakamana Temple, a Hindu pilgrimage site located high in the mountains of Nepal. Through a series of observational shots, the film explores themes of religion, culture, and human connection.
Berlin at the end of the 19th Century. Alexander Hoffmann is an ambitious PhD student of Ethnology. When a delegation of the Herero and Nama tribes travels to Berlin during a ‘Colonial Exhibition’, he takes a special interest in their young female translator Kezia Kambazembi as subject for his studies.
A child struggles to come to terms with his parents' divorce. Director Charles Reisner's 1932 drama stars Jackie Cooper, Lewis Stone, Conrad Nagel, Lois Wilson, Jean Parker and Louise Beavers.
A Sherpa family breaks a taboo and climbs the most holy of mountains to earn money for their son’s education. They accompany a western expedition on East Wall of the Khumbakarna Mountain, a wall that has never been climbed before. ‘The Wall of Shadows’ tells the story of an encounter between a young Sherpa boy and an experienced western mountaineer at the foot of the sacred mountain. Will they face the wrath of mountain Gods?
In the furnace of Algiers, the camera follows and accompanies Ibrahim, Adam, and Ismael, originally from sub-Saharan Africa, in an irregular situation who live in this hotel with the predestined name. They live from odd jobs. One is an elevator operator in a building, the second is a shoemaker and the third works in the construction sector. The other side of immigration from sub-Saharan Africa. Behind the statistics hide people, bodies waiting to be able to start another life elsewhere. A hotel thus becomes a transit point in which stories and hopes mingle, a place which seems suspended in time and space. A static journey waiting for another to begin.
An exploration of the Samoan faafafine, boys who are raised as girls, who fulfill a traditional role in Samoan culture. In the past they have shared women's traditional work but today are becoming more westernized and look more like drag queens. Several anthropologists comment on the phenomenon examining issues of culture and gender and the complexities of sexual identity.
Rural life in the mountainous valley near Gilgit - now in the Northern areas of Pakistan.
In the deepest, most remote part of the Amazon, a treasure is hidden! A treasure so valuable that men would kill for it, women would undress for it, and entire armies would fight for it !
Produced and directed this documentary for BBC in the 1980’s, about David Gulpilil, acclaimed Australian Aboriginal actor, dancer and musician. The film shows how Gulpilil is always working to bridge the gap between the tribal Aboriginal and Western worlds. He divides his time between a traditional tribal lifestyle and his artistic work, which has included major film roles, collaboration with contemporary dance and music groups and teaching Aboriginal dance and culture. Bill and David travel to Hollywood where David was the most popular Australian in the world at that time, with FOUR films playing in America – WALKABOUT, STORM BOY, THE LAST WAVE and MAD DOG MORGAN. After relating to both the black and native American cultures and filming a quick scene for a big Hollywood picture, he pines to head back through the Outback to his beloved Arnhem Land. Edited by Simon Dibbs and shot by Ray Henman.
People of the Wind is a documentary film that showcases the remarkable endurance and resilience of nomadic tribes in the mountains of Iran. Focusing on their challenging migratory lifestyle, the film offers a fascinating glimpse into the cultural and ethnological aspects of these communities.
Claude Duty's feature-length debut Filles Perdues, Cheveux Gras (Hypnotized and Hysterical, (Hairstylist Wanted)) is an offbeat comedy about three women. Elodi (Olivia Bonamy) is a struggling single mother. Natacha (Marina Fois) is an upbeat alcoholic hair stylist whose beloved pet cat has disappeared. Marianne (Amira Casar) is drawn to a roguish, sexually adventurous art dealer. Their lives intertwine in a variety of ways. Song and dance numbers, as well as animated sequences, punctuate the film.
Accompanied by the songs of singer-songwriter José Antonio Labordeta, a poetic journey through the inhospitable shire of the Monegros, located in the region of Aragón, in Spain, in search of peace and isolation.
A timeless classic from the Dreamtime. there are innumerable names and stories associated with the Rainbow Serpent, all of which communicate the significance of this being within Aboriginal traditions.