This film depicts two journeys. The first is that of a group of wealthy bourgeois German, Italian and American tourists on a luxury cruise up the mysterious Sepik River, in the jungles of Papua New Guinea -- the packaged version of a "heart of darkness." The second journey (the real text of the film) is a metaphysical one. It is an attempt to discover the place of "the Other" in the popular imagination. It affords a glimpse at the real (mostly unconsidered or misunderstood) reasons why "civilized" people wish to encounter the "primitive."
"Explores the frontier of new media, documentary filmmaking, photography, journalism, and anthropology. ... incorporates sound and video recordings of West African performance, storytelling, and photos from a wine harvest in Burgundy. The project offers examples in the application of new media to non-fiction production and includes the discussion of works by Robert Gardner, Trinh T. Minh-ha, Nelson Goodman, Paul Friedrich, and others"--Eastgate Systems web site
The Egyptian ritual celebration of sebou, held on the seventh day after the birth of a child, is featured here. Observed by Muslim and Coptic families alike, this film brings us into the family home of new parents of twins (boy and girl), where the festivities, involving music and dance, are ongoing.
200,000 years ago we took our first steps in Africa. Today there are seven billion of us living across the planet. How did our ancestors spread from continent to continent? This is a global detective story, featuring the latest archaeological discoveries and genetic research. On each continent, we track down the earliest members of our species, Homo sapiens. Who were these First Peoples? What drove them to the ends of the earth?
Oak Park Regional housing Center is an ethnographic portrait of a unique organization that has, for over thirty years, aided in the village's quest to achieve and maintain a geographically integrated place. It is the cornerstone of Oak Park's plan for diversity.
"A fresh and long overdue 'study' of white people from the Inuit point of view. Not surprisingly, these 'Qallunologists' find the ways of white culture a bit peculiar and often riotously funny. [The researchers] consider their odd dating habits, their lame attempts at Arctic exploration, their overbearing bureaucrats and curious obsession with owning property"
In this classic documentary, the Kalahari Bushmen of Africa wage a constant war for survival against the hot arid climate and unyielding soil. 'The Hunters' focuses on four men who undertake a hunt to obtain meat for their village. The chronicle of their 13-day trek becomes part of the village's folklore, illustrating the ancient roots and continual renewal of African tribal cultures.
Presents the most important relationships and events in the lives of the Nuer, Nilotic people in Sudan and on the Ethiopian border. Demonstrates the vital significance of cattle and their central importance in all Nuer thought and behavior.