All around the world there are intruiging, unexpected stories we rarely get to learn about. Ethnographic films offer us an opportunity to dive deeper into the perspectives and experiences of people across the globe. In appreciation of this unique ability of ethnographic films, and expanding ethnographic inquiry, we present our annual Ethnographic Filmday – to bring the world closer and deepen our understanding of it.
About the ethnographic filmday
A yearly visual anthropology event organized by the Department of Social and Cultural Antropology, VU Amsterdam.
About the films
Madre: This is a portrait of a Venezuelan refugee living in Brasilia; an intimate look into displacement as an experience of affective (be)longing, rather than just violence. By Talita Carvalho and Pedro Afonso Branco Ramos Pinto.
Internal Eyes: A short video made by by Jessenia Alli, Embark Limkjaer, Peiyue Zhao, Jirmea van den Heuvel (students of the minor Visual Evidence).
Working Title: A short video made by Divya Bhulai, Yasha Hennige, Tessa van Leeuwen, Denise Pollack and Jana Priputena (students of the minor Visual Evidence).
Lukochuri: Documentary film on stories of sexuality of Bangladeshi women that they simultaneously hide and seek amidst social pressure and stigma. By Nasrin Siraj and Ellen Bal.
Loose Ends: During the corona pandemic, a silent disaster occurred in Dutch nursing homes. Nursing home employees saw how elderly people died en masse and abruptly, often without being able to say goodbye to their loved ones. Employees faced impossible choices. By Lianne Cremers (ORG, VU), Cato Jansen and Lianne Kotte.
Letter to a Friend: Letter to a Friend tells the story of Shan migrants in Thailand fleeing conflict, repression, and forced military recruitment in neighbouring Myanmar. By Jai Jai and Maaike Matelski (SCA, VU)
Be aware: Some of the films engage with heavy themes.