Here's a Health to the Barley Mow

Over Mountains, Over Valleys

March 1930 •Slovak

The Matica slovenská (a mostly government-sponsored cultural, academic, and archival institution) employed Karol Plicka (1894-1987) as its ethnographer, who was able to make documentary shorts from about 1926. He obtained funding from the President’s Office in 1928 to produce an hour-long documentary about village life, Through Mountains and Valleys (Po horách, po dolách). It was awarded a Gold Medal at the International Exposition of Photographic Art in Florence and received an Honorable Mention at the International Venice Film Festival in 1932.

Scottish Myths & Legends

January 2010 •English

"Scottish Myths & Legends" explores the magic, mystery and sprinkling of mayhem that covers the dramatic landscape of Scotland. From the ancient tales of the Loch Ness Monster to the stories of shape shifting Kelpies, we go on a fascinating journey of discovery to uncover the stories behind the myths and the magnificent Scottish landscape that has inspired these truly legendary legends.

The Long Road Through Balkan History

January 2009 •English

Bosnian Croat writer Miljenko Jergović and Serbian writer Marko Vidojković replace one another by the steering wheel of Yugo, a symbol of their common past while driving on the Brotherhood and Unity Highway that stretched across five of six republics of Yugoslavia.

Easter Customs

January 1954 •Macedonian

Traditions during Easter holidays in the remote village of Grešnica. The film was a research project of the newly opened Ethnological Museum to preserve the disappearing customs at least on film for future generations.

The Rusalia Customs of Gevgelija

January 1957 •Macedonian

A testimony to the performance of ritual dances. Although they were performed only during the so-called “unbaptized days”, the 12 days between Christmas and Epiphany in the Orthodox Christianity, these dances are associated by some researchers with the Roman rosaries, the cult of the dead. Ritual clothing and the use of wooden swords to disperse the demons are important props in the dances that are believed to protect the folks from temptations and demons until they are baptized.

Al compás

July 2023 •Arabic

A portrait of the Arab musicians Bahaa al Jomaa and Yazan Ibrahim.

The Woven Path: Perempuan Tana Humba

August 2019 •Indonesian

The Woven Path: Perempuan Tana Humba is made up of two short movies that highlight the role of women in Sumba culture. The first part of the documentary, The Woven Path, is a 10-minute movie featuring picturesque footage and images that serve as a backdrop to two poems centering on the theme of mothers. The 30-minute Perempuan Tana Humba is a much more straightforward documentary, focusing more on Sumba culture and women in three short chapters: “Marapu”, “Belis” and “Perkawinan”.

Son of Torum

February 1989 •Estonian

In the same vein as Meri's other documentations, this one takes advantage of the glasnost policy to discuss the social and ecologic impact of the Russian oil industry on the natives and the lands they inhabit.

Tancem ke kořenům

October 2024 •Czech

The Drunkmen’s Marseillaise

August 2024 •Spanish

In the summer of 1961, a group of young Italian anthropologists made a clandestine journey through Spain, in order to record popular songs that supported anti-Franco resistance. As a result of their work, they were prosecuted and their recordings were censored. Sixty years later, and guided by Emilio Jona, aged 92, the last living member of that group of travellers, we recover the unpublished recordings and reconstruct the journey, today, across an emotional and political landscape, regaining historical memories through these songs, as relevant today as they were then.

Staré Valašsko

April 1956 •Czech

A short film about traditional crafts and culture that can still be found in the Wallachian mountains today.

Venerdì Santo - Bronte

April 2021 •Italian

Shaping Bamboo

January 1979 •English

For the 'Are'are people of the Solomon Islands, the most valued music is that of the four types of panpipe ensembles. With the exception of slit drums, all musical instruments are made of bamboo; therefore the general word for instruments and the music performed with them is "bamboo" ('au). This film shows the making of panpipes, from the cutting the bamboo in the forest to the making of the final bindings. The most important part of the work consists in shaping each tube to its necessary length. Most 'Are'are panpipe makers measure the length of old instruments before they shape new tubes. Master musician 'Irisipau, surprisingly, takes the measure using his body, and adjusts the final tuning by ear. For the first time we can see here how the instruments and their artificial equiheptatonic scale-seven equidistant degrees in an octave-are practically tuned.

A Frame for A Few Poses

January 1976 •

Six part TV series where Karpo Godina filmed common folk, showing the world of people who have filled their lives with hobbies and skills of their own making. It features gold panners on the river Pek, a shepherdess who plays music on a leaf, a football fan, a potter, and an unusual orchestra.

Jízda králů

January 1948 •Czech

Lidé pod sněhem

January 1948 •Czech

Punky Night at Hinton St. George

October 1977 •

Children parade through the streets of Hinton St George in Somerset on the last Thursday of October. Children have hollowed out pumpkins or mangelwurzels, a type of animal fodder turnip to make lanterns following a tradition in this part of West Somerset that coincides with Halloween. Punky or Punkie Night is thought to date from the turn of the 20th century or perhaps medieval times chanting rhymes and following a Punkie King and Queen.

Bulgaria: Fire Dance Ritual

January 2020 •German

Every year in June, the small Bulgarian village of Balgari celebrates St Constantine with a special ritual. Initiated ‘nestinari’ go into a music-induced trance and dance on bonfires in a display of religious passion.

Stvořeno z hlíny

December 1950 •Czech

Document about folk ceramic products from Moravian Slovácko and Wallachia.

Valašské tance

January 1949 •Czech