ASAFilm
ASAFilm, is the part of our website featuring short ethnographic films for general viewing.
In our aim to make anthropological research relevant and more accessible to a wider public, the ASA has launched this new initiative to complement the Royal Anthropological Institute's longstanding efforts to promote visual anthropology as a means of extending ethnographic representation beyond text. Much of what we study as a discipline contains a strong visual component and film provides a highly appropriate vehicle for conveying rich and complex information. Our intention is to move ethnographic film into the mainstream and promote dialogue between anthropologists and a general viewing audience. The ASA encourages a wider distribution of ethnographic film in festivals, conferences, library holdings, course curricula and television programming.
Submission of works
Short documentary submissions are welcome from anthropologists and students of the discipline who employ film as a means of recording and communicating field research. Films of maximum five-minute duration and with clear ethnographic content are welcome. The ASA encourages filmmaking of the highest quality as well as experimental films that challenge documentary conventions. Submissions may be stand-alone shorts or trailers for longer works.
All submissions are reviewed for approval by the ASA Committee and an editorial board, and abide by ASA ethical guidelines.
Accepted works will be streamed on the ASAFilm site for an extended period. Films will be linked to a ‘commentary page’ where site visitors can express views and rate films. After removal from the main site, films will be archived and listed, and made available by the ASA upon request.
If you are interested to submit a film, please read the Submission Guidelines for more details.
ASAFilm Competition
The first ASAFilm competition is now over. The winner of the 2009 competition is Joanna Lai for her film 'In Motion'. Runners up are David Picard for his film 'Salama Vazaha (Hello Stranger)' and Edward Owles for his film 'Rig Life - Jacqui'. These films can be seen here. The winning films will be screened at the upcoming RAI film festival.
The competition is bi-annual; so the next round will be for new film entries completed after February 1st 2009. The deadline for the second ASAFilm competition will be in early 2011. First prize will be 100 pounds; there will be two runner-up awards of 50 pounds; and if the winner has a full-length film it will be shown at the next ASA conference. There will also be a screening session of the winning short films at the next RAI festival in 2009.
Watch movies - see competition winners