Recommend an ethnographic film?

Question

I have to do a cross-cultural film review on an ethnographic film for school. Any recommendations?

Answer 1

The Fast Runner.  It's the telling of an Inuit myth by Inuit filmmakers in their language with English subtitles.  Rated R and a little hard to follow sometimes.  Also, it's not a study of a culture like many ethnographic films.  It really just displays a culture as ethnographers would see it when doing fieldwork.  Since that's a little unconventional, the second link below is a more conventional ethnographic film, though still sort of "new ethnography" and fictional but realistic.  The third link is a list of famous ethnographic films.

Answer 2

"In the land of the war canoes" is a film by Edward Curtis about the Kwakiutl Indians of Vancouver Island.  It is useful in that it offers an interesting portrayal of the disappearing life style of this group as well as now being dated to the point of humor.  It shows some aspects of their lives and also shows how they were viewed by the film maker through his selection of scenes and representation of the tribe and its members.