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Film short abstract

Marseille. Beneath the surface, human traces and marine life intertwine: ships, underwater cables, pollutants, fishing nets, and marine creatures share the same waters. MARE NOSTRUM immerses us in this underwater realm, inviting us to encounter our species from the perspective of the living world.

Film synopsis

MARE NOSTRUM is a sensory ethnographic documentary set in the underwater space of the Bay of Marseille. Composed of a series of vignettes, the film explores submerged Mediterranean landscapes where human and non-human entities intersect and interact. MARE NOSTRUM moves away from traditional underwater narratives, adopting an off-centre perspective that highlights the often overlooked consequences of human presence. Shot mainly in long takes and accompanied by underwater sounds recorded in natural conditions, MARE NOSTRUM offers a unique perspective, revealing how marine life interacts and adapts with the intensification of human activities in its environment. In this wordless film, a question emerges: To whom does the sea belong, and how should it be treated?

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Film short abstract

As part of an ERC research project (SOAS and Mekelle University), this film explores gender-based violence and ethical considerations in anthropological research in an extremely violent environment, thereby questioning the roles of anthropologists and artists in conflict and peacebuilding research.

Film synopsis

What happens when a democracy collapses? In 2020, a deadly war broke out in Ethiopia between the Federal Government and its allies and the Tigray National Regional State. The war’s devastating impact caused unimaginable suffering for women in Ethiopia. As part of an ERC research project on People, Politicians and Parliaments, this short film is a collaboration between anthropologist and filmmaker Mitiku G. Tesfaye (SOAS fellow) and Gabrielle Tesfaye, a multimodal artist. Informed by reports and interviews with survivors, Nebsie, meaning ‘my body’ in Tigrigna, explores the challenges and ethical issues of anthropological research in an extremely violent environment, thereby contributing to the potential of animated ‘ethnography’ film as an innovative method for addressing some of the most challenging questions we encountered: positionality, ethics and anthropology in a violent world.

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Film short abstract

I’MPOSSIBLE follows five men who migrated to Europe and work in Almería's greenhouse industry, in southeast Spain. Through their testimonies, daily routines and the use of participatory filmmaking, the documentary depicts their life in informal settlements through their own voices.

Film synopsis

In a deeply polarized world where migration is often reduced to simplified and antagonistic narratives, I’MPOSSIBLE depicts migrants beyond both the humanitarian image of passive victims and the xenophobic image of criminals or threats.

Developed as part of a master’s project in Visual Ethnography, the film is grounded in participatory filmmaking practices that question representational authority and power relations embedded in migration images. By placing the camera in the hands of some participants and filming others in close collaboration, I’MPOSSIBLE foregrounds participant's agency and reflections. The film brings together scenes of everyday life, such as cooking and sharing a meal, with moments in which the protagonists speak for themselves, interview each other, express opinions and make decisions. Seen together, these moments present them as people who are not radically different from an European audience. By focusing on shared daily practices and visible agency, the film creates a sense of sameness and makes identification possible, something difficult to achieve when migrants are shown only as passive victims. In contrast to many documentaries on labour exploitation in Almería that, despite critical intentions, rely on hierarchical forms of representation, I’MPOSSIBLE challenges stereotypical images and creates more horizontal ways of telling migrant stories.

Aligned with the EASA 2026 theme, the film demonstrates how ethnographic and participatory cinema can open possibilities for dialogue, ethical engagement and collaboration. Moreover, the accompanying thesis expands this discussion by analyzing the power of ethnographic film and participatory methods to contest dominant migrant narratives in a context of media overexposure.