Description

How can animation expand the ways we tell anthropological stories? This event presents a curated selection of short and feature-length animated and animation-inflected ethnographic films from the RAI Film catalogue and beyond. The programme explores how animation enables new forms of representation, collaboration, and imagination in documentary and anthropological practice. The screening will be followed by a Q&A with filmmakers and visual anthropologists, and a discussion with academics working at the intersection of anthropology, animation, and visual culture. Together, they will reflect on why animation can be a powerful tool for social research, storytelling, and public engagement. The event is aimed at a broad public audience and welcomes anyone interested in film, animation, art, culture, and social issues.

Film programme (indicative):

It Was Tomorrow (2018), Alexandra D’Onofrio

A hybrid animated documentary following three Egyptian men revisiting the ports where they first arrived in Italy.

Journey of the Maggot Feeder (2015), Liivo Niglas & Priit Tender

An animated ethnographic journey into Arctic storytelling and cultural memory.

Hanina / Homesick (2023), Yasmin Moll

An evocative animated exploration of displacement, memory, and submerged homelands.

Bridging the Gap (2022), Nina Ross & Meg Barrett

An intimate animated portrait challenging dominant narratives around hearing voices and mental health.

The Train Driver (2021), Christian Wittmoser & Zuniel Kim

An animated testimony addressing trauma, memory, and suicide on the railways.

We are awaiting confirmation from speakers but are hoping to include at least one filmmaker, a visual anthropologist and an academic working with animation and visual methods.