The 14th Anthropological Film Festival

In his monumental new documentary, acclaimed director Wang Bing returns to the world of China’s garment workers, capturing the lives of those who power the country’s shifting economy from behind the scenes. The film invites us on a journey that leaves us seeing everything a little differently.

The film follows a Paris suburban elementary school for a year, focusing on immigrant children, teachers, and parents. Through shared, attentive learning—sometimes funny, tense, or controversial—Claire Simon reveals the beauty and complexity of daily school life in a warm, heartfelt way.

This film offers an intimate look at Tzotzil women in Chiapas. Despite past violence, they reclaim their land, rebuild their communities, and lead with strength, sharing a powerful story of survival, resistance, healing, and empowerment.

Amid Chongqing’s massive urban transformation, this film follows Ms. Hu, a longtime resident who runs a hostel for workers and collects discarded objects to create whimsical art. Her quiet acts of care and creativity embody resilience as skyscrapers rise around her.

The film explores how culture shapes health and illness by following a mental health patient in a Balinese village. Through his life and healing practices, the film reveals understandings of mind, body, and care that differ from and resemble those in the Western world.

In the early 2000s, researchers and the Waorani people documented the Ecuadorian Amazon, blending indigenous knowledge with science. The film follows their emotional reunion amid threats from logging and oil, highlighting the struggle to protect nature, preserve tradition, and confront colonialism’s impact.

Wishing to build a better future for her family, Maria travels to Austria to work as a caregiver for an elderly woman. The quiet, everyday moments in the film explore themes of migration, inequality, and the emotional cost of striving for a better life.