Bulgaria: Fire Dance Ritual

Every year in June, the small Bulgarian village of Balgari celebrates St Constantine with a special ritual. Initiated ‘nestinari’ go into a music-induced trance and dance on bonfires in a display of religious passion.

Gargoyles: Guardians of the Gate

This documentary takes a look at gargoyles, the stone or cement creatures that adorn the lofty tops of buildings. Thought by some to contain the trapped souls of the condemned and believed by others to ward off evil, these adornments are sources of curiosity even today.

The Fairy Faith

Walker takes us on a personal journey into a world of myth and imagination that he learned from his grandmother. He travels from the Moors of Devon and the Highlands of Scotland to the brooding Celtic landscapes of Ireland and the intimate hills of Cape Breton, in his search of this potent “otherworld” of the imagination.

Man in Red Bandana

"Man in Red Bandana" is about Welles Remy Crowther, an extraordinary 9/11 hero. However, how his heroics became known is even more remarkable. Eight months after the disaster, his parents learned about how their son spent his last hour due to an ordinary object ... a red bandana. This revelation dramatically shifts their perspective on their loss. After hearing his remarkable story and how it unfolds, viewers will see how the actions of one man have touched 1,000s. This inspirational segment of the film depicts the unique, diverse and folklore ways that Welles is honored throughout the United States including in art, sports and song. Even President Barack Obama pays homage to this young man in the film. Our uplifting ending culminates in the revelation of a secret about Welles that can only be described as "perfect".

The Book of the Sea

In the frigid waters off of Russia’s Bering Strait, Inuit and Chukchi hunters today still seek out the giant sea mammals that have provided their people with food since time immemorial. It is known, that the whale hunting today is controversial and subject to international criticism and regulations. But the Inuit and Chukchi hunt is permitted by international law because of the whaling is the foundation of their culture and their life. The contemporary story of elders Aleksandr and Aleksei blends seamlessly with that of “the woman who gave birth to a whale” and other ancient myths, told here in vivid animation, in this ongoing struggle for survival and preservation of a traditional lifestyle in one of the most remote places on earth.

The Seer and the Unseen

A magic realist fable about invisible elves, financial collapse and the surprising power of belief, told through the story of an Icelandic woman - a real life Lorax who speaks on behalf of nature under threat.

Esencia de verbena

Uninhibited description of what Spanish verbenas are and what their essence is, and of what nourishes and constitutes them both in recreational and popular territory and in a traditional institution.

The Eternal Song

Karol Plicka was an important musician and composer. He recorded folk songs immediately after hearing them in musical notation to preserve them for future generations. Similarly, he records and interprets traditions associated with dance, folk song and local stories that vary from region to region in his film The Eternal Song. The short documentary presents merry-making in Slovak and Czech regions that are changing with the coming modernization and transformation of musical records.

Echando Raíces

Here's a Health to the Barley Mow

From the sexy, savage Cornish May Day rites of Alan Lomax's Oss Oss Wee Oss, to Jeremy Deller and Alan Kane's footage of ferociously fought traditional football; from children's games in London's bombed East End to intricate sword and step dances, this collection of poetic documentaries, long unseen television reports and rare silent film footage reveals just how powerful and enduring the folk traditions of Great Britain have always been. The silent films feature innovative fiddle and melodeon accompaniments by contemporary folk musicians.

Rok na dedine

Strážnice

Documentary about the ethnographic festivities in Strážnice in the summer of 1949.

Venerdì Santo - Bronte

Sadíme my máje

Rhythm and Sound

National folk dances performed by "Tanec" folk dancers) from Skopje.

Taneční zeměpis III. – Mládež pěti kontinentů