Films
TEYYAM, Of Gods, Heroes and Ancestors
Kerala, India.
HD 1920/1080
Years: 2016-2022
Streaming version running time: 159′
Available on DVDs:
Part One: 74′
Part Two: 83′
https://goldenrabbitfilms.com/films/teyyam/
Cultic and ritualistic arts have always exerted a great influence on the social life in India, especially Kerala, the home of a myriad range of performing traditions.
Prominent among these is the ritualistic art form of Teyyam, Teyyam or Theyyam also know as Teyyattam ( “The Dancing of the Gods” )
During two months of the year, regardless of caste, social function, income, gender and age, people attend Teyyam performances to seek blessings, ward off evil spirits, cure disease, have a healthy child-birth, settle disputes, and gain advice and prosperity from the Gods.
Inuit Lands, The Melting Point
USA. Greenland. France.
2017
HD 1920/ 1080p
Running Time: 103 minutes
Opened the Film selection of COP 21, in Paris, France.
Jack London Spirit Award 2017
31st Annual Wine Country Film Festival
Valley of the Moon, California
Greenland—the name conjures images of majestic Arctic landscapes and Nordic legends shrouded in mystery. The Inuit of Thule, Greenland—the northernmost people in the world—are proud, heroic hunters whose material and spiritual lives are inextricably bound to nature.
The French anthropologist Jean Malaurie discovered these communities in 1951—the year the U.S. government began building a military base in the middle of Thule Eskimo territory. Today, mining, oil exploration, and global warming threaten the traditions and the very existence of this ancient hunter society.
This documentary explores the resilience and the vulnerability of the Inughuit communities of North Greenland, who face new challenges posed by social and climatic changes.
It is a tribute to the People of Thule and to
Jean Malaurie’s lifetime study of the Arctic people.
High Train to Tibet
USA. China. Tibet
2009/2014
HD 1080p
Running Time: 90 minutes
Premiered in New York at the Explorers Club in 2015.
It is now on streaming and DVDs.
Running time: 70 minutes
https://goldenrabbitfilms.com/films/high-train-to-tibet/
Opening in July 2006, the final segment of the highest train in the world, from Beijing to Lhasa is a technical feat. But it is also a threat to the survival of the cultural and religious identity of Tibet.
For thousands of years the indigenous people of the Tibetan Plateau lived in relative isolation, surviving as a devout nomadic agrarian society, following the teachings of the Dalai Lamas, including the current one. Today the railway completed in 2006 has opened up this region bringing waves of Chinese migrants from Beijing to Lhasa and to the Tibetan Autonomous Region.
What does this train mean for survival of the culture of the Tibetan Nomadic life style and culture?
It is one of the questions explored in the High Train to Tibet– film, an epic and exciting look at one of humanity’s most ancient and heroic people.
NAGALAND, The last of the Headhunters
Nagaland, India
2012
SD 720p
Running Time: 75 minutes
Opened at the Margaret Meade Film Festival in NY
in 2012.
The film is now on DVDs and streaming.
https://goldenrabbitfilms.com/films/nagaland-headhunters/
“Nagaland, the Last of the Head Hunters” is an exploration of the Nagaland Region, home of the Naga tribes which are based in North East India and Northern Burma.
The film underscores the long traditions of headhunting, tattoos and bravery among several of the clans or tribes featured in this 75′ film.
Through scenes of daily life, recorded conversations, particular festivals and family events, the documentary bears witness to the traditional lifestyle of the Nagas communities.
And how it blends with the intrusive modern world and the Christian values that the first missionaries (Americans) introduced at the end of the 19th century.
Though these paradigms, the film intents to convey a deeper understanding and clearer perception of the complexity and richness of these tribal cultures.