Ethnographic film in Germany: An introduction

Ethnographic film in German‐speaking countries is, with few exceptions, constructed along the same lines as scientific film. In this context, the Institute for the Scientific Film in Gottingen plays an important role in producing films for research and teaching from a scientific view point. The majority of ethnographic films produced in Germany in the last thirty years were published by the Encyclopaedia Cinematographica (EC), an international scientific encyclopedia where 16mm films on biology, ethnology and technique are collected and published. The films are classified according to local ethnic groups and their activities. This sort of classification allows for comparative studies to be carried out on a given activity among different ethnic groups or the study of an ethnic community as a whole. Each EC film provides a precise and compact description of a given activity in films which are monothematic. Written publications accompanying each film also contain descriptions of the event filmed, presented in its cultural context, and with precise data on the film production. The EC is not open to the public, only to scientists who wish to make use of ethnographic data for comparative and theoretical studies in anthropology. Films are often used for university courses or by ethnographic museums. There is a new trend towards the use of film projects in developing countries. Among these we witness the influence of concepts of “Urgent Anthropology” as well as holistic approaches to descriptive documented field research. Projections for the future include the creation of film archives, including ethnographic film, video and unpublished photographs. One of the most pressing problems in creating archives, given the fragility of color films in particular, is that of storage. Financial resources must be found for the careful preservation of these unique documents of human culture.