Filmography - Area Studies: South Asia, Southeast Asia, Oceania

This is a selective list of video holdings in the American University Library. Filmographies are created by doing multiple keyword searches in the catalog to capture as many titles on a topic as possible. 

For complete, up-to-date holdings please search the library catalog search box on the Media Services homepage. (http://www.american.edu/library/mediaservices/) Finding Aids on the same page includes other subject oriented content.

For more information take a look at the Streaming Video Guides and Browsing Collections.

Note: "Vietnam War" and "War on Terror" (in Afghanistan) are addressed in specific filmographies on those topics. Feature films are also excluded from this list with the exception of a few that depict important historical events that aren’t well covered by documentaries (e.g. The Killing Fields).

Between a Rock and a Hard Place: The Debt Slaves of Nepal. 2006. 1 streaming video (30 min.). In parts of Nepal, there is little paying work available to untouchables. Forced to borrow small sums just to survive, they quickly become debt slaves to higher-caste people-and although the practice is illegal, it all too often represents the only chance Dalits have to obtain food. This program contrasts the lives of Bharat, who seeks emancipation through the assistance of a debt slave-turned-activist, and Ganga, who can picture no other future for himself. The cameras also capture the everyday discrimination against untouchables; the matter-of-fact nature of it as depicted in this documentary is certain to make a powerful impression on viewers. Streaming video

Bichari Sita Sita, a girl from Jambu. 2007. 1 videodisc (47 min.). Reveals how uneducated, rural Nepalese girls are tricked and lured into sexual slavery. Focusing on one girl's journey into the brothels of Mumbai, the film is an adaptation of a street play performed by rural Nepalese girls, whose performance is also featured in the film. This innovative blend of documentary and fiction both expands our notion of cinematic genre and extends the broader social message that people can make a difference in their communities. DVD 831

Born into Prostitution: The Badis of Nepal. 2006. 1 streaming video (30 min.). A daughter of a Badi prostitute is required to be registered under the surname Nepali. So marked from birth, she is born into prostitution and is expected to follow her mother into that trade-unless the family, the Dalit community, or charitable NGOs are moved to help them make a change. This program profiles two Badi families and the positive efforts of one former prostitute and Suklal Nepali, director of SAFE (Social Awareness for Education), to assist them. Ironically, it is a sex customer, through his blunt appraisal of Badi prostitutes, who inadvertently speaks the most eloquently of these women's plight. Streaming video

The doctor's story. Life. Series 3: Life (Bullfrog Films). 2002. 1 videodisc (23 min.). Part of a series examining the issue of globalization and its effect on ordinary people around the world. Nepal has one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the world. This episode explores the plight of Nepal's local health services, and links the situation to the prohibition by the U.S. government against funding any non-governmental organization that supports abortion. DVD 5897

Fate of the lhapa. Ethnographic video online. 2007-2008. 1 streaming video (63 min.). (Producer) This is about the last three Tibetan shamans (lhapas) living in a Tibetan refugee camp in Nepal. With no other descendants to carry on their healing practices and a younger generation acculturating and modernizing, they are practicing an endangered tradition. Streaming video

Himalayan herders. Ethnographic video online. 1997. 1 streaming video (76 min.). An intimate portrait of a temple-village in the Yolmo valley of Central Nepal. Streaming video

A Living Goddess in Kathmandu. 2002. 1 streaming video (53 min.). The Kumari, a flesh-and-blood goddess, is revered by both Hindus and Buddhists in Nepal as a protector of the land and defender of all living beings. This program traces the mythological underpinnings of the Kumari and presents the living tradition of Kumari worship, including the Kumari selection, the secret preparation rituals, and Kumari-related festivals and ceremonies. It also discusses the relationship between the Kumari and the king. Streaming video

Stolen childhoods. 2003. 1 videodisc (86 min.). "Stolen Childhood is a feature length documentary on child labor. The story is told in the words of laboring children, their parents, and the people working daily to help them. Children share their experiences of exploitation and their hopes for a better life and future ... Filmed in seven countries: Brazil, India, the United States, Mexico, Indonesia, Kenya and Nepal, stolen childhoods examines the cost of child labor to the global community, probes the causes of this complex phenomenon and recommends actions that can be taken to eliminate this gross human rights violation in our lifetime"--Container. DVD 5028

Taboo: Blood Bonds. 2004. 1 streaming video (47 min.). Are gender roles universal when it comes to leading a family or family group? Do the concepts of father, mother, offspring, and sibling change among different cultures? Is there a formula for the perfect family? In the Himalayas, that recipe may involve multiple husbands, and in certain provinces of China, it would be ridiculous for a man to be head of the household, while some communities in the U.S. have a long way to go before shedding the idea of unquestioned paternal leadership. This program examines the role of family in the social fabric of different societies. Streaming video

Tsundu: becoming a Lama.  Ethnographic video online. 1997. 1 streaming video (17 min.). Lobsang Tsundu is a 13 year old Tibetan boy living and studying to be a monk (Lama) in Kopan Monastery, situated at the edge of Katmandu Valley. This documentary offers a glimpse into Tsundu's daily life at the monastery and his interaction with his family at home, his understanding of monastic life and his family's thoughts about his life in the future. Narration is in the words and voices of Tsundu, his family members, and the abbot of Kopan monastery. Streaming video

We know how to do these things: birth in a Newar village, Kathmandu Valley, Nepal, December 17, 1980. Ethnographic video online. 2004. 1 streaming video (40 min.). "A look into the family affair of giving birth in Nepal."- -container. Streaming video