Projects

Transylvanian Farm

Ongoing

Our Transylvanian Farm is a nearly hundred years old homestead, which we purchased a few years ago with the thought of continuing the peasant lifestyle Orsolya was born and raised in and which Ralph entered more than twenty years ago when he moved to Transylvania. Small-scale farming, regenerative living, Transylvanian traditions are all part of a heritage we actively and daily work with and hope to pass on.

On our homestead we learn and we teach. We learn by doing, and by asking the elderly we know, the villagers; and of course, also from specialised books and courses.

We teach by showing, working together, being present and involved.

CinéTransylvania

Ongoing

Our films, revealing aspects of Transylvanian life.

You'll find them here.

Pata Negra

Ongoing

A joint research project on the cultural significance of the Iberian so-called blackfoot pig, the pata negra of NTNU - Norwegian University of Science and Technology and UiT - The Arctic University of Norway. CinéTrans is editing a film based on the research material.

The Reef Islands Ethnographic Film Project

Ongoing

The Reef Islands Ethnographic Film Project was started in 1994 by the two anthropologists, Jens Pinholt and Peter I. Crawford, and village communities in Bekapoa, Fenualoa and Vaiakau. Field and film visits took place in 1994, 1995-1998, 2005, 2010, 2015 and 2017. In assignment of UiT - The Arctic University of Norway. CinéTrans is editing several films mainly based on the fieldwork materials of this project.

NAFA - Nordic Anthropological Film Association

Ongoing

NAFA is an organisation for cooperation within the field of visual anthropology and has been active since the mid-1970s. NAFA is an organisation focused on anthropological documentary film. One of NAFA`s most important tasks has been to build up an anthropological film collection; for use in teaching and research; a unique collection of classic and more recent ethnographic films which is matched only by a few of the world's most important and largest ethnographic film collections. NAFA also arranges annually the NAFA International Ethnographic Film Festival where ethnographic films are shown and discussed with a large audience.

Since 2013 Ralph and Orsolya have volunteered for this organisation. Orsolya has been member of the film selection committee for many years and has been member of the working committee since 2013. Ralph is assistant general secretary, treasurer and webmaster.

CAFFE - Coordinating Anthropological Film Festivals in Europe

Ongoing

Coordinating Anthropological Film Festivals in Europe (CAFFE) is an initiative geared towards streamlined cooperation and communication between the existing anthropological film festivals in Europe. For an overview of CAFFE-members click here.

Ralph is coordinator of CAFFE.

The 41st NAFA International Ethnographic Film Festival

CinéTrans organized the NAFA International Ethnographic Film Festival 2022 in our village Cehetel / Csehétfalva, Harghita, Romania

Pileni paualala - Dried giant clam in the Reef Islands

The film Pileni paualala - Dried giant clam in the Reef Islands (2022) by Peter I. Crawford is based on one visit of The Reef Island Ethnographic Film Project in June 2015. The focus was on a diachronic study of nutrition, collecting information in three villages and comparing it with material from the 1970s and the 1990s. Pileni was one of the villages. Pileni is a so-called Polynesian outlier. Although the atoll is located outside the main reef lagoon, it forms part of the Reef Islands, Temotu Province, Solomon Islands.

An entrepreneurial young man, John Knoxson, helped by family and friends, has found an innovative way of earning some cash income from what nature provides.

CinéTrans in cooperation with Peter I. Crawford edited this film.

The NAFA film collection

Ongoing

Ralph has been the main developer and maintainer of the latest NAFA website since its birth.

NAFA is an organization focusing on anthropological film and has been active since the mid-1970s. One of NAFA`s most important tasks has been building up an anthropological film collection; a unique collection of classic and more recent ethnographic films which is matched only by a few of the world's most important and largest ethnographic film collections.

The NAFA Film Collection is now available for online streaming for NAFA members. By becoming a NAFA member, you will be able to view this unique and extensive film collection, holding more than 350 films. The NAFA Film Collection can be used by institutions and persons for non-profit, educational and research purposes. You can become a member here.

NAFA also organizes a yearly conference and international anthropological film festival, during which a few carefully selected films are presented and discussed with a large audience. Selected films may enter the film collection.

In recent years Orsolya has been working as member of the NAFA film selection committee.

Funded by: University Museum of Bergen, Norway

The 38th NAFA International Ethnographic Film Festival

CinéTrans organized the NAFA 2018 film festival, in close collaboration with the Babeș-Bolyai University of Cluj-Napoca, KMEI and Tranzit House in Cluj-Napoca, Romania

Funded by: Local Council of Cluj-Napoca, Intervention Press, Nordnorsk Filmsenter, Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation

Culture and Nature in Transylvania: Past and Future

2015 - 2016, Romania

Culture and Nature in Transylvania: Past and Future was a project through which an international research group studied and documented the cultural and natural heritages of the south-western corner of Sălaj County, Transylvania, Romania. To achieve this, the project provided a common framework using methodologies of cultural and visual anthropology, ecology, art history and archaeology.

Ralph was member of the fundraising team and he participated in organising the workshops.

In the workshops Orsolya was training students in the theory and methodology of visual anthropology, and conducted the relating field trip where students activated their newly acquired skills in doing participant observation by using visual methods.

Funded by: EEA Grants & Norway Grants

Infernal Paradise - The Entangled Rationales of Boko Haram

April 2016, Norway

In collaboration with Visual Cultural Studies, University of Tromsø - The Arctic University of Norway, Ralph organised the three-day conference Infernal Paradise, and developed its dedicated website.

Over 100 people from Europe, Africa and North-America participated in the conference focusing on the the complex issues around Boko Haram in different African countries.

Funded by: Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Norway; Centre for Peace Studies; Centre for Women's and Gender Research (Kvinnforsk) and University of Tromsø - The Arctic University of Norway

DEF Summer School

July 2015, Slovenia

Orsolya was mentoring ethnographic filmmaking in the summer school of the Days of Ethnographic Film Festival. Students were introduced into the theory and methodology of visual anthropology.

The series of lectures focused on film as representation and the impacts of authorship upon the reality we capture and present as truth. Another highlighted area was film as research method with a special emphasis on the ethical implications of using camera in anthropological research, and on what it means to do participant observation.

The lectures focused both on the learning process and the final film product. Students learned how to film people immersed in their daily activities, and how to edit a film as a result of their research.

The Art of Knowledge Exchange

November 2014, Norway

In close collaboration with the University Museum of Bergen, NAFA, and KMEI, Ralph raised funds for and organised the two-day workshop The Art of Knowledge Exchange, knowledge sharing in the fields of culture, human-nature relationships and applied visual anthropology.

Highlights of the workshop:

Orsolya presented her film, Man of Nature and Me and Alyssa Grossman's film, Memory Objects, Memory Dialogues was screened. Frode Storaas, general secretary of NAFA and professor of visual anthropology at the University of Bergen, Norway, used excerpts from the film From Sunny Side to Shadowland (dir. Knut Terum) and Tama Gaun - the Copper Village (dir. Frode Storaas and Dipesh Kharel) to discuss cultural heritage, local communities and reproduction. The workshop concluded with a discussion about what to label as heritage, chaired by Hans-Jakob Ågotnes.

Funded by: EEA Grants & Norway Grants

NFU conference

October 2014, Tromsø, Norway

Ralph developed and maintained the 2014 NFU conference website.

Funded by: NFU (Norwegian Association for Development Research) and University of Tromsø - The Arctic University of Norway