Documentary

Visual anthropology

As a part of my BA studies in anthropology at Amsterdam University, I took the visual anthropology course at Leiden University, which I completed with the documentary 'Ossama's Dance'.

In 2006 I started a one-year MA course in visual anthropology at the Granada Centre at Manchester University, UK. During this period I made several short documentaries, including 'We are all People'.

I concluded my MA with a graduation film titled, 'Hope Despair Laughter: A Circus Project in Palestine'. My final thesis was based on a two-month anthropological research about children participating in a circus summer camp in Dheisheh refugee camp in the West Bank. In the making of this film I could combine circus skills, my deep connection with Middle Eastern issues, and ethnographic filmmaking. While staying at Dheisheh refugee camp I wrote a blog about my findings, thoughts and difficulties during the project: www.eshertog.wordpress.com (If you are interested in reading this, please contact esthertog@gmail.com).

Since graduation I have worked on various film projects:

• 'Op eigen kracht vooruit' ('Getting Ahead on Our Own Strength'.)
• 'Open House' a film about a co-existence NGO in Ramle, Israel.
• 'Warzone Palestina' a documentary series by Llink TV: Apart from being filmed as one of the subjects, my role ranged from on the ground research to basic production and translating from Hebrew to Dutch.

I now work as a freelance film director for a documentary called 'Dance is a Language', to be filmed in Kenya later this year. I am also developing an independent film-plan titled 'Two Families and a Soldier on the Roof', which I plan to film in Hebron, in the Westbank.
My current freelance work includes analyzing interviews from the Steven Spielberg Shoah project and developing these into a database for the Shoah Visual History Achieve.

'Ossama's Dance' / 2006
Length: 34 min

The film is a portrait of Ossama, a Muslim social worker who dances and teaches dance in the oriental belly dance tradition. Although a man teaching belly dancing is traditionally acceptable, to perform the dance is, to put it mildly, a social faux pas. Ossama came to The Netherlands to escape the difficulties between his faith and his sexuality. His dance is an expression of his passion for belly dancing and the freedom he found through moving to The Netherlands.

* Due to the sensitive nature of this film and in order to protect the protagonist, video clips are not published online. If you are interested in viewing this film please contact the filmmaker: esthertog@gmail.com

'We are all People' / 2007
Length: 28 min

In Akko, a mixed Jewish-Arab town in North of Israel, a group of teenagers meets once a week for theatre classes. At first this seems like a normal hobby for teenagers, but after getting to know the group we learn that the theatre project is quite remarkable. In a country where Politicians are incapable to negotiate and talk, these teenagers are acting and talking through the 'Peace Child' theatre project, which is all about coexistence, peace and life. Revealing the childrens fears, feelings and friendships, the film documents their daily lives by following them through their city, the theatre project and their homes.
The film concludes with the children's own words: "we are all people".

'Op Eigen Kracht Vooruit' - ('Getting Ahead on Our Own Strengths') / 2008
Length: 30 min

Six women that have had to overcome many adversities speak of their ambitions, the difficulties they faced to fulfill these ambitions and the strength they found to keep forging ahead.

(In collaboration with Emma van Bree and Lotte Hollander).

• 'Warzone Palestina' (2008)
  Broadcast on NL2, Llink (16 December 2008).



• 'Op Eigen Kracht Vooruit' - ('Getting Ahead on Our Own Strengths') / 2008
  Municipality of Leiden, 8th March International women's day celebrations (2008)



• 'Hope Despair Laughter: A Circus Project in Palestine' / 2007
  • 2nd Annual Anthropology Film Festival in Vancouver (2008)
  • Days of ethnographic Film in Slovenia (2008)
  • Sole a Luna Doc Fest in Palermo, Italy (2008)
  • The IV Moscow International Visual Anthropology Festival 'Mediating Camera' (2008)
    * For this project I received the Student Film Bursary from the One World Broadcasting Trust.



• 'Ossama's Dance' / 2006
  • Twelfth international ethnographic film festival in Rio de Janeiro (2007)
  • Bilan du Film Enthnograpique in Paris (2007)
  • Beeld voor Beeld film festival in Amsterdam (2006)