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The Hamar Trilogy: The Women Who Smile
| Length: | 50 min |
| Released: | 1996 |
| Ages: |
College Adult |
Duka, a young unmarried Hamar girl learns what awaits her in life from the older women of her tribe. Their often humorous conversations range from teenage pregnancy and growing old to relationships with men. Although the men are dominant, the women are not servile and on occasion will mock the posturing of the men. The women's high spirits are revealed during the harvest celebrations and the blessing ceremony for a new baby. Young women avoid the watchful eyes of their elders as they flirt and dance.
Member of a series:
• The Hamar Trilogy
" The Women Who Smile is overall a fine production, and some moments are outstandingly powerful. It can be viewed and appreciated as an intimate portrayal of three particular women in a particular society, and it can also be used more selectively for its segments on women’s status and especially violence against women. The latter is how I plan to incorporate it into my course on Violence and Culture. Overall, it is a fine piece of filmmaking, and the relationship which the consulting anthropologist, Jean Lydall, has with the Hamar to allow the film to be made is truly impressive."
Jack David Eller, Anthropological Review Database
Jack David Eller, Anthropological Review Database
Royal Anthropological Institute Film Prize
Margaret Mead Film Festival, 1993,1994
African Studies Association, 1998
Society for Visual Anthropology, 1995
Margaret Mead Film Festival, 1993,1994
African Studies Association, 1998
Society for Visual Anthropology, 1995
