The Professional Foreigner: Sidebar at the 26th Astra Film Festival programmed by Dina Iordanova

Asen Balikci (1929-2019), who passed away earlier this year, was a leading figure in the discipline of visual anthropology. Several documentaries are made about his work -- and he was guest of the University of St Andrews in 2008. On request from the Astra Film Festival in Sibiu, Romania, Prof Iordanova has curated a sidebar, entitled 'The Professional Foreigner' for their 26th edition. Besides the documentaries about his life (one from Germany and one from Canada), the programme features films about Netsilik Eskimos, Afghani traders, Balkan pensioners and an aging shaman from Sikkim. The programme is accompanied by a discussion between Dina Iordanova and German anthropologist Rolf Hussman.