African Art in Motion: The Masks of the Nuna People of Burkina Faso - Three videos of masks in performance in 2001-05 in Burkina Faso, West Africa. Two videos in the villages of Savara and Tisse, and one of the annual mask festival at Pouni. Masks include butterfly, crocodile, hyena, bush pig, antelope, policeman, and more. Each mask's performance recreates the encounters between the ancestors of the village and the supernatural spirits that protect the community.
http://www.customflix.com/207403;jsessionid=a1YSWxUFhqq7

African Masks: Burkina Faso - Many peoples of Burkina Faso continue to create elaborate and beautiful masks that are used in funerals, initiations, village purification ceremonies, and market day dances as they have been for centuries. These masks are almost indistinguishable from the great masterpieces of African art that have been displayed in museums and illustrated in texts for decades. This DVD includes three videos: the first, shot on film in 1977 and 1985, includes historic footage of masks from the Mossi, Bwa, Bobo, and Nuna (Gurunsi) peoples. Two videos were shot on digital video of the 2002 mask festival in Dedougou, and of Nuna masks in Savara and Tisse.
http://www.customflix.com/204747;jsessionid=a1YSWxUFhqq7

Mundo Milagroso - The filmmakers visit the modest home of Paulita Rivera in Hidalgo, TX, who discovered the face of Jesus in a tortilla she had made. Soon the tortilla was encased in plastic and revered by supplicants for its healing properties. Another town boasts the Shrine of the Holy Camaro where a religious silhouette suddenly appeared on a Chevrolet. Believers congregate daily to pray for miracles for their loved ones. In Brownsville stands the Madonna Tree whose bark displays an image of the Virgin. We hear from people who believe that God intervened for them and cured their ailments.
http://www.filmakers.com/ORDER.html

Our God The Condor - The Yawar Festival, a spectacular event in the southern Andes of Peru, pits a condor, symbolic of the Andean people, against a bull, the symbol of Spain. In the dramatic ritual battle the wildly flapping condor is tied atop the lurching bull. The film documents the significance of the ceremony for the indigenous people.
http://www.filmakers.com/ORDER.html

Rasinah: The Enchanted Mask - Watching the lithe, expressive movements of Javanese masked dancer Rasinah, one would never believe a 72-year old woman is behind the mask! She is a master of an ancient form of mask dance called Topeng Cirebon, which originated in West Java, Indonesia. Rooted in Islamic mysticism, the spiritual significance of the masks and dances was restricted to "specialist families," who for centuries passed on their unique heritage from generation to generation. By the late 1900's the popularity of Topeng Cirebon had faded -- its mystical masters forgotten.
http://www.filmakers.com/ORDER.html

Box of Treasures - In the late 19th century, the Canadian government removed ritual objects from the possession of the Kwakiut'l. In 1921 the Kwakiut'l people of Alert Bay, British Columbia, held their last secret potlatch. In 1980 at Alert Bay, the U'mista Cultural Centre (u'mista means "something of great value that has come back") opened its doors to receive and house the cultural treasures which were seized decades earlier and only then returned to the people.
http://www.der.org/films/box-of-treasures.html

Sons of Shiva - Sons of Shiva is a sustained attempt to film a four-day ceremony concerned with the worship of Shiva. Devotees of the God Shiva are shown from the initial taking of the Sacred Thread through gradually intensifying action to a culmination in a variety of ascetic and self denying practices. Devotees are also shown in informal activities such as preparing food and listening to recitals of devotional songs by the famous mendicant Bauls of Bengal.
http://www.der.org/films/sons-of-shiva.html

In the Shadow of the Sun - In Mali, 800 kilometers northeast of the capital of Bamako, the cliffs of Bandiagara stretch about 300 kilometers and reach a height of 300 meters. It is here among the Arou, one of the four tribes of the Dogon population, that Amma, Lord and creator of the world, chose the supreme religious chief who was responsible for fertility, rain and order on earth. The chief priest, called a hogon, resides with a few members of his family in an isolated sanctuary given the name of his cast, "Arou", a sanctuary embedded in the cliffs, sheltered from the eyes of men.
http://www.der.org/films/in-the-shadow-of-the-sun.html

Teyyam: The Annual Visit of the God Vishnumurti - In Northern Kerala, Hindus revere numerous Gods through Teyyam rituals. Each Teyyam is dedicated to a specific God. In Teyyam worship a ritual specialist, a teyyam performer, takes the shape of the God and becomes transformed. The rituals are performed at yearly festival held at small temples devoted to Teyyam Gods which offer devotees the opportunity to communicate directly with them, asking for support to deal with problems such as illness and theft.
http://www.der.org/films/teyyam-vishnumurti.html

Puja: Expressions of Hindu devotion - Puja: Expressions of Hindu Devotion introduces viewers to one of the basic elements of Hinduism, the world's third-largest religion. In puja, Hindus honor gods and goddesses through rituals focused on objects that are believed to be filled with the divine being's spirit. On this viedotape American Hindus discus puja and what it means to them and devotees offer food, water, and flowers during worship seeking to make a spiritual connection with the gods.
http://www.freersacklershop.com/pujavideo.html

Loving Krishna - Loving Krishna is about the worship of Krishna and the meaning of devotion. It explores the rural and urban character of the town of Vishnapur in West Bengal by examining the royal past, everyday life, work in traditional arts and crafts, bazaar exchange, and sacred rituals and festivals. Public and private devotional life is represented by detailed visual narratives of the Chariot Journey of Krishna, celebrated by the whole town, and the Birthday Festival commemorated on a much smaller scale of intimate family worship.
http://www.der.org/films/loving-krishna.html

Jesus and the Shroud of Turin - This excellent 1997 documentary attempts to review and update evidential findings in recent Shroud research. The Shroud of Turin is described as "the most studied artifact in human history". The film focuses on three types of physical markings on the Shroud, which is now permanently sealed in argon gas to prevent further fading deterioration of the image. The three types are: the blood stains, the front and back image of a man, and the scorching.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B0000CBXYP/qid=1127062063/sr=8-1/ref=sr_8_
xs_ap_i1_xgl74/104-5146158-2564760?v=glance&s=dvd&n=507846

The Mysterious Man of the Shroud - The Shroud of Turin has been a fascinating and controversial source of mystery for centuries: the most studied textile in history. Is it really the cloth that enwrapped the body of Jesus Christ immediately after his crucifixion, or is it a fraud created hundreds of years later? The Mysterious Man of the Shroud, a documentary narrated by distinguished actor Hector Elizondo, explores this question in exhaustive detail, through interviews with the many scientific investigators who have made the Shroud their personal quest. Specialists in such wide-ranging areas as anthropology, textiles, spectral analysis, photomicroscopy, DNA, carbon dating, bacteriology, history, art, and such are consulted.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/6304814054/qid=1127011951/sr=8-3/ref=sr_8_
xs_ap_i3_xgl27/104-5146158-2564760?v=glance&s=video&n=507846

Ancient Mysteries: The Shroud of Turin - The Shroud of Turin, long thought to be Jesus Christ's burial garment, has inspired the faithful for centuries. But one very important question remains is it authentic, or merely a medieval forgery? Since it first appeared in 1357, the Shroud, a yellowed linen cloth that bears the faint image of a crucified man, has prompted one of the greatest detective stories of modern times.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/6303560261/qid=1127012106/sr=8-3/ref=sr_8_
xs_ap_i3_xgl27/104-5146158-2564760?v=glance&s=video&n=507846

Tears of Love - Throughout history, humanity has witnessed statues and icons weeping tears. What do they mean, and why are they occurring today in record numbers? Why does Heaven cry? In this exciting documentary, you will travel the planet and witness for yourself actual footage of this unexplained phenomenon-a phenomenon that baffles scientists and defies the laws of nature. Discover what these tears are revealing to humanity and decide for yourself how important these tears of love are for you and for the entire world.
http://www.marianland.com/tearsoflove.html

Stigmata - Gabriel Byrne plays Father Kiernan, a young Jesuit priest whose degree in chemistry makes him a sort of priest/detective as he investigates weeping Marys and the like around the world. Meanwhile, Frankie (Patricia Arquette), a rave-generation Pittsburgher, is afflicted with the stigmata--holes that appear in her wrists, resembling the wounds of Christ. The young woman's symptoms filter back to the Vatican and Father Kiernan is assigned to the case.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/6305718954/qid=1127013832/sr=8-1/ref=pd_bbs
_1/104-5146158-2564760?v=glance&s=dvd&n=507846

National Geographic Special: Inside the Vatican - Vatican. For most people, the word brings to mind the Pope, the Roman Catholic Church, and incredible art and architecture. NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC, granted unprecedented access, takes viewers beyond tourist attractions to reveal complex layers of life and history inside the Holy See. Witness the world's smallest standing army, the letter from King Henry VIII requesting a marriage annulment, and countless individuals with intriguing jobs.
http://www.shoppbs.org/product/index.jsp?productId=1402990&cp&page=2&keywords=catholic
&searchId=5403223542&y=0&doVSearch=no&pageBucket=0&x=0&parentPage=search

Mundo Milagroso - Mundo Milagroso (Miraculous World) takes a candid but sensitive look at the often misunderstood world of Mexican-American folk religion. The film documents the people and events surrounding the Shrine of the Holy Tortilla, the Shrine of the Holy Camaro and the Madonna Tree in the Lower Rio Grande Valley of southern Texas. Christ or the Virgin Mary is reported to have appeared in each of these everyday objects, creating no small stir in the local population. The film does not seek to prove or disprove the validity of these appearances, but rather to explore the impact these apparitions have had on the community.
http://members.aol.com/ritualfilm/page1.htm

Romeria: Day of the Virgin - The centerpiece of the film is a religious pilgrimage to a local shrine of the Virgin near the town of Alcala de los Gazules, Cadiz, Spain. Families make elaborate preparations for the day long event. Pilgrimage organizers and worshippers discuss the ambiguities of their beliefs and affiliations.
http://www.der.org/films/romeria.html