Reflections on Migration through Film: Screening of an Anthropological Documentary on Indian Youth in London

Abstract

Visual anthropologists have seldom discussed audience reactions, and those that have done so have tended to focus on the reactions of informants featured in their films. This article shows that collecting and examining responses from a wider range of audiences, and broadening the discussion on the subject of the audience, are useful in further exploring film as a tool in anthropological research. Research on responses elicited by the film Living like a Common Man [2011], which was screened to varied audiences across India and Europe, produced additional insights on the social position of the film characters and suggested new directions for further studies on ambivalent and contradictory aspects of migration.