Norman Miller

Norman N. Miller is a noted maker of anthropological films, including those in the ‘Faces of Change’ series.

From 1972-1976, Norman Miller led an ethnographic film project in five remote regions of the world funded by the National Science Foundation. He and a group of filmmakers created 'Faces of Change,' a series of 26 films and textbook of essays and teaching materials designed to bring attention to rural societies, some of which represented disappearing cultures. Themes included rural society and culture, education, economics and agriculture, role and status of women, and belief systems in each society. The purpose was to introduce students to foreign cultures which were in different phases of adaptation to their environments.

Born in 1933 in Rochester, Minnesota, his experience includes the U.S. Air Force as Captain and Asia and Africa correspondent (1956-1960), founder and editor of Rural Africana (Michigan State U., 1967-1971), Correspondent for East Africa, American Universities Field Staff (1969-1985), professor, and writer (seven books, 90 articles & papers). He holds an MA in Journalism and a PhD in Political Science and African Studies. His most recent book is Encounters with Witchcraft: Field Notes from Africa, published in 2012.

He has lived in a number of countries, including Kenya and Tanzania. For more on Miller, visit his Archive pages.

Filmography

Norman Miller produced or directed a total of 28 color documentary films, 26 of which were sponsored by the National Science Foundation. Two others were sponsored by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and by the United States Agency of International Development. The Faces of Change series is distributed by Documentary Educational Resources.

Films in the Faces of Change Series:

Afghanistan

An Afghan Village (44 minutes). Filmmakers Herbert DiGioia and David Hancock. Producer Norman Miller. Documentary Educational Resources, Watertown, MA, 1974.

Naim and Jabar (50 minutes). Filmmakers Herbert DiGioia and David Hancock. Producer Norman Miller. Documentary Educational Resources, Watertown, MA, 1974.

Wheat Cycle (16 minutes). Filmmakers Herbert DiGioia and David Hancock. Producer Norman Miller. Documentary Educational Resources, Watertown, MA, 1974.

Afghan Women (17 minutes). Filmmakers Herbert DiGioia and David Hancock. Producer Norman Miller. Documentary Educational Resources, Watertown, MA, 1974.

Afghan Nomads: The Maldar (21 minutes). Filmmakers Herbert DiGioia and David Hancock. Producer Norman Miller. Documentary Educational Resources, Watertown, MA, 1974.

Bolivia

Viracocha (30 minutes). Filmmakers Hubert Smith and Neil Reichline. Producer Norman Miller. Documentary Educational Resources, Watertown, MA, 1974.

The Children Know (33 minutes). Filmmakers Hubert Smith and Neil Reichline. Producer Norman Miller. Documentary Educational Resources, Watertown, MA, 1974.

Potato Planters (17 minutes). Filmmakers Hubert Smith and Neil Reichline. Producer Norman Miller. Documentary Educational Resources, Watertown, MA, 1974.

Andean Women (17 minutes). Filmmakers Hubert Smith and Neil Reichline. Producer Norman Miller. Documentary Educational Resources, Watertown, MA, 1974.

The Spirit Possession of Alejandro Mamani (27 minutes). Filmmakers Hubert Smith and Neil Reichline. Producer Norman Miller. Documentary Educational Resources, Watertown, MA, 1974.

Magic and Catholicism (34 minutes). Filmmakers Hubert Smith and Neil Reichline. Producer Norman Miller. Documentary Educational Resources, Watertown, MA, 1974.

Kenya

Kenya Boran: Part I (33 minutes). Filmmakers David MacDougall and James Blue. Producer Norman Miller. Documentary Educational Resources, Watertown, MA, 1974.

Kenya Boran: Part II (33 minutes). Filmmakers David MacDougall and James Blue. Producer Norman Miller. Documentary Educational Resources, Watertown, MA, 1974.

Boran Herdsmen (17 minutes). Filmmakers David MacDougall and James Blue. Producer Norman Miller. Documentary Educational Resources, Watertown, MA, 1974.

Boran Women (18 minutes). Filmmakers David MacDougall and James Blue. Producer Norman Miller. Documentary Educational Resources, Watertown, MA, 1974.

Harambee (Pull Together) (19 minutes). Filmmakers David MacDougall and James Blue. Producer Norman Miller. Documentary Educational Resources, Watertown, MA, 1974.

China Coast

Island in the China Sea (32 minutes). Filmmakers George Chang, Richard Chen, and Norman Miller. Producer Norman Miller. Documentary Educational Resources, Watertown, MA, 1974.

Hoy Fok and the Island School (32 minutes). Filmmakers George Chang, Richard Chen, and Norman Miller. Producer Norman Miller. Documentary Educational Resources, Watertown, MA, 1974

China Coast Fishing (19 minutes). Filmmakers George Chang, Richard Chen, and Norman Miller. Producer Norman Miller. Documentary Educational Resources, Watertown, MA, 1974.

Three Island Women (17 minutes). Filmmakers George Chang, Richard Chen, and Norman Miller. Producer Norman Miller. Documentary Educational Resources, Watertown, MA, 1974.

The Island Fishpond (13 minutes). Filmmakers George Chang, Richard Chen, and Norman Miller. Producer Norman Miller. Documentary Educational Resources, Watertown, MA, 1974.Taiwan

People Are Many, Fields Are Small (32 minutes). Filmmakers Richard Chen and Frank Tsai. Producer Norman Miller. Documentary Educational Resources, Watertown, MA, 1974.

They Call Him Ah Kung (24 minutes). Filmmakers Richard Chen and Frank Tsai. Producer Norman Miller. Documentary Educational Resources, Watertown, MA, 1974.

Wet Culture Rice (17 minutes). Filmmakers Richard Chen and Frank Tsai. Producer Norman Miller. Documentary Educational Resources, Watertown, MA, 1974.

A Chinese Farm Wife (17 minutes). Filmmakers Richard Chen and Frank Tsai. Producer Norman Miller. Documentary Educational Resources, Watertown, MA, 1974.

The Rural Cooperative (15 minutes). Filmmakers Richard Chen and Frank Tsai. Producer Norman Miller. Documentary Educational Resources, Watertown, MA, 1974.

United Nations and USAID Films:

The Forgotten Farmers: Women and Food Security (28 minutes). Producer Norman N. Miller. Rome: FAO of the United Nations, 1985.

Women in a Changing World (48 minutes). Producer Norman N. Miller. American Universities Field Staff Films and USAID, 1975.