Since its invention in the late 19th century and rapid global spread throughout the 20th century, film has achieved near-universal reach across cultures and continents, becoming a truly worldwide medium of human expression. This makes it a perfect lens for CAS-E’s mission of analyzing “multiple rationalities and ‘esotericisms’ from a global perspective.”

Esoteric practices and experiences feature prominently in both fiction and documentary cinema—appearing in narrative storylines, visual imagery, and even filmmaking processes themselves. While scholars continue to debate precise definitions of “esoteric,” most people first encounter these concepts not through academic texts but through the immersive medium of film.

The CAS-E World Map of Esoteric Film offers viewers a glimpse into the diversity of ritual, magical, symbolic, and embodied practices and experiences across the globe. Rather than rigidly defining what qualifies as esoteric, we approach this project with an open mind, believing that such curiosity enhances our understanding of this complex field.

Our curated selection includes documentary, artistic, and popular feature films, each accompanied by concise explanations of their esoteric elements. Though broad in scope, our approach remains analytical—we aim neither for an exhaustive catalog nor a comprehensive collection. Instead, we’re creating a dynamic, open-source resource visualized as a global map on our website, designed to evolve over time. Each selected film will be supplemented by commentary and relevant references, making the representation of esoteric elements accessible and meaningful to viewers.

The CAS-E World Map of Esoteric Film aims to present a diverse collection of films featuring esoteric elements, commented on by CAS-E fellows and alumni. Given the widespread presence of the “anomalous” and “supernatural” in contemporary media, we’ve developed guiding questions and selection criteria to focus our analysis. Our goal is to represent films from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds on the CAS-E website’s interactive world map.