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Women's Movement/ U.S Feminism • Women of Color • Lesbian/ Gender • Global Feminism • Racism • Popular Culture/ Media Analyses • Victims of Crime Resource/ Law • Violence Against Women • Youth • Women's Body/ Self-Image • Women's Health/ Disability • Women's Spirituality/ Creativity To
see a list of WRC Video's by Title __________________________________ Compiled
by: Yuriko Furuhata Updated
by Andréa Mays New Films! Peace, Propaganda & The Promised Land
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| ________________________________________________________________________________ Women’s Movement/U.S. Feminism A
Century of Women: Work and Family This video combines archival footage, photographs, interviews, and fiction to present an overview of the social history of women’s movement in the U.S. focusing on worker’s rights and traditional labor division. It features biographies of earlier activists as well as interviews with contemporary feminists. Figures include Pauline Newman, Clara Lemlich, Elizabeth Gurley Flynn, Charlotte Perkins Gilman, Frances Perkins, Mitsuye Yamada, Dolores Huerta, Betty Friedan, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and Hillary Clinton. A Fine
and Long Tradition This short video illustrates how women have made history during the course of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. This video encapsulates women’s activism from suffrage, to The Women’s Movement to contemporary feminist activism. Chisholm ’72: Unbought and Unbossed Dr. Gerda
Lerner – Women and History I & II: Thinking Allowed Video Collection In a one on one interview, Dr. Lerner discusses the origins of women’s history as a field of study, her personal experiences researching the topic, and how the institutions of church and state have worked together to naturalize the subordination of women within societies. This two-part video interview is one installment in a series of conversations with cutting edge thinkers of the twenty-first century, produced by Thinking Allowed productions. The program’s host is Jeffrey Mishlove, PhD, psychotherapist, and author of The Roots of Consciousness and Psi Development Systems. Dreams
of Equality This docudrama captures the political and power dynamics that existed between women and men in the mid 19th century, particularly focusing on the first women’s rights convention held in 1848. The film chronicles women’s early struggles for equality and voting rights, using written correspondence between a brother and sister over a thirty-year span. Elizabeth
Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony: Not For Ourselves Alone: Part I This biographical documentary of two “Founding Mothers” of the Women’s Movement in the United States traces the history of the Women’s Suffrage Movement back to the early 19th century, when women were prohibited of the rights to vote, to own property, to enter the professions and colleges, to testify at a trial, and to have custody of their own children. Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony challenged the constitutional and social subordination of women, and worked towards their ultimate goal: women’s right to vote. Although they realized the importance of eradicating all the inequalities in American society and thus worked along with abolitionists, towards the end of the struggle, the limitation of a white women’s movement became clear. Doubly oppressed by her sex and race, black women and women of color were excluded from the heated battle between white women’s organizations and emancipated black male leaders over the idea that “female suffrage should come first, Negro suffrage last.” Finally, it was in 1920 with the ratification of the 19th Amendment that women were granted the right to vote. Grrlyshow “An 18-minute explosion of fringe feminism and print media, Grrlyshow is a powerful and rebellious message on the girl zine revolution.” Zines are examined as a cultural phenomenon, and an outlet for social and political change. This video gives a short, behind the scenes, look at the benefits of creating zines and offers resources for publishing. The editors of “Bust”, (Debbie Stoller), “Bamboo Girl” (S. Margarita) and “Plotz” (Barbara Klugman) give first hand accounts of getting their zines off the ground and keeping them running. Guns
& Mothers This film chronicles two groups, The Million Moms and the Second Amendment Sisters, and their response to the Columbine High School shootings and persistent gun violence in urban areas. Though these groups have opposing positions on gun control, they agree that women should have a voice in shaping gun control laws in America. Hair
Piece: A Film for Nappy-Headed People “An animated satire on the question of self image for African-American women living in a society where beautiful hair is viewed as hair that blows in the wind and lets you be free.” This film provides a brief examination of the challenges black women face cosmetically treating their hair to make it conform to Eurocentric standards of beauty. Gives a brief history of African-American hair care products and celebrates black women’s efforts to maintain natural hair with African aesthetics. I
shot Andy Warhol Ida
B. Wells: A Passion for Justice This documentary offers an interesting and informative look at one of America’s often forgotten civil rights heroes. Ida B. Wells was a tireless activist for anti-lynching laws in the U.S. She used her position as a journalist to bring to light the violence perpetrated against blacks in southern and northern states. Iron
Jawed Angles “Taking a fresh and contemporary look at a pivotal event in American history, IRON JAWED ANGELS TELLS the story of how defiant and brilliant young activist Alice Paul (Hillary Swank) and Lucy Burns (Frances O’Connor) took the women’s suffrage movement by storm, putting their lives at risk to help American women win the right to vote.” I Was a Teenage Feminist This video follows filmmaker Therese Shecter as she reflects on her experience growing up in a feminist home, and as she questions the dissonance that young women feel identifying with the word feminist in the contemporary context. This humorous, very personal look at the evolving meaning and significance of feminism offers a range of perceptions associated with the F-word. New
Mexico Statewide Women’s Studies Conference The first presentation by Andrea Isabel Quijada explores a spiritual and cultural connection between the Aztec goddess Coatlicue and the Virgin of Guadalupe, which is expressed in Chicana art. The second presentation focuses on different theoretical models that analyze a formation of ‘identity.’ The presenters discuss importance of integrating as many as 16 variables to understand identity formation. NWSA Conference
in Las Vegas 2002: “Political Women, Political Power” This tape includes
the following speakers: NWSA Conference
in Las Vegas 2002: “NWSA: Women of All Colors Building an Inclusive
Organization Together” This tape includes
the following speakers: Lisa Albrecht, University of Minnesota – “New paradigms for Social Justice: 21st Century Feminist Work.” Albrecht claims, “To do work toward the transformation of higher education in this country we must do activist work both inside and outside higher education institutions.” Albrecht offers the essential elements for movement as consciousness, vision, and strategy. She claims this element would allow for an inclusion of the complexity of lived experiences and breaking away from fear. She offers presenting “whiteness” as a lack to break the paradigm in Women’s Studies white focus. NWSA Conference
in Las Vegas 2002: “Body Politic” Catherine Holland, University of Missouri – “Gender and Political Universalism in the Age of the Federalists.” Holland examines the impact of how certain notions of personhood encoded in the Constitution (primarily whiteness, maleness and property holding persons) are present and function in feminist scholarship today. She also suggests that citizens have to be mindful of the ways that claims of universalized citizenship collapse the “two notions of the body.” According to Holland, these notions appear disembodied but claim cultural authority, i.e. that of white males. Secondly, they imprison certain persons in their historical marginalized bodies. Ann Russo, DePaul
University -“White Innocence, White Accountability.” She
Wants to Talk to You “In October 1999 filmmaker Anita Chang befriended three 13-yaer-old-girls while living in Kathmandu, Nepal. Honestly presenting themselves in front of the camera, these girls share with the filmmaker their ideas on marriage, friendship and spirituality.” Chang uses a montage of mediums including poetry and music testimonies to paint a complex picture of the lives of young women in Nepal. The video focuses on young women’s limited opportunities, in Nepal, given that they are culturally denied education. It also includes testimonies from seven women explaining their oppression and liberation in direct relationship to the educational opportunities they received. Shortchanging
Girls: Shortchanging America This promotional video advocates for gender equity and the development of support system for young girls to remain interested in traditionally male dominated academic disciplines, such as science, math and engineering. Combining interviews with prominent scholars, such as Carol Gilligan, and video footage of conferences and class room sessions, the video links the national defense issue with women’s educational advancement: “provide young girls education, so that America can compete.” Step By
Step: Building A Feminist Movement Focusing on the lives of eight Wisconsin women, six of whom became founders of NOW, this straightforward documentary recaps the history of 20th-century feminism. Interweaving archival footage of the war production industry during WWII, the equal rights movement in the ‘60s and ‘70s, and personal interviews, the film explores the development of women’s movement through various angles (e.g. labor unions, Equal Rights Amendment, class divisions, racism and lesbianism as feminist issues). The
F Word Jarmel and Gallagher examine the meaning of the word ‘feminism’ through a montage of interview responses that reflect the various stereotypes, misconceptions and ultimately truths, about the what feminism encompasses. This short-form video covers a lot of ground in 10 minutes and is a useful introduction to the subject. The
Life and Times of Rosie the Riveter Based on interviews with several women who worked in the war-production industry, this remarkable film explores these women’s experiences during and after WWII. Through a brilliant juxtaposition of their stories with archival footage of government propaganda films (which first encouraged women to become war workers, then pressured them to “return to their homes” after the war), the film offers a historical look at job discrimination based on sex and race during the wartime and post-war America. While unprecedented numbers of women entered the traditionally male world of welding, engineering, and building airplanes and ships for the war, black women were getting paid 5¢ less than white women. Similarly, only white women were allowed to have their own locker rooms and washer rooms. The
Righteous Babes “Acclaimed filmmaker Pratibha Parmar (A Place of Rage, Warrior Marks) explores the intersections of feminism with popular music, focusing on the role of female recording artists in the 1990s and their influence on modern women.” Popular music entities Crissie Hynde, Ani DiFranco, Tori Amos, Sinead O’Conner and others discuss the potential politics and power of performing their music. These artists are joined by Gloria Steinem, Camille Paglia and others who critique shifts in feminism and link these shiftsto music’s cultural impact on political activism. The Sermons of Sister Jane: Believing the Unbelievable This documentary profiles the life of controversial nun, Sister Jane Kelly, who refused to let the institutional forces of the Catholic church silence her from speaking out against wrong-doing within the faith. In an in-depth interview Sister Jane discusses her experiences as a whistle-blower in a sexual abuse scandal and her controversial views homosexuality, women priest and birth control. Trickle
Down Theory of Sorrow This experimental documentary by Mary Filippo examines class and gender roles in employment practices using Filippo’s mother’s testimony as the centerpiece for the film. Filippo’s mother recounts her experiences with work exploitation and gender discrimination in the 1950s. This film’s erratic and non-narrative stylistic quality is at once engaging and difficult to follow. Women’s
Studies Summit 2000 As a commemoration of the Women’s Studies Summit 2000, this video presents a brief introduction to various issues surrounding women of New Mexico, such as education, rape, domestic violence, drug and alcohol use, and health care. Unfortunately, the video exclusively profiles white women as feminist thinkers and leaders, while women of color are associated with substance abuse and teen pregnancy. WRC: 20th
Celebration Forum This video presents the main panel discussion of “women in education” held during the 20th Celebration of Women’s Studies and Women’s Resource Center at UNM in 1992. The panelists include Ann Nihlen, Vivian Ng, Deborah Louis, Paul Risser, Teresa Cordova and Brenda Manuelita. The topics of their talks include, ‘gender and equality in school,’ ‘sex discrimination on campus,’ ‘anti-feminism in academia,’ and ‘history of women’s studies and women’s resource center at UNM.’ WRC: 20th
Celebration: Angela Bowen, March 5, 1992 “I am not the postfeminist feminist, I am the Third Wave.” A black feminist writer, activist and educator, Angela Bowen speaks as a keynote speaker at the Women’s Resource Center’s 20th Celebration. She is a co-chair of the National Coalition for Black Lesbians and Gays, as well as a member of the Commission on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual Concerns, and teaches in Women Studies and English at Cal State Long Beach. She discusses the current political and social climate of anti-feminist backlash, and emphasizes the importance of coalition building among diverse groups of people. WRC: 20th
Celebration: Angela Bowen Featuring Angela Bowen, this video records her public lecture for the celebration of Women’s Resource Center at UNM. She addresses various issues surrounding contemporary feminism through her personal anecdotes: her experiences of becoming a professional dancer, marriage, an encounter with Audre Lorde, etc. The content of her talk overlaps with her keynote speech in the tape “WRC: 20th Celebration: Angela Bowen, March 5, 1992.” WRC: 20th
Celebration: Anita Hill Human rights advocate and law professor Anita Hill from the University of Oklahoma speaks at the Women’s Resource Center’s 20th Celebration. This video records her talk titled “Harassment in the work place: some historical perspective on abuse of power.” Providing historical references of sexual exploitation of black women during slavery to the present, professor Hill emphasizes the importance of developing a “reasonable woman’s standard” in the legal system. Writing
Desire “A compelling video essay on the dream screen of the Internet and its impact on the global circulation of the women’s bodies from the Third World to the First.” This video also examines electronic written and visual mediums, such as the Internet and email, for their impact on human social and dating behaviors. It ponders how the global market place, through electronic media, facilitates the commodification of women in developing nations for Western buyers. |
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Kerida (Goodbye Dear Love) “Distinguished anthropologist Ruth Behar (recipient of the MacArthur Genius Award) returns to her native Cuba to profile the island’s remaining Sephardic Jews and chronicle her family’s journey to the U.S. as Cuban-Jewish exiles.” Behar’s search to excavate the intricacies of her identity as Cuban and Jewish, take her to Havana, Cuba; Queens, N Y; Miami, FL and finally return her to her current home in Michigan. Issues of identity are at the heart of the film, which examines how people who are part of Diasporas experience relationship to nation, religion, community and family. Adelante
Mujeres! The film traces the history of Mexican American/Chicana women from the early colonial era of the 1600s to the late 1980s. Through a collage of archival photographs of remarkable Mexican American/Chicana workers, leaders, and educaters, it highlights five centuries of struggle. Featured historical figures include Eulalia Arrira de Pérez, Judith Idár, Alicia Montemayor, Emma Tenayuca, Luisa Moreno, Dolores Huerta, Jessie Lopez de la Cruz, and Francisca Flores. These courageous women founded various labor unions and political and cultural organizations, such as Alianza Hispano Americana, League of United Latin American Citizens, and Commicion Feminine Mexicana Nacional. Apple Directed by 17-year-old Samirah Makhmalbaf, daughter of acclaimed Iranian filmmaker Mohsen Makhmalbaf, this fascinating docudrama recounts a real-life story of 12-year-old twin girls, who were locked up all their lives by their impoverished and deeply religious father in Teheran. Instead of simply condemning the father for his repressive actions, the film reveals the complexity behind this national scandal. As
The Mirror Burns This video offers a drastically different image of Vietnamese women than the timid, victimized women often seen in Western depictions of the Vietnam War. It is estimated that 70% of the Vietnamese guerilla forces fighting against foreign domination were women. Through interviews and file footage from media coverage, we see that Vietnamese women were active participants in the war, often leading the resistance against western invaders. Beah:
A Black Woman Speaks This film is a powerful autobiographical and biographical account of the life and times of actress Beah Richards. Beginning with her early life in the south, the film follows Beah’s careers as an actress, writer and activist in early and mid twentieth century California and New York. Richard’s complex and inspiring life story is told mostly in her own words which relay her commitment and love to the arts and the African-American people. Beauty
In The Bricks This film examines the lives of four young women growing up in a west Dallas housing project as they navigate and talk about their challenges in their poor urban community. We watch as these teens participate in activities organized by a local girls club and forge friendships that help them aspire to a better life. Beauty
Leaves The Bricks It is recommended that viewers
screen Beauty in the Bricks prior to screening this sequel. Black
Women On: The Light/Dark Thang Black
Women Writers This episode of Donahue’s talk show hosts a panel discussion of the works and contributions of contemporary black women writers, including Alice Walker, Angela Davis, Maya Angelou, Michelle Wallace, and Ntozake Shange. These writers discuss dilemmas of being black women in feminist and civil rights movements as well as being censored as writers by their own communities. Black men in the audience express their feelings about stereotypes of domineering black women. The white host Donahue often silences these women panelists as if to stir up controversies. Brown
Sugar: Part I, Part II, Part III & Part IV Based on the book, Brown Sugar: Eighty Years of America’s Black Female Superstars by Donald Bogle, this comprehensive documentary recaps the history of pioneering black women entertainers from the 1920s to the 1980s through archival footage, photographs and interviews. Part One focuses on pioneering black women singers and actresses, such as Ma Raniey, Bessie Smith, Josephine Baker, and Nina Mae McKinney. Part Two features Billie Holiday, Hattie McDonald, Fredi Washington, and Ethel Waters, who emerged during the depression era of the 1930s. Part Three profiles Lena Horne, Hazel Scott, Katherine Durham, Dorothy Dandrige, Eartha Kitt, and Joyce Bryant, who challenged older stereotypes of black women in the 1940s and 1950s. Part Four covers 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s when Aretha Franklin, Dione Warwick, Dee Dee Sharp, Diana Ross, Donna Summer and Cicely Tyson became icons of popular culture. These extraordinary women struggled against racism, sexism, and stereotypes of black women imposed by mainstream society, such as the images of ‘super-sexy noble savage,’ ‘endurable black matriarch,’ and ‘ all-knowing-self-sacrificing-mammy.’ Chisholm ’72: Unbought and Unbossed Dam/age This film follows Booker Prize Winning writer (1998) Arandhati Roy through her experiences fighting in the heroic campaign against the Narmada River Valley dam project in India. Roy faces personal challenges and legal danger when she uses her fame to bring attention to attention to the hardships forced on India’s poor by their government and powerful multinational corporations. Daughters
of the Dust Shot with exquisite beauty and sensitivity, this award-winning film tells a story of an extended black family on the eve of their migration to North in 1902. Juxtaposing a rich matriarchal tradition of Gullah people (descendants of African slaves living on the Sea Islands off the Georgia coast) with modern Christian ways of mainstream America, the film provides a poetic exploration of African American history, spirituality, and cultural identity. Everyone Their Grain of Sand This documentary chronicles the struggles of the fiercely determined citizens of Maclovio Rojas, Tijuana, Mexico as they fight to keep their land in the face of government bullying and corporate development. Over a three-year period we see these resourceful and spirited residents fight bureaucratic stonewalling and persecution. Fire This controversial film is a portrait of two contemporary middle-class Indian women, whose romantic relationship causes turmoil in a patriarchal joint family in New Delhi. Their personal struggle for freedom and questioning of traditions alludes to post-colonial India’s transformation into a modern sovereign nation. Flowers for Guadalupe This documentary looks at the cultural, political and religious significance of the Virgin of Guadalupe to Mexican women today. This video includes interviews with a range of women scholars, artists and other Mexican nationals who discuss the significance of the Virgin of Guadalupe in their lives, and in Mexican culture in general. This documentary also follows hundreds of women on an annual pilgrimage from the rural state of Queretaro, Mexico to Mexico City. (1997; 90mins, Color) Four Egyptian women from very different backgrounds, lives, and perspectives, share their endearing and enduring friendship through director Tahani Rached’s 35 mm lens. Political and social justice activists Amina Rachid, Shahenda Maklad, Wedad Mitry, and Safynaz Kazem are the subjects of this documentary that dares to lay the poignant narratives of these women’s lives along side Egypt’s political history. It is abundantly clear from their voices that political myths are always only part of the story and that political and intellectual differences are a breeding ground for growth and invaluable alliances. This is excellent learning tool forthose interested in politics in Egypt and the Middle East. Forbidden
Fruit This video breaks barriers
about lesbian relationships and sexual identity in African society. From Hollywood
to Hanoi This engaging and intelligent film by Tiana, a Vietnamese/ American filmmaker, explores complex issues of exile, displacement, assimilation, and reconciliation. Searching for her own doubleness of identity, Tiana travels back to ’90s Vietnam, after leading a life of an assimilated Asian actress in Hollywood. Witty and critical, the film combines clips from old propaganda war films, music videos, childhood photographs, and interviews in order to narrate a personal-as-political story of one woman’s effort to bridge her two homelands. Girls
Like Us This documentary follows the lives of four very different young women raised on the urban east coast over the course of four years (while they are between the ages of 14 and 18). Lisa, Anna, De’Yona, and Raelene struggle to find themselves amidst their parent’s generational, cultural and religious influences and social pressures from their peers. This documentary is a triumphant and heartbreaking tale of four girls journeys into womanhood at the turn of the 21st Century. Girls
Still Dream Go Home Baby Girl Guide
to Healthy: Information for a Winning Lifestyle Guts,
Gumption and Go-Ahead This video dramatizes an account of activist Annie Mae Hunt’s life performed by actress Irma Hall. Hall offers a moving account of one courageous African-American women’s life as a political activist before, during and after the Civil Rights Movement. Events are recounted in the words of Annie Mae Hunt, and capture the personality, vitality and courage of her experiences fighting for the rights of African-Americans. Her story is a lesson in the rewards of fearless independence. Heart
of the Sea This video offers a portrait of Rell “kapolioka’ehukai” Sunn, recognized as the founder of professional women’s surfing. Sunn died in 1998 of breast cancer, but her legacy as an icon of women’s surfing and Oahu, Hawaii community leader lives on in the women’s International Surfing Association and the annual Menehune surfing contest for children that she founded. The video is an example of the important contributions women make to sports and community that are often missing from the mainstream media’s depictions of leadership. Hózhó
of Native Women Iraqi
Women: Voices From Exile This video offers a thoughtful critique of Iraq’s recent history and how it’s political shifts have affected Iraqi women. These first person narratives from the rarely heard voices of Iraqi women, offer a reflective look at Iraqi politics in the ’40s and 50s, and the July 14, 1958 revolution. The video also gives a thorough account of Iraqi women’s living conditions following Hussein’s rise to power from 1991 to the Gulf War. La
Boda “In an intimate portrait of migrant life along the U.S.-Mexican border, Hannah Weyer’s film La Boda, delves into the challenges faced by a community striving to maintain their roots in Mexico, while pursuing the ‘American Dream’ across the border.” Twenty-two year-old Elizabeth, prepares for her wedding and recounts moments of her life as a child in a migrant working family. The story unfolds between Shafter, CA and Mission, TX, where the (Luis) family splits their time between in-season and off-season harvest work. This documentary reveals the commitment and strong relationships people foster by living in collectivistic communities that depend on each as friends and extended family. La Operacion This documentary examines the use of female sterilization, as a means of population control in Puerto Rico, a geographic region with the highest incidence of sterilization in the world. Made
in Thailand Mai’s
America Monday’s
Girls My
Name is Kahentiiosta “This affecting film from acclaimed director of Abnaki Kanehsatake: 270 Years of Resistance profiles a young, courageous Kahnawake Mohawk woman who was arrested after a 78 day armed standoff in 1990 between the Mohawks and the Canadian federal government. My name is Kahentiiosta is a compelling look at a people’s movement for self-determination.” Nobody
Knows My Name Rachel Raimist insightful documentary features five women who are rooted in various aspects of the Hip-Hop music scene despite the fact that as women they are often unseen and heard by the music culture they support. The artists featured are Leschea (singer), T-Love (rapper), Asia (dancer), D.J. Symphony and Lisa (wife & mother), and funk and R & B based rapper, Madusa. These women have carved out a space for themselves in a formerly marginalized music medium. Despite their love for Hip-Hop, these women draw little fame and financial reward from their careers in this male dominated music arena. The video also raises questions about the music industry’s sexual and racial politics and calls for greater participation and visibility of women in Hip-Hop. Salt
of the Earth This compelling historical narrative film is based on a 1950 strike by Mexican American zinc miners in New Mexico. People in the mining community not only fought racism but also dealt with sexism at home. The strength of the film lies in its empowering depictions of gender role reversal; over the course of the strike women take over the picket line and men become in charge of domestic duties. The film was created by a group of ‘blacklisted’ filmmakers during the height of the McCarthy era. Seen but Not Heard This documentary follows the lives of four undocumented women who lost their husbands and spouses in the New York 9-11 terrorist attack. Filmed in New York and Mexico, this video gets at both the sacrifices these women have made to create a better life for their families, and their contributions to American society. Senorita Extraviada This gripping documentary meticulously tells the legal, emotional and political stories about the more than 500 young women who have been abducted and murdered along the U.S.-Mexico borders. Most of them have been employed at U.S. owned factories. Evidence suggests that these young women are being preyed on by co-workers at the factory where they work and/or members of a transnational drug cartel. Sister Song Slaying
the Dragon Tracing the history of racist and sexist stereotypes of ‘exotic’ ‘docile,’ and ‘subservient’ Asian and Asian American women, such as ‘dragon lady,’ ‘geisha girl,’ and ‘china doll,’ this insightful film offers a critical look at historical and political forces behind the Hollywood caricatures of Asian women. Combining clips from classic and contemporary film with personal interviews, the film reveals the socio-cultural and psychological impact of those ubiquitous images upon Asian American women’s identity. Song
Journey “Song Journey takes Arlene Bowman (Navajo) on the pow-wow circuit in the hope of reviving her connection to traditional Native culture. There she finds a fascinating movement amongst Native American female musicians who are both carrying forward the musical traditions of the First Nations as well as conducting a gentle by effective rebellion against male monopoly of the “inner circle” represented by the drum. Song Journey is a powerful illustration of the strength of contemporary Native cultural identity and a wonderful companion to Bowman’s awarding winning Navajo Talking Picture.” Standing
On My Sisters' Shoulders This video is an insightful look at the American Civil Rights Movement through the eyes of seldom seen heroes including: Annie Devine, Fannie Lou Hamer, Victoria Gray Adams, Unita Blackwell and Mae Bertha Carter. These Mississippi residents and descendents of slaves provide an unwritten chapter in our nations struggle for racial equality and democracy. These women emerged as grassroots leaders whose fight for voting rights propelled them onto the national landscape. Joan and Robert Sandoff and Laura J. Lipson compile photos, archival footage and extensive interviews from participants and witnesses of the deep sacrifices suffered by the women, black and white, who stood for civil rights. Surname Viet Given Name Nam This experimental form documentary uses poetry, music, art and spoken narrative to capture some of the experiences of the women of North and South Vietnam. The
First People, The Last World This video takes a look at native peoples triumphant spirits despite their challenges with settlers and governments in the United States of America.Tribal members of the Apache, Navaho, Lakota, Sioux and the Mashantucket Pequot tribes, discuss the historical influences informing the conditions of their people today and what individuals and tribes are doing now to reclaim, restore, and honor their heritage and lands. Tribal members offer their ideas and philosophies about building and strengthening native communities. They also speculate about native people’s place in society at large in the future in North America. The
Life and Times of Sara Baartman: The Hottentot Venus This documentary offers a compelling look at the life of Sara Baartman, woman from South Africa from the Khoi Khoi people who was brought from Cape Town to London in 1810 and exhibited as a sideshow curiosity. This video traces Baartman’s (also know as the Hottentot Venus) journey from London to where she was ultimately exhibited in Paris and became the subject of medical experimentation until her death in 1814. This video examines Eurocentric assertions about “primitive” sexuality, and reveals how they served Baartman’s demise and inform current social and sexual constructions of women of African descent. The
Passion of Maria Elena Maria Elena is indigenous Raramuri and Mirasela woman living in Chihuahua, Mexico. Her 3-year-old-son, Jorge is killed by a White man in a hit-and-run accident. In the midst of her grief, community gossip, and ridicule, Maria Elena embarks on a heart-wrenching struggle for justice from corrupt, racist institutions that block her case at every turn. The
Return of Sara Baartman This documentary chronicles the repatriation of the remains of Sara Baartman to South Africa. Baartman was taken to London in 1810 where she was cruelly displayed in a sideshow as a symbol of savagery and sexuality. After a legal battle over her inhumane treatment, her captors fled with her to Paris, France with where she eventually died. Baartman was dissected by the French scientific icon Georges Courvier and placed on display in Musee de l’Homme. This documentary offers closure to a tragic tale of racism and imperialism. Visions
of the Spirit: A Portrait of Alice Walker This intimate portrait
of Pulitzer Prize-winning author Alice Walker explores a rich cultural
and political background of Walker as a writer, an African American, a
feminist, a Southerner, a mother, and an activist. Walker grew up in Eatonton,
a small Georgia town known as the home of writers Flannery O’Connor
and Joel Chandler Harris (whose works present stereotypical caricatures
of African Americans). Through interviews with Walker, her family members,
Barbara Christian (literary scholar), and crews from the film The Color
Purple, this film offers an insightful tribute to one of the most admired
contemporary feminist writers in the United States. Women
of Hope: Latinas Abriendo Camino |
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A Soldier’s Girl
(Donated) This film recounts the story of the 1999 murder of U.S. infantryman, PFC Barry Winchell (Troy Garity), who was the victim of a hate crime in Ft. Cambell, KY after his platoon found out that he was involved with a local transsexual performer. Black and White In a small New Zealand hospital in 1953, the birth of mani Bruce Mitchell caused a mild pandemonium. Fifty years later, Black and White interweaves the stories of this intersex activist and the acclaimed photographer Rebecca Swan, exploring their potent creative collaboration. This documentary introduces and elaborates on views and notions of gender fluidity. Closer Consenting Adult Based on the novel by Laura Z. Hobson, this coming-out drama tells the story of Jeff, a white middle class college student, whose parents deny his sexual identity. The film explores parental and societal pressures to ‘convert’ Jeff into being straight, as well as his parents’ gradual acceptance of his identity and life style. Fiction
and Other Truths: A Film About Jane Rule This compelling film explores the history of censorship and prejudice against lesbian literatures from the 1950s McCarthy era to the present through a collage of archival footage, photographs and interviews with author/activist Jane Rule and people who have known her. This is a powerful life story of Jane Rule, outspoken activist and internationally acclaimed writer whose book The Desert of the Heart (1964) was made into the classic lesbian film. The film also traces the history of criminalization and the civil rights movement of lesbians and gays in U.S. and Canada. Forbidden
Fruit This video breaks barriers
about lesbian relationships and sexual identity in African society. Forbidden
Love: The Unashamed Stories of Lesbian Lives Through a brilliant collage of personal interviews, film clips, archival footage and re-enactments of 50s’ lesbian pulp novels, this compelling and entertaining film presents a vibrant portrait of lesbian sexuality and survival during the oppressive period of the 1950s and 1960s in Canada. Interweaving an interview with author Ann Bannon and memories of women who read popular lesbian pulp fictions, the film explores desires, dreams and struggles of these women in search of an affirming community. I Exist Last
Call at Maud’s The film discusses the history of gay and lesbian communities surrounding the legendary lesbian bar Maud’s in San Francisco, which opened in 1966 and closed down in 1989. The film interweaves personal anecdotes with old black and white footage, photographs, and new paper articles in order to recap memories of the 1940s social scenes at gay bars, infamous police raids of the 1950s, and the counter culture and political activisms of the 1960s and 1970s. Lesbian Tongues: Lesbians Talk About Life,
Love and Sex This intimate film offers honest discussions about lesbian love, life, and sex through a series of autobiographical interviews. Women with various backgrounds are interviewed, including a therapist, a photographer, writers, poet, dairy goat farmers, and self-labeled lesbians. They discuss issues of self-definition, power, feminism, work, and sexuality. Man to Man This locally produced health project video looks at the various elements that comprise male masculinity by asking the question, “What makes a man a man?” Men from Albuquerque, Carlsbad, Farmington, and Espanola communities in New Mexico attempt answer this question. The men featured in this video are Judge Tommy Jewell, Martial Artist--Victor La Cerva, and Cowboy/Rancher--Don Hofman. Not
Just Passing Through This uplifting documentary about lesbian life and its rich history/herstory commemorates Mabel Hampton, a legendary African American lesbian activist; Marge McDonald, who left a huge collection of diaries and lesbian literatures; Asian Lesbians of the East Coast (ALOEC), a support group for Asian lesbian communities; and WOW café, New York’s avant-garde lesbian theater group. The film combines interviews with various activists and members of the community with archival footage and photographs. One
Nation Under God With humorous and insightful interviews with former ‘ex-gay’ co-founders of Exodus—one of the largest ‘ex-gay’ ministries that promote ‘conversions of homosexuals’— the film examines the history of oppression, shocking medical treatments and institutional ‘cures’ of gay people. By interweaving interviews by current members of Exodus, former ‘ex-gay’ people, and chilling archival footage of political persecution, it provides a thoughtful discussion of the ‘ex-gay’ movement. Oranges
Are Not The Only Fruit This critically acclaimed film tells a poignant coming of age story of Jessie, who grows up in a passionate evangelical household in 1960s England. When she falls in love with Melanie, she is challenged not only by her religious adoptive mother but also by a whole congregation. The film is based on the semi-autobiographical novel by Jeanette Winterson. Our
House The documentary profiles three families headed my gay and lesbian parents as the negotiate issues of co-parenting, community and identity. The families featured cut across racial and gender lines, and rural, urban and suburban landscapes. This video offers a range of first-hand accounts of the experiences gays, lesbians, and their children face creating homes and families in often oppositional circumstances. Out in Suburbia: The Stories of Eleven Lesbians |