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ARMENIA: BITTERSWEET FREEDOM
Chronicles the struggle for survival of this former Soviet
Republic since its independence following the break-up of the
Soviet Union. In the last few years this land-locked country has
become deprived of most basic necessities as a result of a
blockade of its borders, a devastating earthquake, hundreds of
thousands of refugees, and armed conflict with neighboring
Azerbaijan. In addition to documenting these tumultuous events,
the video features interviews with numerous Armenian residents
and government officials and also shows relief efforts conducted
by Armenian-American groups in health, housing, energy and
education.
Directed by Steven Talley Narrated by Mike
Connors 1993, color, 47 mins., video Uses: Current Events,
Political Science, Sociology, Soviet Studies Purchase:
CinemaGuild List Price US$295
THE ART OF RESISTANCE
Surveys the contemporary Chicano art movement by tracing its
development during the height of Chicano political activism in
the late Sixties and Seventies, blending archival footage with
interviews with the artists and samples of their work, including
photographs, murals, graphics, films, paintings, and ephemeral
art. In explaining how the socio-political climate and events
such as the Chicano Moratorium, the United Farm Workers struggle,
and political prisoners' defense campaigns influenced their art,
the artists also discuss related issues such as
Mexican-Americans' struggle for civil rights and their quest for
ethnic identity amid a bilingual and bi-cultural community.
Directed by Susana Ortiz 1994, color, 26 mins.,
video Uses: Art, Chicano Studies, History, Sociology Purchase:
CinemaGuild List Price US$250
ARTISTS IN EXILE
The self-imposed or government-forced exile of Cuban artists has
been one result of the long history of political turmoil on that
Caribbean island. This four-part series profiles the life and
work of four of Cuba's most accomplished artists in exile: Carmen
Herrera (b. 1915, in exile since 1939), one of the earliest
practitioners of abstraction in Cuban painting; Roberto Estopinan
(b. 1921, in exile since 1960), regarded by critics such as
Alfred H. Barr as one of the most important of all Latin American
sculptors; Agustin Fernandez (b. 1921, in exile since 1959), a
critically acclaimed abstract painter who is considered a pioneer
in the exploration of gender and eroticism; and Daniel
Serra-Badue (b. 1914, in exile since 1962), a surrealist painter
and former Castro cabinet minister who is considered the
godfather of Cuban art in exile. Each program offers a visual and
oral history of the artist's work and ideas, explores the
relationship between art and politics, and discusses the
adaptation to a new life in exile, in the process providing a
panoramic view of the plight of an artistic community throughout
the twentieth century.
Directed by Ray Blanco 1994, color, four
programs of 30 mins. each, video Uses: Art, Biography, Latin
American Studies, Political Science, Sociology Purchase:
Individual episodes CinemaGuild List Price US$195 or all four
episodes for only CinemaGuild List Price US$495
AS SEEN BY BOTH SIDES: AMERICAN AND VIETNAMESE ARTISTS LOOK
AT THE WAR
This video documents the history and still-ongoing tour of a
remarkable art exhibit which showcases the work of both American
and Vietnamese veterans of the Indochina War. Filmed in both
countries, the documentary features the exhibition's paintings
intercut with Vietnamese and American archival footage of the
war, plus interviews with participating artists, historians,
scholars, and veterans from both sides. Their comments further
illuminate the many issues raised by the exhibit as an
unprecedented international 'conversation' between former enemies
about the nature and the power of art, the role that the arts
play in chronicling and shaping both popular and historical
interpretations of the Vietnam War, and the value of art in
revealing cultural parallels and the universal trauma of war.
Directed by Mark Biggs 1995, color, 58 mins.,
video Uses: Art, Asian Studies, History, Sociology, Vietnam War
Purchase: CinemaGuild List Price US$350
BITTERSWEET: THE ASIAN-INDIAN EXPERIENCE IN THE U.S.A.
This unusual documentary focuses on Asian-Indian immigrants in
the U.S., who discuss the complex social and personal issues
involved in dealing with dual cultural influences. To most
outsiders, the idea of immigrating to America suggest the
opportunity to get rich and lead the "good life," but
those who undertake this journey, leaving behind their native
communities for another culture, are often faced with larger
issues than material well being. Interviews with a variety of
Asian-Indian immigrants residing in the U.S.--including such
notables as Professor Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak and painter
Mohan Samant--are combined with dramatized discussions and
self-reflexive passages, all of which illuminate issues of
cultural identity and the problems of defining community in an
adopted land.
Directed by Sanjeev Chatterjee 1995, color, 42
mins., video Purchase: CinemaGuild List Price US$295
BONTOC EULOGY
This personal and poignant docudrama examines the Filipino
experience at the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair, focusing on the
filmmaker's grandfather, an Igorot warrior, one of the 1,100
tribal natives displayed as anthropological "specimens"
in the notorious Philippine Village exhibit. A unique fusion of
rare archival images, vÈritÈ, and carefully orchestrated visual
sequences shot in the present, Bontoc Eulogy is an original and
innovative investigation of history, memory and the spectacle of
the "Other" in turn-of-the-century America.
Directed by Marlon Fuentes 1995, black and
white, 60 mins., video Purchase: CinemaGuild List Price US$350
A BRIDGE OVER THE CARIBBEAN
This documentary, featuring interviews with industrialists,
economics, and government officials, analyzes the economic
development of Puerto Rico, from 1940 through 1994, including the
impact of NAFTA on the island's economy.
Directed by Sonia Fritz 1995, color, 36 mins.,
video Uses: Economics, Latin American Studies, Puerto Rican
Studies, Sociology Purchase: CinemaGuild List Price US$250
BUILDING THE AMERICAN DREAM: LEVITTOWN, NY
This historical documentary chronicles New York real estate
developer William Levitt's postwar construction of affordable
housing for returning WWII veterans and their families in
Levittown and other Long Island communities, thereby establishing
the prototype for modern suburbia. Tracing the period from 1947
to the present day, the video explores Levitt's vision of rapidly
constructing inexpensive tract homes on 60' x 100' lots,
featuring rare archival footage and photos, an interview with
Levitt and the reminiscences of numerous Levittown residents
(including singer Billy Joel). The video shows how the federal
government, banks and builders like Levitt cooperated in the
early postwar years to finance and build affordable housing,
reveals how a policy of racial discrimination prevented blacks
from buying the homes, and traces the subsequent collapse of
Levitt's construction empire. The result is a nostalgic but
revealing look at the birth of the American suburb and its
present-day legacy.
Directed by Stewart Bird 1994, color and
b&w, 60 mins., video Uses: American Studies, History,
Sociology
Purchase: CinemaGuild List Price US$350
CHANGING TIDES
This powerful documentary examines the phenomenon of the Cuban
"balseros," those Cuban citizens who in the summer of
1994, in response to the island's deepening economic crisis, took
to the sea in flimsy, homemade rafts in a desperate attempt to
reach Florida. In a series of emotionally moving interviews, the
Cuban balseros talk about their motivations for leaving their
homeland. These heartfelt conversations, along with scenes of
emotional farewells between family members and poetry written
specially for the film, illuminate with remarkable sensitivity
both the tragedy and the folly of this situation.
Directed by Luis Felipe Bernaza 1994, color, 34
mins., video Uses: Current Affairs, International Relations,
Latin American Studies Purchase: CinemaGuild List Price US$250
CUBA AMOR
This beautifully photographed video gives a rare (for Americans)
view of Cuba. Apart from its current economic crisis as an
embattled socialist government, it is also an undeniably
beautiful Caribbean island which current U.S. laws prevent most
American tourists from visiting. This video gives us tantalizing
glimpses of some of the island's renowned beaches, with their
white sands and crystal clear waters, famous tourist sites (such
as the Tropicana nightclub) and street scenes in major cities
such as Havana, Trinidad, Santiago de Cuba, Pinar del Rio and
Cienfuegos, as well as the wildlife and natural beauties of the
tropical countryside. The musical accompaniment (in hi-fi stereo)
features the salsa rhythms of amateur musicians as well as some
of Cuba's internationally famous singers and bands, including
Orquesta Aragon, Carlos Puebla, Joseito Fernandez, Celina
Gonzalez, Abelardo Barroso, Elena Burke, and Seleste Mendoza.
Directed by Toshi Matsushita 1995, color, 38
mins., VHS video with hi-fi stereo sound Uses: Latin American
Studies, Tourism Purchase: CinemaGuild List Price US$59.95
DANCE ON THE WIND
This program illustrates the life and work of Eno Washington, an
African-American dancer, who has studied the connections between
African and African-American dance forms. The program
intersperses interviews with Washington with lively performance
footage and remarkable archival footage of African and
African-American dance.
Produced by Marty Frame, Ivor Miller, Jeremy
Brecher and Jill Cutler 1994, color, 30 mins., video
Uses: Anthropology, African Studies, African-American Studies,
Dance Purchase: CinemaGuild List Price US$250
DREAMS ENSNARED: DOMINICAN MIGRATION TO NEW YORK
Examines the economic pressures of unemployment and poverty in
the Dominican Republic which have led to a rapidly growing
Dominican community in New York City. The video interviews many
immigrants, some of whom were deported, and others struggling to
make a living in New York. A few success stories demonstrate how
those immigrants who have adapted to difficult circumstances in
the U.S. have made a new life for themselves and their families.
Directed by Sonia Fritz 1994, color, 21 mins.,
video Spanish dialog with English subtitles Uses: Economics,
Immigration, Latin American Studies, Sociology Purchase:
CinemaGuild List Price US$195
FICTION AND OTHER TRUTHS: A FILM ABOUT JANE RULE
This award-winning film profiles the life and work of novelist,
essayist, teacher and political activist Jane Rule. Blending
interviews with archival footage and dramatic evocations of
Rule's writings, the documentary examines the author's lifelong
interest in the intricacies and complexities of human
relationships and communities, her continuing involvement in the
struggle against censorship, and her conviction that we must all
be able to live and love truthfully. The film traces Rule's
formative years in the U.S., her move to Canada during the
McCarthy era with her lifelong companion Helen Sonthoff, the
sensational impact of the 1964 publication of her first (and
openly lesbian) novel, The Desert of the Heart (filmed twenty
years later as Desert Hearts), her outspoken defense of The Body
Politic newspaper throughout its many years of legal harassment,
and her important contributions to the public debate about
sexuality and representation. In recounting Rule's four decades
of creative writing and political activism, the film allows us to
share the evolution of her art and thought and the development of
sexual, political and ethical principles that are the necessity
for any compassionate and enlightened society.
Directed by Lynn Fernie and Aerlyn Weissman
1994, color, 60 mins., 16mm film/video Uses: Biography, Creative
Writing, Gay and Lesbian Studies, Women's Studies Purchase: video
CinemaGuild List Price US$350
FUNNY, YOU DON'T LOOK SICK
This video is an intimate documentary self-portrait, told with
humor and compassion, of Susan Abod, a young woman living with
Chronic Fatigue Immune Dysfunction Syndrome (CFIDS) and Multiple
Chemical Sensitivities (MCS), or environmental illness. Susan
describes in detail the nature of her illness (often
disparagingly referred to as the "yuppie flu"),
illustrates her daily routine, and gives us a guided tour of her
environmentally 'safe' apartment. Comments from Susan's numerous
doctors and a visit with her CFIDS support group offer further
insights in this illuminating, firsthand report on a baffling,
late twentieth-century disease.
Produced by Susan Abod and Lisa Pontoppidian
1995, color, 64 mins., video Resource Guide Available
Purchase: CinemaGuild List Price US$295 (public performance)
LATINO HOLLYWOOD
Chronicles Latino participation in the film industry,1911-1940,
including contributions of performers, directors and technicians
during the silent era, the development of the Latino Lover
phenemonon of the '20s, negative Latino stereotypes that emerged
in the '30s, and the later effects of typecasting and
stereotyping.
Directed by Antonio Rios-Bustamante 1995,
color, 31 mins., video Uses: Cinema Studies, Latino Studies,
Multiculturalism Purchase: CinemaGuild List Price US$195
LOST SOUL
This grittily realistic drama, set in the streets of New York's
"El Barrio," portrays the descent into drug addiction
of a Latino teenager. Produced by filmmakers who themselves come
from the streets of Spanish Harlem, Lost Soul (Alma Perdida) is
distinguished by the authenticity of its street-smart (and
sometimes raw) dialog, a realistic social setting, and perceptive
insights into the attitudes of young people today. Although it
offers no easy solutions to the problem of drug abuse, Lost Soul,
in revealing how even a nice kid from a good family is
susceptible to the lure of drugs, will prove to be an engaging
cautionary tale and a provocative discussion-starter in a variety
of screening contexts.
Directed by Pete Resto 1992, color, 37 mins.,
VHS video Uses: Latino Studies, Psychology, Substance Abuse,
Sociology, Urban Studies Purchase: CinemaGuild List Price US$250
LUISA CAPETILLO A PASSION FOR JUSTICE
Dramatizes the life and work of Luisa Capetillo (1879-1922), a
Puerto Rican journalist, writer, suffragist, and labor organizer.
An outspoken feminist, Capetillo preached equality of the sexes,
denounced the conventions of marriage and religious rituals, and
shocked public opinion of the time by dressing in male attire.
The daughter of anarchist parents, Capetillo worked with the
Federation of Laborers, traveling throughout Puerto Rico to
organize exploited tobacco and sugar cane workers. Her political
activities led her to New York, Tampa and Havana, where she also
continued to write books, essays and plays. Based on the book
Luisa Capetillo: History of a Proscribed Woman by Norma Valle
Ferrer, the video highlights the remarkable life of a
little-known, turn-of-the-century feminist thinker whose beliefs
and activities were far ahead of their times.Directed
by Sonia Fritz 1994, color, 42 mins., video Spanish dialog with
English subtitles
Uses: Biography, Latin American Studies, Puerto Rican Studies,
Women's Studies Purchase: CinemaGuild List Price US$295
MAGIC WOOL
This enchanting documentary tells the story of the Bordadores of
Isla Negra, a group of Chilean peasant women who embroider
beautiful tapestries of wool on flour sacks depicting colorful
images from their daily lives. Initially inspired by a local
mentor over twenty years ago, these poor, illiterate wives of
fishermen and farmers are today recognized internationally as
folk artists whose work has been exhibited in art galleries
throughout Europe, Latin America, Japan and the U.S. In
interviews, the women discuss their creative methods and
inspiration and the economic and social changes brought about by
their tapestry making. This celebration of the creativity and
industry of "ordinary women" features numerous samples
of their work and is accompanied by an original Chilean music
score.
Directed by Cecilia Domeyko 1995, color, 28
mins., video Purchase: CinemaGuild List Price US$250
THE MAKING OF A MONOLOGUE: ROBERT WILSON'S
"HAMLET"
Robert Wilson is internationally regarded as one of the most
significant and innovative theater artists of the second half of
the 20th century. Acclaimed as the "high priest of
postmodernism, Wilson is especially noted for such productions as
the CIVIL warS: a tree is best measured when it is down, Einstein
on the Beach, and When We Dead Awaken. This behind-the-scenes
documentary offers a fascinating view of how Wilson created his
unique one-man performance of Hamlet. Focusing on the Monologue's
world premiere at the Alley Theatre, and drawing on rehearsal and
performance footage, the video captures the rich texture of
Wilson's multi-dimensional mode of working in the theater.
Interviews with Wilson as well as his principal artistic
collaborators reveal how this Hamlet both builds on, and diverges
from, his previous productions, offering a fresh new
interpretation of the classic Shakespeare text while exploring
new means of theatrical expression.
Directed by Marion Kessel 1995, color, 62
mins., video Program Book available with purchase Purchase:
CinemaGuild List Price US$250
THE MARCH ON WASHINGTON
Chronicles the April 1993 March on Washington for Lesbian, Gay
and Bi Equal Rights and Liberation, one of the largest civil
rights rallies in American history, with an estimated one million
people marching on the nation's capital. The program features
highlights from speeches and comedy and musical performances, as
well as interviews with politicians and celebrities in
attendance, and a brief history of gay rights activism in the
U.S.
Produced by John Scagliotti 1993, color, 30
mins., video Uses: Current Affairs, Gay and Lesbian Studies,
Political Science, Sociology Purchase: CinemaGuild List Price
US$195
A MIXED-UP ADVENTURE
In order to raise money to buy the electric guitar of his dreams,
16-year-old Miguel decides to kidnap and ransom 4-year-old
Maggie, only to discover how difficult it is to take care of the
cute but irrepressible little girl. Abandoning his plan, Miguel
is returning Maggie home when she is abducted by a real
kidnapper. Aided by a group of Maggie's young friends, Miguel and
the band of children go after the bad guy to rescue Maggie. This
charming adventure is loaded with comic action and suspense that
will entertain young viewers and the whole family.
Directed by Juan Carlos Echeverria 1993, color,
94 mins., VHS video Spanish dialog with English subtitles
Uses: Children's Films, Entertainment Purchase: CinemaGuild List
Price US$99.95
A MOTHER'S JOURNEY
This emotionally moving documentary chronicles the experience of
46-year-old Suzanne, an unmarried American woman who, desiring to
create a single-parent family of her own, adopts a baby abandoned
on the streets of China in the wake of that country's notorious
population laws. A year after successfully adopting her first
child, she returns to China to adopt a second baby girl, only to
encounter unexpected problems. Her emotional ordeal illuminates
both the joys and problems involved in adopting foreign children
and in being a single parent.
Directed by Hugh Taylor 1995, color, 57 mins.,
video Purchase: CinemaGuild List Price US$350
MY CYPRUS: THE COUNTRY, THE CONFLICT, THE MISSING
Provides an informative historical overview of the ongoing
conflict between the Greek and Turkish Cypriot communities
initiated over twenty years ago by the Turkish invasion of this
Mediterranean island. Turkey continues to occupy more than a
third of the island and has never accounted for hundreds of
missing people, many of whom were last seen alive in Turkish
jails. American journalist Varnavas Zagaris provides a
personalized introduction to this tragic conflict as he visits
his ancestral village high in the mountains, the island's ancient
ruins, magnificent beaches and other tourist sites. Throughout
his journey, he interviews many Cypriots and documents the
tensions and periodic clashes in the UN-controlled buffer zone.
Directed by Todd Elgin and Anita Moffatt 1995,
color, 53 mins., video Uses: Area Studies, History, Political
Science, Sociology Purchase: CinemaGuild List Price US$350
NERVE
Former psychiatric patients, who refer to themselves as
survivors, ex-inmates, and consumers, have today become active
and organized in over sixty countries throughout the world. Their
experiences with psychiatry, although varied, are often negative,
and they are now going public with their criticisms and
suggestions in order to be taken seriously. This international
movement of former psychiatric patients has also organized
self-help groups, independent agencies and businesses. This
informative documentary features four former psychiatric patients
in New York and Vienna who represent some of these new
viewpoints. They give moving personal accounts of their personal
experiences with therapy, institutionalization and medication.
Their stories make it clear that psychiatric intervention is
often designed to enable society to distance itself from this
problem, instead of offering real help and understanding. By
confronting their experiences, these former patients have opened
their own path to recovery, overcoming a previous sense of
isolation and despair. They point towards the kinds of changes
the medical profession and society at large must adopt in order
to achieve more humane treatment and acceptance of those who
experience psychiatric symptoms and crises.
Directed by Peter Stastny, M.D. and Stephan
Krumbiegel 1995, color, 45 mins., video Purchase: CinemaGuild
List Price US$295
NI‹OS DE ESPERANZA: CHILDREN OF HOPE
This inspiring documentary portrays the efforts of a group of
American volunteers--including architects, artists, teachers and
psychologists--in building and operating a primary school in a
poor Tiajuana neighborhood. Their efforts are joined by other
American and Mexican volunteers, including parents of the
school's young students, resulting in a remarkable example of
international and local volunteerism, community organization, an
innovative educational program, and U.S./Mexico relations.
Directed by Paul Carlson and Brennan Hubbell
1994, color, 28 mins., video English and Spanish dialog with
English subtitles Purchase: CinemaGuild List Price US$250
PHILADELPHIA, MISSISSIPPI
A contemporary portrait of the small Southern town where, in June
1964, three young civil rights workers were murdered for
registering blacks to vote. In the thirty years since,
Philadelphia, Mississippi has retained its infamous reputation as
a racist backwater. Every year, on the anniversary of the
murders, national news media converge on Philadelphia in an
attempt to learn whether race relations have changed in the
American South. This intense scrutiny has affected how
Philadelphians feel about themselves and the rest of the country.
Interviews with numerous Philadelphia residents, both black and
white, reveal a town full of complexity, with many of their
responses unexpectedly challenging viewers to examine their own
racial attitudes.
Directed by Garth Stein 1994, color, 60 mins.,
video Uses: African-American Studies, History, Race Relations,
Sociology Purchase: CinemaGuild List Price US$350
PROFESSION: CHILD
Reveals the exploitation of child labor in Brazil today, focusing
on the daily lives of four children in and around Rio de Janeiro.
Ranging in age from ten to twelve years old, including both girls
and boys, these children cut sugar cane, work in a slaughterhouse
and a garage, and collect waste paper for resale. They are paid
minimal wages by their employers, work in unsafe environments,
have no job benefits or legal protection of any kind, and must
endure these brutal conditions merely in order to survive.
Directed by Sandra Werneck 1994, color, 60
mins., video Uses: Child Welfare, Latin American Studies,
Sociology, Urban Studies Purchase: CinemaGuild List Price US$350
REVELACIONES / REVELATIONS: HISPANIC ART OF EVANESCENCE
This fascinating documentary shows the Fall 1993 construction
at Cornell University of site-specific installations by eight
acclaimed Hispanic artists. It features interviews with the
artists, shows the construction of their installations and scenes
of the exhibit, as well as the controversy and protest it
engendered on campus. The result is a compelling examination of
numerous issues raised by the exhibit about Hispanic art, race
and the university, and site-specific art installations.
Directed by Edin Valez 1995, color, 28 mins.,
video Purchase: CinemaGuild List Price US$250
RUSSIA AND AMERICA
This timely documentary focuses on the Russian city of
Ekaterinburg as a case-study illustration of the former Soviet
Union's difficult transition from a socialist to a capitalist
economy. This attempted conversion has devastated this former
Soviet center of defense-related industries, whose factories,
research institutes and universities depend on government
support, leaving the city in economic, social and political
turmoil. In revealing interviews, a wide range of Ekaterinburg's
citizens--including businesspeople, politicians, scientists,
educator, students and artists--discuss the economic situation,
the housing shortage, defense conversion, the impact on education
on education and scientific research, politics and democracy, and
the rising crime rate. In a provocative twist, this survey of
Russia's current social ills is compared to similar problems
affecting Ekaterinburg's 'sister city,' another Silicon Valley
location, San Jose, California. This comparison illuminates
wide-ranging social dilemmas that confront both Russia and
America today and how the two societies can learn from each
other.
Directed by Bob Gliner 1994, color, 60 mins.,
video Purchase: CinemaGuild List Price US$295
SECUESTRO: A STORY OF A KIDNAPPING
This critically acclaimed feature documentary dramatizes the
complex problem of kidnapping in Colombia, where the disparity
between rich and poor has turned kidnapping for ransom into a
virtual business, with a kidnapping occurring every seven hours.
In 1985, 20-year-old Sylvia Motta, daughter of a wealthy
industrialist was kidnapped by ten armed men. Director Camila
Motta, the victim's sister, re-creates the harrowing three months
during which Sylvia was chained to a bed while their father
negotiated for her life. The film utilizes a montage of
interviews, dramatic re-creations, still photos, footage of daily
life in Colombia, and actual recordings of the series of
telephone negotiations between the kidnappers and the father. The
result is an intense, dramatically compelling portrait of the
psychological torment experienced by the victim and her family
and the ruthless but thoroughly professional criminal methods of
her captors.
Directed by Camila Motta 1993, color, 92 mins.,
16mm film/video Spanish dialog with English subtitles
Uses: Cinema Studies, Latin American Studies, Political Science,
Sociology Purchase: video CinemaGuild List Price US$395
SPIRIT OF A PEOPLE:A NEW PORTRAIT OF RUSSIA
Chronicles recent changes in Russia, from before the 1991 coup
attempt and focusing on life today in post-Soviet Russia. The
video portrays the daily lives of two Soviet families -- a
Russian/Jewish family of six and a young Russian Orthodox
filmmaker and his artist wife and baby -- providing us the views
of three generations on how they have survived in both the old
and the new Russia. Also interviewed in the video is respected
Russian scholar, Dmitri Likhachev, and Jane Taubman, American
Professor of Russian and coauthor of Moscow Spring, who provide
additional cultural and historical perspective.
Directed by Daniel Pinkham and Betsy
Scarborough 1994, color, 56 mins., video Uses: Current Affairs,
Political Science, Sociology, Soviet Studies Purchase:
CinemaGuild List Price US$295
STRAIGHT FROM THE HEART
This Academy Award-nominated documentary is an emotionally moving
account of the issues parents face in coming to terms with having
a lesbian or gay child. Among those sharing their stories is a
police chief who talks about how proud he is of his lesbian
daughter; a Mormon couple whose son died from AIDS; the parents
of a naval aviator who was drummed out of the military in 1993
after acknowledging his homosexuality; and a black woman and her
two lesbian daughters who were accused of 'catching' their
lesbianism from white people. At a time of increasing hate crimes
and anti-gay ballot measures, this video is a powerful
presentation of parents' struggles with our society's traditional
homophobia and the misinformation and fear about the so-called
"Gay Agenda" cultivated by the Radical Right.
Directed by Dee Mosbacher and Frances Reid
1994, color, 24 mins., video Study Guide Available
Uses: Current Affairs, Family Relations, Gay and Lesbian Studies,
Sociology Purchase: CinemaGuild List Price US$195
TABLOID FRENZY
Public interest in the secrets and scandals of TV and movie stars
fuels the billion dollar a year business of tabloid journalism,
one with a weekly readership of over 20,000,000 for 'supermarket
tabs' such as The National Enquirer, The Star, and The Globe.
This timely documentary goes behind the scenes to chronicle the
daily activities of the editors, writers, researchers and
photographers at The Globe and other leading 'tabs,' in the
process revealing their working methods and journalistic
philosophy. The program also traces the tabloids' historic roots
in turn-of-the-century London's Fleet Street, and examines the
tabloids' influence on TV news-magazine programs such as Hard
Copy, A Current Affair and Inside Edition.
Directed by Desmond Smith 1994, color, 46
mins., video Uses: Journalism, Media Studies, Sociology
Purchase: CinemaGuild List Price US$295
A TRANSSEXUAL JOURNEY
This poignant and informative documentary profiles Katherine
Cohen (formerly Bruce Cohen) and her decision to undergo
male-to-female sex reassignment surgery. In interviews before the
surgery, Cohen discusses her prior life, including a marriage and
two children, relations with her family and her lifelong
conflicted feelings about her sexuality. In separate interviews
conducted a few weeks and a full year after the
operation--illustrated in a computer animated sequence--she
discusses her decision, her new life, and her hopes for the
future. The result is an intimate, revealing and sometimes
painful portrait of someone torn apart by nature and society and
the tremendous obstacles confronting those whose chromosomes
don't match their gender.
Directed by Behzad Sedghi 1995, color, 44
mins., video Purchase: CinemaGuild List Price US$295
THE U.S.A. VS. "TOKYO ROSE"
This historical documentary tells the little-known story of the
Justice Department's postwar pursuit and conviction of
Japanese-American Iva Toguri for what it deemed treasonous radio
broadcasts during WWII. The late Forties were characterized by an
atmosphere of congressional hearings into "un-American
activities," the development of "blacklists" and
numerous trials which destroyed people's lives. One such
prosecution targeted as a political scapegoat Iva Toguri, Los
Angeles native and UCLA graduate, who the government argued was
the villainous media creation known as "Tokyo Rose."
Utilizing court records, FBI documents, and rare archival
footage, the video chronicles the anti-Japanese sentiment which
prevailed in postwar America and the injustice it often wrought.
Directed by Antonio A. Montanari Jr. 1995,
color, 48 mins., video Uses: Asian-American Studies, History,
Political Science, WWII Purchase: CinemaGuild List Price US$295
WHAT ABOUT MACEDONIA?
This timely documentary examines the former Yugoslav Republic and
newly independent country of Macedonia and its efforts to make
the difficult transition from socialism to capitalism and to
forge a democratic society in which ethnic minorities share
equally in political and economic decision making. Fearful that
the ethnic bloodshed and human rights violations now taking place
in neighboring Bosnia and Croatia may spread to Macedonia and
lead to a new world war, the United Nations has 1100 troops
(including 550 from the U.S.) stationed there. This timely video
offers a comprehensive view of contemporary Macedonian society,
featuring interviews with a wide range of its citizens, from
typical families to its president, from the unemployed to key
policy makers, from the archbishop to factory owners and workers,
as well as journalists, sociologists, archaeologists, artists,
students, and people on the street. Their comments are blended
with traditional music and folklore to portray a multi-ethnic
society that, unlike its Bosnian and Serbian neighbors, has so
far successfully resolved its ethnic tensions.
Directed by Bob Gliner 1995, color, 56 mins.,
video Purchase: CinemaGuild List Price US$295
A WORLD ON DISPLAY In the spring and summer of 1904,
the eyes of the nation, and of the world, were focused on St.
Louis, Missouri, site of a world's fair commemorating the
Centennial of the Louisiana Purchase. Largest and grandest of all
international expositions, the St. Louis World's Fair displayed
America's economic and artistic resources, the latest inventions,
and models for urban life. The Fair's organizers also brought
more than 2,000 indigenous peoples from around the world to live
in supposedly authentic villages, illustrating both the social
Darwinism of the period and America's new role as an overseas
power. The video utilizes first-person accounts of elderly
Americans who went to the Fair, interviews with historians, rare
archival footage and previously unpublished photos to situate the
St. Louis Fair in the social, political and cultural context of
American society at the turn of the century.
Directed by Eric Breitbart 1994, color, 53
mins., video Study Guide available Purchase: CinemaGuild List
Price US$79.95
TABLOID FRENZY
Public interest in the secrets and scandals of TV and movie stars
fuels the billion dollar a year business of tabloid journalism,
one with a weekly readership of over 20,000,000 for 'supermarket
tabs' such as The National Enquirer, The Star, and The Globe.
This timely documentary goes behind the scenes to chronicle the
daily activities of the editors, writers and photographers at The
Globe and other leading 'tabs,' in the process revealing their
working methods and journalistic philosophy. The program also
traces the tabloids' historic roots in turn-of-the-century
London's Fleet Street, and examines the tabloids' influence on
broadcast journalism in the development of TV news-magazine
programs such as Hard Copy, A Current Affair and Inside Edition.
Directed by Desmond Smith 1994, color, 46
mins., video Purchase: CinemaGuild List Price US$295
MEDIA ONLY
A behind-the-scenes look at media coverage of the 1992 Republican
National Convention where, for one hectic week, 15,000 members of
the working press crowded into Houston's Astrodome. Featuring
interviews with journalists, the video shows the operations of
national and international newsgathering organizations through
the daily activities of photojournalists, newspaper and magazine
reporters, and TV and radio broadcasters. The result is an
informative, revealing, and sometimes humorous look at the nature
of contemporary journalism.
Produced by Margaret O'Brien-Molina and Rick
Christie 1992, Color, 47 mins., video Purchase: CinemaGuild List
Price US$295
COUNTERFEIT COVERAGE
Reveals a hidden dimension to media coverage of the Gulf War,
showing how wealthy Kuwaiti citizens hired a major American PR
firm to develop a multi-million dollar ad campaign to promote
U.S. military intervention in the Gulf on behalf of Kuwait. The
video shows how testimony about alleged Iraqi atrocities was
orchestrated before Congress and the UN, how some former
journalists sell their credibility and access to the highest
bidder, and how American TV newsrooms compromise the integrity of
their newscasts by using Video News Releases produced by PR firms
on behalf of their clients.
Directed by David Shulman 1992, color, 28
mins., video Purchase: CinemaGuild List Price US$250
CORPORATION WITH A MOVIE CAMERA
Examining the ways in which corporate representations have shaped
Americans' ideas about Third World countries, this video
interweaves excerpts from corporate sponsored films such as
Sumatra, Island of Yesterday (Goodyear Tire and Rubber Co.) and
Assignment Venezuela (Creole Petroleum Corp.) with literary texts
from Joseph Conrad to Pablo Neruda, poetry, and dramatic
segments.
Directed by Joel Katz 1992, Color, 34 mins.,
video Purchase: CinemaGuild List Price US$250
FOREVER IN TIME: THE ART OF EDWARD S. CURTIS
Chronicles the career of Edward S. Curtis (1868-1952), best known
today for his work in photographically documenting the American
Indian. Although Curtis was unable to realize his ambitious dream
of portraying every North American Indian tribe, he eventually
produced enough photos to fill forty portfolio volumes, as well
as a wealth of motion picture footage. The video features
interviews with surviving Curtis family members, plus his motion
picture footage, sound recordings and exquisite photographic
portraits.
Produced by Robert W. Mull 1990, color and
B&W, 50 mins., video Purchase: CinemaGuild List Price US$295
COVERING CHIAPAS
Examines award-winning broadcast journalist Amy Goodman, of New
York's WBAI-FM radio, at work covering the February 1994
emergence of Zapatista rebels in the Mexican state of Chiapas. As
Goodman pursues issues ignored by most mainstream media, the
video raises important questions about how a journalist decides
what are the most important and relevant aspects of a story.
Directed by Victoria Schultz 1994, color, 27
mins., video Purchase: CinemaGuild List Price US$250
SHAKESPEARE
In this premiere episode of the "Time Quest Historical
Interview" series, a high school teacher and one of his
students don Elizabethan garb and travel back in time to London
in 1609 to have lunch with William Shakespeare at the Mermaid
Tavern. They question him about the writing and performance of
his plays--including the use of double meanings, metaphors and
puns, his historical sources, contemporaneous political
references, and the design of the Globe Theatre--and come away
with a greater appreciation for the Bard's work. This carefully
researched and imaginatively produced short presents Shakespeare
with a sense of immediacy and authenticity that is sure to make
his work more inviting and accessible to students and
theatergoers of all ages.
Directed by Wink Grise 1994, color, 21 mins.,
video Purchase: CinemaGuild List Price US$195
THE SOUNDS OF NEW YORK
A colorful portrait of street musicians in New York, where music
can be heard on every street corner, park and subway station. The
video includes performances by a variety of musicians, from
students to accomplished professionals, who play everything from
classical to pop music, and who comment on the pleasures and
perils of performing in the streets, their relationship to the
audience, making a living, and their hopes for a professional
career.
Directed by William Freda, Jr. 1990, color, 60
mins., video Purchase: CinemaGuild List Price US$350
FUTURE WAVE: JAPAN DESIGN
Examines the economics, esthetics, philosophy and personalities
of Japanese design. The film visits numerous design studios and
corporate design centers--illustrating the role of design from
product concept through design development, packaging, marketing,
advertising and sales--and features interviews with Japanese
design managers, fashion designers, marketing executives, authors
and commentators.
Directed by John David Rabinovitch 1990, color,
58 mins., video Purchase: CinemaGuild List Price US$350
A FUTURE FOR FORESTS
Examines the aims of the Forest Stewardship Council, a new
international voluntary body, to promote responsible forest
management by monitoring the international trade in timber. In an
effort to prevent the disastrous ecological consequences of
deforestation and the increase in illegal logging operations, the
Council has instituted a sophisticated plan--utilizing hand-held
computers, laser scanners, and barcode identification for
logs--whereby consumers can be assured of the ecological validity
of their timber purchase. Filmed in numerous international
locales, the program shows both good and bad examples of forest
management and how a new consumer awareness can encourage more
responsible forest management worldwide and discourage the
illegal trade in tropical rainforest timber.
Directed by J. Edward Milner 1993, color, 25
mins., video Purchase: CinemaGuild List Price US$225
SPIRIT OF TREES
Environmentalist Dick Warner hosts this eight part series on
trees and their relationship with the world around them.
Throughout the series, he meets with conservationists,
scientists, folklorists, woodsmen, seed collectors, forest
rangers, wood turners, charcoal makers, professional and amateur
foresters, and many other tree enthusiasts, each of whom share
their special knowledge and insights with us. Directed
by J. Edward Milner 1992, color, 25 mins. each, video Purchase:
CinemaGuild List Price US$195 each/CinemaGuild List Price US$995
series
EPISODE 1: OLD OAKS
A visit to England's Windsor Great Park, a celebrated site for
ancient oaks, reveals the importance of trees in the ecosystem's
complex process of renewal and regeneration, while the monks of
Glenstall Abbey in Ireland explain how one's interest in trees
can be both spiritual (serving as guardians of the forest) and
commercial (producing beautifully crafted wood products).
EPISODE 2: RESTORING SCOTLAND'S NATIVE TREES
A visit to the Scottish Highlands serves as a case study of how
throughout the world today we are in danger of losing our ancient
woodlands of native trees. Interviews with several
conservationists explain how the deforestation of native
woodlands can be reversed and how proper forest management can
restore natural diversity, aid natural regeneration, and still
support the production of consumer goods from trees.
EPISODE 3: FROM WILD WOODS TO TOWN GARDENS
Examines the natural growth in ancient forests of scarce species
such as the Crab Apple, Wild Cherry and Irish Whitebeam, the
importance of the cultivation of diverse species in private
gardens, and recommendations for the growth of trees in urban
environments.
EPISODE 4: MANAGEMENT
OF COPPICE WOODLAND
Examines the art of coppicing, an ancient method of managing
trees, which has important contemporary applications in the
sustainable management of woodland trees while supporting
production of a wide variety of wood products.
EPISODE 5: FOLKLORE OF TREES
Examines the ancient history of customs and rituals involving
trees, their spiritual and religious significance, and their
persistence to the present day, including the Fair Trees of
Ireland, the springtime decoration of may bushes, Arbor Day
celebrations, and the activities of a group of contemporary tree
worshippers.
EPISODE 6: CONSERVATION OF RARE TREES
Examines the threatened survival of rare trees, the importance of
preserving them, techniques (such as grafting) to do so, and the
activities of botanists in several species recovery programs.
EPISODE 7: HISTORY FROM TREES
Examines both the history of trees--including once relatively
abundant species which today are very rare and some of the oldest
trees in the world--as well as the importance of trees in human
history such as the Yew trees, relics of pre-Christian beliefs,
including the ancient Yew at Ankerwyck by Runnymede in England
where the Magna Carta was signed in 1215 and where in the summer
of 1992 a new "Green Magna Carta" was signed.
EPISODE 8: THE FUTURE OF
TREES
A visit to the ancient Redwoods in the Giant Sequoia National
Park in California inspires a discussion with a Native American
ecologist of how a true respect for trees must be handed on to
the next generation. This concluding episode also examines new
uses for trees, from Silver Birch Wine (made from birch sap) to
the use of willow walls on highways to absorb traffic noise and
the use of willow beds in sewage treatment.
THE AMAZON: A VANISHING RAINFOREST
Filmed in the heart of Brazil's Amazon River Basin, this video
focuses on the work of the National Institute of Amazon Research,
and shows how encroaching development poses a threat to the
region's fragile eco-system.
Directed by Bradford Brooks and Christopher
Gillette 1988, color, 29 mins., video Purchase: CinemaGuild List
Price US$250
PROTECTING THE GLOBAL ENVIRONMENT
This new documentary series produced by The Better World Society
highlights the urgent need for international cooperation to deal
with crucial threats to the world's basic ecosystems. Each
video--Can Polar Bears Tread Water?, Jungle Pharmacy and
Profits From Poison -- examines a different
ecological threat facing the world today, and suggests ways in
which the average citizen can respond. A "Viewer Action
Guide" is available free of charge with the series. Although
each program is available for individual rental or purchase (see
prices below), the entire "Protecting the Global
Environment" series is also available for purchase at
CinemaGuild List Price US$750 for all three episodes.