Cry of Jazz: Featuring Sun Ra and his Arkestra

MVD Entertainment Group

This cult classic was chosen for preservation by the Library of Congress, which praised it as “an early and influential example of African-American independent filmmaking.” Shot by Edward O. Bland in Chicago in 1959, Cry of Jazz draws parallels between the lives of African Americans and different forms of jazz, presenting controversial viewpoints on music and race. The film features rare footage of visionary pianist Sun Ra, saxophonist John Gilmore, and the rest of the Arkestra in Windy City nightclubs, all shot in glorious black & white. (35 minutes)

Dave Matthews Band: Plugging the Gap

MVD Entertainment Group

Premiere touring group and possibly the most successful cult act ever, Dave Matthews Band somehow managed to side-step the usual routes to stardom and instead made it on talent and fervent grassroots support. Now, several albums into a career that shows no sign of waning, the story of DMB’s rise to the top is told on film. This unauthorized documentary features interviews with the managers, club owners, and others who believed in the band right from the start and helped boost them to fame. (60 minutes)

Kentucky Music: Nikos Pappas and Seth Folsom

Jeffrey Hill

Hailing from Lexington, Kentucky, Nikos Pappas is a walking encyclopedia of fiddle tunes and their history. He’s also a champion fiddler who has taken home multiple awards, and a member of the great Kentucky string band Red State Ramblers. In this performance, he collaborates with Seth Folsom, a musician and world-class banjo maker from Louisville. Folsom is also a master performer on the instrument, able to provide solid backup for fiddle players in the old-time frailing style, as well as play a wonderful finger style similar to that of Charlie Poole. Folsom can be heard with some of the finest old-time bands, from the Jawbones of Louisville to The Crooked Jades of San Francisco. Hosted by Jesse Wells of the Kentucky Center for Traditional Music at Morehead State University. (27 minutes)

Kentucky Music: Karly Dawn Higgins

Jeffrey Hill

Rowan County’s Karly Dawn Higgins made her start in traditional music with the all-female bluegrass band Hazel Holler. Shortly after she left the band she met a group of old-time musicians in Morehead, Kentucky, and formed the Clack Mountain String Band. The four-piece group would go on to perform at national music festivals like MerleFest and Seedtime on the Cumberland as well as performances at Chicago’s Old Town School of Folk and the Carter Fold. Higgins fronts her own country group, Karly Dawn and Kinfolk, and can often be seen performing with collaborator Sarah Wood as Karly Dawn and Little Sarie. This splendid performance features Higgins in rare form and is hosted by Jesse Wells of the Kentucky Center for Traditional Music at Morehead State University. (27 minutes)

Canberra (Part 1) / Great Ocean Road / The Kimberley: Travel Oz

Looking Glass International

In this episode, visit Australia's capital, Canberra, for the Australian War Memorial and the Old and New Parliament Houses. Then head to the Great Ocean Road for a step back in time with vintage cars and the 75th anniversary celebrations of this scenic and historic road. Explore the Kimberley region in Western Australia to see some real Aussie cowboys mustering up cattle with some extremely close-up encounters. Part of the series Travel Oz. (30 minutes)

All About Darfur

California Newsreel

Director Taghreed Elsanhouri says she felt uniquely qualified to make this documentary “because as a northerner in Sudan I know what it is to belong to a dominant group, and as a black woman in Britain I know what it’s like to be marginalized.” The film follows Elsanhouri as she returns to Sudan to see how the seemingly-racially harmonious country of her youth could have become the scene of two of the worst instances of ethnic cleansing in recent African history. Talking with Sudanese people in cafes, markets, refugee camps, and living rooms, Elsanhouri finds that race does matter. Arabic and English with English subtitles. (82 minutes)

LBJ Inaugural Address

The WPA Film Library

Excerpts from Lyndon Baines Johnson’s presidential inaugural address on January 20, 1965. (23 minutes) Copyright The WPA Film Library.

Nixon Inauguration

The WPA Film Library

Excerpts from Richard Nixon’s first presidential inaugural address on January 20, 1969. (38 minutes) Copyright The WPA Film Library.

Egypt: Globe Trekker

555 Productions

In this Globe Trekker video, Megan McCormick begins her Egyptian adventure in Cairo at the Bazaar of Khan al-Khalili, a huge market which has been open since the Middle Ages, and goes on to visit the mosque at Ibn Tulun, the spot legend holds Noah's ark came to rest and Moses confronted pharaoh's magicians, the Great Pyramids at Giza, and the monastery at St Antony's. En route to Siwa, a remote town dominated by crumbling remains of the 13th century fortress of Shali, Megan stops at El Alamein, a war cemetery commemorating World War II soldiers. From Siwa she embarks on a five day desert trek to the west bank of Luxor, also known as Monument Valley. Along the way she joins a family celebrating sebuwa, a ceremony held a week after the birth of a baby, and visits the ruins of Bagawat, site of 263 Coptic tombs dating back 1,800 years. Finally, Megan visits Abu Simbel, where Ramses had his sun temple built over three thousand years ago. (50 minutes)

Ultimate India: Globe Trekker

555 Productions

This Globe Trekker episode follows several explorers through India, hitting the crowded cities of Calcutta, Delhi, Chennai, and Mumbai, home to the world's biggest film industry, historic sites like the Taj Mahal, several Hindu temples, and the mountain ranges on a Himalayan trek and a stop at some British colonial hill top retreats. They make time to attend several Hindu festivals and to investigate the cuisine by tasting local dishes like a thali served up on banana leaves, stopping at the only pepper exchange in the world, and partying at a hot toddy bar. Finally, they absorb the beauty of the subcontinent’s beaches on Lakshwadeep, the coral islands in the Arabian Sea, at the new hippy hangout of Varkala, and in the old Portuguese colony of Goa, before jetting west to the untouched reefs and protected tribes of the Andaman Islands. (50 minutes)

Hong Kong and Taiwan: Globe Trekker

555 Productions

This Globe Trekker video follows Megan McCormick through two countries closely linked to China's politics and traditions yet inching toward western modernity. In Hong Kong, Megan learns how feng shui influences many modern skyscrapers, sees a wishing tree, goes on a shopping spree in a piracy-friendly district, sees a fortune-teller, bets on horses, hits the city's trendiest club, takes a tai chi lesson, meets a legendary movie stunt man, visits the historic Sam's Tailor, which has clothed Bill Clinton and Luciano Pavarotti, goes paragliding, and marvels at the world's biggest, sitting Buddha. In Taiwan, she starts in Taipei, visiting a night market that specializes in medicinal snake products, Martyrs' Temple, and the still under-construction mirrored 101 Tower. Out of the city, Megan hikes to a hot springs, attends morning prayers at a modern temple, climbs Jade Mountain, and ends up on the remote Orchid Island with the Yami people. (52 minutes)

Marrakech/Dubai City Guides: Pilot Guides

555 Productions

This Pilot Guides episode features Marrakech, called the great desert city of Morocco, and Dubai, the world’s break-out city of luxury. In Marrakech, a fusion of Africa, Europe and the Islamic cultures, KT Comer takes a carriage to Koutoubia Mosque, which marks the western edge of the old walled city, and explores the markets of the souk, featuring traditional arts, regional crafts, snake charmers, and other performers. She learns about Moroccan leather, listens to traditional Berber healing music, tours the Majorelle Gardens, attends a carpet auction, participates in the Folklore Festival, and visits the Jewish cemetery. In Dubai, Megan McCormick goes downtown to the docks where trade is done between Iran and Dubai. She takes a riverboat to the gold souk, admires the luxurious Burj Al Arab hotel, tries on an Arabic 'abaya', learns about Ramadan, visits the “Sheikh Mohammed Center for Cultural Understanding,” tours the Jumeira Mosque, and takes a trip to Abu Dhabi, business center of the oil rich Gulf and home to the best golf courses in the world. (49 minutes)

The Android Prophecy: Are Robots a Threat?

Journeyman Pictures

For almost a century, Hollywood has been warning of a future during which human beings become enslaved by the machines they have created. Has the time come to take the seemingly outlandish imagination of science fiction seriously? Drawing disturbing conclusions about our possible mechanical domination, this documentary investigates the parallels between movie fantasy and science reality. Over the years innovations in artificial intelligence and biotechnology have made it harder to distinguish man from man-made. Originally conceived as an aid to humanity, robots could be ready to suppress the masses. “I’m an optimist—we have a 51 percent chance of survival,” sci-fi writer Arthur C. Clarke wryly observes. It’s time to listen up: life as we know it today was last generation’s science fiction. (60 minutes)

Arc of Light: A Portrait of Anna Campbell Bliss

Cynthia Walker

Taking inspiration from science and technology as well as art history, Anna Campbell Bliss developed a style that synthesized many of the movements of early 20th-century modernism. This film traces the broad spectrum of Bliss’s life and work, ranging from the influences of her early childhood and her groundbreaking career as a Harvard-trained architect to her emergence as a cutting-edge artist fusing a wide range of elements: mathematics, computers, printmaking, calligraphy, and more. Featuring interviews with Bliss and her husband, Robert, as well as with other notable art world professionals, the documentary shows how Bliss’s career was shaped by her studies with Bauhaus exponents Walter Gropius and György Kepes, and how associations with Josef Albers, R. Buckminster Fuller, and other figures were also crucial. In addition, the film touches on what may have been Bliss’s greatest personal challenge—a period, thankfully temporary, in which cataracts threatened to destroy her eyesight. (51 minutes)

14 Up: U.K.

ITV Global Entertainment Limit

Also known as 7 Plus Seven, this film pushes beyond its predecessor and, as all subsequent Up installments do, makes extensive use of footage from it. Viewers are therefore able to compare the teen phase with the 7-year-old one as a dozen-plus youthful participants struggle to articulate their states of mind. A few subjects, such as the bespectacled Nick and rather petulant Suzy, seem wholly unwilling to face the camera’s gaze. From the trio of wealthy boys, however, there is more revelation, mostly in matters of politics and business, while the three working-class girls—Jackie, Lynn, and Sue—touch on those areas as well, in their own ways. Meanwhile, Tony appears to inhabit his own personal dreamscape, in which he may or may not become a jockey at Epsom Downs. This is the first episode directed by Michael Apted, who has helmed the series ever since. (52 minutes)

14 Up in America

ITV Global Entertainment Limit

The second installment of the U.S. version of the classic British documentary series, this film updates viewers on the children featured in Age 7 in America. It follows the young subjects seven years later as they come to terms with adolescence, facing new challenges relating to school, violence, financial status, and family and divorce. In Chicago, LeRoy and Kennisha still fear violence and gangs, although Kennisha’s family has moved out of the housing project and is enjoying a precariously improved quality of life. In New York, Lucy, Alexis, and Kate still benefit from a privileged lifestyle but it is marked by its own brand of stress and tension. In Los Angeles, Julio is growing up fast—his scenes reveal a young man bent on self-determination and an awareness of the need to “stretch a dollar.” The program makes excellent use of footage from the previous episode for comparison and contrast. (59 minutes)

21 Up: Japan

ITV Global Entertainment Limit

Modeled on the Up series produced in the United Kingdom, which begins with a group of 7-year-olds and revisits them every seven years, the Up: Japan chronicle focuses on 13 youth living in different parts of Japan. In this program, which rejoins the participants at age 21, they are asked to talk about their lives, families, and future with the same honesty and frankness displayed in the original British production. Contradicting the perceived homogeneity of Japanese society, the circumstances of these young adults are vastly different from each other. Some, such as Eri and Maki, live in politically sensitive areas like Okinawa, near a U.S. military base. Sanae lives near the disputed Kuril Islands, while others like Yoshio and Mitsukatsu carry the heritage of two different ancestral cultures. (Portions with English subtitles, 90 minutes)

Angola's Landmines: The Seeds of the Devil

Journeyman Pictures

Landmines are disabling approximately 200 people a week in Angola, with children being more vulnerable and less likely to survive an explosion. This film reveals the daily struggle against being killed or maimed in Angola’s deadly minefields. Twelve-year-old Daniel lost his legs when his friend mistook a mine for a toy. Antonia cannot bear to use her cumbersome prosthesis, and so lives her life between the yard and her bedroom, swinging on her arms to get around. A peacetime army of mine clearers tries to clean the fields so people can get on with planting crops, but it’s slow work—and for every bit of land that’s cleared, somebody somewhere is laying another deadly mine. Original title: The Seeds of the Devil. (51 minutes)

East Timor and Australia: The Invisible Ties That Bind

Journeyman Pictures

This powerful documentary about the East Timor crisis makes the claim that Australian foreign policymakers sacrificed human rights for their own political gain. Australia had spent millions nurturing a special relationship with Indonesia, creating a three-pronged policy of engagement: it trained Indonesia’s soldiers in an attempt to instill more democratic values; negotiated a security pact to take pressure off Australian defense spending; and scored access to Timorese oil. In revelations from intelligence agents, informants, and previously unseen government reports, the film shows just how far Australia went to protect its relationship with Indonesia, to the tragic detriment of the people of East Timor. Some content may be objectionable. (45 minutes)

Mauritania: Born Slave

Journeyman Pictures

Bilal, a 16-year-old slave in Mauritania, runs away from his master in order to find his mother, who had to give him up when he was only 2 years old. Tracking the reunion of Bilal and his mother, this documentary reports on the problem of slavery in Mauritania and the maltreatment suffered by its legions of unpaid, captive workers. Attempts to abolish slavery in the West African country have been made since 1901, but the practice is culturally entrenched; although technically illegal, 20 percent of Mauritania’s population remains enslaved. (52 minutes)

Embedded in Afghanistan

Journeyman Pictures

After being shot in the chest while embedded as a journalist in Afghanistan, John D. McHugh was determined to show what life is really like for the U.S. troops stationed there. From managing a dysfunctional Afghan army to the media blackout on showing wounded American soldiers to countering sophisticated Taliban attacks, this intimate documentary brings together a series of themes that have come to define the Afghan conflict. (54 minutes)

South Africa: Forest of Crocodiles

Journeyman Pictures

Like the crocodiles that carpet their country’s riverbanks, some South Africans have never evolved beyond a primitive state that links survival with fear. Their homes are equipped with electric fences and hired security crews for the purpose of keeping out intruders—who would, of course, be black. This program explores the persistence of racist attitudes among white South Africans and also takes a heartening look at those who have overcome their prejudice. “How do you teach a child in South Africa not to be afraid?” asks Johannes, a retired white pastor who works closely with a black congregation. “It has been so emphasized in our history.” Some language may be offensive. (52 minutes)

Astana, Kazakhstan: Capital

Journeyman Pictures

After Kazakhstan gained independence in 1991, its seat of government was moved north and renamed Astana, meaning “sublime gateway.” Old Soviet-era buildings were torn down and internationally acclaimed architects hired to design a model city that might become the hub not just of Kazakhstan, but of all of Central Asia. A decade after its conception, has Astana lived up to its promise? In this program, citizens who are preparing to celebrate Astana’s ten-year anniversary discuss their hopes for and criticism of the world’s newest capital city. (Portions with English subtitles, 56 minutes)

Martin Adler: The War Reporter

Journeyman Pictures

Journalist Martin Adler courageously recorded warfare in Somalia, Liberia, and 38 other countries, helping define the way Americans saw foreign conflicts for more than a decade. This program brings together some of Adler’s award-winning photos and footage to present a riveting profile of an extraordinary man. “I want to go to the places no one else goes to, and I want to listen to the people nobody else listens to,” Adler once said. Women sweeping the ground in the middle of bombed-blasted Chechnya, a Liberian warlord holding an AK-47 in one hand and a baby in the other, desolate landscapes from Uganda to Algeria—Martin allowed the images to speak for themselves, fuelled by a fearless curiosity which would eventually get him killed. The film also features interviews with Adler’s friends and colleagues, and segments from his acclaimed film On Patrol with Charlie Company. Original title: The War Reporter. (54 minutes)

Journey to the Forgotten River

National Geographic

In a remote part of southern Africa, the crippling drought of the early 1980s caused a quiet but significant upheaval. In the African country of Botswana there was once a paradise. But as the continent was seared, rainwater pans dried and quite mysteriously the Savuti Channel itself shrank, drained away, and died. United by a common instinct to survive, scores of animals set out in search of water. This film follows their journey, which proved to be a life-and-death struggle that brought about momentous change to a pristine landscape of forest and river. A National Geographic Production. (58 minutes)

Killer Cats of Kalahari

National Geographic

The Kalahari of southern Africa is composed of parched plains stretching hundreds of miles under the scorching sun. It is in this extreme environment that two species, the springbok, Africa’s swift and graceful antelope, and the cheetah, the fastest predator on land, engage in an age-old race for their own survival. This video takes an intimate look at one of the most spectacular races on earth, a never-ending contest that leaves only the quick and the dead, and chronicles the raw beauty, splendor, and extreme athleticism of these two remarkable species that have evolved together over thousands of years. A National Geographic Production. (54 minutes)

Superpride

National Geographic

Meet the Transects Pride, a Serengeti superpride made of double the number of lions—and lionesses—than the average pride. In southeastern Tanzania, herds of over a million wildebeest and zebra follow the rains and the new grass north to Kenya. Their journey takes them right into the heart of Transect Territory. For the next weeks, the lionesses will gorge on wildebeest and zebra, having perfectly synchronized the arrival of cubs with the arrival of the wildebeest. Join us as we witness these remarkable lionesses protecting cubs against nomadic male lions who hope to mate with them—just one of the many challenges this pride will face. A National Geographic Production. (50 minutes)

Assignment: Blue Nile

National Geographic

Shrouded in myth, the Blue Nile is one of Africa's greatest rivers. From its source in the Ethiopian highlands, the Blue Nile plunges a vertical mile in its 840-mile course to the plains of Sudan, carving out one of the most rugged and beautiful watercourses in the world. We follow photographer and conservationist Nevada Weir and a crew of five as they tackle an unprecedented, extremely remote and dangerous journey, rafting the cascading whitewater and following an uncharted land route on a continuous, un-interrupted expedition. These incredible images will transport you to some of the most breathtaking and rare corners of the world. Join us for this dramatic expedition into the African waterways and wilds. A National Geographic Production.

John Galliano: Masters of Style

Quiver Entertainment, Inc.

Madness, delirium, and decadence—these are words that have attached themselves to John Galliano, whose sensibilities combine a reverence for the past that springs naturally from his Spanish roots and a sense of theater sharpened by his English upbringing. This program profiles the controversial fashionista, who has made a career of fashion “moments” ranging from a London graduation show in 1984 to couture work in Paris for Christian Dior. Over and over again, Galliano has proved how much more there is to fashion than mere clothes. Contains fashion-related nudity. A part of the series Masters of Style. (48 minutes)

Valentino: Masters of Style

Quiver Entertainment, Inc.

We are used to the idea of the celebrity designer-thanks, largely, to Valentino Garavani, who is arguably the prototype. A ruler in the world of fashion for decades, he became entirely identified with the lifestyle of his rich and famous clientele to the point where the women he dressed-Jackie O and Elizabeth Taylor, to name only two-became known as "Val's Gals." This program offers a retrospective of the life and career of the ineffably chic fashion designer known simply as Valentino. Contains fashion-related nudity. A part of the series Masters of Style. (48 minutes)

Atwood and Family

National Film Board of Canada

Margaret Atwood was born in 1939 in Ottawa and grew up in northern Ontario and Quebec. This internationally acclaimed author has achieved distinction as a poet and as a novelist and is the recipient of numerous awards and honorary degrees. She is the author of more than 50 volumes of poetry, children’s literature, fiction, and nonfiction—and is perhaps best known for her novels The Edible Woman, The Handmaid’s Tale, The Robber Bride, and The Blind Assassin. Her work has been published in more than 40 languages, including Farsi, Japanese, Turkish, Finnish, Korean, Icelandic, and Estonian. Yet she remains a most elusive literary figure. In this classic program—a condensed version of the documentary Margaret Atwood: Once in August—director Michael Rubbo travels to Atwood’s island retreat to discover what shapes this celebrated Canadian writer’s fiction and what motivates her characters. (30 minutes)

The Boxing Girls of Kabul

National Film Board of Canada

This documentary film depicts a group of young Afghan women striving to become world-class boxers and training without the most basic facilities in the national stadium where the Taliban has recently executed women. Though they are loyal to their country, they dare to defy its traditions. Inspired by their tenacious coach, these courageous boxers openly dream of their future, and even a shot at the Olympics. Committed to a challenging regime and enduring family and societal pressures to abandon their training, the women are determined to fight their way onto an international stage. This film shadows them closely over the course of a year so viewers have the chance to know them both as individuals and as a team of competitors punching well above their weight. The Boxing Girls of Kabul reveals a compelling journey of both personal and political transformation and illustrates the power of fighting for what you believe in. With English subtitles. (52 minutes)

Frantic Assembly: A Guide to Devising

ClickView Pty Limited

U.K. theater company Frantic Assembly has emerged as one of the boldest and brightest stars in the international drama firmament. Building shows from the ground up-called devising, a form of improvisational, collaborative theater-is at the heart of the highly acclaimed troupe. This program provides insight into the devising process, from first thoughts to first night. Part celebration, part explanation of Frantic Assembly's approach to production, it offers in-depth interviews and practical demonstrations that will inspire students as they begin their own devising journey. A viewable/printable worksheet is available online. (24 minutes)

Making Every Moment Count

National Film Board of Canada

Dr. Leora Kuttner, an award-winning filmmaker and an international expert in pediatric pain management, brings us this groundbreaking and comprehensive look at the emerging field of pediatric palliative care. At the film’s heart are five remarkable young people who speak with profound clarity and wisdom about being alive and their approach to death. Layering their stories with interviews, the film is a unique portrait of how families and professionals can come together during a highly emotional time to share in decision making, address fears of death, and provide hope. Dr. Kuttner’s films have been recognized by the Association for the Care of Children's Health, the Health Sciences Communications Association, and the National Council on Family Relations. (39 minutes)

Woodwind and Brass: The Orchestra

ClickView Pty Limited

Bobby is eager to join the orchestra but knows nothing about it. Luckily, Strauss the Conductor is here to teach him before he signs up. Through the antics of these two engaging puppet characters this program teaches students about the woodwind and brass sections of the orchestra. It explores the history and development of ancient aerophones to the modern day flute, clarinet, oboe, bassoon, trumpet, French horn, trombone, and tuba, and demonstrates a range of playing techniques and varying timbres. A viewable/printable worksheet is available online. Part of the series The Orchestra. (28 minutes)

Topdog Diaries

Storyville Films

In this inside look at the creative process of a playwright, Suzan-Lori Parks spends two years struggling to produce her Pulitzer Prize–winning play, Topdog/Underdog. From her mentorship with the legendary James Baldwin to her marriage to blues musician Paul Oscher (who provided the music for this film), the program documents the creation of a dramatic piece, from initial inspiration to footage of the play in performance—which features Don Cheadle (Hotel Rwanda) and Jeffrey Wright (Angels in America) in the leading roles. Parks discusses her characters, plot, and dialogue; the logistics of mounting the production; being a female writing male characters; and whether or not a play has to be about race just because the characters are African-American. (55 minutes)

Red Hot Chili Peppers: Last Gang in Town (Unauthorized)

MVD Entertainment Group

This documentary-style video features rare footage, photographs from private archives, and numerous location shots for an intimate portrait of the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Hear how they formed and overcame terrible odds to achieve their goals. It’s a tale of sex, drugs, and rock 'n' roll as never been told before, including interviews with the band, ex-members, friends, and many other contributors. Since their self-titled 1984 debut, these sexually-charged punk-rock funk masters have slowly evolved to become one of the premiere acts of the alternative rock scene. From tragedy to triumph, from obscurity to international superstardom, this unauthorized documentary explores a long and tumultuous history of a great American rock band. One hour of exclusive footage, one-on-one in-depth discussions, and a relentless soundtrack, this release is the ultimate addition to the collection of any true Red Hot Chili Peppers fan. (63 minutes)

$100 and a T-Shirt: A Documentary About Zines in the Northwest

MVD Entertainment Group

$l00 & a T-Shirt, an original documentary by Joe Biel, illuminates the world of self-publishing and serves as a cultural analysis of what makes the thriving sub-culture of zinesters tick. Biel interviews about 70 zine makers, ex-zine makers, and readers from the northwest—all quirky and artistic young people who produce hand-crafted magazines which run the gamut from artistically ornate polemics to minimalist whimsical rants. They discuss the impetus to create zines, their genesis, self-publishing history, intricacies of the zine community, resources available for zine makers, and the genre's future. He gives us glimpses of the Portland Zine Symposium and takes us on a zine-themed bicycle tour around Portland. The program relays the sheer energy behind this DIY movement and offers interested viewers the nuts and bolts of small-scale publishing.

The Human Family Tree

National Geographic

Astoria, Queens, New York is the melting pot of melting pots, with a range of skin tones, heights, weights, hair types, and eye shapes, to say nothing of their beliefs, cultures, languages, and trades. But just how different are we? At a street fair in the heart of Astoria, on a sweltering July day, geneticist Spencer Wells and his team take DNA samples from this amazingly diverse group. These samples will show how a selection of New Yorkers: a waitress, a teacher, a councilman, a fashion model, and a mother, among many others, with ethnic origins as diverse as Thai, Puerto Rican and African—are all connected; that they, like everyone else on the planet, can trace their ancestry back to the same small group of Homo sapiens who began eking out a living in Africa less than 200,000 years ago. A National Geographic Production.

Wings Over the Serengeti

National Geographic

Experience stunning aerial and natural history cinematography while flying with African vultures. This magnificently filmed saga presents nature's most misunderstood creatures as an integral part of Africa's bounty. If not for these scavengers, the plains would be an immense graveyard. From the mighty lion to the lowly dung beetle, each creature has a place in Africa's circle of life. Rise above the tooth-and-claw drama of the Serengeti, and meet the griffin vulture— nature's undertaker—a reviled but vital bird of prey biding its time until feasting opportunities arise. Any unlucky carcass is dispatched in a matter of minutes by a feeding frenzy that attracts jackals and hyenas along with vultures. Scavenging insects swarm over the remaining bones and horns. Time-lapse photography and unique point-of-view filming highlight stunning beauty, while capturing images of carnage not for the faint of heart. A National Geographic Production. (52 minutes)

Among the Wild Chimpanzees

National Geographic

Jane Goodall is legendary among primate researchers, and for good reason: she learned more on her own studying chimpanzees than all who went before her combined. In 1960, Goodall set out for Tanzania's remote Gombe Stream Game Reserve to study the behavior of man's closest living relative, the chimpanzee, showing her quiet determination to observe these animals closely while disturbing them as little as possible. Gaining their trust over a 20-year period of noninterference, she gathered an unprecedented wealth of information on their rich social lives. We see playing, fighting, grooming, and even the once-controversial tool-use among the remarkably human-seeming chimpanzees. Goodall's grace and scientific curiosity really shine; she is a model for field biologists the world over. This film looks at two landmark decades of Jane Goodall's work, including her dramatic discovery of chimpanzees making and using tools. A National Geographic Production. (58 minutes)

Gakusei Seikatsu! (in Japanese)

ClickView Pty Limited

In this program, Yui and Yayoi, two Japanese teens, share aspects of their daily life in Japan. Viewers learn about their school and the subjects they study, what they do in their spare time, what they eat, and their families and friends. Yui and Yayoi also provide step-by-step instructions for the correct use of chopsticks, and for preparing okonomiyaki (Japanese pancakes). The video is entirely in Japanese, and without English subtitles, making it an ideal resource for middle to senior level students. A viewable/printable worksheet is available online. (Japanese, 13 minutes)

What Lies Beneath (Art of America)

BBC Worldwide Learning

In this program, Andrew Graham-Dixon feels the pulse of contemporary America through some of its most significant artists and art movements. In New York City, he views Jasper Johns’s White Flag and Andy Warhol’s soup can paintings—then talks with James Rosenquist before heading to Los Angeles for a look at Googie architecture and the work of Ed Ruscha. Back east, he visits the home of Philip Guston and then the studio of Jeff Koons to learn how this artist continues to push the boundaries of American taste. Finally, Graham-Dixon explores the impact 9/11 has had on a new generation of artists, including Matthew Day Jackson. A BBC Production. Part of the series Art of America. (51 minutes)

Kenya and the Horn of Africa: Indian Ocean, with Simon Reeve

BBC Worldwide Learning

The third leg of Simon Reeve’s journey is the most dangerous as he travels from the beautiful coast of Kenya to Somalia, where pirates are plaguing ships offshore, and to the war-torn capital. A BBC Production. Part of the series Indian Ocean. (59 minutes)

Chile and Bolivia (A South American Journey, with Jonathan Dimbleby)

BBC Worldwide Learning

In Chile, Jonathan Dimbleby discovers a nation transformed since the demise of General Pinochet, but still working to heal the scars left by his rule. He meets the editors of a satirical magazine, rides with Chile’s first female rodeo rider, crosses the Atacama Desert to a ghost town where he visits with poet Jorge Montealegre—who says that under Pinochet the town was turned into a concentration camp where he was detained—then reaches the ocean, where he finds fishermen harvesting seaweed for export to China. From Chile, Dimbleby heads to Bolivia, where he meets child laborers who have formed a trade union; two sisters from the once persecuted Aymara community, who compete as cholitas in wrestling matches to assert their national identity; and coca farmers. A BBC Production. Part of the series A South American Journey. (59 minutes)

Colombia and Venezuela (A South American Journey, with Jonathan Dimbleby)

BBC Worldwide Learning

As Jonathan Dimbleby travels across Colombia and Venezuela, he discovers that they have strikingly divergent modern realities. Colombia, for so long synonymous with drug wars, is also a country of hope and resilience. Jonathan cycles with a visionary mayor around the streets of Bogotá, meets a reformed FARC fighter, goes to a coffee farm in the Andes, visits a cemetery in Medellín, and enjoys watching a group of kids break dancing from the notorious hillside slums. In Venezuela, Dimbleby searches for a sense of the true spirit of this polarized nation. He finds himself at an anti-U.S. rally, joins a police patrol in a crime-ridden section of Caracas, rides with cowboys, and listens to a youth orchestra drawn from two previously warring neighborhoods. A BBC Production. Part of the series A South American Journey. (59 minutes)

Brazil (A South American Journey, with Jonathan Dimbleby)

BBC Worldwide Learning

Nowhere is evidence of the economic boom in South America more apparent than in Brazil, but in this program Jonathan Dimbleby finds the road to riches is paved with dilemmas for both Brazil and the wider world. In the Amazon, architects and cattle ranchers are grappling with environmental tension. On the coast, descendants of runaway slaves are fighting to protect their land from the expansion of a satellite launch facility. And in Rio, Dimbleby joins the commander of a new police force as they seek to pacify the slums ruled by the law of the drug lords. A BBC Production. Part of the series A South American Journey. (59 minutes)

Put the Needle on the Record

MVD Entertainment Group

This award-winning documentary explores the evolution of electronic music and the rise of the DJ in pop culture. Filmed in Miami during the Winter Music Conference—a yearly, weeklong event attended by over 20,000 electronic music professionals and fans—the program takes an inside look at a growing global phenomenon. Interviews with top artists, footage from events around the globe, and a brilliant soundtrack come together as a highly energetic piece of filmmaking. Director Jason Rem brings the unexplored genre of electronic music to the masses for this rare glimpse at a movement that is driven by passion, creativity, and business. (106 minutes)

The Burning Times

National Film Board of Canada

False accusations and trials led to massive torture and burnings at the stake, and ultimately to the destruction of an organic way of life. The Burning Times is an in-depth look at the witch hunts that swept through Europe just a few hundred years ago. This beautifully crafted film advances the theory that widespread violence against women and the neglect of our environment today can be traced back to those times. (56 minutes)

Doubles Basic: Path of the Paddle

National Film Board of Canada

When paddling double, the canoeists demonstrate the basic paddling strokes and how to apply them in a variety of combinations to move the canoe at will. Throughout the classic Doubles Basic film, the application of each stroke in rapids is shown briefly, with emphasis on the necessity of working as a well-coordinated team. This short film from canoeist Bill Mason is the winner of the BAFTA Film Award in the Best Specialized Film category. (28 minutes)

Haiti: Where Did the Money Go?

Film At Eleven

After a 7.0 earthquake brutalized Haiti in January of 2010, Americans donated a stunning $1.4 billion to major charities. Ten months later, filmmaker Michele Mitchell went to the Caribbean nation to observe and record conditions there, with a follow-up trip ten months after that. She and her production team found that half a million people still lived in squalid camps or worse settings, with malnutrition and cholera on the rise. The resulting documentary asks several pivotal questions: Where exactly did the donations go? Why are so many still suffering? Are they victims of not just the earthquake but also the big business of emergency aid? Through visits to dysfunctional and poorly funded camps, as well as interviews with Red Cross authorities, Catholic Relief Services officials, health experts, human rights activists, and others, viewers learn about how disaster relief really works and why it often doesn’t. The film lets Haitians tell their own stories, too, from weary aid workers to parents agonizing over how to protect their children. But this story isn’t just about Haiti—tragically, it’s about what happens in crisis zones around the world when good intentions, bad organization, and inscrutable greed combine. Winner of the Radio Television Digital News Association's 2013 Edward R. Murrow Award (News Documentary). Contains disturbing imagery and mature themes. (Portions with English subtitles, 51 minutes)

The Lost Jungle: Shane Untamed

National Geographic

Shane O takes on the unknown and inhospitable terrain of Guyana's vast rain forests. His goal is to reach Mount Weiassipu, a tepui that has never been climbed. But deep in the jungle, he and his team find themselves stranded with no porters and little food. The ultimate goal then changes from climbing to surviving. This episode of Shane Untamed brings you to the perfect storm. A National Geographic Production. (52 minutes)

Kiss: Hell's Guardians

MVD Entertainment Group

This video release compiles a number of television news pieces and interviews with the wildly popular hard rock group Kiss. It begins with early back stage dressing room footage where the band applies make up, and an intimate conversation between Ace and Stanley. Highlights include an AJ Hammer interview looking back on Kisstory aspects; a MAD TV ad for Kiss toys; surprise TV appearances by Kiss; a Kiss documentary; a 20-minute band press conference; footage from Ace's birthday party at a bowling alley in 1996; and footage from Ace's solo period in London. Other features include reports on the band from ABC-TV news magazine 20/20 and the Australian edition of 60 Minutes; two lengthy interviews with European MTV during the later "no makeup" period; and a fundraising appeal for the Muscular Dystrophy Association aired during the annual Jerry Lewis telethon—a treat for new and old fans alike! (103 minutes)

Metallica: Phantom Puppets

MVD Entertainment Group

This profile uses rare interview footage with Metallica band members to reveal the men behind the legend, and also tells how the Grammy Award winners stay grounded in spite of their ascension to metal demigod status. This film contains many never-seen interviews, exploring the true lives of these larger-than-life heroes. Footage is taken from around the globe, including tours in Germany and Australia. Formed in October 1981, Metallica has since sold over 90 million albums, making them one of the most commercially successful heavy metal acts in music history. Their hit "Enter Sandman" is included in an exhibit at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as one of 500 songs that have shaped rock 'n' roll. Metallica has managed to keep their feet fixed firmly on the ground, regardless of their massive media presence and millions of fans. This program is sure to enlighten fans new and old! (90 minutes)

Jamaican Gold

MVD Entertainment Group

Jamaican Gold is the longest running reggae club in California, and possibly in the entire world. It continually plays host to performances from the hottest names in the versatile and energetic musical genre of reggae. This spectacular film was recorded over many sunny days and warm evenings between July 2006 and Summer 2007, and features reggae and dancehall superstars Beenie Man, Elephant Man, Damian Marley, Cham, Lady Saw, Luciano, Spragga Benz, Jr Reid, Richie Spice, Cecile, and Mad Cobra. New and old fans of reggea and dancehall music will not want to miss these performances by Jamaican musical artists at their prime! Experience the energy and splendor of the legendary Jamaican Gold club in Hollywood, California where these timeless artists discuss their music, culture, rastafari, inspirations, love, and pay homage to Bob Marley who paved the way for all. A rare treat for all music lovers everywhere! Viewer discretion is advised. Contains explicit language. (116 minutes)

Deep Roots Music 2: Bunny Lee Story and Black Ark

MVD Entertainment Group

This video presents the third and fourth segments of a fascinating six part series documenting the history of reggae music. Shot on film by an Oscar nominated cameraman, Deep Roots Music was produced in the early 1980s, just after the premature death of Bob Marley. This film includes the programs "The Bunny Lee Story" and "Black Ark.” Witness one great producer and his "family" of artists as they demonstrate how it's done, featuring Prince Jammy, Wayne Smith, Junior Reed, and the fabulous backbone of the Bunny Lee stable - Jackie Edwards, Delroy Wilson, Johnny Clarke, and Prince Jazzbo. Then, experience a celebration of the influence of Rastafari on reggae, including the rarest of footage of His Majesty Haile Selassie. Also featured is Nyabinghi drumming by Count Ossie, Tommy McCook, and Skully; The Mighty Diamonds; Bob Marley; and interviews with Lee 'Scratch' Perry at his home and in the studio, brilliantly describing black power. (103 minutes)

Casa del Rio: Art Deco Icons

Electric Sky

When British industrialist Walter Price visited California in the 1930s, he was so impressed by Pickfair—the glamorous residence of Hollywood stars Douglas Fairbanks and Mary Pickford—that he decided to construct his own Art Deco mansion back in the Devon countryside. This program examines Price’s luxurious creation, a palace fit for Tinseltown complete with a marble staircase built to look like a piano keyboard. Casa del Rio, as Price christened it, also features smaller but no less intriguing accoutrements—Art Deco gadgets such as Bakelite radios and toasters that were cutting-edge for the time. A bar, pool room, and cinema were added later, but with the original Pickfair mansion no longer extant, Casa del Rio stands as a rare example of a fantasy house from the height of England’s Art Deco period. A part of the series Art Deco Icons. (28 minutes)

Deserts: Global Environments

ClickView Pty Limited

Global warming is bad news—unless, of course, you’re accustomed to life in the desert. Arid environments, which already cover one third of the Earth’s land mass, are growing at an alarming rate, which means that they could conceivably become the new normal. In the next few decades, up to 35 percent of the world’s terrain faces desertification with the lives and livelihoods of millions, if not billions, in jeopardy. Examining the dramatic changes in store for our planet, this program looks at what the global community should be doing to prepare, what actions are currently being taken, and how cultures which have thrived for centuries in extremely dry locations are passing on a range of skills and traditions designed to help cope with the “arid” life. Can this undervalued knowledge enable the rest of us to survive? Viewable/printable educational resources are available online. (18 minutes)

What Is Science Doing to Tackle Air Pollution? Ever Wondered? (Series 1)

Scorpion TV

In this episode, viewers go behind the scenes to investigate what science is doing to tackle air pollution in New Zealand and the effects airborne contaminants are having on people's health. The National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research uncovers the main pollutants—the “dirty 5”—and concludes that the main offenders are vehicle emissions and wood fires. Host John Watt then heads out into the field to see what happens when science meets up with urban transport systems by conducting a series of field tests to monitor varied pollution exposures on a particular route traveling by bike, bus, train, and even inside a baby stroller. A part of Ever Wondered? (Series 1). (22 minutes)

Prelinger Archives: Master Hands (Part III) (1936)

Prelinger Archives

In part 3 of 4, this Prelinger Archives film--a tribute to the master hands of the auto makers--shows the manufacture of Chevrolets from foundry to finished vehicles. Foundrymen, machinists, welders, and assemblers are featured. Called a "classic 'capitalist realist' drama," Master Hands was selected for the 1999 National Film Registry of "artistically, culturally, and socially significant" films. Musical score by the Detroit Philharmonic Orchestra. The Jam Handy Organization, for Chevrolet Motor Company. (5 minutes)

Prelinger Archives: Manpower (c. 1943)

Prelinger Archives

"To fight this war, 10 million more people must go to work by the end of 1943." This Prelinger Archives film is designed to recruit untapped male and female labor into the war industries. An interesting window into home front history--and an insightful perspective on the social fabric of the times. U.S. Office of War Information. (9 minutes)

Prelinger Archives: It Can't Last (1944)

Prelinger Archives

Written by the distinguished Librarian of Congress and Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Archibald MacLeish, this Prelinger Archives film gently criticizes civilian complacency in America that World War II is all but won by reminding viewers that casualties are continuing to be incurred by U.S. armed forces overseas and that "it's as hard...to die at the end of the war as its beginning." A moving melodrama. U.S. Navy. (19 minutes)

Prelinger Archives: Remember These Faces (1945)

Prelinger Archives

This Prelinger Archives film employs graphic color footage of injured soldiers being treated to show the general public how war bond money is being put to good use--and to inspire America's patriotic citizens to dig even deeper into their wallets and purses to be a part of the 7th War Loan, 1945. Unforgettable images of an island assault in the Pacific campaign that powerfully communicate the human cost of war as calculated in casualties, "the bitter backwash of battle." U.S. Treasury's War Finance Division. (17 minutes)

Prelinger Archives: A Tale of Two Cities (1946)

Prelinger Archives

This Prelinger Archives film--an edition of Army-Navy Screen Magazine, "a pictorial report for the armed forces only"--depicts America's nuclear attacks on "vanished Hiroshima, the first city in history to be atom-bombed into oblivion," and its sister in destruction, Nagasaki. A chilling analytical look at the effects of A-bombs on the landscape. U.S. War Department. (12 minutes)

Prelinger Archives: Classic Television Commercials (Part I) (1948)

Prelinger Archives

This Prelinger Archives film (part 1 of 5) is a collection of television commercials significant to the history and development of TV as an advertising medium. Ads include BAND-AID bandages; Gillette Blue Blade razor blades; the Remington electric shaver; the Gillette Super-Speed razor; MUM Creme deodorant; Pepsodent toothpaste; and Dodge cars. Various producers and sponsors. (9 minutes)

Prelinger Archives: Classic Television Commercials (Part III) (1948)

Prelinger Archives

This Prelinger Archives film (part 3 of 5) is a collection of television commercials significant to the history and development of TV as an advertising medium. Ads include Speedway "79" Power Fuel; Esso Extra gasoline; Bank of America; Lucky Strike cigarettes; Muriel cigars; Kool menthol cigarettes; Marlboro cigarettes; Robert Burns cigars; Winston cigarettes; and Ajax cleanser. Various producers and sponsors. (9 minutes)

Prelinger Archives: Medical Aspects of Nuclear Radiation (1950)

Prelinger Archives

"Radioactivity is dangerous, but to say that it is deadly--period--is as misleading as giving a flat answer to the question, 'How high is up?' " This Prelinger Archives film points out sources of naturally occurring radiation in the environment, explains the effects of radiation upon the human body, quantifies the amount of radiation a body can safely absorb, emphasizes the treatability of radiation sickness, and considers the relative dangers of exposure to an atomic weapon blast. The film's breezy narration may have proved helpful in calming 1950s A-bomb hysteria, but its sheer matter-of-factness will likely strike today's viewers as appallingly callous. Cascade Pictures of California, for The Armed Forces Special Weapons Project. (20 minutes)

Prelinger Archives: Duck and Cover (1951)

Prelinger Archives

Designed for children, this Prelinger Archives film--an icon of Cold War Civil Defense doctrine--boils down what to do in the event of an atomic attack to the simple concept of "duck and cover." The implicit message? That nuclear war with the Soviet Union was both unavoidable and survivable. Chilling! Selected for the 2004 National Film Registry of "culturally, historically and aesthetically significant" motion pictures. Archer Productions, for the U.S. Federal Civil Defense Administration. (9 minutes)

Prelinger Archives: Communism (1952)

Prelinger Archives

"The leaders of Russia tell us their only concern is the defense of their own nation. Is this so, or are they ambitious for world conquest?" So begins this highly skeptical Prelinger Archives film on the history of Communism, from its 19th-century roots to the Cold War, and steps being taken by the Free World to counter Soviet ambitions around the globe. "For everyone we want freedom, not tyranny." Excellent documentary footage of key figures and events from across the first half of the 20th century. Coronet Instructional Films. (11 minutes)

Prelinger Archives: Eisenhower Campaign Spots, 1952 Presidential Campaign (1952)

Prelinger Archives

This Prelinger Archives film showcases a classic "I Like Ike" animated commercial created for the 1952 Eisenhower presidential campaign. A paradigm of bandwagon advertising propelled by a peppy jingle. Roy Disney, for Citizens for Eisenhower. (1 minute)

Prelinger Archives: What You Should Know about Biological Warfare (1952)

Prelinger Archives

This Prelinger Archives film is a Cold War-era effort to warn Americans about the possibility of an unconventional weapons attack, and to educate them in both preventing and coping with such attacks. The film shows how lab-cultivated germs and toxic chemicals might be used in biological warfare, how a germ-warfare strike could be launched (for example, a local attack with spray cans or other tools), and what citizens should do if a disease outbreak or epidemic actually occurs. Vulnerable areas cited include farms, reservoirs, and manufacturing facilities. Reid H. Ray Film Industries, for the U.S. Federal Civil Defense Administration. (7 minutes)

Prelinger Archives: Give Yourself the Green Light (1954)

Prelinger Archives

This Prelinger Archives film is an urgent message to 1950s America concerning the need for modern roads and highways, with the ultimate goal of creating the Interstate Highway System. Following an ill-equipped repair crew as it patches holes in pavement, the film bemoans an outdated transportation system that can't support "our growing greatness" (in other words, the rising numbers of cars in use) while scenes of rush-hour traffic warn that "we're running out of roads!" For solutions, the program illustrates state-of-the-art highway development across the nation and lobbies viewers on the importance of tax-supported financing so that construction can take place immediately. "If you pay as you go," warns the narrator, "you may not go at all." Jam Handy Organization, General Motors Corporation, Department of Public Relations. (22 minutes)

Prelinger Archives: Big Trains Rolling (1955)

Prelinger Archives

This Prelinger Archives film shows how the American railroad system developed and illustrates the vital role of train transportation in the economy of the 1950s. With enthusiastic narration and patriotic music, the film presents high-energy scenes of railroad technology in action, from its rather primitive-looking original forms to the thundering diesel-pulled trains that captured the imaginations of 1950s youth. Two young children are at the center of the narrative, traveling cross-country in a sleeping car and learning all about the railroad's various uses--hauling passengers, agricultural products, manufactured goods, raw materials, even mail. "Train travel," says the narrator, "is almost like watching a motion picture--one of the most interesting motion pictures you can possibly imagine!" Dudley Pictures Corporation, for the Association of American Railroads. (24 minutes)

Prelinger Archives: Magic in the Air (1955)

Prelinger Archives

This Prelinger Archives film illustrates the basic principles of what was, in 1955, state-of-the-art television technology. Visiting a TV studio as it prepares for a live broadcast, the film shows how television equipment works--including going inside a bulky camera and examining its contents, then following the broadcast "signal" with the help of classic voltage-like animation to a TV antenna and into the home of a happy viewer. How electrons are used to scan and reproduce a picture is explained quite effectively, if not in complete scientific detail then at least to the satisfaction of the average high-school physics student. The evolution of TV technology is paralleled with that of the American car. Jam Handy Organization, for the General Motors Corporation, Department of Public Relations. (8 minutes)

Prelinger Archives: Aluminum on the March (Part II) (1956)

Prelinger Archives

This Prelinger Archives film (part 2 of 2) is a mid-20th-century look at the aluminum industry, focusing on a wide variety of products from the Reynolds Metals Company. The film depicts aluminum uses in automobile styling, in home appliances, in product packaging, in cooking and preserving, as a "do-it-yourself" material, and as the key metal in jet airplanes, Diesel engines, buses, and heavy industries. The ease with which aluminum can be handled is demonstrated in a sequence showing a farmer using it for siding and insulation and to irrigate a field. The piping in this scene is shown to be highly portable, being moved in sections by one person. In a "pageant of packaging" the film presents row after row of familiar brands parading in step to stirring martial music, filmed against a background of brilliant colors. Jam Handy Organization, for Reynolds Metals Company. (14 minutes)

Prelinger Archives: The Dynamic American City (Part II) (c. 1956)

Prelinger Archives

This Prelinger Archives film (part 2 of 2) advocates urban redevelopment and renewal, 1950s-style. It supports strategies which are often criticized today, such as the leveling of run-down or historic neighborhoods in the name of progress as well as auto-centric city planning and suburban sprawl. However, as a socio-historical document, the film is a valuable look at the trends that created much of today's American landscape. Topics include the introduction of steel and other metals into skyscraper architecture, multi-level and underground parking garages, co-op apartment design, and other innovations of the period. Produced by Frederick J. Bashaw, for the Chamber of Commerce of the United States. (14 minutes)

Prelinger Archives: Mainline U.S.A. (1957)

Prelinger Archives

This Prelinger Archives film shows the important role of rail transportation in the mid-20th-century American economy. Outlining the development of steam and diesel trains, the film depicts railroad technology in action--hauling passengers, farm products, manufactured goods, and raw materials. Recreational uses are shown, too. Glamorous music accompanies lush footage of natural wonders and glittering cities, among which restless trains move as they crisscross the American continent and help to expand the U.S. economy. Innovations in rail technology are explored at length, portraying trains as "marvels of science" as well as essential vehicles in the search for new and ever-improving ways to develop commerce. Dudley Pictures Corporation, for the Association of American Railroads. (24 minutes)

Prelinger Archives: Our Changing Family Life (1957)

Prelinger Archives

This Prelinger Archives film presents a mid-20th-century look at how patterns of family living changed from the 1880s to the 1950s. Using dramatized sequences, the film contrasts the closely integrated family of the late 19th century with the family of the Eisenhower era. The discussion explores how industrialization, urbanization, and other political and economic factors--including the advent of the automobile, factory employment, and the increased freedom of women--altered the traditional pattern of family life. Rural and urban lifestyles are both examined, as is the decline of inter-generational relationships (grandparents were important on the old family farm but are portrayed as less integral to the "modern" household). Knickerbocker Productions. (20 minutes)

Prelinger Archives: Radiological Defense (1961)

Prelinger Archives

This Prelinger Archives film promotes the idea that "as serious as fallout is, we can cope with it through an active radiological defense program." With hyper-dramatic narration the film depicts various aspects of atom-blast scenarios, including people on the street shot through a red filter to indicate contamination, a man shown dying in a hospital bed (with a close-up of his hand going limp), and the declaration that "all of us live within fallout range of a likely target!" Standard scenes of civil defense procedures (family in shelter, fallout shelter models, and school buses used in building evacuation) are interwoven with more unusual footage, such as images of cows entering a fallout shelter built expressly for them and a fireman and park ranger using Geiger counters. The film also features a conference room of somber "experts" planning for various contingencies. U.S. Office of Civil Defense and Mobilization. (27 minutes)

Prelinger Archives: American Thrift (Part I) (1962)

Prelinger Archives

This Prelinger Archives film (part 1 of 2) casts itself as "a tribute to the American housewife" and sings the praises of "the woman American," telling us that her primary function in life is "the romance and adventure of choosing." In the consumerist world depicted here, those who produce goods have a responsibility to "bid for [the housewife's] fancy" and "charm her with choice offerings calculated to please." Twenty-first century viewers will easily come to the conclusion that this film isn't about saving, it's about spending--but it's also clearly about the beautiful Corvairs, BelAirs, and Impalas that gave 1960s homemakers quick access to shopping malls and supermarkets. The Jam Handy Organization, for the General Motors Corporation, Chevrolet Division. (13 minutes)

Prelinger Archives: Henry Ford's Mirror of America (Part II) (1962)

Prelinger Archives

This Prelinger Archives film (part 2 of 2) is a compilation of images and sequences from the Ford Film Collection, with excellent footage of United States history, culture, industry, and daily life between about 1915 and 1930. Highlights include Coney Island, the increasing pervasiveness of the automobile in American life, and early manufacturing footage. This second part concentrates on American life as the country progressed toward the 1930s. Continues looking at the social impact of automobiles as well as other social, cultural, and economic changes. U.S. National Archives and Records Service. (19 minutes)

Laos: So You Think the War Is Over

Network Ireland Television

Due to its entanglement in America’s Vietnam War, Laos is frequently cited as, per capita, the most bombed country in the world. This program shows how a conflict that officially ended over three decades ago still kills and maims innocent civilians. Viewers meet several families decimated by buried munitions, or “bombies” in the local vernacular, that were dropped between 1964 and 1973. As the film demonstrates, these explosives are often accidentally detonated in the course of agricultural work and have brought many family farms to the brink of ruin. Bounpone Sayasenh, director of UXO Lao, further illuminates the grim legacy of American air power—a legacy made more visible with every deadly harvest. A part of the series Fighting the Tide 3: Developing Nations and Globalization. (Portions in Lao with English subtitles, 25 minutes)

Cutting It in Costume: Design and Wardrobe Management

Classroom Video

When a play is performed, all eyes are on the actors—which means the costume department can make or break a production. This program introduces skills and responsibilities essential to theatrical costume design, technology, and management. After outlining the history of stage costuming, the video shows how an actor’s attire reveals his or her character, how a designer researches and incorporates period dress styles, and how various fabrics, colors, patterns, and aging effects are used in making costumes. Discussions of presets, quick-changes, and an actor’s backstage needs help students understand the wardrobe supervisor’s challenges. Costume professionals from London’s National Theatre add their expertise. A viewable/printable instructor’s guide is available online. A part of the series Treading the Boards: Theater Fundamentals. (25 minutes)

Wangari Maathai: For Our Land

Electronic Media Network

Through her Green Belt Movement, Wangari Maathai-environmental activist, social justice advocate, and Nobel Peace Prize recipient-has planted 30 million trees in Kenya while protecting existing forests endangered by development. A veritable force of nature herself, Maathai communicates her infectious fervor as she advocates environmental action and government reform in this documentary. The program also captures a sense of modern Kenya's history: a country co-opted by British colonialism, energized by independence, and mired in a repressive era of political corruption. (49 minutes)

Chad: Hydraulic Projects and Peace

System TV

Characterized as an LDC or Least Developed Country, the nation of Chad wrestles with drought, population growth, and resulting tensions between farmers and herders. This program investigates hydraulic projects and mediation initiatives that are fostering relationships between Chad's food growers and its nomadic, livestock-centered cultures. Overviewing the basic causes of Chadian land disputes and competition for water sources as well as failed modernization schemes proposed during the 1960s, the film explores new solutions based on recognizing traditional agriculture and natural migration routes. Viewers witness "sit-down" talks between farmers and herders that could help prevent regional conflicts from flaring up. Part of the series Sustainable Development: The World Challenge. (26 minutes)

World War II: The Propaganda Battle

Independent Production Fund

The outbreak of World War II saw two motion picture experts from Germany and the United States battle each other with as much ferocity as any army or navy. Their respective missions: to ignite a public desire to wage and win a global conflict. This Bill Moyers program contains an interview with Fritz Hippler, chief filmmaker for the Nazi Party. Hippler unrepentantly claims to have spoken to the "soul of the masses" through films like The Eternal Jew, which asserted a righteous justification for genocide. Moyers also discusses America's response, which put a renowned filmmaker to work for the Allied cause-director Frank Capra, noted for his gentle, humane films about ordinary folk standing up to oppression. (52 minutes)

Radio Revolution: Broadcasting for Freedom in Cold-War Romania

Journeyman Pictures

Likened to “a strange religion…with millions of invisible believers,” Radio Free Europe gave listeners in Eastern Bloc countries a much-needed alternative to government media. This program examines the impact of RFE broadcasts on Nicolae Ceausescu’s Romania and the lengths to which Romanian authorities went to suppress U.S.-backed radio. Viewers learn how the 1977 Vrancea Earthquake enabled RFE to step up its activities in the country; how Ceausescu’s operatives in the Romanian Securitate—and, allegedly, even the notorious terrorist Carlos the Jackal—committed violent acts against RFE personnel; and how the power and popularity of RFE found full expression in the Romanian Revolution. (Portions in other languages with English subtitles, 59 minutes)

It's Time: African Women Join Hands Against Domestic Violence

Journeyman Pictures

Once accepted as a cultural norm in Africa, domestic violence is increasingly recognized for what it is—an assault on the rights and well-being of women, as well as a major impediment to progress on the continent. This program examines the issue in Ethiopia and South Africa, focusing on efforts to reduce and hopefully eliminate violence against women. Viewers meet survivors of domestic abuse and sex crimes who are regaining control over their lives in safe houses and educational centers. Also featured are Nomfundo Mogapi of South Africa’s Centre for the Study of Violence and Reconciliation; Annalize Teichmann, a South African prosecutor; Senait Berhanu of Ethiopia’s Addis Ababa Women’s Association; and other activists. (Portions in other languages with English subtitles, 53 minutes)

United News, Release 17 (1942): Roosevelt Awards Warship to Norway

United News

This World War II-era newsreel includes the following segments: 1. A ship, the Haakon VII, is presented to Princess Martha. 2. Tests of Lee tanks. 3. President Camacho reviews a Liberty Day parade in Mexico City. 4. An automobile plant is converted to war production. Other war goods being made. 5. Nelson Rockefeller and President Vargas ratify a trade agreement in Rio de Janeiro. 6. A mock airborne attack. (9 minutes)

United News, Release 28 (1942): British Pursue Rommel in Libya

United News

This World War II-era newsreel includes the following segments: 1. Tanks of the British 8th Army roll past the wreckage of Rommel's Afrika Korps in Libya; supply bases established on the British route. 2. Canadian mounted police officially open the Alcan highway and truck convoys roll northward. 3. Allied troops advance through wet New Guinea jungles and are supplied from the air. 4. Carrier-based planes fight Japanese planes off New Guinea; an aircraft carrier is set afire but remains afloat. (10 minutes)

United News, Release 46 (1943): U.S. Vice President Cheered on Tour of South America

United News

This World War II-era newsreel includes the following segments: 1. Henry Wallace is greeted in Santiago, Chile, by President Rios. 2. American bombers patrol the Aleutian Islands. 3. Torpedoes are manufactured; Henry Kaiser and Eleanor Roosevelt witness the launching of an aircraft carrier at a Pacific-coast shipyard. 4. Military supplies for Alaskan bases are portaged around rapids in northern Canada. 5. Allied planes obliterate a Japanese convoy. (9 minutes)

United News, Release 79 (1943): Mexico Marks 33rd Anniversary of New Social Order

United News

This World War II-era newsreel includes the following segments: 1. Camacho reviews a parade. 2. U.S. and Australian troops compete in a steer-riding contest. 3. Parachute troops and gliders land in an exercise. 4. Eleanor Roosevelt reviews SPARS parading past the White House. 5. Australian tennis stars play for servicemen. 6. Ships and planes bombard Japanese positions on New Guinea and the Marshall and Gilbert Islands; marines land on Bougainville. (9 minutes)

United News, Release 80 (1943): The Capture of Tarawa from Japan

United News

This World War II-era newsreel includes the following segments: 1. The invasion fleet moves toward Tarawa; marines land and fight after a naval bombardment; the effect of the attack on Japanese emplacements. 2. President Roosevelt meets with Churchill and Chiang Kai-shek in Cairo and with Churchill and Joseph Stalin at Teheran; Madame Chiang and Sara Churchill. (9 minutes)

United News, Release 110 (1944): Allies Liberate Island of Elba

United News

This World War II-era newsreel includes the following segments: Elba is invaded after a naval bombardment. 2. Marshall Tito and Yugoslav patriots. 3. Generals Marshall and Clark in Italy; General Alphonse Juin is decorated by General Clark. 4. An amphibious assault on Saipan; marines fight on the island; wounded soldiers receive treatment, and women and children are removed to safety. (11 minutes)

United News, Release 1008 (1944): Royalty Christens U.S. Bomber

United News

This World War II-era newsreel includes the following segments: 1. The King and Queen of England and Princess Elizabeth christen an airplane at a U.S. airfield in England and are greeted by General Doolittle. 2. The processing of plasma and penicillin; troops in Normandy receive medical care. 3. Naval guns bombard Cherbourg; the 8th and 9th Air Forces bomb communication lines; British troops take Caen; General Montgomery. (9 minutes)

The Muslims I Know

Neelum Films

A far cry from media depictions of extremist militants, America's small community of Muslims longs to be heard and understood. This documentary attempts to bridge the cultural chasm between mainstream U.S. society and Muslim Americans whose hopes and dreams are no different than those of previous immigrant generations. Focusing on Pakistani-born citizens and their families, the film highlights similarities between Islam and the other Abrahamic faiths, celebrates cultural richness and diversity, and dispels stereotypes by addressing questions from non-Muslim Americans in candid interviews. Pakistani-born director and narrator Mara Ahmed guides viewers on this refreshing journey of discovery. (55 minutes)

The Lost Libraries of Timbuktu

BBC Worldwide Learning

In the ancient Malian city of Timbuktu, thousands of scientific and religious texts—among Africa’s oldest literature—have been hidden for centuries. This program examines the rich history and variety of Timbuktu’s lost libraries and shows how they have recently garnered the world’s attention. Viewers meet local scholars, as well as experts from across Africa and the Western world, who elucidate just how valuable these fragile treasures are to our knowledge of Africa, Islam, and the growth of literacy outside the Western tradition. The program also asks: how differently would Africa have developed if the libraries hadn’t been forced underground by colonial interests? A BBC Production. (52 minutes)

Bill Moyers Journal: Pray the Devil Back to Hell

Doctoroff Media Group

Leymah Gbowee was born and raised in Liberia. She inspired and united her countrywomen to march with her against a dictator and restore the rule of law to their country. And her riveting story has been captured in an award-winning documentary, Pray the Devil Back to Hell. In this edition of the Journal, guest host Lynn Sherr, Liberia correspondent for Worldfocus, interviews activist Leymah Gbowee and the filmmaker, Abigail Disney, who recorded her incredibly effective campaign of nonviolence. Broadcast date: June 19, 2009. (56 minutes)

The Memory Loss Tapes

HBO

This program puts a human face on the progression of Alzheimer’s disease as it profiles seven people, ages 63 to 87, at different stages of the illness. Cases range from a woman fiercely holding onto her independence even as memory lapses make it harder and harder to do so, to a man who can no longer remember his family yet can still perform beautifully with a vocal group, to a woman who must be fenced in, literally, to keep her from wandering off her daughter’s property. “We wanted to capture a sense of what it was to be inside the disease,” says filmmaker Shari Cookson. “You see…how everything you’ve learned and been in your life is stripped away—yet you still get these glimmers of the person.” A viewable/printable discussion guide is available online. An HBO Production. A part of the series The Alzheimer’s Project. An HBO Production. (84 minutes)

Bionic Body

PBS

Could lab-grown organs and body parts one day become a common solution for eliminating disease and rejuvenating the body? This classic episode of Scientific American Frontiers examines methods for re-engineering human anatomy, including not only artificial organ cultivation and retinal implants but also advances in nerve regeneration to treat spinal cord injuries. Host Alan Alda looks at nerve stimulation in paralysis victims using implanted electrodes. He also engages in a moving conversation with Christopher Reeve about the quadriplegic actor's advocacy of research in this field. Distributed by PBS Distribution. (60 minutes)