AFGHANISTAN
The Boy Who Plays
on the Buddhas of Bamiyan
Effervescent eight-year-old
Mir lives in the ruins of the Buddhas which were so ruthlessly destroyed
by the Taliban in Afghanistan. Acclaimed at international festivals,
audiences have responded to the charm of this child, a spark of
hope in a dark part of the world. (more)
CENTRAL ASIA
The Last Manaschi
An elder in Kyrgyzstan passes down the heroic stories of their oral
tradition (more)
The Stakes of Islam: The Perilous Valley
of Central Asia
The Fergana Valley, a fertile plain rich in gas deposits in Central
Asia is populated by more than a hundred million inhabitants in
Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Kirgizstan. This film takes an in-depth
look at the Islamic fundamentalist threat in this strategic region.
(more)
CHINA
INDIA - PAKISTAN - BANGLADESH
JAPAN
Busy Forever
Recent demographic studies show that the aging of the Japanese is
occurring at a much faster rate than anticipated. By the year 2025
there will be only two working people for every retired person,
and within the next fifty years, one out of every three Japanese
will be over 65. The particular Japanese response to this phenomenon
is to stay in the workforce long after the normal retirement age.
(more)
A Changing Heart
In Japan, the old system of arranged marriages is giving way to
the "love match," with dramatic social consequences. (more)
End
of Empire
This film tells the harrowing story of the Japanese occupation of
Singapore from 1941-45. England's decision to give up Malaya for
the defense of Europe in World War II was ultimately the end of
the British Empire. (more)
In the Name of the Emperor: The Rape of Nanjing
This film is a monument to the suffering of the Chinese at the hands
of the Japanese during World War II. Includes the newly discovered
film footage of the massacre shot by John McGee, an American missionary
who was living in Nanjing. (more)
Japan: The Tarnished Miracle.
The film examines why the powerful Japanese economy went into
a slump and what the future will hold. (more)
The Japanese Nightmare
More and more young Japanese women are rebelling against the societal
norm. Instead, these "single parasites" pursue careers and live
with their parents, with dramatic impact on the economy and on
demographics. (more)
Justice -- Japan
Style
Almost every person charged with committing a serious crime in
Japan is convicted and goes to jail. Jury trials simply do not
exist and convictions are based on confessions. The filmmaker
obtained rare access to Japan's jails, where a cruel, secret system
allows the abuse, torture and death of inmates.
(more)
Marathon Monks
The spiritual side of Japanese society is often overlooked. This
fascinating report focuses on Genshin Fujinami, a corporate employee
who became a monk and embarked on a search for meaning in his
life. He completed a grueling running test, known as the "Kaihogyo,"
which is not simply running, but rather a pilgrimage around the
sacred mountain, worshipping Buddha. (more)
Nanjing Nightmares.
The legacy of the genocide in Nanjing echoes in the emotional life
of a family today. (more)
Nine Days of Hell: Japan's Toughest School
In order that their children excel in the Japanese school system,
parents send them to an academic boot camp that forces them to study
almost around the clock. (more)
The Samurai
The Samurai offers an enthralling and colorful odyssey into Japan's
history in which Samurai culture became the core of Japanese values.
The film colorfully illustrates the Samurai's martial traditions
and the manifestations of its ties to the Zen principles of Respect,
Purity and Composure. (more)
KOREA
Habitual Sadness.
This film captures the spirit of women who survived the sexual slavery
forced upon them by the Japanese during World War II. These older
women now live communally sharing their painful memories and drawing
strength from one another. (more)
Inside the Hermit
Kingdom: North Korea
North Korea is known as the hermit kingdom because it has been cut
off from the rest of the world. Cruelly colonized by Japan early
in the 20th century, and split from the south after World War II
by cold war politics, it has suffered repressive governments and
frequent famines. (more)
Korea: The Unfinished War
This film documents a war where neither side was victorious, a struggle
that came very close to thermonuclear war, and that still resonates
in the geopolitical machinations between East and West. (more)
North Korea--Shadows and Whispers.
Escaping from famine, many North Koreans live a furtive existence
in China. (more)
Our Nation
Our Nation is a stunning portrayal of how Korean youth are
using punk rock to find a voice in a rapidly changing culture. (more)
MALAYSIA
The
Pig Commandments
This fascinating film illustrates
how religious differences, even on the basic level of dietary prohibitions
affects the relationship of Malaysia's 12 million Muslims and 6
million Chinese. (more)
MONGOLIA
Mongolian Cashmere Traders.
Goat herders, who typify a traditional community, are successfully
adapting to a global economy as they are freed from government
restraints. 24 min. (more)
The Musical Steppes of Mongolia
Alain Desjacques, a well-known ethnomusicologist, takes us on
a pilgrimage to find and record the best traditional musicians
on the rugged, remote steppes of Mongolia. (more)
Taigana: The Last Reindeer People in
Mongolia
This fascinating film depicts the Taigana, an unusual tribe of
nomads living in the mountainous Hovsgol region of Mongolia, near
the Siberian border (more)
Ulan Bator: The Children Underground
Three thousand young children, running away from abusive families
and broken homes, now live on the streets in Mongolia's capital
Ulan Bator. To survive the cold they huddle in underground passages
at night. Their poverty reflects Mongolia's economic crisis after
the Soviet Union's withdrawal. (more)
NEW GUINEA / OCEANIA
Asmat
A close up look at the tribe in Papua New Guinea, known as "the
men who eat men." (more)
Betelnut Bisnis
The betelnut has been a socially accepted narcotic in coastal
Papua New Guinea since ancestral times but in the Highlands, where
a majority of the population lives, it is a recent arrival. The
film follows Lukus Kalma as he tries to supplement his income
by buying betelnuts from growers and reselling them at home. (more)
Highlands Trilogy The films First
Contact, Joe Leahy's Neighbours and Black Harvest comprise
this outstanding trilogy. (more)
First Contact
In 1930, the Leahy brothers penetrated the interior of New Guinea
in search of gold.and carried a movie camera. Thus they captured
amazing footage of their unexpected confrontation with thousands
of Stone Age people.
Joe Leahy's Neighbours
traces the fortunes of Joe Leahy, the mixed-race son of one
of the Leahy brothers, in his uneasy relationship with his tribal
neighbors.
Black Harvest
charts the progress of Joe in convincing the Ganiga tribespeople
to join him in a coffee growing venture.
Land of the Morning
Star
For centuries, the world has jostled for control of the land now
known as West Papua, a rugged, isolated region, with its abundant
natural resources and strategic position. Colonial ambition, fervent
nationalism and cold war politics have played a part in its turbulent
history. (more)
Paradise Bent
This is one of the first explorations of the Samoan fa'afafines,
boys who are raised as girls, fulfilling a traditional role in Samoan
culture. (more)
Pig Tusks and Paper Money
The two currencies in Papua New Guinea are the modern cash economy
and a traditional economy based around shell money, banana leaves
and pig tusks. The problem is that there is no exchange between
the two and a bank is badly needed.(more)
THE PHILIPPINES
The Last Refuge: The Aetas of The Philippines
Relegated to remote reservations on the rugged slopes of Mt. Pinatuba,
the Aetas survived slavery by the Spanish colonizers and battled
commercial logging and encroachment on their ancestral land. (more)
Modern Heroes, Modern Slaves
Each day, thousands of women leave underdeveloped countries to seek
work as domestics in more prosperous places. This film shows the
human and sometimes tragic side of their stories.(more)
SOUTHEAST ASIA
Bird
Flu Wars
The international scientific community has been monitoring the bird
flu virus since 1997 when seven people died in Hong Kong. This films
outlines some of the proposals suggested at the WHO to prevent a
pandemic. (more)
The Golden Triangle: Forbidden Land of
Opium
The fabled Golden Triangle of southeast Asia is the home of heroin,
morphine, and a host of amphetamines. On the rugged hillsides and
in remote clearings, rippling seas of golden poppies grow. The area
is still the fiefdom of drug lords and their cronies, where conflict
is the norm and everyone is armed. (more)
Trafficked: Children
as Sexual Slaves
The trafficking of women and children for prostitution is a global
problem. The United Nations estimates that more than one million
children are forced into sexual slavery each year. This powerful
documentary follows Chris Payne, a former police officer turned
private investigator, as he investigates this shocking crime. (more)
Cambodia
Among the Disappeared:
A Cambodian Survivor Remembers
Along
with the personal story of one young man's return to Cambodia years
after his escape from its holocaust, this compelling documentary
traces the history of his homeland, from the reign of King Sihanouk,
to his overthrow, with American support, by Lon Nol, a right wing
former police chief. (more)
Cambodia: The Betrayal
An expose of the hypocrisy of the West, which continued to
support the Pol Pot regime despite the atrocities they committed.
(more)
Cambodia: Land of
Silence
In the mid-1970's, Cambodia was the victim of a brutal genocide,
when the communist Pol Pot regime exterminated every fifth inhabitant.
This film shows efforts that are now being made in the country towards
reconciliation. For many, the wounds remain deep. (more)
Children of the Seven-Headed Snake
This lively film about the kingdom
of Cambodia provides a remarkable picture of a country that endured
political upheaval and genocide, yet was able to renew itself by
reconnecting with ancient beliefs and traditions. (more)
Dancing Through Death: The Monkey, Magic & Madness of Cambodia
Those that survived the Khmer Rouge bloodbath, living in Cambodia
or now in the U.S., are passing on their traditional culture to
their children. (more)
The Last God King: Sihanouk of Cambodia.
The filmmaker James Gerrard, a leading expert on Cambodian politics,
filmed the King as he looks back on fifty years of Cambodian history.
With unique archival material. (more)
East Timor
"Sometimes I Must Speak Out Strongly."
The Bishop of East Timor, a Nobel Peace Prize winner, dares
to speak out against Indonesia's relentless oppression. (more)
Indonesia
Celestial
Dance
This richly photographed film shows a special ceremony performed
in a remote village in northern Bali to purify the village. Two
young girls dance and chant in accordance with strict Balinese
traditions. (more)
Rasinah
Watching the lithe, expressive movements of Javanese masked dancer
Rasinah, one would never believe a 72-year old woman is behind
the mask! She is a master of an ancient form of mask dance called
Topeng Cirebon, which originated in West Java, Indonesia. This
colorful documentary shows the history, function and meaning of
these masked dances. (more)
The Sakuddei of Indonesia.
Off the coast of Sumatra live the Sakuddei, an egalitarian society
cut off from the outside world, living in near perfect harmony
with the environment and each other. (more)
Silk and Steel
This film looks at three Indonesian women of different professions
to show how they are overcoming discrimination in the workplace.(more)
Myanmar
Cross and Kalashnikov
An extraordinary investigation of the long drawn out guerrilla
war in the jungles of Burma.(more)
Singapore
Singapore-Malaysia
The Johore Strait separates the highly prosperous city-state of
Singapore from the rapidly developing economic "tiger" of Malaysia.
As the film illustrates, they are nevertheless extremely interdependent.
(more)
Vietnam
All
Points of the Compass
Tran Van Lam had the ill-fated
destiny to be foreign minister of South Vietnam during the devastating
war with the North. During the war he dispersed his nine children
to Australia, France, the U.S. and Scotland with the hope that they
would return to Vietnam after the war. The film captures their challenges
to make new lives in the countries to which they immigrated. (more)
Fearless: Stories from Asian Women
(3 Parts).
Portraits of three Asian women fighting for social justice. Each
is from a different culture (Bangladesh, India, Vietnam) but are
united by their refusal to remain silent and accepting. (more)
Ho Chi Minh: The Man Behind the Myth
This film, based on newsreel footage and interviews with contemporaries,
traces the story of Ho Chi Minh's life, the Vietnamese leader who
against seemingly insurmountable odds humiliated two of the world's
strongest armies, the American and the French. (more)
Inside Rice
From the rice paddies in the country to the streets of Ho Chi Minh
City, this lively film allows us to view contemporary Vietnam through
a unique perspective: the culture of rice. The history of this small
grain is intertwined with rites and customs that are an integral
part of Vietnamese life and culture. (more)
The Last Ghost of War
Thirty years after the end of the Vietnam War they are among several
millions diagnosed by the Vietnamese as victims of Agent Orange.
In this film, we meet several who are plaintiffs in a class action
suit against 32 US chemical companies. Attorneys, activists, scientists,
and a military historian take us to a new battlefield. (more)
Victims of Cheap
Coffee
Collapsing prices on the world coffee market have thrown millions
of growers around the world into poverty. Filmed in Nicaragua and
Vietnam, the film describes the human consequences that the collapse
of coffee prices has caused in producer countries.
(more)
Vietnam: The Next Generation
Today Vietnam's first post-war generation is coming of age and
its members--most in their twenties-- are seizing opportunities
unimaginable in their parents' time. The doors of a free-market
economy are opening and memories of the "American" war are being
relegated to the distant past. (more)
Vietnam Symphony
In 1965, as the Vietnam War intensified and Hanoi faced the threat
of massive US bombing, students and teachers from the National Conservatory
of Music were forced to flee the city for the relative safety of
a small village in the countryside. With the help of villagers,
they built an entire campus underground, creating a maze of hidden
tunnels, connecting an auditorium and classrooms. Here, as the war
raged around them, they lived, studied and played music for five
years. (more)
Vietnamese Bike Dreams
There is a craze for motor bikes in Ho Chi Minh City. Many save,
scrimp, or borrow to buy one This report on the motor bike phenomenon,
allows a rare look at the Vietnamese people in a rapidly changing
time.(more)
A World Beneath the War: The Secret Tunnels of Vietnam
This film tells the remarkable story of the villagers of one district
of North Vietnam who found themselves on the frontlines of an increasingly
brutal war. They survived by digging a series of tunnels and moving
their entire community underground. (more)
TIBET
Amchis
These traditional healers of Tibet grow old without being able to
pass their knowledge on to a younger, uninterested generation. (more)
The Cat and the Mouse
An intimate portrayal of Tibetan resistance to China, it contrasts
the moderate approach of the Dalai Lama with that of young rebels
who are more confrontational. (more)
Children of Tibet
Three children-refugees escape from their native Tibet across the
Himalayas in search of a better education in India. Leaving their
families behind and risking their lives, they find life in India
not as easy they expected. (more)
Seven Dreams of Tibet
A renowned Tibetan singer visits the refugees from Tibet, now
living in India, to gather their songs and stories, in the hope
of keeping the culture alive. (more)
ECONOMICS
27 Dollars: Banking
for the Poor
The friendly employees of the Grameen Bank encourage Indian women
in a small rural town to expand their businesses, loaning them small
amounts of money and doling out advice.
(more)
Diverted to Delhi
A new phenomenon in the global economy: toll-free telephone numbers
are often answered by Indians impersonating local operators. This
film follows a group of university graduates as they prepare themselves
for prestigious jobs in Indian call centers, learning to speak and
think like their international callers. (more)
Human Tide
This Nature of Things documentary takes a sobering look at
how the explosive growth in the world population affects our planet's
resources (more)
Organs
for Sale
The marketing of human organs is condemned in most places, but continues
to grow as rich Western patients cannot obtain the needed organs
through donation in their own countries. Poor people in third world
countries are prepared to sell an organ in order to obtain cash
that is equivalent to several years' wages. (more)
Patents Or Patients
This film focuses on the debate between the established pharmaceutical
industry and the manufacturers of low-cost medicine, The staggeringly
high prices of medicines all over the world are a matter of life
and death to millions of people suffering with HIV/AIDS in Africa.(more)
Trash Trade
Japanese waste is turning into gold in the hands of Chinese dealers
who extract valuable metal and plastic from mountains of scrap.
But not all Japanese trash is welcome. (more)
GENDER
Colonel Jin Xing
An extraordinary portrait of a Chinese ballet dancer who underwent
one of the first sex change operations in China to become a woman.
She is now the toast of the Chinese theater, despite having challenged
very traditional institutions. (more)
RELIGION
Buddha
Realms
Buddhism, a religion that started in India, has shown a remarkable
ability to adapt across race, language and cultural barriers. What
became the dominant spiritual tradition of the East has now taken
root and is flourishing in the West. (more)
City of Djinns
Delhi's archaeological ruins, and some of its intact buildings,
mirror the city's history of religious strife. The warfare between
Muslims and Hindus continues to this day and affects the political
climate of Delhi. (more)
Kataragama:
The strange story told in this film about Sri Lanka narrates a
revival of mystical belief in the ancient Hindu god, Kataragama.
(more)
Marathon Monks
The spiritual side of Japanese society is often overlooked. This
fascinating report focuses on Genshin Fujinami, a corporate employee
who became a monk and embarked on a search for meaning in his life.
He completed a grueling running test, known as the "Kaihogyo," which
is not simply running, but rather a pilgrimage around the sacred
mountain, worshipping Buddha. (more)
WOMEN'S STUDIES
Arranged
Marriages
A Westerner explores the institution
of arranged marriages with her married Indian friends. She finds
that there are many variations in the way these marriages are arranged,
but in all cases, the marriage is a family matter, often used to
reinforce the social standing of the family, and to preserve values
from generation to generation. (more)
