Activist Women
Daughters of De Beauvoir
Seen through the eyes of the women she influenced, including Kate
Millet and Marge Piercy, this is an in depth look at one of the leaders
in the international women's movement (more)
Faith Even to the Fire
Three nuns who follow the dictates of their conscience by working
for social justice in their communities. (more)
Fire Eyes
A Somali woman filmmaker who was subject to circumcision explores
the issue of female genital mutilation in her culture.(more)
Flowers for Guadalupe
This film explores the importance of the Virgin of Guadalupe as a
liberating symbol for Mexican women today (more)
Habitual Sadness
The film captures the spirit and resilience of a group of Korean women
who had been forced into sexual slavery by the Japanese during World
War II. Now in their sixties and seventies, they live together in
a shared community where they heal from the shame of having been "comfort
women." (more)
Helen Foster Snow:
Witness to Revolution
Portrait of an intrepid woman who reported on events in China during
the turbulent 30's and gained the friendship of Mao's inner circle.
(more)
Hillary Rodham Clinton: From Wellesley to
the White House.
Now that Hillary is launched on her own career in the Senate, it is
interesting to see her early years as a good natured and idealistic
college student and her evolution into politics. (more)
In Search of Lucille
As a young surgeon, Dr. Lucille Teasdale founded a hospital in Uganda
where she dedicated her life to providing quality health care and
staff training. (more)
East Wind West Wind:
Pearl Buck
The
extraordinary life of Pearl Buck (1892-1973), the child of missionaries
who was raised in China and developed a deep affection for the Chinese
people. She became one of the most popular American writers of the
20th Century, especially for her best-selling novel, The Good Earth.
Archival footage and interviews provide unique insight into China
in the first half of the 20th century.
(more)
Living for Tomorrow.
First-hand accounts of the pioneering women who settled the Israeli
kibbutz.(more)
Maria's Story
Maria was born into extreme rural poverty in El Salvador. At fifteen
she married a man who shared her commitment to social justice, and
became a courageous guerrilla leader. (more)
Memoirs of A Hindu Princess
This is a portrait of Guyatri Devi, daughter of a Maharaja, who started
India's first public school for girls. The film spans modern India's
history from British rule to independence and uses archival footage
and home movies to show the splendor of a vanished way of life (more)
A Minister Backtracks.
A Danish politician leaves the comfort of her world to investigate
a massacre in Bosnia. (more)
Miriam's Daughters Celebrate
Jewish feminists create new rituals for women to include them in celebrations.
This film shows a feminist seder participated in by Gloria Steinem,
Bella Abzug and Letty Cotten Pogrebin. (more)
Rosa Parks: The Path to Freedom
A biography of the dynamic but quiet African American woman whose
refusal to give up her seat on a bus led to dramatic changes in the
sixties. (more)
Scraps of Life
When the Pinochet dictatorship came to an end, it left a legacy
of bereaved mothers, sisters and wives, who were determined to find
out the fate of their loved ones who had "disappeared." (more)
The Secret to Change by Millie Jeffrey.
A portrait of Millie Jeffrey, an indomitable activist for social change,
who was awarded the Medal of Freedom by former President Clinton.
(more)
Sister Helen
Sister Helen, a tough, 69-year-old Benedictine nun, runs the Travis
Center, a clean and sober halfway house for recovering addicts and
ex-convicts in the South Bronx, New York. (more)
Sweet Century
Recounts the stories of Czech women who endured years of imprisonment
during the Communist era because of their beliefs. (more)
A Time of Love and War.
Sabrina Mathews met Martha Aguilar on a journey to show support for
the Sandinistas. Their ten year correspondence reflects affairs of
the heart as well as global turmoil. (more)
Widow of the Revolution: The Anna Larina
Story
The turbulent life of Anna Larina, wife of Nikolai Bukharin, is entwined
with 20th century Russian history. (more)
Wild Swans - Jung Chang
Chinese author Jung Chang's grandmother was born into a still feudal
society, and became a warlord's concubine. Her mother, became a high
ranking Communist Party official. This film brings to life the memories
Chang recorded in her best-selling autobiography, Wild Swans.
(more)
Women of Change.
Profiles of women who have championed human rights both in their own
country and internationally. They mobilize to improve conditions for
workers in foreign -owned factories in Mexico.(more)
Women in War: Voices from the Front Lines.
Focusing on war-torn areas of the world, this inspiring program profiles
women living with the day-to-day tragedy of war. Part I begins in
Israel and moves to Northern Ireland where we meet Nobel Peace Prize
winner Meiread Corrigan who formed Peace People. Part II is dedicated
to the women of Salvador, working for the popular front movements
for a more just society, and moves to the U.S. where women are fighting
to reclaim their neighborhoods from crime.(more)
Aging & Women
Alice and Lena
A delightful portrait of two sisters in their seventies, who never
married, never left home, and lived their entire lives together. The
relish the fact that no husband ever bossed them around!
The Best Time of My Life
A film that shows that menopause may be an opportunity for growth.
(more)
Hot Flash on Menopause
The pros and cons of hormone replacement therapy with experts such
as Barbara Seaman and researchers from the Framingham Heart Study.
(more)
Menopause: Living the Change
The risks of, and alternatives to, hormone replacement therapy. (more)
Miles to Go
Eight women of diverse ages and backgrounds and no previous wilderness
experience embark on an adventure in the Smokey Mountains which will
teach them about themselves
Old Bags Club
A humorous and inspiring look at women who have been abandoned by
their husbands for younger women. (more)
Sex, Lies and Secrecy
Some medical experts claim that a shocking 98% of hysterectomies are
unnecessary. Yet, half the women in North America will have had their
ovaries removed by the time they are 65. A "don't miss"
film for women's studies. (more)
The Oldest Mother
on the Block
Many women over age forty soon realize
that their own eggs have expired. These women decide to use eggs donated
from a younger woman. This film follows three older women, as they
struggle to achieve a pregnancy and later, as they cope with the unique
problems of being an older mom. (more)
When the Day Comes: Women as Caregivers
In this documentary we hear from four women who have provided continuous
care for a loved one, who speak candidly of the physical and emotional
stress of this responsibility. They are in need of support systems
as much as those they nurture. (more)
Woman on Fire
Soul searching interviews with women at mid life explore the transforming
emotional experience of menopause. (more)
AIDS
& Women
AIDS:
The Woman's Story
The film travels to Kenya, Brazil and Thailand to tell the personal
stories of women with AIDS. Set against a background of disease, poverty
and social subjugation this is a story of vitality and will power,
and of women who have the courage to fight against reigning cultural
and religious traditions (more)
Living Positive
Portraits of women of different ethnic and socio-economic backgrounds,
who are living full lives although HIV/AIDS positive. (more)
Sex and Other Matters of Life and Death.
A teenage theater company educates peers about AIDS prevention. (more)
(Rerelease)
Women, HIV and AIDS
Educates women about safe sex and other issues that relate to women
regarding this epidemic. (more)
Artists,
Writers, Scientists
Anna Freud - Under Analysis
(more)
The Artist Was A Woman.
The history of Western art has few examples of great women artists.
This documentary uncovers the works of some gifted women, while exploring
why their talent was never recognized.(more)
Black and White in Colour.
A lively portrait of a Gypsy singer with a fiery temperament, an earthy
voice and an entourage of amateur musicians who are touring European
cabarets to acclaim. They find no respect in their own country, however.(more)
Dalda 13
An Indian woman photographer, who photographed notables such as Gandhi,
Ho Chi Minh, Queen Elizabeth, and Jackie Kennedy, yet had to publish
under her husband's name. (more)
Daughters of De Beauvoir
Seen through the eyes of the women she influenced, including Kate
Millet and Marge Piercy, this is an in depth look at one of the leaders
in the international women's movement (more)
East Wind West Wind: Pearl Buck
The extraordinary life of Pearl Buck (1892-1973), the child of
missionaries who was raised in China and developed a deep affection
for the Chinese people. She became one of the most popular American
writers of the 20th Century, especially for her best-selling novel,
The Good Earth. Archival footage and interviews provide unique insight
into China in the first half of the 20th century. (more)
Geraldine Page: A Working Actress
This captivating video gives insight into the creative energy
and intelligence that propelled the remarkable career of one of America's
most accomplished actresses. Her five decade career linked her with
every major writer and actor of our time. (more)
Hansel Mieth
Hansel Mieth is the compelling tale of a pioneering woman photojournalist
who created some of the most indelible images of mid-twentieth century
America. During the late 1930s and 1940s -- the golden age of pictorial
magazines -- Mieth's images of strikers, criminals, scientists, cowboys,
Native Americans, and countless others appeared in every major publication
in America (more)
High Heels and Ground Glass
This fascinating film portrays the life and work of five outstanding
women photographers, who perfected their craft in an era when photography
was a man's domain. Included are Gisele Freund and Lisette Model,
the teacher of Diane Arbus. (more)
In A Jazz Way: A Portrait of Mura Dehn
Captures the spirit of the remarkable woman who preserved on
film the heritage of jazz age dance. (more)
Katherine Mansfield
A fascinating documentary on one of the most prolific short story
writers of our time
The Legacy of Rosina
Lhevinne
This documentary film offers an intimate and compelling portrait of
the life and achievements of the legendary pianist and master teacher,
Rosina Lhevinne: her years of study at the Moscow Conservatory of
Music, her marriage to famous pianist, Joseph Lhevinne, her devastation
following her husband's death and her recovery and stunningly productive
life from age 65 to 96. (more)
Marie Curie: The Woman Behind the Mind
This is an inspiring portrait of Marie Curie, the first woman
to receive the Nobel Prize in the sciences. She actually won two!
(more)
Palestinian Writers.
Two important women writers from the West Bank speak out for full
participation of women in the Arab world. (more)
The Path to Nuclear
Fission
Meitner was a brilliant Jewish physicist from Vienna who had to flee
Berlin in 1938 after working at the Kaiser Wilhelm Institute. Together
with her close friend and colleague, Otto Hahn, they developed the
theory of nuclear fission. Yet after the war she was overlooked by
the Nobel Prize Committee who awarded the prize to Hahn alone. (more)
What If…? A film about Judith Merril.
Portrait of the daringly inventive woman science fiction writer whose
visionary writing gained her a loyal following. (more)
Body
Image
Beautiful Piggies
This revealing portrait of an overeater will strike a chord worth
Americans who are concerned with weight and body image. 28 min. (more)
Belly
A woman cures her eating disorder through a belly dancing class, which
helps her accept and revel in the well-rounded female form.(more)
The Famine Within
Explores the "hunger for a perfect body" which sometimes leads women
to starve themselves. (more)
Flatly Stacked
This smart, sexy and funny film reveals
how a flat-chested woman can find happiness and fulfillment in a world
obsessed with big breasts. The film relates the personal journeys
of two women: one young, one middle-aged, both of whom are considering
breast augmentation. Amusing animations, bra advertisements and sex
education films enhance the witty presentation. (more)
Gracious Curves
This Scandinavian-made film shows women of all ages and shapes enjoying
themselves unselfconsciously during a summer's day at the lake. (more)
Is It Really Me? How Teenage Girls View
Their Bodies
This delightful film shows ten young women who aspire to to be
dancers in musical theater as they take a master class with choreographer
Ann Reinking and Gwen Verdon. They share with us their insecurities
about their bodies. (more)
My First Bra
An engaging film on a memorable rite
of passage, as shared by mothers and daughters. (more)
She’s Not Fat, She’s My Mom
This unique film provides insight into the sad world of compulsive
overeating and the turmoil of addictive behavior. The filmmakers follows
his mother over five months as she struggles to change her eating
habits. (more)
The Size of It
Four young women of considerable
weight proudly proclaim that they can feel attractive and find love
despite the disapproval of society (and their mothers!) (more)
Slender Existence
This multi-festival film documents the filmmaker's ten-year struggle
with anorexia nervosa. Antidepressants and therapy helped her return
to normalcy, and now she wants others to know about this disorder.
(more)
Disability
Special Friends
This heartwarming film documents the friendship between two young
women with Down’s Syndrome. For nineteen years, Ciara and Aileen have
done everything together – horseback riding, disco dancing, pottery
making. Through their friendship, each has gained an impressive level
of independence (more)
Toward Intimacy
Here is a realistic yet positive portrayal of four women with serious
physical disabilities who have found meaningful love relationships.
It breaks down stereotypes that render the disabled person non-sexual.
(more)
Untold Desires
Highlights the struggle that people with disabilities have in their
quest to be recognized as sexual beings. Often people with disabilities
find that their sexual needs are overlooked because of the conservative
values of their caretakers. (more)
Diversity
African American Women
The Cloth Sings to Me
Quilting is interwoven with the history of black women in America.
We meet ebullient women and see their colorful creations, which link
them to their past. (more)
The Double Dutch Divas!
The Double Dutch Divas are women who have mastered the art of jumping
and dancing double Dutch during their twenty years together. They
are a sisterhood of diverse ages and talents; they inspire audiences
here and abroad with their spirit of "can-do". (more)
Freedom Bags
This is the story of African American women who migrated from the
rural South during the first three decades of the twentieth century
and worked as domestic workers to support their families. We meet
women of spirit and humor who tell how they survived difficult times.
(more)
Happy Birthday, Mrs. Craig
Five generations of a black family and their role in the American
experience are celebrated at Mrs. Lulu Sadler Craig's 102nd birthday
party. The daughter of slaves, Mrs. Craig became a homesteader when
the Western frontier opened. Historical photographs and reminiscences
tell a little known story of black settlement in the West. (more)
I Was Made to Love Her.
The original, award winning feature length version of the Double
Dutch Divas. We meet the energetic women who jump to entertain
and promote sisterhood.(more)
Jessye Norman, Singer
Documents the remarkable career of the African American opera
singer who is world renowned. Born in Augusta, Georgia, she grew up
during a time of racial strife. Nevertheless, she broke new ground
for African Americans in the classical arts. (more)
Journey to Little Rock
Minniejean Brown Trickey was sixteen years old when she was one of
the nine Black American teenagers who defied death threats, demonstrations
and the Arkansas National Guard to integrate an all white high school.
Since then, she led a life of passionate social activism and been
an inspiration to many. (more)
Loyalties
Carmelita Robertson, a black graduate student, and her co-worker,
Dr. Ruth Holmes Whitehead, discover they both have roots in South
Carolina.They suspect that one of Carmelita’s ancestors was a slave
of one of Ruth’s forbears. They journey to South Carolina to explore
their linked heritage, and to come to terms with a painful shared
history. (more)
The Mirror Lied
How does a young African American woman cope with the ideals of feminine
beauty imposed by white society? Fifteen year-old Jantre finally comes
to accept her "unruly" hair and feels liberated. (more)
Rosa Parks: The Path to Freedom
A biography of the dynamic but quiet African American woman whose
refusal to give up her seat on a bus led to dramatic changes in the
sixties. (more)
Standing Tall
This historical documentary chronicles the risky but successful
effort of a few women working at Delta Pride Catfish to organize a
union at their plant. The mostly black female workforce had worked
in noisy and wet factories for minimum wage and without benefits.
(more)
Suzanne Bonnar: The Blacksburg Connection.
Suzanne Bonnar was the mixed-race child of a black American serviceman
and a Scotswoman from a small seaside town. She grew up without her
father -- a black child in white Scotland. In this very moving film,
she re-unites with her father and journeys with him to meet her close-knit
black family in South Carolina. (more)
Two Dollars and A Dream
Variety calls this film "a major contribution to Americana on celluloid."
It tells the story of Madame C.J. Walker, the daughter of slaves who
became America's first self-made millionairess. (more)
The Wedding Proposal
The filmmaker, an educated African-American journalist, celebrates
her 35th birthday and acknowledges to her dismay that she is STILL
unmarried. The fact is, there is a shortage of available professional
men for women like her. (more)
Where Did You Get That Woman?
The experiences of a generation of African-American women during the
Great Migration north are described in this engaging portrait of a
77-year old washroom attendant. (more)
Arab American Women
Covered Girls
Muslim-American girls are lively
and full of fun -- despite wearing the traditional "hijab". How do
they fare after 9/11? (more)
Asian American Women
Chinese Foot Binding:
The Vanishing Lotus
A pair of small feet -- three-inch
golden lilies -- were once the male-designated yardstick for feminine
beauty in China. A young girl's feet were broken and bound inwards
along the instep, a process that caused excruciating pain. Systematically
bound, day after day, the stunted feet began to take on the coveted
look of that profoundly sensuous image, the lotus bulb. (more)
Mah Jong Orphan
Reminiscent of Amy Tan's "Joy Luck Club," this real life film focuses
on the widening chasm between a Chinese mother, a first generation
immigrant, and her daughter, eager to assimilate (more)
My Mother Thought She Was Audrey Hepburn.
This is a funny, sometimes irreverent statement about growing up Asian-American
in a white society. Suzanne's mother unwittingly fostered a "Chinese
self-hatred" which her daughter had to overcome. (more)
Under the Willow Tree
Using old photographs and interviews, this film tells the remarkable
tale of the courageous Asian women who left their families and all
that was familiar to settle in the New World and marry men they had
never met. The men had come to build the transcontinental railroad.
The film is a testimony to the strength, resourcefulness and dignity
of these women. (more)
Latinas
My American Girls: A Dominican Story.
This POV film is a lively portrait of a Dominican family in New
York, who must straddle two cultures.(more)
Native American
Lady Warriors
Lady Warriors is the story of seven Native American teenage
girls who are Arizona state cross-country running champions (more)
The Right to Be
A sixty-one year old Lakota from the Standing Rock Reservation, who
has recently graduated N.Y.U. film school, returns to the reservation
to produce honest, realistic portrayals of her people (more)
The Sunrise Dance.
This highly visual documentary shows an ancient, sacred Apache coming
of age ceremony that marks the passage to womanhood of Apache young
women. (more)
Family & Society
Baby, It’s You!
An intimate journey with the filmmaker and her husband as they attempt
to conceive a child through intensive fertility procedures. A moving
meditation on what family means in today's world. 56 min. (more)
Daddy's Girls
Documents just how much fathers can matter to their daughters emotional
development.It looks at the special bond between fathers and daughters,
especially as it relates to a woman’s career choice and her choice
of men. (more)
Girltalk
An intimate portrayal of the lives of three runaway girls. All are
the victims of heartbreaking family life, yet each shows the capacity
of life-affirming resilience. (more)
Just Mom & Me
A realistic portrait of the financial and emotional challenges faced
by single mothers heading households. (more)
Miniskirted Dynamo
Gives an intimate view of the funny and sometimes frustrating sides
of growing up the daughter of a high-achieving mother. (more)
Mother Love
Takes a fresh look at one of the most formative relationships of a
woman's life by profiling four mother/daughter relationships. (more).
Motherhood on Trial
What drives a woman like Susan Smith to drown her two young sons?
The Southern conservatives think it's a breakdown in "family values."
(more)
One of Us
The filmmaker comes from a troubled Viennese Jewish family dislocated
by the Nazis. Memories of her American childhood recur, when her emotionally
ill brother bullied her mercilessly and terrible secrets were kept
from her. An important film about the lasting impact in Holocast studies
as well as women's studies, psychology, mental disabilities and family
dynamics. (more)
Talk 16 and Talk 19
Five sixteen-year-old girls were interviewed and filmed at home, in
school, at work and with friends. They were filmed again three years
later. What emerges is an insightful portrait of growing up female
(more)
Things Your Mother Never Told You
Women of very different backgrounds and lifestyles talk with candor
about the experience of raising children (more)
When the Bough Breaks:
Children of Mothers in Prison.
A sensitive study of the effect on children when their mothers are
incarcerated. (more)
Female Circumcision
The Angel Returns
A Somalian woman uses all methods at her
disposal to change the mindset of her people about circumcision
(more)
Asante Market Women
from the Disappearing World series
Tthis film focuses on the asssertive market women of Ghana who are
subordinate in domestic matters but are powerful in the marketplace
(more)
Asylum
This powerful documentary chronicles a Ghanaian young woman’s desperate
attempt to escape the ritual of female circumcision in her native
land. (more)
Changing Paths
Through patience and perseverance,
a local woman persuades village elders to reconsider the tradition
of female circumcision (more)
Fire Eyes
A Somali woman filmmaker who was subject to circumcision explores
the issue of female genital mutilation in her culture.
(more)
In the Name of God.
Takes us to a hospital in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, where circumcised
women are given medical care (more)
Rites
Without resorting to sensationalism, it explores the custom of female
circumcision which has been commonplace throughout history. (more)
Senegal: The Power to Change
A grassroots movement, spearheaded by newly educated women, has successfully
halted female circumcision in Senegal. (more)
Health
Breast Cancer: Speaking Out
Encourages women to be more assertive in dealing with the disease.(more)
Lila: Eight to Thirteen
The film follows one strong, open, lively girl as she navigates the
passage from preadolescence to adolescence. We follow Lila from a
tree-climbing eight-year-old who likes to compete with boys, through
the complexities of a changing body and a new set of rules for behavior.
(more)
Sex, Lies and Secrecy
This tells the shocking and untold story of this devastating, needless
surgery on women¹s reproductive organs, often with life-long physical,
emotional and sexual consequences. (more)
Slender Existence
This multi-festival film documents the filmmaker's ten year struggle
with anorexia nervosa. Antidepressants and therapy helped her return
to normalcy, and now she wants others to know about this disorder.
(more)
Tears Are Not Enough.
Twelve women with breast cancer, in different stages, come together
for a retreat. They share their experiences and are helped by the
understanding and compassion of the group. (more)
Wisdom of the Heart
Challenges the misconception that women do not get heart disease.
In fact, they are often misdiagnosed.(more)
Women, HIV and AIDS.
This hard-hitting documentary grapples with the special problems of
women in AIDS epidemic. Special emphasis is given the difficulty women
have in insisting on safe sex. (more)
History
How Can I Keep on Singing?
A tribute to both the pioneering and Native American women in the
West at the turn of the century. (more)
The Unsexing of Emma
Edmonds
This is the amazing true story of a nineteenth century Canadian girl
who ran away from home disguised as a travelling Bible salesman. Still
disguised as a man, she served in the American Civil War in the Union
Army as a dispatch carrier, nurse and spy. (more)
The Women of Summer
During the 20's and 30's The Bryn Mawr Summer School for Women Workers
was a daring social experiment that effected social change through
the education of blue collar women and union organizers. We meet some
graduates who attest to the power of education to improve lives. 55
min. (more)
Pornography
Patently Offensive: Porn Under Siege.
This masterful documentary examines pornography in its social and
historical contect. It explores whether freedom of expression and
the preservation of values which define a civilized society are irreconcilable.Well-known
law professors, civil rights advocates and feminists give their views.
(more)
Pornography: The Double Message.
This documentary explores the effects of hard core pornography in
our society. Does it indeed contribute to violence and de-sensitization?
(more)
Reproductive Rights and Issues
Life Matters: The
Story Of An Illegal Abortionist
Dr.
Curtis Boyd is a courageous doctor who risked imprisonment, loss of
license, and his future in order to provide safe abortions in an era
when women could not get them legally.
(more)
Baby, It’s You!
An intimate journey with the filmmaker and her husband as they attempt
to conceive a child through intensive fertility procedures. A moving
meditation on what family means in today's world. 56 min. (more)
Back Alley Detroit
Tells the story of illegal abortions as they were experienced by all
kinds of women, in the era before Roe vs. Wade. (more)
Fallen Women
Before the sexual revolution, single women who got pregnant were social
pariahs. Many live with the loss of having given their babies for
adoption. (more)
Growing Up and Liking It
Women of varying ages and social background recall the vivid and often
disturbing memories surrounding their first menstrual period. (more)
Mother's Day
This provocative film raises complex bioethical issues arising from
fertility advances such as "in vitro" fertilization and the implantation
of fertilized eggs.(more)
Old Wives Tales
Should older women be allowed to undergo fertility treatment in order
to have babies when they are past childbearing age? (more)
The Oldest Mother
on the Block
Many women over age forty soon realize
that their own eggs have expired. These women decide to use eggs donated
from a younger woman. This film follows three older women, as they
struggle to achieve a pregnancy and later, as they cope with the unique
problems of being an older mom. (more)
The Other Side of the Fence
A portrait of a Christian fundamentalist woman who was a militant
anti-Choice leader but came to question the movement. (more)
Sex, Lies and Secrecy
Some medical experts claim that a shocking 98% of hysterectomies are
unnecessary. Yet, half the women in North America will have had their
ovaries removed by the time they are 65. A "don't miss"
film for women's studies. (more)
Sex, Teens and Public Schools
Explores the conditions that have led to escalating rates of
teen pregnancy and examines the role that public schools can play
in stemming the tide of early and unwanted pregnancy. (more)
We Can Do It Better:
Inside an Independent Abortion Clinic
This video documents the inspiring example of Four Women, Inc., an
independent abortion and gynecology clinic in a small, post-industrial
Massachusetts town. It presents a rare and intimate look at the daily
work of providing excellent abortion care. (more)
Third World Women
African Women
The Angel Returns
A Somalian woman uses all methods at her
disposal to change the mindset of her people about circumcision
(more)
Asante Market Women
from the Disappearing World series
Tthis film focuses on the asssertive market women of Ghana who are
subordinate in domestic matters but are powerful in the marketplace
(more)
Asylum
This powerful documentary chronicles a Ghanaian young woman’s desperate
attempt to escape the ritual of female circumcision in her native
land. (more)
Awa
This is an intimate portrait of a single mother in Burkina Faso who
supports her six children through her street-side rice business. The
film takes us through Awa's arduous 16 hour workday, interspliced
with interviews of her children who are grateful for her hard work
in their behalf. Here is a glimpse of some of the economic realities
faced by women today in urban Africa.(more)
Becoming a Woman in Okrika
This visually stunning film documents an extraordinary coming of age
ritual in a village in the Niger Delta. It suggests the conflict Third
World women face between traditions and the values of the modern world.
(more)
Caravan
Every September a group of nomad women in Niger travel by camel caravan
across the stark desert, 660 miles each way, in order to sell their
tribe's dates. The women organize and lead the caravan without men!
(more)
Chahinaz: What
Rights For Women?
Through internet interviews a young Algerian college student explores
with other women the condition of women in the developed and less
developed world. (more)
Changing Paths
Through patience and perseverance, a local woman persuades village
elders to reconsider the tradition of female circumcision. (more)
Chronicle of a Savanna Marriage
For fifteen years, the life of a young Masai woman has been chronicled
as she emerges from adolescence to wife and mother. (more)
Fire Eyes
A Somali woman filmmaker who was subject to circumcision explores
the issue of female genital mutilation in her culture. (more)
The Hamar Trilogy
This acclaimed trilogy focuses on the outspoken Hamar women, an isolated
tribe in southwestern Ethiopia. The focus is on Duka who we first
meet as an unmarried girl in The Women Who Smile, then see
her as she prepares for marriage in Two Girls Go Hunting, and
then meet her again as wife to a man who beats her when provoked in
Our Way of Loving. (more)
In Danku the Soup is Sweeter
By getting a bit of start up money, these women in Ghana have been
able to start small businesses. (more)
In the Name of God.
Takes us to a hospital in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, where circumcised
women are given medical care (more)
Kenya - Where Women Rule
In Samburu culture the women do all the work. In 1990 a small
group of women decided to band together and create their own village.
They prospered without men! (more)
Mama Benz
Successful West African market women acquire the symbols of Western
wealth: a chauffeured Mercedes Benz. (more)
The Mothers’ House
Astonishingly intimate, this festival film is a record of four years
in the life of a charming and precocious teenager growing into womanhood
in a township outside Cape Town. She faces not only life in a “colored”
community beset by gangsterism and drug abuse, but also the toughness
and anger within her own family. (more)
Ndebele Women
This unique film explores Ndebele rituals and their art forms as well
as their political empowerment. (more)
Nyamakuta
A midwife in Zimbabwe tries to reconcile traditional birth practices
with modern methods. (more)
An Ox for a Baby
This amazingly up-close documentary brings us into the lives of an
Ethiopian couple, Yezina and Mesagnow. Yezina suffers from a fistula
which causes her urine to constantly leak.Two million African women
share her fate because tradition forces young girls into early marriages
when their bodies are too immature to bear children safely. (more)
Portrait of Altiné in the Dry Season.
Daily life in a village in Northern Senegal. (more)
Rites
Without resorting to sensationalism, it explores the custom of female
circumcision which has been commonplace throughout history. (more)
Senegal: The Power to Change
A grassroots movement, spearheaded by newly educated women, has successfully
halted female circumcision in Senegal. (more)
These Girls are Missing
Only 20% of girls ever enter a schoolhouse in Africa as cultural attitudes,
more than economics undermine their future‹and the future of Africa.
60 min.(more)
They Carry Their Families
This beautifully filmed video reveals how hard life is for the women
of Mauritania, who do all the farming and housework while the men
take their ease. Tradition and Islamic religion are intertwined to
reinforce strict gender roles. (more)
Two Dollars With or Without a Condom
In Ethiopia, a center of prostitution in Africa, girls as young as
9 years old are forced into the life by economic circumstances. Many
become HIV infected, for condoms are seldom used. .(more)
A Way to Move On
Collectives help Senegalese village women move out of poverty. (more)
Women at Risk
The focus is on three vulnerable women refugees who must cope
with being uprooted. One is a 13 year-old Vietnamese girl living in
a camp in Malaysia, another a widow from Mozambique and the third
is a Salvadorian mother living precariously with three children in
Costa Rica. (more)
Zulu Love Affairs
This is an intimate and spontaneous depiction of the lives of Zulu
women left behind while their husbands, migrant laborers, work in
the mines far away. By turns sad, touching or amusing, this film bears
eloquent testimony to the ravages of an economic system which tears
families apart to feed South Africa¹s insatiable mines. (more)
Asian Women
Behind the Smile
Thailand's booming economy rests on the exploitation of rural women.
Through portraits of three women, we see the human cost of the country's
rapid industrialization. (more)
Born to Bondage
Young girls in India face a dismal future, despite a decade of feminism.
Widespread poverty means families need to send their children to the
workplace, especially girls. (more)
City Walls - My Own Private Tehran
In this disarmingly intimate and revealing film three generations
of women in an Iranian family describe their struggles for survival
within marriages founded on Iranian traditions. (more)
Dancing
Girls of Lahore
Despite the strict Moslem laws that govern Pakistan there is another
tradition in Lahore: the girls are descendants of a courtesan community
that danced for the princely courts. The girls today still entertain,
but consider themselves as potential film stars, not prostitutes.
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)
Gift of A Girl.
A powerful and moving film exploring the complexity of female infanticide
in southern India and showing steps that are being taken to eradicate
the practice. (more)
Half the Sky
The Chinese Communist revolution promised women equality after thousands
of years of subservience to men. This film takes us to remote villages
and urban factories to show how women are still oppressed. (more)
In Gandhi's Footsteps
Kiran Bedi, a small woman with a
huge mission, has been compared to Mother Theresa and Mahatma Gandhi.
She is, in fact, a police woman-- and a reformer (more)
India Cabaret
Mira Nair's award-winning film shows the life of female strippers
in a Bombay nightclub. The women reveal their hopes and fears, while
showing strength and resilience. (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)
Kasthuri
A portrait of a twenty-one year old Indian film star, who despite
the glamour of her career, still has the traditional values of her
parents. She will have a suitable arranged marriage. (more)
Mao's New Suit
This irrepressible film follows the fortunes of two attractive
thirty-year old Beijing fashion designers who are out to make their
mark on the international fashion industry.(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)
Runaway Grooms
Many men of Indian origin residing in the West travel to India to
meet an Indian woman, marry her and bring her to the West. Increasingly
a large percentage of these brides are abandoned over dowry disputes.
(more)
Say I Do: Mail Order Brides
Mail order brides from the Philippines find their life in North America
not quite what they expected. (more)
Shanghai Bride
The effects of the one-child policy combined with a rapid revolution
in China's values and lifestyles, have created increasingly selective
middle-class Shanghai women. For working class men, finding a wife
is a quest that requires money, time, and the strength to withstand
countless disappointments. (more)
Siberian Dream
Originally from a small village in the Buryat region of Siberia, Irina
Pantaeva emigrated to the U.S. in the 1980's. Every summer, Irina,
a world-famous model, and her son travel back to help her troubled
family, trapped in the new free market society. Siberian Dream shows
the effects of perestroika and glasnost on this Buryat community.
(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)
So Far From India
Mira Nair's portrait of a family split between two worlds. The husband
has come to America to seek his fortune, while his despairing wife
is left ashamed and dependent on her in-laws for support. (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)
Women at Risk
The focus is on three vulnerable women refugees who must cope
with being uprooted. One is a 13 year-old Vietnamese girl living in
a camp in Malaysia ,another a widow from Mozambique and the third
is a Salvadorian mother living precariously with three children in
Costa Rica.(more)
Women in Bangladesh
Taslima Nasreen, Bangladesh writer, gained international attention
when Islamic leaders issued a fatwa calling for her death.
She has demanded more freedom for women in Bangladesh. (more)
Women in China
A two-part documentary on the conditions of women in today's economically
oriented Chinese society. It visits four diverse parts of China (more).
Women of the Yellow Earth
This BBC film takes us to the heart of rural China, where one woman
about to have her third child is in trouble with the family planning
officials, and another excitedly plans for her traditional wedding.
(more)
World Without Fathers or Husbands. In China, near the Tibetan
border, there is a matriarchal society where marriage does not exist
and women are the bread winners. But even here, in Mosuo Province,
television and CD players are starting to make inroads on traditional
culture. (more)
Latin American Women
Chiapas: Prayer for the Weavers
Twenty-four indigenous women weavers gather for a festival, each gripped
by painful memories of the civil war in Chiapas. Music, prayer, and
weavings intertwine in a homage to those who have suffered and died
resisting oppression. (more)
City of Dreams
Since 1993 over two hundred of young
women who worked in the "maquiladoras" in Juarez, Mexico, have been
murdered, and the crimes barely investigated. Many of the victims
were assembly-line workers in the over four hundred mostly US-owned
factories. (more)
Daughters
of the Canopy
This vibrant film focuses on the struggles and successes of two local
women's groups fighting to preserve their land, forests and way of
life in Brazil's Amazon region. The women combine scientific study,
political advocacy and grassroots activism to save their communities'
fields and forests from ranchers and loggers and to improve their
standard of living. (more)
Flowers for Guadalupe
This film explores the importance of the Virgin of Guadalupe as a
liberating symbol for Mexican women today (more)
Maria’s Story
This is an intimate portrait of a thirty-nine year-old mother of three
who was a leader in the guerrilla movement in El Salvador. (more)
Rights of Passage
Filmed in four areas of the world where young women coming of age
are particularly vulnerable. 30 min. (more)
Scraps of Life
When the Pinochet dictatorship came to an end, it left a legacy
of bereaved mothers, sisters and wives, who were determined to find
out the fate of their loved ones who had "disappeared." (more)
Silence and Complicity
Narrated by Rita Moreno, this film documents startling testimonies
of women who were mistreated and sexually abused while seeking care
in Peruvian public health facilities. (more)
Women at Risk
The focus is on three vulnerable women refugees who must cope
with being uprooted. One is a 13 year-old Vietnamese girl living in
a camp in Malaysia, another a widow from Mozambique and the third
is a Salvadorian mother living precariously with three children in
Costa Rica. (more)
Middle Eastern Women
Daughters of Allah
Modern Palestinian women face dramatic choices concerning their role
in a free Palestinian homeland. Many female activists, for ideological
and symbolic reasons choose to wear the veil and don't regard it as
a symbol of oppression. (more)
Daughters of the Nile
This film captures the separate and subordinate life of Egyptian women
under the Islamic code. Their lives are centered on childbearing and
hard physical work. They do not have access to education (more)
A Little for My Heart and A Little for My
Love
Since in Algeria women do not ordinarily mix with men, there are female
orchestras who perform for other women.. This is a lively portrait
of one orchestra, whose earthy humor and erotic showmanship delights
their normally constrained sisters (more)
Malalai, Policewoman
of Kandahar
In the dangerous, male-oriented world of Kandahar, home to drug smugglers
and terrorists, a policewoman, Malalai Kakar is blazing the way for
women. Unhindered by her heavy burka, this mother of six chases wife-beaters,
murderers and thieves across Afghanistan. (more)
Muslim Women Talk
About Sex
In today's Arab-Muslim culture, the most taboo subject for women is
sex. In this film, eight enlightened Muslim women living in France
speak out frankly about their sexual education and experiences in
relation to Islamic tradition. (more)
Not Without My Veil
This film on the women of Oman shows us educated, independent women
who dress in the traditional way, yet are moving into new areas for
women. (more)
Price of Honour
The tragic story of Pela Atroshi, a daughter of Kurdish immigrants
living in Sweden, who was murdered by her family after she went out
on a date. (more)
Prostitution Behind
the Veil
This film explores the lives of two Iranian prostitutes in an uncompromising
but sympathetic manner. This cutting-edge film illustrates how prostitution
functions in a country where it is banned and where adultery sometimes
results in capital punishment. (more)
The Tenth Planet
A sparkling young Baghdadi woman, Kawkab, leads us around her city
with a mischievous glint. Defying the stereotype of the Muslim woman,
she is not afraid to speak her mind about anything, from sex, love
and virginity to her pro-Saddam patriotism. (more)
Women and Islam:
Islam Unveiled
What does the veil mean to Muslim women? Is it a symbol of repression
or faith? Journalist Samira Ahmed travels from her home in Britain
to the Middle East, Asia, Malaysia and Africa interviewing a wide
variety of men and women -- spiritual leaders, educators, and activists
to understand the roots of the Islamic view of women. (more)
Women of the Arab World
This series gives a view of educated women in Egypt, Jordan and Morocco
who have attained emancipation
1. Egypt: To Live with the Differences. Educated at the University
of California in Berkeley, Soraya Altorki, a professor of anthropology
in Cairo, expresses her fear that the fundamentalists will take away
her hard won achievements.
2. Jordan: Democracy for Our Children . The only woman in the
Jordanian parliament, Toucan Faisal refuses to be intimidated as she
speaks out for human rights.
3. Morocco: The Rights of Women. Aicha Belrabi, a professor
of sociology, is involved in fostering literacy for women in the rural
areas of Morocco. (more)
Violence and Sexual Abuse
The Amazing Normal Story
This is the true personal story of the filmmaker who became sexually
involved with a man old enough to be her father when she was twelve
years old. The film challenges preconceived notions about the way
we think about and react to sexual abuse.
(more)
Behind Closed Doors
This film examines domestic violence from a personal perspective,
focusing on an abuser and a victim, who each discuss their backgrounds
and their determination to break the patterns of violence that have
governed their lives. (more)
Breaking Ground: Men Against Rape
The men in this film feel that rape is not just a woman's problem,
but a human problem of our violent culture. They are committed to
training men and women in rape prevention techniques.(more)
Dating Rites: Gang Rape on Campus
This documentary on gang rape and acquaintance rape is a compelling
view of what is happening on college campuses. (more)
Domestic Violence: Which Way Out?
With domestic violence a growing problem in our society, one community,
Bellevue, Washington, developed a successful counselling program which
has become a national model. (more)
From Victim to Survivor
This film focuses on three survivors of sexual assaults, two women
and a man, who poignantly and openly share their experience and its
aftermath. (more)
Healing from Childhood Sexual Abuse
Three women and one man recall the childhood sexual traumas that destroyed
their youth. They speak candidly about the recovery process which
released them from symptoms that had plagued their lives. (more)
Incest: The Family Secret
In this shockingly frank program we hear adult women tell of the childhood
experiences that so traumatized their later years. Included is the
testimony of a formerly abusive father who underwent psychiatric treatment.
(more)
The Last Taboo: Children Who Sexually Abuse
This groundbreaking program shatters the Victorian notion of childhood
innocence, revealing the sexual abuse of children committed by other
children. (more)
Lizzie Borden, Hash & Rehash
The myth has captured the imagination of generations. Today's women
cast Lizzie in the role of heroine, overpowering patriarchy. 30 min.
(more)
Men Who Molest: Children Who Survive
This film explores the lives of four child molesters. Three are in
treatment at the nation's largest community-based facility in Seattle;
we witness dramatic group therapy sessions and learn how devastating
this crime is to the child and the family. (more)
My Mother, My Abuser
The sexual abuse of children committed by women, most often mothers,
is a rarely documented subject. In this film, six victims of maternal
incest powerfully convey their nightmarish child hoods. (more)
Rape: Face to Face
This highly-charged documentary examines the causes and consequences
of rape, one of the fastest growing crimes in the America. It includes
an emotional confrontation between rapists and victims of rape. (more)
Rapists: Can They be Stopped?
This powerful video focuses on participants in a program at Oregon
State Hospital aimed at rehabilitating sex offenders. (more)
The Silent Scream
This unusually sensitive film is a powerful reminder that adults must
take children seriously if they hint that something is amiss at home.
The sisters in this film found the strength as grown women to come
forward and prosecute their father in a court of law for his sexual
molestation of them. (more)
Stories from the Riverside: Women Jailed for Killing Their Abusers
This documentary visits Gatesville Penitentiary in Texas, where three
female inmates convicted of murder and serving sentences ranging from
25 to 40 years describe the domestic violence that eventually brought
them to prison. (more)
Terror at Home
This film provides an unflinching look at some of the personal stories
that lie behind the shocking statistics of domestic violence. The
violence cuts across all lines--racial, educational and financial.
(more)
True Stories
The disturbing issue of "acquaintance
rape" (also known as "date rape") is brought to life in this powerful
short film. Two female high school students and the two boys who raped
them describe their behavior and feelings before, during and after
the attacks. (more)
Veronica's Story
This innovative work is based
on an actual letter by a teenager reaching out to understand a childhood
of sexual abuse. (more)
Why God, Why Me?
This multi-award winning program about childhood sexual abuse dramatizes
the life story of victims who grew up never feeling safe in their
own home. It is delicately told, with no graphic, sexual or violent
scenes. (more)
Work & Women
Anna Freud: Under Analysis
A well-researched, fascinating biography of Sigmund Freud's youngest
and least wanted child who used her own unhappy childhood to develop
the field of child psychoanalysis. (more)
Clotheslines
This classic film that shows the love/hate relationship women have
with doing the laundry and pays homage to the commonality of women's
experience. (more)
Cowgirls
The women in rodeo come from a world that is widely misunderstood
and disregarded. Set in the province of Alberta, Canada’s equivalent
to Texas, Cowgirls shows us the modern day gladiators and the revered
royalty of rodeo. These women’s defiant and unbridled nature fits
the textbook definition of feminism and yet very few feel comfortable
calling themselves feminists. (more)
Defying the Odds
Portraits of women from around the world who have broken ground in
new fields. (more).
Full Circle
One of the first films to show the revolutionary social experiment,
the attempt to create sexual equality between men and women on the
Israeli kibbutz. Through archival footage and interviews with several
generations, the film follows the evolution of family life and work
roles from pioneering days to the present. (more)
Iron Ladies
This
documentary looks at women who work in the field of ironworking, a
construction trade that is overwhelmingly male, and the attendant
physical and emotional problems the women face.
(more)
It Was A Wonderful Life
The stories of six educated, articulate women who are among the "hidden
homeless"; those who have lost a job, lost a home, and refuse to go
to a shelter. (more)
Margaret Mead: An Observer Observed
A documentary portrait of one of the most influential women of our
time, using never before seen archival footage and interviews. It
weaves together the story of the scientist, adventurer, and international
celebrity. (more)
Miniskirted Dynamo
Gives an intimate view of the funny and sometimes frustrating sides
of growing up the daughter of a high-achieving mother. (more)
Sex Games
Explores the "gender verification test" as it is applied in the sphere
of international sports competition. (more)
Some Spirit in Me
Shows the effect of the women's movement on the lives of several women
of diverse backgrounds who, although they were not activists, felt
the effect of changing gender roles. (more)
The Southern Sex
This lively film challenges the stereotypes of the Southern woman
- neither Scarlett O'Hara or Daisy Mae. (more)
Standing Tall
This historical documentary chronicles the risky but successful
effort of a few women working at Delta Pride Catfish to organize a
union at their plant. The mostly black female workforce had worked
in noisy and wet factories for minimum wage and without benefits.
(more)
Take It From Me: Life After Welfare
This is the story four women struggling against great odds to raise
themselves out of poverty. Filmed in New York City as the five-year
limit on public assistance goes into effect, it shows there are no
easy answers to welfare reform. (more)
Through the Glass Ceiling
A highly entertaining animation about Princess Ella who sets off on
her career path, and through many perilous misadventures finds herself
at last at the Glass Ceiling. (more)
Women at Work
Three animations about women in the workplace, dealing with harassment,
child care, and women in science. (more).
Who Cares for the Children?
This award-winner addresses the concerns of working parents, the needs
of both children and day-care providers, and the social risks of day-care
shortage. (more)
Women Entrepreneurs.
Introduces us to women of diverse ages and backgrounds who have developed
large, successful businesses. (more)
The Women of Summer.
During the 20's and 30's, The Bryn Mawr Summer School for Women Workers
was a daring social experiment that effected social change through
the education of blue collar women and union organizers. At a fifty-year
reunion, the women speak passionately about how the program changed
their lives. (more)
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