A unique look at the culture, filmed by a Maasai warrior who studied in America.  more »

Falun Gong is an ancient meditative practice that enjoyed a revival in China in the 1990’s. For years, however, the government has been brutally cracking down on practitioners.  more »

This film shows that the Muslim world in not monolithic and each country has a different approach to the West and to enforcing the Quran.  more »

Examines the reasons for radical interpretations of the Quran in Algeria, Egypt, Palestine, Jordan, Pakistan and Afghanistan.  more »

Explores whether the gap between the West and moderate Muslims is widening.  more »

This thought provoking three-part series provides a deeper understanding of the diversity of Muslim viewpoints about Islam. 1. The Born Again Muslims. This film shows that the Muslim world in not monolithic and each country has a different approach to the West and to enforcing the Quran. 2. The Holy Warriors. Examines the reasons for radical interpretations of the Quran in Algeria, Egypt, Palestine, Jordan, Pakistan and Afghanistan. 3. The New Cold War. Explores whether the gap between the West and moderate Muslims is widening.  more »

This mockumentary invents a scenario of hijacked archival footage, false documents, and interviews out of context to show that the moon landing was all filmed in Stanley Kubrick's studio.  more »

This lively film incorporates Yiddish theatre, song, dance and the history of Yiddish, a language that was once spoken by 11 million people. It demonstrates how language and cultural identity are intertwined.  more »

The traditional culture of the Turkmans of Iran will soon be lost to Western influences.  more »

This film details the interplay between a young ambitious European and an equally ambitious African market woman as they jockey for advantage in marketing cloth, which will make them rich.  more »

Bunny 67, and Leona, 72, are sisters who have lived together for almost thirty years. Bunny¹s stroke and Leona¹s difficulty walking force the family to find senior homes suitable for each.  more »

Part of Rage against Darkness series  more »

Part of Rage against Darkness series  more »

From three-time Emmy Award-winning producer John Kastner comes this much-heralded series on the difficult realities of aging as seniors make the wrenching transition from the community to a new life in senior homes.  more »

This personal film explores what it means to navigate racial identity in America as the filmmaker recounts the story of his own family across generations. His father's experience as a Jewish professor at a black college influences the filmmaker as he contemplates the i"preferred" race of the baby he and his wife hope to adopt.  more »

This is a portrait of an adolescent who suffers from a severe case of Tourette Syndrome. Dr. Oliver Sacks comments on the case.  more »

Join one of the most brilliant scientists of the 20th century in his book lined study at Harvard as he tries to unravel for us what makes life worth living.  more »

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 »

Families often pass violent behavior on from one generation to the other. Parents, children and professionals share their experience and insight.  more »

Encourages women to be more assertive in dealing with the disease.  more »

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 »

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 »

Told through moving accounts by family members, teachers, and doctors, this powerful documentary documents the brutal child abuse case of Eli Creekmore, a boy who was beaten to death by his father after a startling failing of the state's child protective laws.  more »

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 »

This beautifully photographed, revealing film about Egypt's women captures their separate and subordinate life under the Islamic code. Men and women speak about their traditions, expectations, and patterns of life.  more »

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 »

Fathima Burnad is fighting to change the caste system that has existed for 3,000 years.  more »

Hien Tran, a former Vietnamese refugee turned union representative in Austalia, is speaking up for her fellow workers, trapped by their circumstances and financial need.  more »

In 1994 a young poet from rural Bangladesh plunged the country into a wave of mass protest. Her crime: to write her thoughts about how religious fundamentalism has consigned women to a secondary role in modern society.  more »

This documentary portrait of three suicidal youngsters will help counselors, parents and young people begin a constructive dialogue.  more »

People afflicted with this disorder invent illnesses in order to be admitted to a hospital. Psychiatrists don’t yet understand it, but it diverts valuable health resources away from those who really need them.  more »

This entertaining film tells the story of Barry Moser, one of America's greatest book artists. He is also a book designer, illustrator, publisher and wood engraver and has just completed a limited edition Bible. He believes "the problems of good and evil are still to be fought today".  more »

Karoo Kitaar Blues follows South African songwriter David Kramer and slide guitarist Hannes Coetzee into remote regions of South Africa on their quest to find musicians who play an almost forgotten folk music. This music has probably evolved in much the same way as the Afrikaans language that the musicians speak ­ a blend of indigenous and colonial influences.  more »

Was the man who murdered the Prime Minister of South Africa a madman or a person seeking vengeance for the minister¹s apartheid policy?  more »

This is a compelling portrait of the legendary African American leader, Adam Clayton Powell, as well as a fascinating look at the beginning of modern black politics in this country.  more »

Escaping from famine, many North Koreans live a furtive existence in China.  more »

The three vibrant people profiled in this film will challenge anyone¹s preconceptions of old age. They all live independently in Angelus Plaza, a retirement home in downtown Los Angeles. They display a sense of humor, vitality, and interest in life despite the usual physical complaints of old age.  more »

A spirited celebration of traditional African dance filmed in the villages and suburban compounds of Senegal and The Gambia. Chuck Davis performs with his company on a trip to West Africa.  more »

In this film, the surviving members of the National Negro Labor Council, formed in 1951, recall their first convention and their notable goals. The Council was a forerunner of the civil rights movement.  more »

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 »

The Ford motor plant in Detroit was the largest industrial complex in the world when it was built in 1918. This film traces the struggle of the United Auto Workers under Walter Reuther to improve the lot of the workers.  more »

"Buried Stories" reveals the life story of a Native American Ella Rodriguez, who, in her seventies, resents that she was taken from her rural California home at age thirteen and sent to an Indian boarding school. A resilient woman, she now fights to preserve her ancestors’ history.  more »

This ground breaking exploration of the gender gap between gays and lesbians who are politically united against global homophobia yet poles apart on many life issues.  more »

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 »

One does not usually associate the word 'love' with the Holocaust. Yet this tender documentary relates how love did surface, against all odds, in the DP camps after World War II. These tales of love blossoming in such unlikely circumstances is artfully captured on film by Helene Klodawsky, the noted documentarian whose own parents are part of the story.  more »

Portrait of the daringly inventive woman science fiction writer whose visionary writing gained her a loyal following.  more »

Olga Samaroff, born Lucy Hickenlooper, had to battle anti-American sentiments and Old World prejudices against women to forge her remarkable career as a concert pianist in the early years of twentieth century.  more »

This is an amusing parody of alarmist documentaries which "proves" people are getting "health benefits" from the noxious emissions from industrial pollutants. A hit at the Margaret Mead Film Festival.  more »

This ancient land between the Tigris and Euphrates, is now a flash point in disputes between Iran, Iraq and Turkey over water rights. In the aftermath of the Gulf War, the inhabitants are impoverished and hounded by Saddam Hussein's military rule.  more »

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.  more »

The Warsaw Uprising was the largest and bloodiest military operation undertaken by any resistance movement in World War II. From August 1 - October 2, 1944 the Nazis were challenged by an underground army of irregular volunteers - the vast majority barely adult. The allies did not come to their aid and 80% of Warsaw was destroyed. With unique testimony from Polish, British, and German participants.  more »

An impoverished Chinese couple moves to Beijing from their home town in search of a better life. They invest what little they have in a shabby diner. The couple's problems at times reach almost comical proportions, but they carry on, through joy and worry, determined to succeed.  more »

This is the first full-length documentary about depression to consider the pervasive mood disorder from multi-ethnic viewpoints. It has been shown at many professional meetings.  more »

This masterful documentary examines pornography in its social and historical context. 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 »

This film sheds light on the problems of homeless people who are mentally ill. It shows the impact on their families and the resources available to help them  more »

This award-winning program is a wise and witty portrait of the outspoken Jessica Mitford. From her acid pen came such books as The American Way of Death, The Trial of Dr. Spock, and Kind and Unusual Punishment.  more »

The artists, rebels, and bohemians who came to New York's Greenwich Village over many decades changed the face of American culture through their art and politics. This film portrays the important political and social movements that began in the Village: the first interracial jazz club, the earliest Socialist newspapers from before World War I, the Stonewall Rebellion which sparked the Gay Liberation movement and many others.  more »

Haitians, who have little access to conventional medicine, depend on local herbs for curing ailments. We are shown how these herbs are gathered and used.  more »

This joyous, upbeat film explodes with the color, music, and pride of Carnival in America's largest Caribbean community, in New York.  more »

The story of the struggles of Haitian children given up by destitute families to work as unpaid domestics.  more »

A sympathetic and lyrical portrait of the Orthodox Jews of New York City, filmed as they observe the most important holidays of the year with prayer, song, ecstatic dancing and celebration, which speak to the history and meaning of their customs.  more »

This unique film shows the art, craft, dance and history of the moko jumbie, which means "dancing spirit", as they appear at street festivals in New York City.  more »

When the Soviets invaded Afghanistan in the late 1970s, many Afghans fled, leaving behind homes, possessions and sometimes family members. Those who took refuge in the United States came to treasure the freedom and economic opportunities offered by their new country.  more »

This touching film explores the challenges and triumphs of two women. aged 36 and 44, who regained their hearing after undergoing a cochlear implant. The film follows the women through surgery, and shows their joy at rediscovering the hearing world.  more »

In 1941 a German soldier illegally photographed the doomed inhabitants of the Warsaw Ghetto These images form the core of this film, an extraordinary portrayal of humanity in a nightmare situation.  more »

Shot over four years, "Prison Town USA" follows prison guards, inmates and their families as well as the townspeople of Susanville, California, to shed light on the human costs of incarceration.  more »

This eloquent film recounts the complicated history that led to the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestine, a story of intrigue and deceit among rival empires.  more »

This charming film shows how the filmmaker, an immigrant from Vietnam, found a new life in America while preserving his cultural tradition through cooking, eating and sharing the rich and varied food of his homeland. First in a trilogy, with Pins and Noodles and A Wok in Progress.  more »

The second film in the Springroll trilogy, this chronicles the filmmaker’s search through Asia for a cure for devastating allergies, which compromise his primal enjoyment of food.  more »

The third in the Springroll trilogy, this film interweaves a love of food with cultural and psychic survival  more »