Eminent Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates Jr. uses revolutionary breakthroughs in genealogical research and DNA analysis to take eight prominent African Americans on once-unimaginable journeys into their past – tracing their family genes down through U.S. history and even back to Africa.
The Muslim Americans explores the diversity of Muslims in America today, focusing on communities’ experience after 9/11, and contrasting life Muslims here in the United States compared to Muslims in Britain and Europe.
Connected by having a son or daughter who is gay, parents across the country discuss their experiences in the documentary Anyone and Everyone. In it, filmmaker Susan Polis Schutz, depicts families from all walks of life. Individuals from such diverse backgrounds as Japanese, Bolivian, and Cherokee, as well as from various religious denominations such as Mormon, Jewish, Roman Catholic, Hindu, and Southern Baptist, share intimate accounts of how their children revealed their sexual orientation and discuss their responses. The parents also talk about struggling with the pain of their sons and daughters dealing with not being accepted by relatives or friends, and being ostracized by religious congregations. The film also depicts meetings of PFLAG (Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays) where people get support and help.
A film that reveals the personal stories of Americans willing to risk their lives for a country that criminalizes the act of coming out. Current and veteran gay soldiers reveal how "don't ask don't tell" affects them during their tours of duty, as they struggle to maintain a double life. The film also follows gay veterans and young organizers turning to forms of personal activism to overturn the policy.
In the US, race, more than any other demographic factor, determines levels of individual educational achievement, health and life expectancy, possibility of incarceration, and wealth. This film reveals a self-perpetuating system of inequality in which internal factors play out in external structures: institutions, policy and law. Designed for dialogue and learning, Cracking the Codes: The System of Racial Inequity works to disentangle internal beliefs within, as it builds skills to recognize and address external drivers od inequity.
Dreamworlds 3, the latest in Sut Jhally's critically acclaimed Dreamworldsseries, takes a clarifying look at the warped world of music video. Ranging across hundreds of images and stories from scores of music videos, Jhally uncovers a dangerous industry preoccupation with reactionary ideals of femininity and masculinity, and shows how these ideals have glamorized a deeply sexist worldview in the face of the women's movement and the fight for women's rights. In the end, Dreamworlds 3 challenges young people to think seriously about how forms of entertainment that might seen innocuous and inconsequential can be implicated in serious real-world problems like gender violence, misogyny, homophobia, and racism.
In an attempt to answer the essential question, Where Do I Come From?, Harvard scholar Henry Louis Gates, Jr. produced the ground-breaking television series African American Lives, African American Lives 2 and Faces of America. Combining genealogical detective work from cutting edge DNA science, the programs illuminate the struggles and triumphs of Americans from many ethnic backgrounds. Taken as a whole, they share the history of our country and help define what it means to be American.
Along the way, the many stories he uncovers -- of displacement and homecoming, of material success and dispossession, of assimilation and discrimination – illuminate the history of the American experience. Guests include poet Elizabeth Alexander, who composed and read the poem of President Barack Obama’s inauguration, chef Mario Batali, comedian Stepehn Colbert, novelist Louise Erdrich, writer Malcolm Gladwell, actress Eva Longoria, cellist Yo-Yo Ma, director Mike Nichols, Her Majesty Queen Noor, television host/heart surgeon Dr. Mehmet Oz, actress Meryl Streep, and gold medal figure skater Kristi Yamaguchi.
Educator Henry Louis Gates Jr. has hosted several PBS series that examine U.S. history. In "Finding Your Roots," the Harvard professor continues his quest to "get into the DNA of American culture." In each episode, celebrities view ancestral histories, sometimes learn of connections to famous/infamous people, discover secrets and share the emotional experience with viewers. Analyzing genetic code, DNA diagnosticians trace bloodlines and occasionally debunk long-held beliefs. Among those featured in the second season are Stephen King, Ben Affleck, Angela Bassett and Sally Field.
Fish out of Water tackles the seven Bible verses used to condemn homosexuality and justify marriage discrimination. This feature documentary uses humor and original animation to make a traditionally complex and controversial topic accessible to those who don't like talking about religion and sexuality. Fish out of Water dives into the underbelly of America, crisscrosses red and blue states and talks to ministers from every denomination to uncover America's impassioned relationship with homosexuality and the Bible. With slapstick animation and quirky interviews taken everywhere from barbershops to mega churches, Fish out of Water delivers a voice to the oppressed and informs to the misled. Most importantly, Fish out of Water sits down with hundreds of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender folks to impart their experiences with faith and sexuality. This unique lens spans across culture, race, religion, age, socio-economic level and puts a relatable face on the themes of Fish out of Water.
Delving into values of the religious right and the accompanying homophobia, "For the Bible Tells Me So" focuses on how conservative Christians' interpretation of the Bible is commonly used as a way to deny homosexuals equal rights. Following five families with an openly gay son or daughter, director Daniel G. Karslake offers a firsthand look at how those in the Christian community with an out child are affected by the homophobic fervor. Karslake also interviews a number of religious leaders.
Further Off the Straight & Narrow argues that the evolution in GLBT representation, like many transformations in a commercially-driven media system, may be best explained less by a sudden commitment to social justice on the part of big media than by advertisers' recognition of the potential of directly targeting GLBT consumers with programming specifically designed to attract their attention. The film acknowledges the expansion of GLBT representation on television and the resulting possibilities for inclusion and recognition opened up for today's gay youth. However, the program also raises questions about how this queer presence on television is shaped by the imperatives of the commercial media system.
The Hip Hop Project is the dynamic and inspirational story of a group of New York City teenagers who transform their life stories into powerful works of art, using hip hop as a vehicle for self-development and personal discovery. The film traces the evolution of this award-winning outreach program developed by Kazi, a formerly homeless teenager turned youth mentor. After four years of collaboration, the group produced a powerful and thought-provoking album that provides a revealing look at their lives. In contrast to all the negative attention focused on hip hop and rap music, this is a story of hope, healing and the realization of dreams.
Hot Coffee is a 2011 documentary film that analyzes and discusses the impact of tort reform on the United States judicial system. It is directed by Susan Saladoff, who has practiced as a medical malpractice attorney for at least 26 years. The film premiered at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival on January 24, 2011, and later aired on HBO on June 27, 2011, as a part of HBO films documentary summer series. The title is derived from the Liebeck v. McDonald's Restaurants lawsuit in which the plaintiff Liebeck was severely burned after spilling into her lap hot coffee purchased from at McDonald's.
MAID IN AMERICA is an intimate, eye-opening look at the lives of las domésticas, as seen through the eyes of Eva, Telma and Judith: three Latina immigrants, each with a very different story, who work as nannies and housekeepers in Los Angeles, California. Filmmakers Anayansi Prado and Kevin Leadingham followed their subjects for several years, and their cameras caught some of the most intimate moments of these women’s lives, both on and off the job. The challenges faced by these women are as diverse as their stories. MAID IN AMERICA is the story of the American dream as seen from the perspectives of three women, all looking longingly through the glass…at the same time they’re cleaning it.
My Home - Your War takes us inside the home of an Iraqi family as they deal with the disruptions and terrors of war as it affects their daily lives. Layla is a middle class Iraqi woman, striking and intelligent - but the war is testing her most intimate relationships. Meet her shy teenage son who she suspects is working with the anti-US resistance; her steady but workaholic husband: and her once radical sister who is becoming increasingly conservative and religious as the chaos of Baghdad fuels her insecurities. Layla and her family give a revealing insight into the contrasting ways war and regime change strain close relationships, nurture extremism and change a family's destiny.
Not In Our Town: Light in the Darkness is a one-hour documentary about a town coming together to take action after anti-immigrant violence devastates the community. In 2008, a series of attacks against Latino residents of Patchogue, New York culminate with the murder of Marcelo Lucero, an Ecuadorian immigrant who had lived in the Long Island village for 13 years. Over a two-year period, the story follows Mayor Paul Pontieri, the victim’s brother, Joselo Lucero, and Patchogue residents as they openly address the underlying causes of the violence, work to heal divisions, and begin taking steps to ensure everyone in their village will be safe and respected.
The African Americans: Many Rivers to Cross chronicles the full sweep of the African-American experience, from the origins of the transatlantic slave trade to the reelection and second inauguration of President Barack Obama. It is the first documentary series to recount this history in its entirety since the nine-part History of the Negro People aired on National Educational Television in 1965, and the one-hour documentary Black History: Lost, Stolen, or Strayed, narrated by Bill Cosby and broadcast in 1968. According to the PBS website for the series, The African Americans: Many Rivers to Cross "explores the evolution of the African-American people, as well as the multiplicity of cultural institutions, political strategies, and religious and social perspectives they developed — forging their own history, culture and society against unimaginable odds. Commencing with the origins of slavery in Africa, the series moves through five centuries of remarkable historic events right up to the present — when America is led by a black president, yet remains a nation deeply divided by race.
Filmmaker Thomas Keith, a professor of philosophy at California State University, Long Beach, provides an engrossing look at the forces in male culture that condition boys and men to dehumanize and disrespect women. Breaking down a range of contemporary media forms targeted explicitly at young men, Keith teases out the main maxims of "bro culture" and "the bro code," and examines how this seemingly ironic mentality reinforces misogyny and gender violence in the real world. Whether he's looking at movies and music videos that glamorize womanizing, pornography that trades in the brutalization of women, comedians who make fun of sexual assault, or the recent groundswell in men's magazines and cable TV shows that revel in reactionary myths of American manhood, the message Keith uncovers in virtually every corner of our "entertainment" culture is clear: that it's not only normal -- but cool -- for boys and men to control and humiliate women. Along the way, The Bro Code makes a powerful case that there's nothing normal, natural, or inevitable about this toxic ideal of American manhood, and challenges young people to fight back against the resurgent idea that being a "bro" -- and a man -- means glorifying sexism, bullying, and abuse.
The Hip Hop Project is the dynamic and inspirational story of a group of New York City teenagers who transform their life stories into powerful works of art, using hip hop as a vehicle for self-development and personal discovery. The film traces the evolution of this award-winning outreach program developed by Kazi, a formerly homeless teenager turned youth mentor. After four years of collaboration, the group produced a powerful and thought-provoking album that provides a revealing look at their lives. In contrast to all the negative attention focused on hip hop and rap music, this is a story of hope, healing and the realization of dreams.
For over 40 years, the War on Drugs has accounted for 45 million arrest, cost over $1 trillion, has made America the world’s largest jailer and has damaged poor communities at home and abroad. Yet, drugs are cheaper, purer and more available today than ever. Where did we go wrong and what is the path towards healing? Brought to you by award-winning filmmaker Eugene Jarecki and executive producers Brad Pitt, John Legend, Danny Glover and Russell Simmons, The House I Live In goes inside America’s longest war to examine the effects of drug laws on everyone from the dealer and the grieving mother to the jailer and the federal judge.
The Mask You Live In follows boys and the young men as they struggle to stay true to themselves while negotiating America’s narrow definition of masculinity.
Easily the most inflammatory, shocking and historic word in the English language, the N word has smoldered in the American Psyche for over century. It has morphed from a source of hate, degradation and embarrassment to a term of endearment used amongst the many races of young people. But is that OK? Surf the web or eavesdrop in the lunchroom and you will find the N word is alive. Has overuse removed its horrific origins; has its lost its power to insult and enrage? Given the word’s continually shifting use, The N Word is a brave and bold confrontation of the taboo, exploring the history and relevance of the word and the social status within and between races. The N Word ignites the conversation, let’s talk about it!
Angela Davis and Tim Wise, two of this country’s leading racial and social justice scholar-activists, join moderator Rose Aguilar onstage for a rare, unscripted and free ranging conversation on the state of contemporary global politics. They explore how our culture’s uncritical embrace of pervasive individualism, the myth of meritocracy and entrenched institutional inequality have led to racialized public policy, the privatization of education, health care and the environment, and the commodification of many of our basic needs, including water and food. Through bold discourse, wit, and an optimism of the will, Angela and Tim call for new vocabularies – a different kind of fluency and a different quality of literacy. With a shared reverence for historical memory and today’s activism, they invoke the power of a new language to restore clarity and to unify global communities. One comes away from this conversation with a sense of renewed faith in humanity and with the realization that ordinary people can, and do, and will achieve the extraordinary. As Angela notes in her commentary, “as isolated individuals we will always be powerless…but as communities we can achieve anything.”
White Like Me, based on the work of acclaimed anti-racist educator and author Tim Wise, explores race and racism in the U.S. through the lens of whiteness and white privilege. In a stunning reassessment of the American ideal of meritocracy and claims that we've entered a post-racial society, Wise offers a fascinating look back at the race-based white entitlement programs that built the American middle class, and argues that our failure as a society to come to terms with this legacy of white privilege continues to perpetuate racial inequality and race-driven political resentments today. For years, Tim Wise's bestselling books and spellbinding lectures have challenged some of our most basic assumptions about race in America. White Like Me is the first film to bring the full range of his work to the screen -- to show how white privilege continues to shape individual attitudes, electoral politics, and government policy in ways too many white people never stop to think about.
