Docudramas and Documentaries
Updated and edited by Mollie
Smith (2002) and Randall
Ryder (2007) and reproduced with permission.
Abric, Isabelle (Director);
Guidi di Bagno, Simone (Director).
A Work-In-Progress: Human Rights in Haiti. 1999.
A
documentary produced in conjunction with the U.N. Provides a history of Haiti and its peoples, and how their
human rights system has and continues to evolve. (based on information provided
at the website below.)
http://www.un.org/av/special/haiti/index.html
Abrams, Leonard (Director). Quilombo
Country. United States: Moving Eye Productions, 2006.
The
story about hundreds of communities in Brazil, called Quilombos, that were
formed by runaway slaves. The film
explores the economic, political, and socioeconomic problems these small
communities face in today’s world. (based on information provided at the
website below.)
http://www.quilombocountry.com/
Achkar, David
(Director). Allah Tantou (We Love You).
Guinea/France: Centre National de la Cinematographie, 1991.
An
intense examination of the widespread human rights abuses on the African
continent shown through the director's reconstruction of his father's life and
last days inside Guinean gulag.
(based on information provided at the website below.)
http://www.newsreel.org/nav/title.asp?tc=CN0005
Acquaro, Kimberlee (director).
God Sleeps in
Rwanda. United
States. 2005.
A poignant
story of loss and redemption “God Sleeps in Rwanda” captures the spirit of five
courageous women as they rebuild their lives, redefining women’s roles in Rwandan
society and bringing hope to a wounded nation.
Amenta,
Marco (director). One
Girl Against the Mafia. Sicily: Eurofilm, 2002.
One Girl
Against the Mafia
is the story of Rit Atria, a 17-year-old Sicilian girl who was the first female
from a Mafia family in Sicily to break the Mafia “code of silence” and seek
legal action against the murderers of her father and brother. Because of
her actions, Atria was repudiated by her mother and boyfriend, threatened,
ostracized by those around her, and forced to flee to Rome. [1]
Ankele,
John and Anne Macksound (director). Arms for the Poor. United States:
Maryknoll World Productions, 1998.
In this
documentary, Ankele and Macksound seek the opinions of various experts on the
destabilizing impact of the United States selling weapons to developing
countries. The film exposes how the United States exports weapons to
nearly any country, regardless of the country’s human rights record. [2]
Antell,
Rachel (director). Death
on a Friendly Border.
Mexico/United States, 2001.
Death on a
Friendly Border
shows the impact of the increased militarization by the United States of its
border with Mexico, which has led to an average death toll of one person per
day of those seeking entry into the U.S. The film also captures the
stories of migrants seeking new lives in the U.S., the border officials who
patrol the area, and the activists fighting against the militarization of the
border. [3]
Apted,
Michael (director). China: Moving the Mountain. United States: October Films, 1995.
This
film is a briskly informational overview of the aborted democracy movement in
China, illustrated with footage of the 1989 mayhem in Tiananmen Square and
interviews with veterans of the fight. [4]
Attenborough,
Richard (director). *Gandhi. India/United Kingdom: Columbia/Tristar Pictures, 1992.
Gandhi
is the story
of the man’s life and the events that shaped his effective strategy of peaceful
resistance to Britain’s rule over India. The film begins with Gandhi (Ben
Kingsley) working as a lawyer in South Africa and continues as he goes back to
India and begins his life work.
Ausherman,
Charles R. (director). Violence Against Women: A Violation of Human Rights. Institute for
Development Training, 1993.
Violence
Against Women
captures the testimony of women from Africa, Asia, Europe, North America, and
South America before the United Nations concerning human rights violations
against women. The women testify about a variety of issues, including
forced prostitution, female genital mutilation, and domestic violence.
This film is an attempt by the Institute for Development Training to bring
international human rights violations against women to the attention of the
international community.[5]
Ayres, Tony (Director). China Dolls.
Australia, 1997.
A
documentary about Australian gay men of Asian heritage come to terms with and
deal with the fact that they belong to a "double minority".
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0367600/
Bain,
Aisha; Marlowe, Jen; Shapiro, Adam (directors). Darfur Diaries: Message from Home. 2004.
The film
chronicles the history, hopes, and fears of the people in Darfur, Sudan amidst
ongoing genocide that has resulted in the deaths of 400,000 civilians and the
displacement of over 2.5 million others. In September 2004, the Bush
Administration declared the violence genocide, yet little has been done to
alleviate the conflict and the crisis receives scarce media coverage. In an
effort to inform the US public on the ongoing genocide, three independent
filmmakers visited refugee camps in eastern Chad and snuck across the border
into Darfur. The film uses personal interviews to tell the stories of the
Darfurians, showing interviews with refugees and displaced people, civilians
and fighters resisting the Sudanese government, parents, and children. From
review at http://students.brown.edu/HRF/thursday.htm.
Bani-Etemad, Rakhshan (Director). Our
Times. Iran: Facets, 2002.
A
documentary on a vitally important aspect of Iranian society, the film looks at
the changing role of women to a backdrop of the 2002 Iranian elections. (based on information provided at the
website below.)
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/our_times/
Barker, Greg (Director). Ghosts of Rwanda. United
States/UK: Frontline/BBC, 2004.
On
the 10th Anniversary of the Rwandan massacre – where 800,000 civilians
were hunted down and murdered - this documentary examines the social,
political, and diplomatic failures that converged to enable the genocide to
occur. (based on information
provided at the website below.)
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/ghosts/
Beresford,
Bruce (director). Paradise
Road.
United States: 20th Century Fox, 1997.
Inspired by the
true events captured in the autobiographical work Song of Survival:
Women Interned
by Helen Colijn, Paradise
Road tells
the story of women interned in a Japanese prison camp in the East Indies during
World War II. The film reveals the horrors suffered by women in the
camps, but also focuses on a musician within the group of prisoners who begins
composing musical works from memory for the women to perform. In the
midst of torture, death, and fear, music becomes the unifying and sustaining
symbol of freedom and hope for the women.
Bezijan,
Nigol. Roads
Full of Apricots.
Lebanon.
Nigol’s
documentary about “cultural identity shaped by a tragic history” is tied to
Nigol’s own experience of being displaced from his war-torn home country.
In the film, Nigol uses images from history, literature, film, and music to
show how those different mediums can trigger memories and nostalgia.
Nigol also reveals the ways in which past and present are intertwined. [7]
Brault,
Brigitte.
Afghanistan Unveiled.
Afghanistan/France/USA. 2004
This rare and
uncompromising film explores the effects on Afghani women of the Taliban's
repressive rule and the U.S. sponsored bombing campaign. Except for one, none
of the 14 journalist trainees were able to study or pursue careers while the
Taliban was in power, and none had ever left Kabul. Afghanistan Unveiled
presents heartbreaking footage from rural regions of the country-Hazara women
whose lives have been decimated by recent events. Lacking water and electricity
and having little or no food, the women have been left to live in caves and
fend for themselves, abandoned following the U.S. invasion. Despite scenes of
tragedy, the filmmakers manage to find examples of hope for the future in this
poetic journey of self-discovery.
Braun, Ted (Director). Darfur Now. United
States: Mandalay Independent Pictures, 2007.
Surrounds
the current genocide occurring in Darfur, and chronicles the efforts of six
different individuals to both bring attention to the situation and attempt to
help resolve the current crisis.
(based on information provided at the website below.)
http://www.myspace.com/darfurnow
Brown, Jim (Director). Pete Seeger: The Power of Song. United
States: Jim Brown Productions, 2007.
Documents
the life, struggles, and misunderstandings surrounding one of American’s most
prolific song writer’s and folk singers, known for his songs about peace and
human rights. (based on
information provided at the website below.)
http://www.jimbrownfilms.com/seeger.html
Butler, Shakti
(Director). The Way Home. United
States: New Day Films.
A
collection of interviews and conversations about racism in America, from
sixty-four women representing a cross-section of cultures. (Indigenous, African-American, Arab,
Asian, European-American, Jewish, Latina, and Multiracial). (based on information provided at the
website below.)
http://www.world-trust.org/videos/home.html
Byers,
Charlotte (director). Our Own Road. Mexico/United States: Peregrine
Productions.
Byers captures the
struggles of Mexican farmers to deal with increased poverty since the enactment
of NAFTA. Many farmers turned to raising marijuana and opium because
traditional crops could not provide enough money; this change in crops has, in
turn, led to increased violence due to increased drug wars and drug
trafficking. The films shows how narrator David Warner worked together
with Mexican farmers to establish “low cost community-based care for hundreds
of casualties” of drug-related violence and how their efforts inspired similar
actions in other countries. [8]
Camerini,
Michael (director). Well-Founded
Fear.
New York: Epidavros Project, 2000.
Well-Founded
Fear is about political asylum in the United States. The film provides a
close-up view of what goes on at the Asylum Office. It shows asylum officers,
lawyers, translators, enterprising immigrants and refugees looking for
protection, all focused on the confidential interviews that are the heart of
the asylum process.
**
Constatinou,
Sophia (director). Divided
Loyalties.
Cyprus/United States: True Pictures.
Divided
Loyalties is
a documentary on the tragic modern history of Cyprus, an island divided into
Turkish North and Greek South. The duality of Cyprus is perpetuated by
the UN, Turkish, and Great Britain military presence that has established a
military border zone separating the island. This film explores the dual
national identity of Cyprus, as well as the effects of colonialism, invasion,
civil war, and revolution upon the island. [9]
Castano, Patricia (Director);
Trujilo, Adelaida (Director). War
Takes. Columbia/UK, 2002.
A
portrayal the harsh realities of living in the violent, war-torn country of
Columbia. (based on information
provided at the website below.)
http://www.wmm.com/filmcatalog/pages/c618.shtml
- links
Cohn, Peter (Director). Golden Venture. United
States: Hillcrest Films, LLC, 2006.
Chronicles
the ongoing struggles of passengers who were aboard the Golden Venture, an
immigrant smuggling ship that ran aground near New York City in 1993. (based on information provided at the
website below.)
http://www.goldenventuremovie.com/
Costa-Gavras,
Constantin (director). *Missing. United States: Universal Pictures, 1982.
Missing
is a movie
based on the true story of Charles Hormer, an American journalist in Chile who
disappeared mysteriously after investigating American involvement in Chile’s
coup. His wife, Beth (Sissy Spacek), and father, Ed (Jack Lemmon),
attempt to locate him, but they are stonewalled by both Chilean officials and
the American embassy. During their relentless search for Charles, they
discover many political secrets which Charles had known and which the U.S. and
right-wing Chilean government are covering.
Costa-Gavras,
Constantin (director). State
of Siege.
France: Cinema 5, 1973.
A
controversial and apparently true film about an American working for AID
(Agency for International Development) who is kidnapped by left-wing
revolutionaries in Uruguay. The group claims that their captive has
spread torture techniques to right wing governments in Uruguay and elsewhere,
and they attempt to get him to confess. [10]
Costa-Gavras,
Constantin (director). *Z. France: Cinema 5,
1969.
Z
is a thriller
based on the true story of the 1963 assassination of Gregorios Lambrakis, a
Greek liberal who stressed the importance of peace. The government at the
time was radically right-wing and did not like Lambrakis’s message or his
popularity, and it looked the other way as he was murdered. A government
appointed investigator was hired, presumably to put up the appearance of a
probe, but surprised everyone by exposing government cover-ups and
conspiracies. [11]
Devlin, Paul (Director). Power Trip. United
States: Ironweed Films, 2003.
The
story of the clash of cultures that results when an American energy
conglomerate takes over a formerly state-run electricity company in a country
(the former Soviet Republic of Georgia) whose residents are, at best,
ambivalent, and, at worst, furious about its presence there. (based on: http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/powertrip/film.html)
http://www.powertripthemovie.com/index2.html
Diramal, Tin (Director). De Nadie. Mexico:
Producciones Tranvia, 2005.
The
story of a Central American immigrant's difficult journey to the United States
in search of a better life. (based
on information at the website below.)
http://www.mediarights.org/film/no_one_de_nadie.php
Dolezal, Rudi
(Director). Get Up, Stand Up. Austria/Germany:
DoRo Produktion, 2003.
Explores
the connection of music and politics in the struggle for global peace and
equality. Featuring countless
interviews and vignettes of the musicians behind the most famous political
songs of the last fifty years. (based on information provided at the
website below.)
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/getupstandup/index.html
Dotan, Shimon
(Director). Hot House. Israel,
Alma Films, 2006.
A
look at how Israeli prisons have become the breeding ground for the next
generation of Palestinian leaders as well as the birth place of future
terrorist threats. (based on
information provided at the website below.)
http://www.frif.com/new2006/hot.html
Duigan,
John (director). Romero. United States:
Four Seasons, 1989.
Romero is the true story of
Archbishop Arnulfo Romero (Raul Julia), a priest assassinated in El Salvador
for his liberal views and human rights activism. The man described as a
saint was killed performing a mass and his killer was never apprehended, but
the murderer was suspected to have been involved with a radical right-wing
group. [12]
Elsanhouri, Taghreed (Director). All About Darfur.
Sudan/UK: Taghreed Elsanhouri Productions, 2005.
A
look at Darfur from the voices of those who live there, ordinary Sudanese in
outdoor tea shops, markets, refugee camps and living rooms about how deeply
rooted prejudices could suddenly burst into a wild fire of ethnic violence. The
film includes interviews with intellectuals, activists, and genocide survivors
and pays particular attention to the opinions and concerns of women. (based on information provided at the
website below.)
http://www.allaboutdarfur.com/
Epstein, Elaine
(Director). State of Denial. United
States: Lovett Productions, 2003.
An
unprecedented and intensive look at how the citizens of South Africa manage to
live with the AIDS epidemic, given the climate of governmental confusion and
neglect. (synopsis based on: http://www.lovettproductions.com/projects/projectsDetails.php?main_cat_id=3&film_id=72&sub_cat_id=0&client_id=30)
http://www.pbs.org/pov/pov2003/stateofdenial/about.html
Fine, Sean (Director);
Nix, Andrea (Director). War
Dance. United States: Rogues Harbor Studios, 2007.
Follows
the uplifting story of three children living in displacement camps in Uganda;
despite the war and horrendous situations around them, they compete in the
National Music Competition. (based
on information provided at the website below.)
http://www.wardancethemovie.com/
Foster,
Lilibet (director). Operation
Fine Girl. United
States, 2001.
Operation
Fine Girl: Rape Used as a Weapon of War in Sierra Leone documents the brutal use of
rape as a weapon of war in Sierra Leone. The story is told through the eyes the
survivors - women and girls, as well as the child soldiers and perpetrators.
Francis, Marc and Nick
(Directors). Black Gold. United
Kingdom: Fulcrum Productions, 2006.
An
in-depth look at the international coffee trade and how the human rights of the
growers and harvesters are vastly affected by the enormous business. (based on information provided at the
website below.)
http://www.blackgoldmovie.com/
George,
Terry (director). Hotel
Rwanda. United
States: United Artist Films, 2004.
Hotel
Rwanda
tells the true-life story of how Paul Rusesabagina used his position as hotel
manager to house more than 1,200 Tutsis refugees during their struggle against
the Hutu militia amidst the 1994 Rwandan genocide.
Griffin,
Dan and Robin Garthwait (directors). Missing in Tibet. Tibet/United States: Garthwait
and Griffin Films, 1997.
This documentary
portrays the story of Nwawang Choephel. Born in Tibet but living and
studying ethnomusicology in the United States, Choephel returned to Tibet to document
the traditional music and dance of the region. While there, Choephel was
arrested and sentenced to eighteen years in prison by Chinese
authorities. The film is narrated by Goldie Hawn and Peter Coyote. [13]
Griffin,
Dianne and Tobi Sovang (directors). White Hotel. Africa/United States: Wake Up
Productions, 1996.
White Hotel is the story of two women,
Griffin and Sovang, who travel with a United States HIV research team to Eritrea,
Africa. The country presents stark contrasts: the joy of victory
after thirty years of civil war with Ethiopia versus the skulls of the dead
lying about and people suffering from AIDS due to widespread female
circumcision and unprotected sex. The film focuses on the many
AIDS-related issues facing Eritrea and shows the emotional journey of Griffin
and Sovang as they interact with the Eritrean people. [14]
Grossman, Roberta (Director). Homeland. United
States: Katahdin Foundation, 2005.
The stories of five Native Americans fighting to
preserve their lands against disastrous environmental hazards, and preserving
their sovereignty and ensuring the cultural survival of their peoples. (based on information provided at the
website below.)
http://www.katahdin.org/films/homeland/intro.html
Grunberg,
Slawomir (director). From Chechnya to Chernobyl. Belarus/United States: Bullfrog
Productions, 1998.
From Chechnya
to Chernobyl
depicts the story of a Russian couple living in war-torn Chechnya who are
willing to risk the health of themselves and their children by relocating to
the radiation-filled country of Belarus in order to escape the war zone.
Belarus suffered the most detrimental effects of the Chernobyl disaster and the
area was abandoned by its residents. Incentives are now, however, being
offered by local governments to get families to resettle in the area.
Slawomir shows the desperate situation and difficult choices of those living in
Chechnya. [15]
Gutman,
Alexander (director). Journey Back to Youth. Germany/Russia: Atelier-Film-Alexander.
This documentary
explores the senselessness and horror of war by revealing little known facts
concerning the Second World War. The film focuses on events occurring
after the Red Army’s occupation of East Prussia and tells the story of four
German girls who were raped by Soviet soldiers and forced to endure the horrors
of Stalin’s camps. While the film exposes the ways in which war
dehumanizes the participants, it also shows that people can overcome the
tremendous suffering caused by war and find happiness. [16]
Guzmán,
Patricio (director). The
Pinochet Case.
New York: First Run/Icarus Films, 2001.
Winner
of several awards, The Pinochet Case is a step-by-step investigation of the
case against Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet. It traces the legal origins of
the case in Spain, follows the British legal system's involvment, and
incorporates testimonies of victims of Pinochet's crimes. ***
Gvardiol,
Zelimir (director). A Father, A Son, A Holy Ghost. (Former)
Yugoslavia: Spesfilm, 1998.
A
Father, A Son, A Holy Ghost captures the haunting stories of three boys and the terrible
effects of war upon their lives. All the stories are linked by “intense
loss and destruction.” One story is of a boy who must care for his
younger siblings after his stepmother is killed by his father. The second
story is of a boy traumatized by the war and his parents’ divorce. The
final story is about an unborn child affected by the war: his father is
killed in the war and the war forces his mother to give birth to him in a
sewer. [17]
Haptas,
John and Kris Samuelson (directors). Riding the Tiger. United States: UC Extension
Center for Media and Independent Learning.
This documentary
explains the events leading up to the United States’ involvement in the Vietnam
War, its reasons for staying in the war, and the after-effects. Stories
from various perspectives, including Vietnamese survivors and U.S. veterans,
are interspersed with the explanation of the United States’ involvement in the
war. The footage of the film was shot in the Arizona desert at the Air
Force’s “boneyard” for B-52 bombers. [18]
Hick, Jochen (Director);
Jentzsch, Christian (Director). Rainbow's
End. Germany: Galeria Alaska Productions, 2006.
An exploration of
the current state of homosexual and transgender civil rights throughout Europe.
http://www.galeria-alaska.de/frameset_html_e.htm
Holzman,
Allan. Survivors
of the Holocaust.
United States: Warner Home Video, 1996.
While researching
the Holocaust for Shindler’s
List, Steven
Spielberg interviewed several Holocaust survivors. Inspired by their
stories and realizing a need to preserve them, Spielberg established The
Survivors of the Shoah Foundation, which is dedicated to collecting and
preserving the stories of Holocaust survivors for future generations.
This documentary contains a few of the interviews that have been collected and
offers a view of three different time periods: life prior to the
Holocaust, internment in the concentration camps, and life after liberation.
Hoffmann,
Deborah; Frances Reid (directors). Long Night's Journey Into Day. United States, 2000.
This documentary
tells four stories of Apartheid in South Africa, as seen through the eyes of
the Truth and Reconciliation commission.
Houston, Robert
(Director). Mighty Times: The
Legacy of Rosa Parks. United States: Tell the Truth Pictures,
2002.
Details the life of
one of America’s bravest, and most famous members of the civil rights movement.
http://www.hbo.com/docs/programs/mighty_times/index.html
Jacobovici, Simcha (Director). Deadly Currents. Canada:
CITY-TV, 1991.
A
documentary that traces the roots of the Israeli/Palestine conflict back
hundreds of years, and presents the current state of the conflict, circa
1992. (based on information
provided at the website below.)
http://www.simchaj.ca/blog/Filmography/DeadlyCurrents/_archives/1992/10/16/905701.html
Jancso,
Miklos (director). The
Round-Up.
Hungary: Mafilm, 1966.
This
drama is a portrayal of the "round-up" and torture of suspects by the
Hungarian police after the Kossuth Rebellion of 1848. Director Miklos
Jancso was comparing these authorities to those in Hungary in his own time. [19]
Jersey,
Bill (director, producer). Faces of the Enemy. United States, 1987.
Faces of the
Enemy follows
social psychologist Sam Keen as he unmasks how individuals and nations
dehumanize their enemies to justify the inhumanity of war.
Joffe,
Roland (director). The
Killing Fields.
United Kingdom: Warner Brothers Entertainment, 1984.
This
film was based on the true story of a New York Times reporter who stayed in
Cambodia after American evacuation and his native translator, who was
imprisoned in a Khmer Rouge labor camp.
Katz, Joel (Director). Strange Fruit. United
States: PBS, 2002.
Explores
the history and legacy of a song unique in the annals of American music.
Best-known from Billie Holiday's haunting 1939 rendition, the song
"Strange Fruit" is a harrowing portrayal of the lynching of a black
man in the American South. (based
on information provided at the website below.)
http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/strangefruit/
Kelly,
Sean (director). Dangerous
Art.
Canada/Mozambique: Some Productions, 2001.
Dangerous Art tells about the civil war
that destroyed Mozambiquie in 1992 and left in its wake “[t]housands of guns,
grenades and landmines” that still threaten those that survived the war. [20]
Khoury, Buthina Canaan (Director). Women In Struggle.
Palestine: Majd Production, 2004.
A
documentary following the lives of four Palestinian women whom are ex-political
detainees. The women reflect on
the years they spent imprisoned and the current struggle for women’s
rights. (based on information
provided at the website below.)
http://www.womeninstruggle.com/
Knoblack, Kevin (Director);
Silver, Ron (Director). Broken
Promises: UN at 60. United States: Citizens United/Peace
River Company, 2005.
An
intense look at the UN over its first 60 years. The film details the inconsistencies between the UN’s goals
and actual effects. In particular,
the films takes a hard examination about the UN’s present state of inefficiency
and corruption. (based on
information provided at the website below.)
http://www.brokenpromisesmovie.com/
Kobylinska,
Tassia (director). Where
Women are Banned.
Afghanistan/United Kingdom.
Where Women
are Banned is
a documentary in which three Afghani women who fled their home country tell
about the human rights abuses they suffered in Afghanistan after the Taliban
took away their freedom. For these women, “there was no option but to
flee and seek refuge in another country.” [21]
Kovacs,
Andres. Hideg
napok (Cold Days). Hungary: Mafilm,
1966.
This docudrama
focuses on the slaughter of Bosnians by Hungarian fascists during WWII, often
countering the information provided in the “official” reports of the incident. [22]
Kramer,
Stanley (director). *Judgment at Nuremberg. United States: MGM Studios, 1961.
Judgment
at Nuremberg portrays
the trial of German judges who were complacent to Hitler’s orders and who
knowingly sent innocents to their death in concentration camps or to medical
experimentation. The film is an examination of the nature of
responsibility and justice.
Lanzmann,
Claude (director). Shoah. France: New Yorker
Films, 1984.
Shoah is a nine and a half hour
documentary of the holocaust that is mainly interviews of men and women who
experienced or caused the horror. [23]
Larson,
Lance. Cape
Divided.
South Africa: Kalash Films.
Cape Divided looks at South Africa’s first
multiracial election, during which Nelson Mandela was elected. The film
focuses on how it was possible for the National Party – “which was
responsible for the oppression of apartheid” – to overwhelmingly win the
province of the Western Cape even though it is a province where whites are not
the majority. The film also looks at the future of South Africa and the
issues the country will face. [24]
Lerner,
Carl (director). Black
Like Me.
United States: Rhino Home Video, 1964.
Black
Like Me is
the story of a white journalist who paints himself black in order to expose the
racial biases of mid-century America. It is based on a true story and the
novel by John Howard Griffin.
Levaco,
Ronald (director). Round
Eyes in the Middle Kingdom. China: Trans Film and Video, 1995.
Levaco’s
award-winning documentary tells the story of a Russian-Jew, Israel Epstein, who
chose to stay in China when other Caucasians fled in the face of the Communist
revolution. The documentary looks at Epstein’s reasons for staying, even
after he was accused of being a spy and spent five years in solitary
confinement. The film is also a means for Levaco, who was also born in
China but left with his family at the time of the revolution, to reconcile his
split childhood. [25]
Levy,
Bernard-Henry and Alain Ferrari (director). Bosna! Bosnia-Herzegovina: Zeitgeist, 1994.
Bernard-Henry
Levy's documentary compares the fighting in Bosnia-Herzegovina to the Spanish
Civil War. In an effort to make some historical sense of the bloody struggles
that began in 1991 with the dissolution of Yugoslavia, Levy and co-director
Alain Ferrari have juxtaposed archival footage of the war in Spain with scenes
from the battles of what some are call the Third Balkan War. "But the
resemblance between the two wars is more than visual: Levy sees both in terms
of the struggle between democracy and fascism, and notes a similar, cynical
indifference to incipient genocide among the major powers." [26]
Longley, James
(Director). Gaza Strip. United
States: Little Red Button, 2002.
The
documentary presents an in-depth look at the lives of Palestinians in the Gaza
Strip struggling to live under Israeli occupation. (based on information provided at the website below.)
http://www.littleredbutton.com/gaza/
Longinotto, Kim
(Director). The Day I Will
Never Forget. United States: HBO Films, 2002.
An
intensive examination of the practice of FGM – explored through
interviews with Kenyan women.
(based on information provided at the website below.)
http://www.hbo.com/docs/programs/day_never_forget/index.html
Longinotto,
Kim (director). Sisters
in Law. England:
Vixen Films, 2005.
In 'Sisters in
Law,' the Wheels of Justice Grind Fine By NATHAN LEE The women of Kumba Town
take no guff, thanks to the clear minds, bright spirits and rock-steady ethics
of the "Sisters in Law," Vera Ngassa (a prosecutor) and Beatrice
Ntuba (a judge). Warmly assembled by Kim Longinotto and Florence Ayisi, this
winning documentary follows them as they nourish grass-roots feminism in a
Cameroon village.
Malle,
Louis (director). Alamo
Bay.
United States: Tri-Star Delphi III, 1985.
The
setting for Alamo
Bay is the
late 1970’s in Texas, a settling place of more than 15,000 Vietnamese
refugees. The refugees attempt to start a new life and many are hired by
a sympathetic shrimp fisherman. The new population, however, hurts the
business of other fisherman, who attempt to drive the refugees out of the
industry. The film is a portrayal of ethnic tension and American racism. [27]
Mardones, Sebastian Moreno (Director). City of Photographers. Mexico:
Las Películas del Pez, 2006.
Showcases
photographers and photojournalists who documented strikes and demonstrations
during the Chilean military regime of Augusto Pinochet, sometimes risking their
own lives. (based on information
provided at the website below.)
http://www.latinofilmfestival.org/2007/film.php?film_id=2739
Matthew, Joseph (Director);
DeVico, Dan (Director). Crossing
Arizona. United States: Rainlake Productions, 2006.
Delves
into the issue of illegal aliens and migrants crossing the border between the
United States and Mexico, telling the story through the eyes of those whose
lives are affected daily by the events.
(based on information provided at the website below.)
McLeod,
Christopher (Project Director), In the Light of Reverence. United States: Sacred
Land Film Project, 2001.
Ten years in the
making, In
the Light of Reverence explores American culture’s relationship to nature in three places
considered sacred by native peoples: the Colorado Plateau in the Southwest, Mt.
Shasta in California, and Devils Tower in Wyoming. Rich in minerals and timber
and beloved by recreational users, these “holy lands” exert a spiritual gravity
which pulls Native Americans into conflicts with mining companies, New Age
practitioners, and rock climbers. Ironically, all sides see themselves as
besieged. Their battles tell a new story of culture clashes in an ancient
landscape. In
the Light of Reverence juxtaposes reflections of Hopi, Wintu and Lakota elders on the
spiritual meaning of place with views of non-Indians who have their own ideas
about how best to use the land. The film captures the spiritual yearning and
materialistic frenzy of our time.
McKiernan,
Kevin (director). Good
Kurds, Bad Kurds: No Friends But the Mountains. Turkey/United
States: Access Productions, 2001.
This documentary
exposes the United States’ different approach to human rights as to Kurds
living in Turkey versus Kurds living in Iraq. Both segments of the Kurd
population are fighting for independence against the countries in which they
reside. While the United States regards the Iraqi Kurds as “good” Kurds
because their fight coincides with United States’ fight against Saddam Hussein,
the Turkish Kurds are considered “bad” Kurds by the United States because
Turkey is a strong ally in the war against Iraq. “The film provides the
perspectives of Turkish, U.S. and European officials, as well as human rights
representatives,” on the differing attitudes toward the two similarly situated
Kurdish groups. [28]
McTair,
Roger (director). Journey
to Justice.
Canada: National Film Board of Canada, 2000.
Journey
to Justice charts the little-known history of Canada's civil rights movement,
profiling several Canadians who led the fight for equality from the 1930s until
the 1950s. ****
Melton,
Patricia Smith (director). Peace by Peace: Women on the Frontlines. United States, 2003.
This
feature-length documentary, narrated by Academy Award-winning actress Jessica
Lange, premiered at the United Nations in 2003. It celebrates the unheralded
work of women peace builders worldwide. Filmed in Afghanistan,
Bosnia-Herzegovina, Burundi, Argentina and the US, this documentary takes
viewers into the lives of courageous women working to build peace out of
conflict and crisis.
Meurer, Jans (Director). Public Enemy. Germany:
Archipel 33, 1999.
30
years after the Black Panthers were an explosive force on the civil rights
front, this documentary interviews formers members about the group. (based on information provided at the
website below.)
http://www.archipel33.fr/site/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=420&Itemid=4
Metcalf,
Charlotte (director). Welcome to Womanhood. Uganda: Bullfrog Productions, 1998.
In this
documentary, Metcalf returns to Uganda to see if the UN Population Fund’s REACH
program, which seeks to offer alternative initiation ceremonies to female
circumcision, has succeeded. [29]
Mire, Soraya (Director). Fire Eyes: Female Circumcision. 1994.
A
documentary that focuses on the practice of FGM – centering around a
Somalian woman who's undergone FGM as a young girl. (based on information provided at the website below.)
http://filmakers.com/indivs/FireEyes.htm
Mograbi, Avi (Director). Avenge But One of My Two Eyes.
France/Israel: Les Films d’Ici, 2005.
Focuses
on the current Israeli-Palestinian conflict. In particular, the way members of the Israeli army treat
Palestinians in Israeli occupied territory. (based on information provided at the website below.)
http://www.notcoming.com/reviews/avengebutone/
Moore,
Michael (director). Bowling For Columbine. United States: United Artists, 2002.
Bowling For
Columbine is
a “humorous and horrifying look at firearms abuse” in the United States.
Moore shows his audience the security tapes of the Columbine tragedy, takes
them inside NRA President Charlton Heston’s house, and shocks them with a story
of a six-year-old girl murdered by another six-year-old child. [30]
Moore, Michael
(Director). Fahrenheit 9/11. United
States: Lions Gate Films, 2004.
An
intense investigation at the events and circumstances that led to the September
11th terrorist attacks and how the United States government reacted
both before and after the attacks.
Mueller, Ray (Director). The Wonderful, Horrible Life of Leni
Riefenstahl. Germany: Channel Four Films, 1993.
An
extensive documentary about the life and work of Leni Riefenstahl - the woman best known as Hitler's
propaganda filmmaker. (based on
information provided at the website below.)
http://www.brightlightsfilm.com/26/riefenstahl.html
Mulvad, Eva (Director). Enemies of Happiness.
Denmark: Denmark’s Radio, 2006.
In
2005 Afghanistan had their first democratic election after the war. We follow
political active Malalai Joya in her trial campaign to get elected. Due to her
pointing out several Taliban warlords wanting them prosecuted for their crimes
against the Afghan people, she has since been exposed to several death threats
over the last few years, and has been under constant protection. But in her
home county she is regarded as a national hero and has great support for her
political endeavor. (synopsis
from: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0924122/plotsummary)
http://www.enemiesofhappiness.com/
Mylan,
Megan (director). Lost
Boys of Sudan. United
States: Actual Films/ Principe Productions, 2003.
Lost
Boys of Sudan is a feature-length documentary that follows two Sudanese
refugees on an extraordinary journey from Africa to America. Orphaned as young
boys in one of Africa's cruelest civil wars, Peter Dut and Santino Chuor
survived lion attacks and militia gunfire to reach a refugee camp in Kenya
along with thousands of other children. From there, remarkably, they were
chosen to come to America. Safe at last from physical danger and hunger, a
world away from home, they find themselves confronted with the abundance and
alienation of contemporary American suburbia.
The
Nazis: Witness to Genocide. MPI Home Video, 1996.
The
Nazis: Witness to Genocide is a documentary that pieces together actual footage
of the WWII concentration camps that the Nazis filmed themselves in order to
document the progress of Hitler’s plan to annihilate the Jews and other
“undesirables.” [31]
Niagolova,
Mira (director). Trafficking
Cinderella.
Canada: Miran Productions, 2001.
Trafficking
Cinderella
documents the growing problem of Eastern European women being trafficked and
forced into prostitution in Western Europe and North America since the fall of
the Berlin Wall in 1989. The film includes the testimonies of Eastern
European women who have experienced first-hand the horrors of trafficking and
forced prostitution. [32]
Nettnin, Sonia. With Blood. 2004.
Documentary
that explores the violence Israeli occupation inflicts on Palestinian ambulance
drivers, doctors, patients, and civilians. (based on information provided at the website below.)
http://archive.ramallahonline.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=2470
Niccol,
Andrew (director). Lord
of War. USA:
Lions Gate Films, 2005.
Lord of War, a film starring Academy
Award-Winner Nicolas Cage that illustrates the deadly impact of the
uncontrolled global arms trade.
Njemoga-Kolar,
Ana (director). An
American Dream in Nizny Hrabovec. Slovakia: Slovenska TV.
This documentary
tells the story of a young Slovakian gypsy man who wants to bridge the gap
between the gypsy population and the general population in a village by
establishing a group to perform both gypsy and non-gypsy dances. The film
reveals the “problematic relationship” between Slovakian gypsies and the rest
of the population, as well as one man’s dream of unity. [33]
Omori, Emiko (Director). Rabbit in the Moon. United
States: Wabi-Sabi, 1999.
Explores
the treatment and lives of Japanese Americans who were forced to live in
internment camps during World War II.
(based on information provided at the website below.)
http://www.pbs.org/pov/pov1999/rabbitinthemoon/index.html
Ophuls,
Marcel (director).
The Sorrow and the Pity. France/Switzerland/Germany: Cinema 5/Columbia Pictures,
1970.
The
Sorrow and the Pity
is a documentary on German-occupied France during WWII and the motives and
actions of the people who lived through it. Ophuls depicts the victims,
perpetrators, and collaborators of the period in a detailed, serious style. [34]
Ousmane,
Sembene (director). Moolade. USA: New Yorker Films, 2002.
This
Senagelese-directed film focuses on female genital mutilation and the place of
this cultural practice in the lives of men and women in a small village.
Parker,
Alan (director). *Mississippi
Burning.
United States: Orion Pictures, 1989.
This
is a film based on the true story of the murder of three civil rights workers
in 1964. The story revolves around two FBI agents, played by Gene Hackman
and Willem Dafoe, who investigate the disappearances and uncover one small
town’s vitriolic racism. It is a portrait of American race relations in
the not too distant past.
Polak,
Hanna; Andrzej Celinski (directors). The Children of Leningradsky. USA: HBO, 2005.
An intimate
portrait of children living in Moscow train stations, The Children of
Leningradsky explores the overwhelming crisis of homeless children in Russia.
Sleeping in stairways, garbage containers and underground tunnels, they
panhandle or prostitute themselves for money. They sniff glue to curb hunger
and to escape from the violent world around them. Yet many of them consider
life on the streets a better alternative to what they experienced at home.
Poltras, Laura
(Director). My Country, My
Country. United States: Independent Television Service, 2006.
An
eye-opening look at the American occupation of Iraq from the perspective of
native Iraqis – and how the U.S. attempts to spread democracy actually
effect the people of Iraq. (based
on information provided at the website below.)
http://www.mycountrymycountry.com/
Polanski,
Roman (director). The
Pianist.
Poland: Focus, 2002.
The Pianist tells the true story of
Wladyslaw Szpilman, an accomplished Polish concert pianist and composer.
The film focuses on how Szpilman used music to help him survive the horrors of
the Holocaust he witnessed while hiding in a Warsaw ghetto. Szpilman
wrote of his experiences in Death of a City and the book inspired Polanski, also a Holocaust
survivor, to create The
Pianist. [35]
Raymont,
Peter (director). Shake
Hands With the Devil: Rwanda , 1994- 2004. United States, 2004.
As the world sat
back in silence, over 800,000 men, women and children were killed in a
devastating genocidal war. Canadian General Roméo Dallaire returns to the
war-torn country in this haunting, Sundance award-winning documentary film.
Reid,
Frances and Deborah Hoffman (directors). Long Night’s Journey Into Day. South Africa/United
States: IRIS FILMS, 2000.
This documentary
provides an insight into the post-apartheid Truth and Reconciliation Commission
established in South Africa. Four different stories are captured.
The first is the story of a U.S. student who was murdered during a 1993 riot in
Cape Town and her parents’ incredible capacity for forgiveness. Another
story tells of the murder of two South African teachers by South African
security forces, and the struggles the victims’ wives had in facing and
forgiving the murderers. In documenting each story, Reid and Hoffman
provide interviews of both the perpetrators and the victims’ families and
friends in an attempt to reveal the complexity of the situation in South Africa
both during and after apartheid, as well as the struggles with guilt, anger,
and forgiveness faced by all those involved. [36]
Reiner,
Rob (director). *Ghosts
of Mississippi.
United States: Castlerock Entertainment, 1996.
This
film is a narrative based on the 1963 murder of Civil Rights leader Medger
Evers and the struggle to convict his killer, Byron de la Beckwith. The
film shows the efforts of Bobby Delaughter, a Mississippi district attorney, to
convict Beckwith, whose two previous trials had ended in suspicious hung
juries.
Resnais,
Alain (director).
Night and Fog.
France: Janus Films, 1956.
Night
and Fog is a
powerful holocaust documentary. Resnais uses real footage of
concentration camps, Hitler’s speeches, and other documentation during the war
and contrasts it with shots of the insides of the camps empty. He shows
horrific images of people being herded off to the gas chambers, the fingernail
scratches they left on the ceilings trying to escape, human selection
processes, and corpses being mutilated or shoveled into mass graves.
Resnais documents, too, that these horrors will come again and again if people
do not watch. He produces evidence of the cyclical nature of man’s violence
toward man, and this is perhaps the scariest part of his work. [37]
Ripper,
Velcrow (director). In the Company of Fear. Colombia: Reel-Myth Productions, Inc,
1999.
This documentary
focuses on the use of the policy of “protective accompaniment” in
Colombia. “Protective accompaniment” is a non-violent method of dealing
with human rights abuses where “foreign volunteers of Peace Brigade
International offer human rights activists the unarmed protection of an
international presence.” Political analyst Noam Chomsky is featured in
the film. [38]
Riklis,
Eran (director). Borders. Israel:
Powersports Millennium International, 1999.
Borders depicts the relationship of
Israel and its neighbors. The documentary explores what the term
“borders” means in that war-torn area through the stories of various
people: a women whose wedding will separate her from her family; families
torn apart by disputes over land; farmers; and border officials. The film
captures a variety of opinions about the power struggles faced daily by those
living in the Middle East. [39]
Rivas, Caroline. The Colour of Olives.
Mexico/Palestine: Primavera Kin, 2006
An examination of a Palestinian family living near the West Bank Wall of
Israel. As their dramas unfold we catch a glimpse of their constant struggles
and the small, endearing details that sustain them: including school friends,
olive trees and two small donkeys. The story of the Amer family offers its
audience an opportunity to reflect on the effects of racial segregation, the
meaning of borders and the absurdity of war. (based on information provided at the website below.)
http://thecolourofolives.com/english.htm
Rodriguez, Paula
(Director). Pinochet’s Children.
Germany: DFFB, 2002.
Three
student leaders in the 1980's protests that helped restore democracy to Chile,
were children in 1973 when Pinochet lead the coup that killed two of their
fathers. Through archival footage and contemporary reflections this film
documents the journey each has taken from shock, to silence, to protest, to
relief and now, as they reach 40, to reentering public life trying again to
transform Chilean society.
(synopsis from: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0354815/plotsummary)
http://www.german-cinema.de/app/filmarchive/film_view.php?film_id=1011
Rogers,
Gerry (director). The
Vienna Tribunal. USA:
Augusta Productions, 1994.
The Vienna
Tribunal is a
documentary of the 1993 international human rights conference at which women
from around the world presented powerful personal testimonies about violations
of women's human rights.
Rogosin,
Lionel (director). Come
Back, Africa.
South Africa: Distributor, 1960.
This
docudrama follows a Zulu family taken from its home and put in an urban
area. Rigosin shot the film with hidden cameras in order to get past
government restrictions. The film exposes the oppressive nature and human
rights abuses of the white apartheid government in South Africa and a
government similar to others around the world. [40]
Rosenblatt,
Jay (director). Human
Remains.
United States: Locomotion Films, 1998.
Director Jay
Rosenblatt portrays the personal and psychological side of the lives of five 20th century dictators:
Adolf Hitler, Benito Mussolini, Joseph Stalin, Franciso Franco, and Mao Tse
Tung. Avoiding any reference to the public or historical significance of
these men, Rosenblatt shows the “private and mundane details of their everyday
lives,” and “addresses the horrors for which these men were responsible from a
novel angle.” Human
Remains has
won 26 awards, including an award at the Sundance Film Festival. [41]
Ross,
Steven (director). Liberia:
A Fragile Peace. United
States. 2005.
Liberia: A
Fragile Peace tells
the story of a war weary people’s struggle to rebuild their nation. This timely
film goes behind the headlines to explore
what really happened to this nation founded by former American slaves, and to
realistically appraise the hopes and fears about what may happen there next. As
Liberia tries to refute a quarter century of bloodshed, corruption, and
collapse, the film tells its story with a stunning diversity of perspectives,
voices, and personal experiences.
Sève,
de Jim (director). Tying
the Knot. United
States: Outcast Films, 2004.
Tying
the Knot is
a documentary on same-sex marriage that captures the human side of the
political war being waged in the United States today. It is a collection of
true stories that bring home the reality of the struggle that same-sex partners
face as they fight for their basic civil rights.
Sharma,
Rakesh (director). Final
Solution. India:
2003.
Set
in Gujarat, India between February 2002 and July 2003, Final Solution examines
the aftermath of the deadly violence that followed the burning of 58 Hindus on
the Sabarmati Express train at Godhr a on February 27, 2002. In
"reaction" to that incident, some 2,500 Muslims were brutally
murdered, hundreds of women raped, and more than 200,000 families driven from
their homes.
Singleton,
Jon (director). Rosewood. United States:
Warner Brothers, 1997.
Based on actual
events, Rosewood is a docudrama that portrays
the little known story of a 1923 incident in Florida in which many African
Americans were murdered and the town of Rosewood was destroyed. Based
upon a lie by a white woman that she had been raped by a black stranger, many
of the men in Rosewood were hunted down by the woman’s white neighbors and shot
or lynched. In the midst of the chaos, the residents of Rosewood, both
black and white, display incredible courage in their efforts to help those
around them escape the rampage. [42]
Silver, Stephen
(Director). The Last Just Man. Canada:
Barna-Alper Productions, 2002.
A
documentary focusing on how and why 800,000 Rwandans were murdered in the first
100 days of the massacre. The film
contains extensive interviews with Canadian General Romeo Dellaire, who was in
charge of the U.N. Peacekeeping forces, and believes the tragedy was
preventable. (based on the review
posted on the website below.)
http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117919214.html?categoryid=31&cs=1
Sleeth, Lisa (director);
Lubarsky, Aaron (director); Butterworth, Jim (director). Seoul Train. United
States, 2004.
Including
riveting footage of a secretive “underground railroad,” the film is an exposé
into the life and death of North Koreans as they try to escape their homeland
and China. (based on information
provided at the website below.)
Sonneborn,
Barbara, Janet Cole, Ken Schneider, and Lucy Massie Phenix (directors). *Regret to Inform. Vietnam/United
States: Sun Fountain Productions.
This film shows
the devastation of the Vietnam War through the eyes of Vietnamese and U.S.
widows, a point-of-view that was previously unseen. The film was
nominated for the 1999 Academy Award for Best Feature Documentary and won the
Indie Spirit Award at the Sundance Film Festival. [43]
Spielberg,
Steven (director). *Amistad. United States: Dreamworks SKG, 1997.
Amistad is the true story of an 1839
slave uprising on a Spanish slave ship Amistad. The slaves, newly
captured from Africa, direct the two surviving crew members to return them to
Africa, but the Spaniards trick them and the Amistad lands in America.
There they are put on trial which in turn becomes a far-reaching philosophical
debate. The case is eventually taken to the Supreme Court, where John
Quincy Adams (Anthony Hopkins) gives an impassioned argument on the Africans’
behalf. The film is an account of the range and justice of the American
legal system and the essential paradox that such a system could exist in tandem
with the horrors of slavery.
Spielberg,
Steven (producer).
Band of Brothers.
United States: HBO Home Video, 2001.
Band of
Brothers is a
ten-part mini-series produced by Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks and directed by
ten different directors that is based on Stephen E. Ambrose’s book about Easy
Company, a U.S. elite paratrooper unit that fought in WWII. The
documentary shows the brutality of the war and the psychological toll it takes
on the group as they participate in the D-Day invasion, fight at the Battle of
the Bulge, and liberate a Nazi concentration camp. The final piece in the
series shows interviews with members of the actual Easy Company. [6]
Stack,
Jonathan; James Brabazon (directors). Liberia : An Uncivil War. United States, 2004.
Liberia:
an Uncivil War
follows a rebel army made up of indigenous Liberians intent on overthrowing the
government of then-President Charles Taylor.
Stern, Ricki (Director);
Sundberg, Anne (Director). The
Devil Came On Horseback. United States: Break Thru Films, 2007.
Using
the exclusive photographs and first hand testimony of former U.S. Marine
Captain Brian Steidle, the documentary provides an in-depth look takes the at
Darfur, Sudan, where an Arab run government is systematically executing a plan
to rid the province of its black African citizens. (based on: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0912580/synopsis)
http://www.thedevilcameonhorseback.com/
Stevens,
George Jr. (director). Separate But Equal. United States: Republic Pictures, 1991.
Separate But Equal is a film portrayal of the
landmark Supreme Court case Brown v. Board of Education, which brought down the educational segregation
system in the 1950s.
Tait, Paul (Director);
Kendell, Jeni (Director). Blowpipes
and Bulldozers. Australia: Gaia Films, 1989.
The
moving story of the Penan, a unique tribe of rainforest nomads living in
Sarawak, Borneo, part of Malaysia. After 40,000 years of living at one with the
jungle, the tribe is being logged out of existence. (based on information provided at the website below.)
http://www.bullfrogfilms.com/catalog/blow.html
Trope,
Tzipi (director). Close
and Far Away.
Israel: Israel Film Service, 2000.
Close and Far Away explores the conflict between
the Israelis and Arabs through the eyes of two childhood friends and
brothers-in law, Riad and Yosef. The documentary shows the diverging
dreams and lives of the two men. Riad wants to be a director and opens a
photo shop, while Yosef fights with the Popular Front for the Liberation of
Palestine, is sentenced to fifteen years in jail, and later becomes part of a
political movement called Sons of the Village. [44]
van den Berg, Jan (director). Deacon of Death: Looking For Justice
in Today’s Cambodia. Netherlands: DRS Films, 2004.
Sok
Chea witnessed many atrocities as a child during the rule of Pol Pot. Thirty years later she is shocked when
she comes across Karoby, the man who was in charge of her local prison and whom
she holds responsible for murdering most of her family. Once again he holds a
powerful position, this time as Deacon of Death, or leader of crematory
ceremonies. She decides to collect evidence against him, for she believes he
must stand trial. (based on
information provided at the website below.)
http://www.drsfilm.tv/en-US/film/dod.html
Verster, Francois
(Director). When the War is
Over. South Africa: Seventh Art, 2002.
Captures
the lives of South Africans dealing with the after affects of the struggle
against Apartheid. The film
centers on two survivors from a militant teenage self-defense unit from the
Bonteheuwei Military Wing. (based
on information provided at the website below.)
http://www.7thart.com/joomla/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=168&Itemid=13
Wajda,
Andrzej (director). Korczak. France/Germany/Poland: New Yorker, 1990.
Korczak is a portrayal of Janusz Korczak, a Polish doctor who
established a Jewish orphanage in Warsaw and later moved it to one of the
ghettos during the Nazi occupation rather than give it up. [45]
Wali,
Monona (director). Maria’s
Story.
United States: Channel 4, 1991.
Maria’s Story is a documentary about Maria
Serrano and her comrades in El Salvador, who are fighting against the US-backed
Salvadoran army for land reform, human rights, and an end to government
oppression. Maria and her fellow guerilla fighters want a society where
everyone receives an education, has enough resources to survive, and works
together. [46]
Winterfilm
Collective (directors). Winter Soldier. United States: Winterfilm Collective,
1972.
This award-winning
documentary “captures the terrifying testimonies of more than 200 ex-GIs at the
1971 Detroit Winter Soldier Investigation concerning American atrocities in
Vietnam.” Critics proclaim Winter Soldier to be a powerful film that the public should
see, but it was largely ignored by the American press and film distributors at
the time of its release in the 1970’s. [47]
Yarovskaya,
Marianna (director). Undesirables. Russia/United States: University of
Southern California, 1999.
Undesirables tells the story of the deportation
of homeless youths from Moscow by the Russia Police Force during the summer of
1998 in order to rid Moscow of tramps and beggars before the International
Youth Olympics. The documentary shows Moscow’s juvenile detention center,
where youths are kept during events, and focuses on five youths who face
varying fates, including being returned to reform school or to abusive parents.
[48]
Yates, Pamela (Director). State of Fear. Peru/USA: Skylight Pictures, 2005.
A
film that explores the costs of terrorism. The film dramatizes the human and
societal costs a democracy faces when it embarks on a “war” against terror, a
“war” potentially without end, all too easily exploited by unscrupulous leaders
seeking personal political gain.
http://skylightpictures.com/film/site/film_detail/state_of_fear/
York,
Steve (director). Bringing
Down a Dictator. United
States: York Zimmerman Inc., 2002
Bringing Down a Dictator is the story of a nonviolent
democratic movement that defeated the authoritarian regime of Slobodan
Milosevic in Serbia through free elections and massive civil disobedience. [49]
_______________________________________________________________
*Indicates
Academy Award win or nomination
**
Based on the synopsis provided at the Epidavros Project: http://www.wellfoundedfear.org/wellfoundedfear.html
***
Based on the synopsis provided at the First Run/Icarus Films site, http://www.frif.com/new2002/pino.html.
****
Based on
the summary at http://www.nfb.ca/journeytojustice.
[1]
Based on the synopsis provided at the United Nations Associations Film Festival
website: www.unaff.org/1999/Fone.htm
[2]
Based on the synopsis provided at the United Nations Associations Film Festival
website: www.unaff.org/2001/f-arms.html
[3]
Based on the synopsis provided at the United Nations Associations Film Festival
website: www.unaff.org/2001/f-death.html
[4]
Based on the review from www.tvguide.nis.newscorp.com
[5]
Based on the review by Amazon: www.amazon.com
[6]
Based in part on the review by Amazon: www.amazon.com
[7]
Based on the synopsis provided at the United Nations Associations Film Festival
website: www.unaff.org/2001/f-roads.html
[8]
Based on the synopsis provided at the United Nations Associations Film Festival
website: www.unaff.org/2001/f-our.html
[9]
Based on the synopsis provided at the United Nations Associations Film Festival
website: www.unaff.org/2001/f-divided.html
[10]
Based on the reviews in "Cinemania 96." Microsoft, 1996
[CD-ROM]
[11]
Based on the review from www.tvguide.nis.newscorp.com
[12]
Based on the review from www.tvguide.nis.newscorp.com
[13]
Based on the synopsis provided at the United Nations Associations Film Festival
website: www.unaff.org/1999/Fmissing.htm
[14]
Based on the synopsis provided at the United Nations Associations Film Festival
website: www.unaff.org/1999/Fwhite.htm
[15]
Based on the synopsis provided at the United Nations Associations Film Festival
website: www.unaff.org/1999/Ffrom.htm
[16]
Based on the synopsis provided at the United Nations Associations Film Festival
website: www.unaff.org/2001/f-journey.html
[17]
Based on the synopsis provided at the United Nations Associations Film Festival
website: www.unaff.org/1999/Ffather.htm
[18]
Based on the synopsis provided at the United Nations Associations Film Festival
website: www.unaff.org/1999/Friding.htm
[19]
Based on the synopsis by Hal Erickson on the All-Movie Guide: www.allmovie.com
[20]
Based on the synopsis provided at the United Nations Associations Film Festival
website: www.unaff.org/2001/f-dangerous.html
[21]
Based on the synopsis provided at the United Nations Associations Film Festival
website: www.unaff.org/2001/f-where.html
[22]
Based on the synopsis by Hal Erickson on the All-Movie Guide: www.allmovie.com
[23]
Based on the review from www.tvguide.nis.newscorp.com
[24]
Based on the synopsis provided at the United Nations Associations Film Festival
website: www.unaff.org/1999/Fcape.htm
[25]
Based on the synopsis provided at the United Nations Associations Film Festival
website: www.unaff.org/1999/Fround.htm
[26]
Based on the review from www.tvguide.nis.newscorp.com
[27]
Based on the review from www.tvguide.nis.newscorp.com
[28]
Based on the synopsis provided at the United Nations Associations Film Festival
website: www.unaff.org/2001/f-good.html
[29]
Based on the synopsis provided at the United Nations Associations Film Festival
website: www.unaff.org/1999/Fwelcome.htm
[30]
Based on the synopsis provided by the Yahoo! Movies website: http://movies.yahoo.com/
[31]
Based on the review by Amazon: www.amazon.com
[32]
Based on the synopsis provided at the United Nations Associations Film Festival
website: www.unaff.org/2001/f-trafficking.html
[33]
Based on the synopsis provided at the United Nations Associations Film Festival
website: www.unaff.org/2001/f-anamerican.html
[34]
Based on the review from www.tvguide.nis.newscorp.com
[35]
Based on the synopsis and review provided by Professor David Weissbrodt and by
the Yahoo! Movies website: http://movies.yahoo.com
[36]
Based on the synopsis provided at the United Nations Associations Film Festival
website: www.unaff.org/2001/f-long.html
[37]
Based on the review from www.tvguide.nis.newscorp.com
[38]
Based on the synopsis provided at the United Nations Associations Film Festival
website: www.unaff.org/1999/Fin.htm
[39]
Based on the synopsis provided at the United Nations Associations Film Festival
website: www.unaff.org/1999/Fborders.htm
[40]
Based on the synopsis by Hal Erickson on the All-Movie Guide: www.allmovie.com
[41]
Based on the synopsis provided at the United Nations Associations Film Festival
website: www.unaff.org/2001/f-human.html
[42]
Based in part on the synopsis by Michael P. Rogers on the All-Movie
Guide: www.allmovie.com
[43]
Based on the synopsis provided at the United Nations Associations Film Festival
website: www.unaff.org/1999/Fregret.htm
[44]
Based on the synopsis provided at the United Nations Associations Film Festival
website: www.unaff.org/2001/f-close.html
[45]
Based on the synopsis by Jason Ankeny on the All-Movie Guide: www.allmovie.com
[46]
Based on the review from www.tvguide.nis.newscorp.com
[47]
Based on the synopsis provided at the United Nations Associations Film Festival
website: www.unaff.org/1999/Fwinter.htm
[48] Based
on the synopsis provided at the United Nations Associations Film Festival
website: www.unaff.org/1999/Fundesirables.htm
[49] Based on the synopsis provided at the PBS website: http://www.pbs.org/weta/dictator/classroom/.