As a child, Norwegian-
Turkish filmmaker Nefise
Lorentzen sent balloon
letters to Allah—messages
filled with all manner of
questions and concerns.
Still looking for answers
today, she sets out to
examine the status of
women within Islam.
Traveling to Cairo,
Istanbul, and Oslo,
Lorentzen has tea with
Egyptian feminist Nawal
El Saadawi, finds
inspiration in the life
of 90-year-old author
Gamal Al-Banna, conducts
an eye-opening interview
with a fundamentalist
cleric, and searches out
her grandmother’s Sufi-
influenced spiritual
path, which steered clear
of extremism and male
dominance. As Lorentzen
struggles through this
maze, she finds that some
questions extend beyond
Islam and that there is a
link between the three
Abrahamic religions and
the oppression of women.
Contains brief nudity.
(58 minutes) 2011
Evoking the spirit of 19th-century abolitionism, this program enters the lives of three anti-slavery activists in today’s developing world. Symphorienne Kessouagni works to
protect vulnerable children in rural Togo, keeping them away from traffickers and helping young slaves escape. Sunitha Krishnan is a former Hindu nun in Hyderabad, India,
who runs 17 schools for former brothel workers and lobbies officials to enforce anti-slavery laws. Ansar Burney is a Karachi attorney who retrieves Pakistani boys forced to
perform as jockeys in the brutal sport of camel racing. Each activist speaks in eloquent detail about his or her experiences and the psychological scars—as well as the
resilience—of those freed from slavery. (Portions in other languages with English subtitles, 54 minutes)
A follow up to Democracy
Left Behind: NCLB and
Civic Education (item
39484), this program
looks at community-based
learning in K-12
education. The film
explores a wide variety
of educational settings
in which action-oriented
lessons enable students
to work outside the
classroom, in their own
communities. While taking
nothing away from the
importance of traditional
academic subjects, the
film promotes the idea
that math, reading, and
other areas are more
effectively explored if
students care about what
they are learning—rather
than being drilled with
subject matter divorced
from their real lives and
the environments that
often impact those lives.
(55 minutes) 2011
It might seem contradictory, but decisions about how to end a company are just as
important as the dreams that give birth to it. There may even be reasons that make a
pre-planned exit strategy mandatory, such as the specific needs of investors. This
video explores various end-game scenarios for business owners, helping to clarify
long-term goals for anyone on the verge of creating a company while detailing the
possibilities and challenges that each type of conclusion involves. Viewers are
introduced to the pros and cons of being bought out in installments; selling a company
outright to a friendly party or a competitor; merging with another firm, including the
option of staying on in some capacity; going the IPO route, an expensive and rarely
pursued option but one worth discussing; and liquidation, with its need for proper
record-keeping, government paperwork, and asset sell-offs or storage. In all cases,
the focus is on walking away with the best possible outcome. A Co-production of Films
for the Humanities & Sciences and MotionMasters. Part of the series You’re the Boss:
Starting and Running Your Own Business. (25 minutes)
Yarmouk, the largest Palestinian refugee camp in Syria, is a stronghold of conservative values where the people hold tightly to their Palestinian identity and the right of
return. This program enters the camp’s only all-girl secondary school to learn a striking lesson about how the formation of Israel has turned three generations of Palestinians
into refugees in Syria—and to follow four students through the highs and lows of the school term. Shaza and Rahaf struggle against tradition to publicize the Palestinian
cause through rap music; Sa’fa works to overcome religious and social boundaries as she vies for a sports scholarship; and Tulin, prone to disrupting class, finds success
with a Palestinian children’s orchestra. Produced by the Open University. (Portions in Syrian with English subtitles, 60 minutes)
Since its debut, Religion & Ethics NewsWeekly has set itself apart from the mainstream
media by providing in-depth coverage and analysis of national and international events
in the ever-changing religious world. This 12-segment anthology of NewsWeekly segments
studies the intersection between religion and America’s role in the world.
Segments include…
• Religion and America’s Role in the World—A Report: Based on the results of a 2008
national survey conducted by Religion & Ethics NewsWeekly and the UN Foundation, this
story visits a family and their Episcopal church in Maine and explores views on U.S.
global engagement and moral obligations around the world. In addition, Catholic Bishop
Thomas Wenski and University of Oklahoma political science and religious studies
professor Allen Hertzke comment on religion and the role it plays in U.S. involvement
in world affairs. (10 minutes)
• Young Evangelical Engagement in the World—A Report: Based on the results of a 2008
national survey conducted by Religion & Ethics NewsWeekly and the UN Foundation, a
report from evangelical Calvin College in Grand Rapids looks at the 2008 presidential
election and changing political and social attitudes among a new generation of young
evangelicals, including their views on world affairs. Also, pollster Anna Greenberg
interprets some of the survey results. (10 minutes)
• Allen Hertzke—An Interview: In extended interview excerpts, University of Oklahoma
professor of political science and religious studies Allen Hertzke analyzes the
results of a 2008 national survey conducted by Religion & Ethics NewsWeekly and the UN
Foundation, commenting on American self-interest, America as a force for good in the
world, intervention and isolationism, foreign policy priorities, humanitarian issues
and human rights, American exceptionalism, and the globalization of religious faith.
(18 minutes)
• Anna Greenberg—An Interview: In extended interview excerpts, pollster Anna Greenberg
describes the results of a 2008 national survey she conducted for Religion & Ethics
NewsWeekly and the UN Foundation on religion and America’s role in the world and takes
a special look at the views of young evangelicals, analyzing how the survey findings
about them could affect the American political scene. (6 minutes)
• Panel Discussion—Religion and America’s Role in the World: These excerpts from a
discussion at the National Press Club present the findings of a 2008 national survey
conducted by Religion & Ethics NewsWeekly and the UN Foundation on religion and
America’s role in the world. Joining in the conversation are UN Foundation President
Timothy Wirth; John Hamre, president and CEO of the Center for Strategic and
International Studies; pollster Anna Greenberg; and religion and foreign policy
scholar Timothy Shah. (29 minutes)
• Madeleine Albright on Religion, Foreign Policy, and World Affairs: Former Secretary
of State Madeleine Albright, author of The Mighty and the Almighty: Reflections on
America, God, and World Affairs, discusses religion’s role in foreign policy and why
diplomats need a better understanding of religion in world affairs. (7 minutes)
• Making Foreign Aid Work—A Report: New York University economics professor William
Easterly; David Beckmann, president of Bread for the World; former USAID Director
Andrew Natsios; and Haitian economist Ketleen Florestal discuss hunger, poverty,
economic development, and the problems that plague foreign assistance efforts. (8
minutes)
• David Price on Obama and the Muslim World: Congressman David Price (D-NC) offers
insights about President Barack Obama’s 2009 speech to the Muslim world, the religious
roots of American ideals and values, and the U.S. role in Middle East peacemaking. (3
minutes)
• Religion and Peace in the Middle East—A Report: On the eve of Pope Benedict XVI’s
2009 pilgrimage to the Holy Land, this report from Jerusalem looks at an interfaith
group of American religious leaders and their efforts at working toward Middle East
peace. The initiative includes former ambassador Tony Hall, Cardinal Theodore
McCarrick, Bishop Munib Younan, Rabbi David Rosen, Suhail Khan, and Rabbi Steve Gutow.
(6 minutes)
• Food Aid Ethics—A Report: This report from Malawi looks at international food aid
agencies and charities and the debate over cash assistance versus food relief. (8
minutes)
• Anne-Marie Slaughter on Faith, Values, and Foreign Policy: Anne-Marie Slaughter—dean
of the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton
University, former director of policy planning at the U.S. State Department, and
author of The Idea That Is America: Keeping Faith with Our Values in a Dangerous
World—talks about intervention, the meaning of values-based foreign policy, and the
role of religious groups in policy-making. (6 minutes)
• Tod Lindberg on Religion, Politics, and Foreign Policy: A political philosopher,
Hoover Institution research fellow, and author of The Political Teachings of Jesus,
Tod Lindberg reflects on the role of values in presidential approaches to foreign
policy, how to translate ethics into policy, and whether there is a place for moral
convictions in the world of international politics. (9 minutes)
(2 hours 1 minute)
DVD is Subtitled
Religion & Ethics NewsWeekly is acclaimed for its examination of religion’s role—and
the ethical dimensions—behind top news headlines. This 14-segment anthology of
NewsWeekly segments considers the relationship between religion and international
affairs.
Segments include…
• Pope Benedict’s Foreign Policy—A Report: Filmed in advance of the pope’s 2008
address to the UN General Assembly, this report looks at the unique role the pope and
the Vatican play on the world stage and in international affairs. (9 minutes)
• Political Buddhism—A Report: Violent protests by Tibetan Buddhists, Buddhist ethics
of nonviolence, the Dalai Lama as spiritual and political leader, and the role of the
Chinese government in Tibet are explored in this report featuring Columbia University
Buddhist studies professor Robert Thurman and Harvard University Chinese history
professor Tu Weiming. (9 minutes)
• Chrislam—A Report: This story is reported from Lagos, Nigeria—a place where tensions
between Christians and Muslims have often erupted in deadly violence—and features a
preacher who sees no religious fault line between the two faith groups. (7 minutes)
• Muslims in Germany—A Report: A story from Berlin reports on large numbers of Muslim
immigrants, tensions with German citizens, and how to offer equal opportunities for
immigrants and their children. (7 minutes)
• Jean Bethke Elshtein and Shaun Casey on Torture: Ethicists Jean Bethke Elshtein and
Shaun Casey discuss the morality of torture, the problem of “dirty hands,” and the
debate over whether torture can ever be justified. (9 minutes)
• Hinduism in Modern India—A Report: A report from New Delhi looks at influences of
the modern media-driven world on traditional Hindu households and families whose
religious practices have changed little over the generations. (9 minutes)
• Islam in Indonesia—A Report: A report from Jakarta examines the growth of religious
practice in democratic Indonesia taking place alongside competing secular and Islamist
political parties and a booming economy. (9 minutes)
• The Church and the Fall of the Berlin Wall—A Report: A story from Leipzig looks back
at the important role one church played in a Germany divided between East and West
during the Cold War and in the massive demonstrations that led to the fall of the
Berlin Wall in 1989. (5 minutes)
• Shia-Sunni Conflict—A Report: This story examines the sectarian violence and
conflict between the Shia and Sunni branches of Islam and features Professor Vali
Nasr, author of The Shia Revival: How Conflicts within Islam Will Shape the Future.
(10 minutes)
• Secular Islamic Turkey—A Report: A report from Istanbul explores the balance between
Islam and secular society and the rise of more openly Islamic views in a country at
the crossroads between East and West. (8 minutes)
• Michael Walzer on War: Michael Walzer, a prominent political philosopher and
authority on the ethics of just war, discusses Afghanistan, Iraq, the moral lessons of
war, and religious commentary on U.S. foreign policy. (9 minutes)
• Andrew Bacevich on American Power and Military Policy: Andrew Bacevich, a professor
of history and international relations at Boston University and a retired U.S. Army
colonel, talks about a wide range of ethical and policy issues, including American
exceptionalism, Afghanistan, preventive war, national security, and the moral use of
force. (23 minutes)
• Egypt’s Coptic Tensions—A Report: This 2010 report from Cairo looks at sectarian
violence and the lives of Coptic Christians in a predominantly Muslim country. (8
minutes)
• Islam and Modernity—A Report: This 2009 report from Cairo explores conflicts between
the modern and the traditional and considers the challenges of living a devout Muslim
life while also accommodating the contemporary technological world. (9 minutes)
(2 hours 11 minutes)
DVD is Subtitled
At Guantanamo Bay
detention camp, history
has proved that concepts
of right and wrong can
all too easily become
distorted by expediency
and ambiguity. This
program examines the
lives of high-profile
individuals from both
sides of the razor wire
who have intimate
knowledge of the horrors
of Gitmo: Murat Kurnaz, a
former inmate who was
detained without trial
for five years; former
Navy officer Matthew
Diaz, whose career was
ruined by disclosing
classified names of
detainees to the Center
for Constitutional
Rights; Diane Beaver,
author of a notorious
memo defending the use of
extreme interrogation
techniques; and criminal
prosecutor Gonzalo Boye,
who has set himself the
task of bringing
representatives of the
Bush administration to
justice for crimes
against humanity. Called
“a fascinating study of
torture and its wide
ranging effects” by
RowThree.com. (56
minutes) 2011
