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Diversity Films

		A Matter of Respect In this stereotype-breaking documentary about the meaning of tradition and change people speak frankly about the challenges they face balancing their lives in two cultures. A young drummer and dancer guides tourists through a museum, a silver carver/disc jockey talks about his love both of rock and rolland traditional carving, and a Tlingit elder teaches children at a summer fish camp
		The Amasong Chorus: Singing Out The first video to document the growing subculture of lesbian and gay singing choruses, THE AMASONG CHORUS: SINGING OUT chronicles the rise of one small-town lesbian/feminist chorus. In 1991, tired and frustrated with political activism, music student and out lesbian Kristina Boerger decided to form a lesbian chorus in central Illinois, an area best known for corn, soybeans, and as a conservative Republican stronghold. Assembling a rag-tag group of women -- some couldn't even sing -- she formed Amasong, and gave it a shot.
		Beauty Before Age This groundbreaking film explores the power of youth and beauty in the gay community. A diverse group of gay men, ages 19 to 77, negotiate their fears of becoming old, undesirable, and alone. The film critically examines the pressure to look young and attractive, the lack of positive older role models, and the ways in which AIDS intensifies the fear and process of aging. Beauty Before Age offers a male perspective on a historically female issue, and illuminates the larger societal obsession with physical appearance.
		Bubbeh Lee & Me What can a grandchild and grandparent discover through each other? As the filmmaker journeys to Florida to visit his feisty, 87-year old Jewish grandmother, tags along on her event-filled trips to the supermarket, and talks with her heart to heart about love, death, and his being gay, their two worlds collide and the strength of their bond emerges. A spirited reflection on aging, identity, alienation and acceptance, this already classic film examines the legacies passed through generations and shows that the journey of self- discovery can begin at any age.
		The Collector of Bedford Street The Collector of Bedford Street is a short documentary,nominated for an Academy Award, that follows Larry Selman, the film maker's 60 year old neighbor. A community activist and fundraiser with developmental disabilities, Larry raises thousands of dollars for charity every year while he lives at the poverty level. Because of Larry's 20 years of service to his neighborhood, the community created a supplemental need adult trust fund for him. This was the first time that a group, rather than an individual's family did this. The film humanizes the story behind the abstract statistics of mental retardation, revealing how a community builds tolerance and understanding.
		Daddy & Papa Daddy & Papa is a one-hour documentary video that opens a candid window on the personal, cultural, and political implications of gay fatherhood. From surrogacy, foster care, and interracial adoption, to the complexities of gay divorce, to the legal battle around gay parenting, Daddy & Papa presents a revealing look at some of the gay dads who are breaking new ground in the ever-changing landscape of the American family.
		El Corrido de Cecilia Rios El Corrido de Cecilia Rios is an inspiring documentary about the life and death of one teenage girl. When the life of Cecilia Rios is tragically cut short by her brutal murder, a group of teens comes together to commemorate her life and speak out about the violence that intersects their lives.
		Freedom Machines FREEDOM MACHINES dramatically broadens the concept of diversity through the intimate stories of adults and children with disabilities who are using modern technologies to change their lives. Among them are Susanna who is beginning her college career, 38 year old Floyd Stewart who was paralyzed in mid-life while raising four children; 92 year old Gladys who is determined to overcome a hearing loss; and high school student Latoya Nesmith who dreams of becoming a translator at the U.N. Fifteen years after passage of the ADA, FREEDOM MACHINES is a riveting reflection on the status of life of America's largest minority group: 55 million people with disabilities.
		The Garifuna Journey Genocide, exile, Diaspora and persecution did not break the spirit of the Garifuna people. Descendants of African and Carib-Indians, the Garifuna fought to maintain their homeland on St. Vincent in the Caribbean. For this love of freedom, they were exiled by the British to Central America at the end of the 18th century. The untold story of their ancestors' resistance to slavery is described by the descendants of these courageous Garifuna forebears.
		Ghost Dance The 1890 massacre at Wounded Knee is remembered through poetry, art, and the haunting beauty of the Dakota landscape. Ghost Dance documents a pivotal event in American history and features the work of some of America's finest poets and Lakota artists. Ideal for the study of art, literature, and Native American culture.
		Hopi: Songs of the Fourth World Hopi: Songs of the Fourth World is a compelling study of the Hopi that captures their deep spirituality and reveals their integration of art and daily life. Amidst the beautiful images of Hopi land and life, a variety of Hopi--a farmer, religious elder, grandmother, painter, potter and weaver--speak about the preservation of the Hopi way.
		In Whose Honor? The Cleveland Indians. Washington Redskins. Atlanta Braves. What's wrong with American Indian sports mascots? This moving, award-winning film is the first of its kind to address that subject. In Whose Honor? takes a critical look at the long-running practice of "honoring" American Indians as mascots and nicknames in sports. It follows the story of Native American mother Charlene Teters, and her transformation into the leader some are calling the "Rosa Parks of American Indians" as she struggles to protect her cultural symbols and identity.
		It's Elementary: Talking About Gay Issues in School It's Elementary takes cameras into classrooms across the U.S. to look at one of today's most controversial issues - whether and how gay issues should be discussed in schools. It features elementary and middle schools where (mainly heterosexual) teachers are challenging the prevailing political climate and its attempt to censor any dialogue in schools about gay people. Rather than focusing on the debate between adults, though, the film takes the point of view of the school children, starting as young as first grade.
		Laramie Inside Out In October 1998, Wyoming college student Matthew Shepard was brutally beaten and left to die. His shocking murder pushed Laramie into the media spotlight and sparked a nationwide debate about homophobia, gay-bashing and hate crimes. Filmmaker Beverly Seckinger, a Laramie native, returns home to the site of her own closeted adolescence to investigate the impact of Shepard's murder. She encounters students, teachers, parents, and clergy suddenly moved to speak out and take action. An inspiring story of personal discovery and the meaning of community.
		The Last Atomic Bomb The Last Atomic Bomb is a wake-up call about nuclear proliferation, interweaving current and archival footage with the still controversial U.S. decision to use the bomb, censorship, discrimination and the Cold War build-up of nuclear weapons. The Last Atomic Bomb challenges assumptions as it re-lives the 1945 nuclear bombing of Nagasaki from the rarely seen perspective of a survivor. The survivor, Sakue Shimohira, shares her devastating yet inspirational life with a holocaust survivor and with today's students carrying on her legacy.
		Let's Get Real Name-calling and bullying have reached epidemic proportions in schools today. Let's Get Real gives young people the chance to speak up in their own words about the real issues behind the problem. With amazing courage and candor, the students featured in Let s Get Real discuss racial differences, perceived sexual orientation, disabilities, religious differences, sexual harassment and more. From the youth who are targeted to the students who pick on them to those who find the courage to intervene, Let s Get Real examines bullying from the full range of perspectives. This poignant film educates audiences of all ages about why we can no longer accept name-calling and bullying as just a normal rite of passage.
		Light in the Shadows Light in the Shadows is a frank conversation about race among 10 women who participated in the ground-breaking video The Way Home. These American women of Indigenous, African, Arab, European, Jewish, Asian, Latina and Mixed Race descent, use authentic dialogue to crack open a critical door of consciousness. What lies behind it is a perspective on race that is often unseen/unnoticed within the dominant culture. With clear language, open hearts and a willingness to engage - even when it gets hard - these women travel over roads that demonstrate why valuable discourse on race is so laden with emotion, distrust and misunderstanding. Light in the Shadows is a springboard for critical self-inquiry and inter-ethnic dialogue. This video is recommended for those who are ready to take a next step.
		Miles from the Border Manuela and Ben Aparicio, sister and brother, brought by their parents in search of a betterfuture, arrived in the United States from a rural village in Mexico to an ethnically divided community in California. Twenty years later, they share their stories of dislocation and their determination to succeed. They sensitively portray their struggles to learn English, resist efforts to be pushed into vocational programs, go on to universities, and help other immigrants achieve and find balance in the changing demographics of American society. Their story of claiminga place poses critical questions about identity, adaptation and survival in a multicultural world.
		Murray Avenue A tender portrait of an old, vital, Jewish neighborhood.
		Scout's Honor Scout's Honor traces the conflict between the anti-gay policies of the Boy Scouts of America and the broad-based movement by many of its members to overturn them. The story is told predominantly through the experiences of a 13-year old boy and a 70-year-old man -- both heterosexual, both dedicated to the Scouts, and both determined to change the course of Scouting history. Their challenge is being waged in their hometown of Petaluma, California -- a place more familiar with agriculture than activism. Yet it ishere where they began an international petition drive and media campaign to overturn the BSA's anti-gay policy.
		Spirit of the Dawn Spirit of the Dawn explores the dramatic changes in Indian education from the boarding schools of the past, where children were beaten for speaking their language in school, to the more culturally-sensitive classrooms of today. On the Crow Reservation in southeastern Montana, we meet two sixth graders, Bruce Big Hail and Heywood Big Day III, as they participate in an innovative poetry class that encourages them to create beautiful poems celebrating Crow culture and history. Through the children, their parents and their teachers we see the strength and resiliency of a community fighting the constraints of the past to secure a future for its children.
		Tales from Arab Detroit Sparks fly when an Arab American community brings an Egyptian poet to perform the 1000-year-old Bani Hilal epic. In Tales from Arab Detroit, you will meet storytellers old and new: from debkeh dancers to a hip-hop artist, from a fiddle-playing bard to an Arab American rapper. Attend the celebration of a Lebanese wedding and enjoy the rhythms of Yemeni dancers in a neighborhood park. Hang with the Warren Street Boys and root for the Fordson girls' basketball team, as you witness the often contradictory ways a community weaves new traditions with the threads of old.
		Tangled Roots More than 55 years after the end of World War II, Germans and Jews still struggle with the difficult legacies of war. Filmmaker Heidi Schmidt Emberling confronts her German father and Jewish mother about the devastating secrets and painful silence about the past as she struggles to reconcile her dual identity as both a German and a Jew.
		Teachings of the Tree People: The Work of Bruce Miller Nationally acclaimed artist and Skokomish tribal leader Gerald Bruce Miller (subiyay) interpreted the sacred teachings of the natural wrold for anyone who wanted to learn. A passionate student of traditional culture, Bruce became the bearer of the language, oral history, art, and spirituality of the tuwaduq (Twana) and Southern Coast Salish peoples. This gentle and generous film documents his race against time and ailing health to pass the knowledge of his ancestors on to those who would listen.
		Tell Them Who We Are This inspiring film follows the Laquieniean Drill Team and Drum Squad of South Central Lost Angeles through one competitive season: their hopes and dreams, failures and successes. The teenage members, their parents, and the team's 70-year-old founder teach us about love, hope, self-esteem and success as they battle one of the toughest urban environments in America today.
		The Way Home The Way Home shows what happened when eight ethnic councils of women came together to talk honestly about race, gender and class in the US The result is an unpredictable collection of stories that reveal the far-reaching effects of social oppression and present an inspiring picture of women moving beyond the duality of black and white.
		Uncommon Ground Five multiethnic L.A. teenagers travel to South Africa to live with South African students in a black township. The film focuses on the personal, rather than the political as these diverse youth share their experiences with family, school, violence, racism, and oppression. Woven into the film are short, intensely revealing video diaries made by each student reflecting his or her own views, culture and identity.
		Waterborne: Gift of the Indian Canoe For thousands of years, Indian people have inhabited the Pacific Northwest. Today, within what is now Washington State, reside 37 Indian Tribes representing many different cultures, languages, and experiences. Told totally by members of these tribes, the voices of Waterborne speak as one.
		Yidl in the Middle: Growing Up Jewish in Iowa Yidl in the Middle looks at growing up "different" in America. In this evocative, entertaining film, filmmaker Marlene Booth probes her Iowa-Jewish roots. Through home movies, period photos, her high school reunion, and current interviews, she examines the complicated process of negotiating identity -- as an American, a Jew, and a woman. A compelling film, sure to provoke discussion.