Dec. 30, 2009
| Death in Gaza
In spring 2003, award-winning filmmaker James Miller and reporter Saira Shah, set out to take a first-hand look at the culture of hate that permeates the Middle East. They captured the lives of three Palestinian children growing up in the bullet-riddled streets of Gaza. Although James and Saira had planned to film the lives of Israeli children as well, in the midst of production, Miller was shot to death by an Israeli tank, falling victim to the very conflict he covered. (more)
| Dec. 23, 2009
| Without the King
This award-winning film tells the shocking and astonishing story of Africa's last absolute monarch, the Kingdom of Swaziland, where King Mswati III lives in luxury with his 13 wives while much of his country lives in poverty. In this stunning yet inspiring film, we witness the birth of a nation's revolution - as well as the dawning awareness of the King's daughter, Princess Pashu. (more)
| Dec. 16, 2009
| Blindsight
Blindsight follows the gripping adventure of six Tibetan teenagers on their journey to climb a mountain in the shadow of Mt. Everest.
A dangerous journey soon becomes a seemingly impossible challenge made all the more remarkable by the fact that the teenagers are blind. (more)
| Dec. 9, 2009
| Religulous
Politically provocative talk show host Bill Maher skewers the current state of organized religion in this hot-button documentary that derives its title from a blend of the words "religion" and "ridiculous." (more)
| Nov. 18, 2009
| Romero
A compelling and deeply moving look at the life of Archbishop Oscar Romero of El Salvador, who made the ultimate sacrifice in a passionate stand against social injustice and oppression in his country. Raul Julia stars as this man of God transformed from an apolitical, complacent priest to a committed leader of the Salvadoran people. (more)
| Nov. 4, 2009
| We. Featuring the Words of Arundhati Roy
We is a fast-paced documentary that covers the world politics of power, war, corporations, deception and exploitation. It visualizes the words of Arundhati Roy speaking on such things as the war on terror, corporate globalization, justice and the growing civil unrest. *This was an encore presentation* (more)
| Oct. 28, 2009
| Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee
HBO presents an epic movie that powerfully explores the tragic impact that the United States' westward expansion had on American Indian culture, and the economic, political and social pressures that motivated it. (more)
| Oct. 21, 2009
| Rethink Afghanistan
After eight years of U.S. military engagement in Afghanistan, violence and instability still prevail. The military approach to Afghanistan is not succeeding; further application of American military force will not bring stability to the country or security to our own. A Robert Greenwald film. (more)
| Oct. 14, 2009
| Crips & Bloods - Made in America
Renowned documentarian Stacy Peralta examines the story of South Los Angeles and the gangs that inhabit it. Narrated by Forest Whitaker and produced by NBA star Baron Davis, the film blends gripping archival footage with in-depth interviews to form a hard-hitting, yet ultimately hopeful story. (more)
| Oct. 7, 2009
| Mickey Mouse Monopoly
The Walt Disney Company's animated films are almost universally lauded as wholesome family entertainment, enjoying massive popularity among children and endorsement from parents and teachers. "Mickey Mouse Monopoly" takes a close and critical look at the world these films create (in terms of the stories told about race, gender and class) and reaches disturbing conclusions about the values propagated under the guise of innocence and fun. (more)
| Sept. 30, 2009
| Pickaxe
Activists take a stand to protect an old growth forest in Oregon, blockading the logging road and repelling the State Police. Over months a community builds around the illegal blockade and similar actions spread across the region. Years after its release, Pickaxe has become a classic document of the potential for grassroots direct action to achieve victory against the forces of both government and big business. (more)
| Sept. 23, 2009
| Idiocracy
From Mike Judge, one of the creative minds behind Beavis and Butt-Head, King of the Hill and Office Space, comes an outrageous sci-fi comedy that'll make you think twice about the future of mankind. Meet Joe Bowers (Luke Wilson). He's not the sharpest tool in the shed. But when a government hibernation experiment goes awry, Bowers awakens in the year 2505 to find a society so dumbed-down by mass commercialism and mindless TV programming that he's become the smartest guy on the planet. Now it's up to an average Joe to get human evolution back on track! (more)
| Sept. 16, 2009
| I.O.U.S.A.
Faced with key deficits in budget, savings, trade and leadership, increased foreign competition and ballooning financial obligations, the federal government is critically overextended. Weaving together archival footage, economic data and candid interviews with Warren Buffett, Alan Greenspan, Paul O'Neill and Robert Rubin, the film offers a vivid and alarming profile of America's financial status. (more)
| Sept. 9, 2009
| In The Time Of The Butterflies
For generations, General Rafael Trujillo (Edward James Olmos) ruled the Dominican Republic with a mixture of terror and savagery until Minerva Mirabal (Salma Hayek) dares to oppose him. Minerva and her sisters known as Las Mariposas ("The Butterflies") endure unimaginable hardships in a battle for the very soul of a nation. But as their acts of bravery gain notoriety, Trujillo's forces close in, determined to put an end to their heroics. (more)
| Sept. 2, 2009
| V-Day - Until the Violence Stops
This documentary follows the grassroots impact of the V-Day movement -- whose goal is to end violence against women -- in five international communities while exposing the pervasive and cultural forms of violence that women experience all over the world. It's an alternately devastating and hopeful film that features Vagina Monologues playwright Eve Ensler, Rosario Dawson, Jane Fonda, Salma Hayek, Rosie Perez and Isabella Rosellini. (more)
| August 26, 2009
| Soldiers and Students
PepperSpray Collective’s contribution to counter military recruiting. There are 6 individual short pieces on this DVD. Each is strong in its own way. Taken together, they form something more powerful than the sum of its parts. Here is the voice of soldiers and students struggling to find their own moral compass in a time of illegal war and inquisition. With the usual authority figures disgraced, youth are forced to make decisions with life and death consequences. These soldiers and students choose humanity over uniform. (more)
| August 12, 2009
| The Battle in Seattle
It’s November 1999, and five days are about to rock the world as tens of thousands of demonstrators take to the streets of Seattle in protest of the World Trade Organization’s Ministerial Meeting. Among them are Django (Andre Benjamin), Sam (Jennifer Carpenter), Lou (Michelle Rodriguez) and Jay (Martin Henderson). Each has a unique story, but they’re united in a common desire to be heard and to make a difference in the world. For these four protesters, this is very personal and the stakes are higher than mere politics. (more)
| August 5, 2009
| The Letter: An American Town and the 'Somali Invasion'
In the wake of 9/11 a firestorm erupts when the Mayor of Lewiston, Maine sends a letter to 1,100 newly arrived Somali refugees advising that the city's resources are strained to the limit and asking that other Somalis not to move to the city. Interpreted as racism by some and a rallying cry by white supremacist groups across the United States, THE LETTER documents the crossfire of emotions and events, culminating in a "hate" rally and a counter "peace" rally involving 4,000 Lewiston residents supporting ethnic and cultural diversity. (more)
| July 29, 2009
| The Fourth World War
Shot on the frontlines of struggles spanning five continents - The Fourth World War is the untold human story of men and women who resist being annihilated in the current global conflict. This is a film that would have been unimaginable at any other moment in history. Directed by the makers of This Is What Democracy Looks Like and Zapatista, produced through a global network of independent media and activist groups, it is a truly global film from our global movement. (more)
| July 22, 2009
| The One Percent
This documentary focuses on the growing "wealth gap" in America, as seen through the eyes of filmmaker Jamie Johnson, a 27-year-old heir to the Johnson & Johnson pharmaceutical fortune. Johnson sets his sights on exploring the political, moral and emotional rationale that enables a tiny percentage of Americans - the one percent - to control nearly half the wealth of the entire US. The film includes interviews with Nicole Buffett, Bill Gates Sr., Adnan Khashoggi, Milton Friedman, Robert Reich, Ralph Nader and other luminaries. (more)
| July 15, 2009
| Taxi to the Darkside
Alex Gibney (Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room) investigates the torture and killing of an innocent Afghani taxi driver in this gripping probe into reckless abuses of government power. Disturbing and incisive, the Academy Award-winner Taxi To The Dark Side incorporates rare and never-before-seen images from inside the Bagram Air Force Base in Afghanistan and Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo Bay prisons into its exposure of the Bush administration's "global war on terror." (more)
| July 8, 2009
| Hidden Wars of Desert Storm
On August 2 1996 Saddam Hussein's troops invaded Kuwait. Was the invasion a surprise? Were all peaceful diplomatic means utilized? Was there a real threat to Saudi Arabia or any of the other Gulf states? Who did the Iraqi embargo hurt? What is Gulf War Syndrome? The result of a two-year investigation, Hidden Wars of Desert Storm brings answers to all of these questions. (more)
| June 24, 2009
| The Obama Deception
A hard-hitting film that completely destroys the myth that Barack Obama is working for the best interests of the American people. The Obama phenomenon is a hoax carefully crafted by the captains of the New World Order. He is being pushed as savior in an attempt to con the American people into accepting global slavery. (more)
| June 10, 2009
| Soldiers in the Army of God
Many of the most extreme members of the anti-abortion movement reveal themselves to HBO cameras for the first time in this disturbing verite documentary. The film focuses primarily on ''soldiers'' in the Army of God, a pro-life group bonded together by the Internet, by organized rallies, and by a common belief that abortions must be stopped at all costs. (more)
| June 3, 2009
| Peaceable Kingdom
Sponsored by Florida Voices for Animals
At a time when the public is more concerned than ever about the health and environmental problems associated with large-scale factory farming, Peaceable Kingdom explores another angle of this unfolding story: the interconnected life journeys of farm animals, former farmers, and animal rescuers struggling against an out of control industrial system. (more)
| May 27, 2009
| A Place Called Chiapas
In 1994, the Zapatista National Liberation Army (EZLN) --made up of impoverished Mayan Indians from the state of Chiapas--took over five towns and 500 ranches in southern Mexico. Fighting for indigenous Mexicans to regain control over their lives and the land, the Zapatistas and their charismatic leader, guerilla poet Subcomandante Marcos, began sending their message to the world via the Internet in what THE NEW YORK TIMES called "the world’s first postmodern revolution." (more)
| May 6, 2009
| The U.S. vs. John Lennon
The compelling and provocative story of John Lennon's evolution from beloved Beatle to outspoken artist and activist to iconic inspiration for peace, and how, in the midst of one of the most tumultuous times in American history, Lennon stood his ground, refused to be silenced and courageously won his battle with the U.S. Government. (more)
| Apr. 29, 2009
| Super High Me
Determined to find out the true effects of marijuana on the human body, stand-up comedian and former Stoner of the Year Doug Benson documents his experience avoiding pot for 30 days and then consuming massive amounts of the drug for 30 days. More than just an amusing story of one man's quest to get superhigh, this documentary also examines the hotly contested debate over medical marijuana use. (more)
| Apr. 22, 2009
| The Potentiality of Storming Heaven (2009, 28 minutes) is a film about the recent street protests and riots in Greece that shows how behind modern society's illusion of progress and prosperity, there is a widespread dissatisfaction with the present economic system and hierarchical way of organizing society. Also showing Ground Noise and Static (2008, 30 minutes) covering the untold stories of the 2008 presidential conventions.
| Apr. 15, 2009
| FLOW
Irena Salina's award-winning documentary investigation into what experts label the most important political and environmental issue of the 21st Century - The World Water Crisis. Salina builds a case against the growing privatization of the world's dwindling fresh water supply with an unflinching focus on politics, pollution, human rights, and the emergence of a domineering world water cartel. (more) | Apr. 8, 2009
| Life & Debt
After England granted Jamaica independence in 1962, the World Bank & IMF stepped in with a series of loans. These loans came with strings attached -- the kind that would eventually plunge the country $7 billion into debt, stranded without the resources to dig themselves out. (more) | Apr. 1, 2009
| Radio Bikini
Told in a hauntingly perceptive tone, this critically-acclaimed film is one of the most powerful and insightful films ever made on the overwhelming destructiveness of nuclear power. Director Robert Stone brings to light the largely untold story of Bikini Atoll. A peaceful and tropical island located in the Pacific, it was the unwitting sight of a series of high-profile atomic bomb tests conducted by the US in 1946. (more) | Mar. 25, 2009
| Lions for Lambs
An idealistic professor (Redford), a charismatic U.S. Senator (Cruise) and a probing TV journalist (Streep) have opposing viewpoints about the actions of our nation and the attitudes of its citizens. But the human consequences of war become chillingly clear for two of the professor's former students, who find themselves trapped behind enemy lines, "fighting for freedom"... and their very lives. (more) | Mar. 18, 2009
| The Girl in the Cafe
He's a shy civil servant working for the British delegation to the 2005 G8 Summit. She's an alluring young woman he meets at a café - and invites to the Summit on a whim. Together, this unlikely couple might just change history. (more) | Mar. 11, 2009
| El Che - Investigating a Legend
Documentary includes Guevara's voyages of discovery through Latin America, his time with Fidel Castro, his travels around the world, and footage of his tragic end in Bolivia at age 39. (more) | Mar. 4, 2009
| Guerrilla - The Taking of Patty Hearst
In 1974, a militant political group kidnapped teenage newspaper heiress Patricia Hearst from her Berkeley apartment. In the months that followed, Hearst, the Symbionese Liberation Army (S.L.A.), and their constant, paramilitary audio messages dominated headlines globally. This award-winning and internationally acclaimed film is a gripping, unparalleled account of the most sensational kidnapping in American history. (more) | Feb. 25, 2009
| The Times of Harvey Milk
Academy Award winner THE TIMES OF HARVEY MILK is the dramatic and moving story of the first openly gay person elected to political office in California -- from his triumphant grass-roots campaign to his brutal assassination one year later by fellow San Francisco city supervisor Dan White. These events, and the "Twinkie defense" trial that followed, united an entire city -- first in mourning and then in violent rage. (more) | Feb. 18, 2009
| Amazing Grace
Based on the true story of William Wilberforce (Ioan Gruffudd), Amazing Grace follows his courageous quest to pass a law to end the British slave trade and reform society. Along the way, Wilberforce meets intense opposition from members of Parliament but his minister, John Newton (Albert Finney), a reformed slave ship captain who penned the beloved hymn "Amazing Grace," urges him to put his faith into action and see the cause through. (more) | Feb. 11, 2009
| The Future of Food
There is a revolution happening in the farm fields and on the dinner tables of America -- a revolution that is transforming the very nature of the food we eat. THE FUTURE OF FOOD offers an in-depth investigation into the disturbing truth behind the unlabeled, patented, genetically engineered foods that have quietly filled U.S. grocery store shelves for the past decade. (more) | Jan. 28, 2009
| Letter to the President
Witness rap's birth, beginning with the civil rights movement and the genre's progression from music featured at weekend block parties to its lyrics being debated in the halls of Congress. This documentary looks at President Reagan's policies and how they inspired pioneer hip-hoppers such as Grandmaster Melle Mel and Run DMC to rap about the inequities in song. (more) | Jan. 21, 2009
| Jenin, Jenin
A gritty documentary about Jenin, a Palestinian refugee camp that came under Israeli fire in April 2002. During the Israeli army's "Defensive Wall" operation, the camp and its surrounding area fell subject to intense fighting, resulting in the deaths of countless Palestinian civilians. (more) | Jan. 14, 2009
| Peace, Propaganda and the Promised Land
This pivotal film exposes how the foreign policy interests of American political elites--working in combination with Israeli public relations strategies--exercise a powerful influence over news reporting about the Middle East conflict. (more) | Jan. 7, 2009
| Breaking Ranks
A moving documentary that examines the current phenomena of US soldiers seeking refuge in Canada as part of their resistance to the war effort in Iraq. (more) |
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2007 & 2008 FILMS
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