Minds on the edge : facing mental illness

Minds on the edge : facing mental illness  [DVD-1781] 57 min. 2009
"America's frenzied debate over government health insurance has eclipsed another, no less challenging, national health care crisis--the plight of people with serious mental illnesses like schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. This Fred Friendly Seminar sheds light on barriers to treatment, ethical and legal dilemmas, and fragmented social policies that are creating a nightmare for families, filling America's jails, and wasting scarce resources. Led by veteran broadcast journalist Frank Sesno, the program features hypothetical scenarios that challenge prominent mental health professionals, policymakers, and legal luminaries to confront the situations and stigma facing Americans with mental illness. Panelists include U.S. Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer, Nobel-winning neuroscientist Eric R. Kandel, Pennsylvania Secretary of Public Welfare Estelle B. Richman, and many others."

Becoming Me: The Gender Within

Becoming Me:  The Gender Within [DVD-1782].  40 min. 2009
"What ultimately determines a person's gender? Is it chromosomes, hormones, genitals, or an innate sense of self? In this Tell-Award winning program, five transgendered individuals between the ages of 20 and 50 speak openly about what it has meant to them to be transgendered--their first experiences of gender confusion, life after coming out, family responses, and more ..."

Series of Art Videos

The Great Artists [DVD-1774, Discs 1-5]. 2002. 350 min.
Art historian Tim Marlow explores the lives and works of the greatest artists in history. Filming takes place throughout the world.

The Nude in Art [DVD-1773, Discs 1-2].  2002.  100 min.
Examines the significance and symbolism of the nude in art and how, over time, portrayals of the nude body reflected changes in cultural beliefs. Begins with the first known nude which was drawn 26,000 years ago and shows how the nude in art has evolved as civilizations changed and societal values evolved. Consists of four volumes on two discs.


The History of Western Art [DVD-1775, Discs 1-3]. 2002. 180 min.
The programs focus on various artists highlighting the works of Giotto, Van Eyck, Michaelangelo, Raphael, Da Vinci and Holbein. Great works from Rembrandt, Rubens, Caravaggio and Bernini are also featured. The emphasis on pastoral themes emerges in the work of Hogarth, Gainsborough, Chardin and David. The Romantic movement features the works of Constable, Turner and Goya. Also featured is the revolutionary work of Cezanne, Seurat, Manet and Van Gogh.


Art of the Netherlands [DVD-1775, Discs, 1-3].  2000. 150  min.
Chronicles the life, times, and work of true masters of the art world. Highlights important events in each artist's life through the views of leading authorities, art historians, and scholars.

New films about environmental change

A Sea Change: Imagine a World Without Fish. [DVD-1762]. 2009.

"A Sea Change" documents how the pH balance has changed dramatically since the beginning of the industrial revolution: a 30% increase in acidification. Experts predict that over the next century, steady increases in carbon dioxide emissions and the continued rise in the acidity of the oceans will cause most of the world's fisheries to experience a total bottom-up collapse--a state that could last for millions of years.

Green. [DVD-1760]. 2009.

Her name is Green, she is alone in a world that doesn't belong to her. She is a female orangutan, victim of deforestation and resource exploitation. This film is an emotional journey with Green's final days. It is a visual ride presenting the treasures of rainforest biodiversity and the devastating impacts of logging and land clearing for palm oil plantations. Winner of Jackson Hole Wildlife Film Festival and 20 other awards.

The Mean World Syndrome: Media Violence & the Cultivation of Fear

The Mean World Syndrome: Media Violence & the Cultivation of Fear. [DVD-1746].  75 min.  2010.

"For years, debates have raged among scholars, politicians, and concerned parents about the effects of media violence on viewers. Too often these debates have descended into simplistic battles between those who claim that media messages directly cause violence and those who argue that activists exaggerate the impact of media exposure altogether. The Mean World Syndrome, based on the groundbreaking work of media scholar George Gerbner, urges us to think about media effects in more nuanced ways. Ranging from Hollywood movies and prime-time dramas to reality programming and the local news, the film examines how media violence feeds a fear-charged cultural environment that cultivates a heightened state of insecurity, exaggerated perceptions of risk and danger, and an appetite for hard-line and repressive political solutions to social problems. A provocative and accessible introduction to cultivation analysis, media effects research, and the subject of media influence and media violence"

Traces of the Trade: A Story from the Deep North

Traces of the Trade: A Story from the Deep North.  [DVD-1701].  86 min.

Filmmaker Katrina Browne discovers that her New England ancestors were the largest slave-trading family in U.S. history. She and nine cousins retrace the Triangle Trade and gain a powerful new perspective on the black/white divide.

Afghan Star: In Afghanistan you risk your life to sing

Afghan Star.  [DVD-1703].  88 min. 2009.

In Afghanistan you risk your life to sing. After thirty years of war and five devastating years of Taliban rule, pop culture is beginning to return to the country. Since 2005, millions have been tuning in to Tolo TV's wildly popular American idol-style series, Afghan star. Like its Western predecessors, people compete for a cash prize and record deal. More surprisingly, the contest is open to everyone across the country despite gender, ethnicity, or age.

Awards:  Sundance 2009, Human Rights Watch Film Festival