Women's Studies
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ACTRESSWomen's Studies Sociology Family Relations Cinema Studies 2015
The roles women are expected to play in today's society, and the difficulties in balancing career and family, are the central issues deftly explored in Robert Greene's acclaimed documentary Actress. Using elements of melodrama and cinema verit", the film follows the travails of a former actress-turned-housewife as she prepares to make a comeback.
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ALL ABOUT ANN: governor richards of the lone star state2015 Women's Studies Political Science American Studies Alcohol & Drug Abuse
Feisty, fiery, a force of nature, and funny as hell. These are a few of the terms used to describe Ann Richards, one of the most charismatic American political figures of the last 30 years. This compelling portrait tells her remarkable story, from the young girl who grew up poor in rural Texas to the beloved national icon and Democratic leader who rose to power in a conservative stronghold.
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LUCKY2015 Puerto Rican Studies New York City Women's Studies Urban Studies Latino Studies LGBTQ Directed by Women Immigration
Executive produced by Steve James (The Interrupters, Life Itself), Lucky is an unforgettable portrait of a young Puerto Rican woman, a single mother, homeless, and struggling to find work, yet still passionately dreaming of true love and success. Filmed over six years, the film powerfully brings to light a myriad of social issues such as the flaws of foster care and social services, systemic poverty, urban blight, homelessness and LGBT discrimination.
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AS LONG AS THERE'S BREATHSensory Ethnography Lab Women's Studies Labor Studies Asian Studies 2014 Directed by Women
Following the acclaimed Kale and Kale and Monsoon- Reflections, As Long as There's Breath is Stephanie Spray's third film documenting the lives of the Gayeks family in Nepal. Building on a deep bond of trust (Spray was eventually adopted by the family), she captures a multi-generational household struggling for cohesion after the departure of a beloved son.
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MONSOON-REFLECTIONSWomen's Studies Sensory Ethnography Lab Labor Studies Asian Studies Anthropology 2014 Directed by Women
Drawing its title from a poem by the renowned Nepali poet Lekhnath Paudyal, which depicts the monsoon season as sublime and blissful, “joyous from start to finish,” filmmaker Stephanie Spray captures the melancholy and grit of two strong-willed female field hands (passengers in Spray and Velez’ Manakamana) as they carry out their arduous routines; a deeply felt reflection on labor, gender, and fleeting pleasures in rural Nepal.
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COME WORRY WITH US!Women's Studies Music Labor Studies Family Relations 2014 Business Directed by Women
What happens to female artists once they become mothers? A heartfelt exploration of how motherhood affects and impinges on one's creative life, Come Worry With Us! follows violinist Jessica Moss and singer/guitarist Efrim Menuck, founding member of the revered Montreal band, Godspeed You! Black Emperor, as the couple attempts to integrate their young son into their lifestyle.
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OFF THE REZNative American Studies Women's Studies Family Relations Children & Young Adult 2014
An unforgettable story about a young Native American woman and her family and their determined pursuit of the American Dream, Off The Rez is an award-winning documentary that follows one of the country's top high school basketball prospects, 16-year-old Shoni Schimmel, who leaves the reservation in order to play in a competitive, nationally-recognized basketball league.
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SUITCASE OF LOVE AND SHAMEAmerican Studies Human Sexuality Media Studies Anthropology Psychology & Psychiatry Sociology Women's Studies 2014 Directed by Women
A forbidden love story played out in a decade that would soon spawn the sexual revolution, Suitcase of Love and Shame reconstructs a mesmerizing and erotic narrative from 60 hours of reel-to-reel audiotape discovered in a suitcase purchased on eBay. A fascinating, one-of-a-kind documentary, it addresses issues of morality, sexism, privacy vs. exhibitionism, and the impact of technology in yesterday's America as well as today's.
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YOUR DAY IS MY NIGHTAsian-American Studies Asian Studies American Studies Urban Studies Women's Studies New York City 2014 Directed by Women Immigration
Blending autobiographical monologues, intimate conversations, and staged performances, Lynne Sachs' Your Day Is My Night documents the lives of Chinese immigrants sharing a "shift-bed" apartment in the heart of New York City's Chinatown, offering a deeply felt portrait of the Asian-American immigrant experience.
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WORDS OF WITNESSMiddle Eastern Studies Women's Studies Media Studies Political Science World History Peace & Conflict Family Relations 2013 The Arab Spring Directed by Women
A fascinating account of Egypt post-revolution, Words of Witness follows a 22-year-old female reporter, an incredible, fearless young woman, as she covers her country's unsteady transition to democracy. From the director of Garbage Dreams, a dynamic portrait of the youth movement that sparked the revolution and its continued reliance on social media.
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INOCENTE2013 Academy Award Winners & Nominees Chicano Studies Short Films Women's Studies Education Directed by Women Immigration
2013 Academy Award Winner for Best Documentary Short Subject! The moving and inspiring story of a remarkable 15-year-old girl, homeless and undocumented, but fiercely pursuing her dream of becoming an artist. An essential documentary that confronts issues of teen homelessness, immigration and the importance of arts education in this country.
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OUR SUMMER IN TEHRANAnthropology Middle Eastern Studies Sociology Islamic Studies Women's Studies 2012 Directed by Women
In her Oscar nominated documentary Promises, filmmaker Justine Shapiro took us into the lives of Palestinian and Israeli children in and around Jerusalem. Her new documentary, Our Summer in Tehran, transports us into the seldom seen realm of middle class family life in Iran, transcending overt politics for a perspective Western media has little interest in showing.
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GRANDMA’S TATTOOSWomen's Studies World History Human Sexuality Peace & Conflict 2012 Directed by Women
Grandma's Tattoos uncovers the fate of thousands of women, mostly teenagers and young girls, who survived the 1915 Armenian Genocide but were forced into prostitution by their captors. This powerful documentary investigates an aspect of history that is too often ignored - the fate of women in conflicts and wars.
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THE CANAL STREET MADAMCriminal & Law Women's Studies Human Sexuality American Studies 2011
Jeanette Maier ran the most successful brothel in New Orleans, if not the country, with a clientele of high-powered lawyers, bankers and politicians. When the FBI shut it down, Maier went to prison. Her clients went free and escaped exposure. The Canal Street Madam peers inside the business of prostitution and exposes the double standards that exist for women in our society and our justice system.
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SILVER GIRLSWomen's Studies Human Sexuality Aging / Gerontology Sociology 2011 Directed by Women
A portrait of three women over the age of 50 earning a living as prostitutes, Silver Girls approaches this oft-explored subject from a refreshingly different perspective; discussing sex, sexuality, social mores, aging, female empowerment and independence in a candid, insightful but non-exploitative manner.
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ME FACING LIFE: CYNTOIA’S STORYCriminal & Law Psychology & Psychiatry Health Alcohol & Drug Abuse American Studies Sociology Women's Studies 2011
What role should genetics and one's social environment play in the legal defense of a minor on trial for murder? This engrossing documentary explores the question by following the controversial case of Cyntoia Brown, a 16-year-old girl forced into prostitution, who faces life without parole for killing one of her clients.
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THE INTERRUPTERS2011 Kartemquin Films Women's Studies Urban Studies Sociology Peace & Conflict Latino Studies Criminal & Law American Studies African-American Studies
From Steve James, acclaimed director of Hoop Dreams, and Alex Kotlowtiz, bestselling author of There Are No Children Here, The Interrupters is an epic documentary work exploring violence in America, a look at an innovative program in which former gang members disrupt violent situations as they happen.
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BEYOND BABYLAND2010 Women's Studies Urban Studies Sociology Health Family Relations Economics Death & Dying American Studies African-American Studies Medicine
Beyond Babyland seeks to understand the causes behind the troubling rate of infant mortality in African-American communities while introducing us to the people and organizations working tirelessly to turn around this tide.
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OCTOBER COUNTRYAmerican Studies Women's Studies Anthropology Psychology & Psychiatry 2010
A beautifully rendered portrait of an American family struggling for stability while haunted by the ghosts of war, teen pregnancy, foster care and child abuse. Winner of multiple awards, October Country intimately examines the forces that unsettle the working poor and the violence that lurks beneath the surface of American life.
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THE FALL OF WOMENLANDAnthropology Asian Studies Women's Studies Human Sexuality Cultural Studies Sociology 2010 Directed by Women
A fascinating documentary on the unique sexual culture of the Mosuo people, a small minority situated in the southwest of China, and one of the last remaining matriarchal societies in the world. The Fall of Womenland explores their history and present reality as well as the dangers that threaten their inherited way of life.
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