2009


CODY: THE FIRST STEP
CODY: THE FIRST STEP

Disabilities  Health  Women's Studies  Science  Sociology  Political Science  2009 

Narrated by actress Glenn Close, this heartfelt documentary follows Cody Unser, a remarkable young woman left paralyzed from a rare neurological disorder, as she learns to live with her disability while working to raise awareness, improve quality of life and find a cure for those afflicted with spinal cord related paralysis.

ME BRONI BA (MY WHITE BABY)
ME BRONI BA (MY WHITE BABY)

African Studies  Women's Studies  African-American Studies  Anthropology  Sociology  2009  Directed by Women 

Weaving together sequences of hair-braiding salons in Ghana, voice-over of Oprah rhapsodizing brown-skinned dolls and animated clips of signature hairstyles, Me Broni Ba (My White Baby) is an artfully composed, thought-provoking work that investigates the fraught relationship between images of beauty and power.

FIXER: THE TAKING OF AJMAL NAQSHBANDI
FIXER: THE TAKING OF AJMAL NAQSHBANDI

Media Studies  Middle Eastern Studies  Political Science  Cultural Studies  Peace & Conflict  Islamic Studies  Terrorism Studies  Sociology  2009 

A behind-the-scenes look at the dangerous world of wartime news gathering, this incisive documentary tells the story of 24-year-old Ajmal Naqshbandi, a 'fixer' - someone hired by foreign journalists to gain access for their stories - who was kidnapped, along with an Italian reporter, by the Taliban in 2007.

THROW DOWN YOUR HEART
THROW DOWN YOUR HEART

African Studies  African-American Studies  Music  Anthropology  2009 

Throw Down Your Heart follows American banjo virtuoso Bela Fleck on his journey to Africa to explore the little known African roots of the banjo. This exuberant musical adventure provides a glimpse of the beauty and complexity of Africa - a picture that is very different from what is often shown in the media.

O'ER THE LAND
O'ER THE LAND

American Studies  Sociology  Media Studies  2009  Directed by Women 

Taking its title from the last line in the first stanza of the National Anthem, O'er The Land is a haunting meditation on the connection between patriotism and violence in American culture. It raises timely questions about the hallowed concept of freedom, including how its evolved since 1776 and what it means to Americans today.

THE HILLSIDE CROWD
THE HILLSIDE CROWD

African Studies  Sociology  Anthropology  2009 

When gold was discovered on a remote hillside in Burkina Faso, a bustling city quickly sprung up around it, replete with gold-diggers, prospectors, merchants, holy men, gamblers and prostitutes. The Hillside Crowd profiles the inhabitants of this improvised gold town and their efforts to escape the surrounding poverty.

WADE IN THE WATER, CHILDREN
WADE IN THE WATER, CHILDREN

2009  Urban Studies  Sociology  Psychology & Psychiatry  Media Studies  Health  Education  Cinema Studies  Anthropology  American Studies  African-American Studies  Directed by Women 

Through a passionate mixture of private videos, uncensored interviews and school-day adventures, the young children of Singleton Charter Middle School, the first school to open in New Orleans after Katrina, have created a revealing portrait of urban youth at the heart of an ongoing American crisis.

THE BEEKEEPERS
THE BEEKEEPERS

Environmental Studies  Science  World History  2009 

What can the behavior of bees tell us about our environment? The Beekeepers is an innovative documentary that investigates the causes behind Colony Collapse Disorder, the mass disappearance of bees all over the world.

THE SOLITARY LIFE OF CRANES
THE SOLITARY LIFE OF CRANES

Architecture  Urban Studies  Sociology  2009  Directed by Women 

Part city symphony, part visual poem, The Solitary Life of Cranes explores the invisible life of a city, its patterns and hidden secrets, seen through the eyes of crane drivers working high above its streets. Referencing both Ruttmann and Vertov as well as Jane Jacobs' "The Death and Life of Great American Cities," it's a beautiful meditation on how our existence is shaped by the spaces we inhabit.

AT THE DEATH HOUSE DOOR
AT THE DEATH HOUSE DOOR

Criminal & Law  American Studies  Latino Studies  Religion & Spirituality  Kartemquin Films  2009 

An impassioned exploration of the legal and ethical issues surrounding capital punishment, this award-winning documentary looks at the death penalty through the eyes of Pastor Carroll Picket, who served 15 years as a death house chaplain in a notorious Texas penitentiary and presided over 95 executions.

SOMEONE ELSE’S WAR
SOMEONE ELSE’S WAR

Asian Studies  Labor Studies  Political Science  Cultural Studies  Peace & Conflict  2009  Directed by Women 

In the background of the war in Iraq is an invisible army made up of more than 30,000 low-wage workers from South and Southeast Asia. Someone Else's War is the first documentary to investigate this new underclass created by American warfare and examine what it means to globalize the business of war.

THE LAST DAYS OF SHISHMAREF
THE LAST DAYS OF SHISHMAREF

Environmental Studies  Anthropology  Native American Studies  Sociology  2009  Indigenous Studies 

An astounding new documentary on the first victims of global warming, The Last Days of Shishmaref travels to a small village in northwest Alaska, home to an Inupiaq Eskimo community, where homes are literally falling into the sea. The entire village is expected to disappear within 10 years.

LA AMERICANA
LA AMERICANA

Latino Studies  Latin-American Studies  Political Science  Sociology  American Studies  Criminal & Law  Labor Studies  New York City  2009  Immigration 

The story of a single mother forced to leave her ailing daughter in Bolivia in order to provide her with a better life is woven into the current debate over amnesty for undocumented immigrants. Winner of multiple awards at Latino film festivals, La Americana puts a human face on this timely and controversial issue.

A LIFE IN PRINT
A LIFE IN PRINT

Chicano Studies  Latino Studies  Media Studies  Art History  Latin-American Studies  Labor Studies  American Studies  2009 

A rich historical record of Chicano art, life and culture since WWII, A Life in Print profiles influential artist and printmaker Xavier Viramontes, founding member of Galeria de la Raza, whose iconoclastic silkscreen poster for the United Farmworkers rallied a nation and sparked the Chicano movement in art.

THE LEAST OF THESE
THE LEAST OF THESE

Latino Studies  Latin-American Studies  Criminal & Law  American Studies  Political Science  2009  Immigration 

A look at one of the most controversial aspects of American immigration policy: family detention. The Least of These brings to light the troubling conditions inside the T. Don Hutto Residential Center, a former prison operated by a private corporation that is being used to house immigrant families.

24 CITY
24 CITY

Asian Studies  Anthropology  Labor Studies  Cinema Studies  Political Science  2009 

The conversion of a state-owned munitions factory into luxury high-rise apartments allows for an acute appreciation of Socialism's impact on the Chinese people and the complex social changes transforming the country in this masterful new documentary from Jia Zhang-ke.

THE NEW AMERICANS
THE NEW AMERICANS

2009  Chicano Studies  Kartemquin Films  Political Science  Latino Studies  Latin-American Studies  Anthropology  American Studies  African Studies  African-American Studies  Immigration 

A landmark seven-hour documentary series, The New Americans follows the lives of a diverse group of contemporary immigrants - from the Dominican Republic, Mexico, India, Nigeria and Palestine - to offer a kaleidoscopic picture of immigrant life in the U.S. Available for the first time in its entirety on DVD.

TONGZHI IN LOVE
TONGZHI IN LOVE

LGBTQ  Cultural Studies  Asian Studies  Human Sexuality  Health  2009  Directed by Women 

An intimate and beautiful documentary that looks at what it's like to be gay in modern China, from the filmmakers of the Academy Award-winning documentary The Blood of Yingzhou District.

SEX POSITIVE
SEX POSITIVE

LGBTQ  American Studies  AIDS  Human Sexuality  Health  New York City  Media Studies  2009 

An electrifying new documentary that revisits the early days of the AIDS epidemic and chronicles the little-known story of the birth of the safe sex movement. Winner of the Documentary Grand Jury Prize at Outfest.

IN A DREAM
IN A DREAM

Art History  Health  Psychology & Psychiatry  2009 

Over the past four decades, Isaiah Zagar has covered more than 50,000 square feet of Philadelphia with stunning mosaic murals. The murals chronicle his love for his family and subtly hint at inner torments. In a Dream is a loving, but unsparing psychological portrait of an artist, the artistic process and mental illness.

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