Sociology

This short drama on domestic abuse, based on extensive research with battered Latinas, focuses on a Hispanic family, showing how the father's machismo has intimidated both wife and daughter into continual fear of physical abuse and alienated the son who resents his father's authoritarian attitudes.

An intimate portrait of the filmmaker's immigrant Central American family-in particular the macho traditions of his grandfather-woven from childhood memories and family reminiscences, revealing how exaggerated expressions of male identity can cost a man the love of his entire family.

Filmed over a period of four years, this documentary examines the emotional agony experienced by father and son when separated by divorce, distance and a protracted legal battle for custody. Interviews with a child psychologist, family friends, and babysitter, as well as the child himself (in periodic interviews at the ages of three, five, and six) reveal the psychological impact of this separation on the youngster.

Examines the hectic lifestyles of "fast track" couples, members of the Baby Boom generation whose desire to succeed--at the office, in social circles and through their children's accomplishments--leads to living in a state of chronic stress.

Examines the educational crisis in South Africa, where the apartheid regime for decades maintained two separate and unequal educational systems, one white and one black, with the consequent miseducation of successive generations of black youth and the destruction of untold human potential.

Examines the problem of illiteracy among America's prison population by portraying a peer-tutoring program in which long-term, educated inmates fill teaching positions left vacant due to budget cuts.

Documents the efforts of a group of American volunteers--including architects, artists, teachers and psychologists--in building and operating a primary school in a poor Tiajuana neighborhood.

Chronicles one season in the life of the Morningside High School basketball team, the defending California state champs, whose school is situated in a crime-ridden L.A. neighborhood.

Examines the culture of failure that is endemic among children of poverty and children of color in our society, its causes, its consequences, and the prognosis for overcoming it.

From executions in Nigeria to riots in Indonesia, this video examines the impact of "globalization," the economic engine that is rocking financial systems worldwide, and questions whether or not economic trade can be linked to human rights and democracy, whether it is possible for profits and principles to coexist.

This video shows constructive ways ordinary people around the world are addressing the impact of globalization on their communities, workplaces, and environments.

Depicts life in Cuatro Flats, a housing project in East Los Angeles, as seen through the eyes of Chicano gang members, or "homeboys."

Chronicles the remarkable life of 89-year-old Pedro J. Gonzalez, from his early years as a telegraph operator for Pancho Villa during the Mexican Revolution to his pioneering career as a radio and recording star in Los Angeles, his 1934 arrest on trumped-up charges and subsequent imprisonment, his deportation to Mexico and eventual return to the U.S. some thirty years later.

Examines the key issues, problems and concerns of the Mexican-American community in the U.S. through interviews with prominent Chicano leaders and activists.

Chronicles the history of Chicano Park, famous for its giant murals painted on freeway pillars, which became the focus for the revitalization of San Diego's Chicano community in the 1970s and '80s.

Examines the recuperacion movement among the Indian communities in Colombia where an Indian rebel army is engaged in guerrilla warfare with a Colombian Army counterinsurgency force.

Portrays daily life in a mountaintop slum in Rio de Janeiro, featuring interviews with residents who discuss police harassment, the lack of educational and employment opportunities, problems of sanitation, violence, drugs and alcohol in the community, and social and racial discrimination.

Recounts the larger-than-life but true story of Arno P. Calderari--professional adventurer, jungle explorer, deep sea diver, treasure hunter and wildlife filmmaker-interweaving Arno's reminiscences with rare film footage of his many adventures.

This docudrama examines the Filipino experience at the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair, focusing on the filmmaker's grandfather, an Igorot warrior, one of the 1,100 tribal natives displayed as anthropological "specimens" in the notorious Philippine Village exhibit.

This historical documentary chronicles New York real estate developer William Levitt's postwar construction of affordable housing for returning WWII veterans and their families in Levittown and other Long Island communities, thereby establishing the prototype for modern suburbia.