Videos on Global Conditions

Amazing grace 2007

Michael Apted, Steven Knight, Ioan Gruffudd, Rufus Sewell, Michael Gambon, Albert Finney, Youssou N'Dour, Ciaraan Hinds, David Arnold, Bristol Bay Productions (Firm), Sunflower Productions, and Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment Ltd

A dramatization of the life of the human rights activist, cultural reformer and member of Parliament, William Wilberforce who sustained a twenty-year fight in 19th century England, endeavoring to end the British transatlantic slave trade. Wilberforce encountered intense opposition from members of Parliament but his minister John Newton, a reformed slave ship captain who penned the hymn "Amazing Grace" urged him to see the cause through. 1 videodisc (118 min.)

MEDIA 10-1386

 

Black Jesus 2002/1968

Franco Brusati, Carlo Lizzani, Valerio Zurlini, Woody Strode, Franco Citti, Ivy Video, and Eclectic DVD Distribution (Firm)

Based on actual incidents in the Congo, the country that became Zaire and then the Congo Republic, Woody Strode is a revolutionary leader betrayed by one of his followers, and unwittingly martyred by those in power. Throughout his interrogation and torture, we see the entire horror of the confrontation reflected in his eyes. 1 videodisc (90 min.)

MEDIA 10-526

 

La ciudad The city 1999

David Riker and Paul Mezey

"With ... intensive collaboration with the New York Latino immigrant community over a five-year period, The City [La Ciudad] weaves a rich narrative tapestry of present day immigrant life. The film's four unforgettable stories center on a group of day-laborers scavenging for bricks; two teenagers from the same hometown who meet in the projects and fall in love; a homeless father who tries to enroll his daughter in school; and a garment worker who seeks justice in the sweatshops"--Publisher's Web site. 1 videocassette (88 min.)

MEDIA 2-5372, 10-543

 

Gran Torino c2009

Clint Eastwood, Nick Schenk, Dave Johannson, Robert Lorenz, Bill Gerber, Bee Vang, Ahney Her, Christopher Carley, John Carroll Lynch, Brian Haley, Geraldine Hughes, Brian Howe, William Hill, Warner Bros. Pictures (1969- ), Village Roadshow Pictures,  Double Nickel Entertainment (Firm), Malpaso (Company), and Warner Home Video (Firm)

Walt Kowalski is a widower who holds onto his prejudices despite the changes in his Michigan neighborhood and the world around him.  Walt is a grumpy, tough-minded, unhappy old man, who can't get along with either his kids or his neighbors.  He is a Korean War veteran whose prize possession is a 1972 Gran Torino he keeps in mint condition.  When his neighbor, Thao, a young Hmong teenager, is pressured by his gang member cousin to steal Walt's prize possession, Kowalski sets out to reform the youth.  Drawn against his will into the life of Thao's family, Walt is soon taking steps to protect them from the gangs that infest their neighborhood. 1 videodisc (116 min.)

MEDIA 10-1551

 

The long walk home 1991

Whoopi Goldberg, Sissy Spacek, Dwight Schultz, Edwin C Atkins, Howard W Koch, Dave Bell, and Richard Pearce

Academy Award winner Whoopi Goldberg is Odessa Cotter, a quietly dignified woman, who works as a housekeeper for Miriam Thompson (Academy Award winner Sissy Spacek). When Odessa honors the 1955 Montgomery, Alabama, bus boycott by walking an exhausting nine miles to and from work, Miriam offers her a ride. Defying both Miriam's racist husband (Dwight Schultz) and the powerful White Citizen's Council, Miriam and Odessa put their lives in danger for civil rights. 1 videocassette (98 min.)

MEDIA     DANA 10-3375 1014

 

Moolaadé 2004

Ousmane Sembčne, Fatoumata Coulibaly, Maimouna Helene Diarra, Films Domirev (Firm), and New Yorker Films

To escape the ritual of "purification" organized every seven years, four young girls flee their village and find protection with Collé, but their flight sends the local population into turmoil. 1 videocassette (124 min.)

MEDIA 10-2447     2-7181

 

Mr. and Mrs. Iyer c2004

Rahul Bose, Konkona Sensharma, Bhisham Sahani, Surekha Sikri, Sunil Makherjee, Esha Chauhan, Aparna Sen, Madhu Entertainment & Media Pvt. Ltd, Rainbow Films (Firm), and Triplecom Media (Firm)

A Muslim wildlife photograher and a married south Indian Brahmin are thrown together during on a bus journey when they find themselves in a middle of a Muslim riot. Their conventional beliefs are challenged and their lives are changed. 1 videodisc (120 min.)

MEDIA 10-413

 

La noire de Black girl 2005, 1965

Ousmane Sembčne, Mbissine Thérčse Diop, Anne-Marie Jelinck, Momar Nar Sene, Robert Fontaine, Abdoulaye Ly, Albourah, Films Domirev (Firm), and New Yorker Video (Firm)

In La noire de ..., a Senegalese maid goes to the Riviera with her employers and gains a new perspective on what it means to be African outside of Africa. A story of exile and despair. Borom Sarret follows a cart driver as he meets an unfortunate array of people in Dakar. 1 videodisc (ca. 80 min.)

MEDIA 10-671

 

Persepolis 2008

Marc-Antoine Robert,  Xavier Rigault, Marjane Satrapi, Vincent Paronnaud, Chiara Mastroianni, Catherine Deneuve, Danielle Darrieux, Simon Abkarian, Marjane Satrapi, 2.4.7. Films, France 3 cinaema (Firm), Kennedy/Marshall Company, Franche Connection Animations (Firm), Diaphana (Firm), Celluloid Dreams (Firm), Sony Pictures Classics (Firm), Sofica Soficinema (Firm), Sofica Europacorp (Firm), Centre national de la cinaematographie (France), and Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (Firm)

In 1970s Iran, Marjane "Marji" Satrapi watches events through her young eyes and her idealistic family. Their long dream is realized when the hated Shah is defeated in the Iranian Revolution of 1979. Now ruled by Islamic fundamentalists, Marji grows up to witness first hand how the new Iran has become a repressive tyranny on its own. With Marji dangerously refusing to remain silent at this injustice, her parents send her abroad to Vienna to study. This change proves an equally difficult trial for Marji as she finds herself in a different culture loaded with abrasive characters and profound disappointments that deeply trouble her. Even when she returns home, Marji finds that both she and her homeland have changed too much and the young woman and her loving family must decide where she truly belongs. 1 videodisc (95 min.)

MEDIA 10-1619

 

Red dust c2006

Tom Hooper, Anant Singh, Hilary Swank, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Gillian Slovo, HBO Video (Firm), BBC Films, Distant Horizon (Firm), Videovision Entertainment (Firm), and Industrial Development Corporation of South Africa

A political thriller set in a small South African town during the Truth and Reconciliation Commission hearings. Human rights lawyer Sarah Barcant must represent Alex Mpondo, a former political activist,  who was held captive and sadistically tortured by a police officer under the apartheid regime in South Africa. 1 videodisc (111 min.)

MEDIA 10-756

 

Rue Cases-Nčgres Sugar Cane Alley  c2004

Euzhan Palcy, Darling Legitimus, Garry Cadenat, Douta Seck,  Joby Bernabé, Joseph Zobel, SU.MA.FA. Productions, Orca Productions, Nouvelles éditions de films (Firm), and New Yorker Video (Firm)

The teenage life and adventures of young José, who lives in a shanty-town on Martinique in the mid-1930s, comprises the body of this film. José lives with his grandmother and is well aware of the French colonial presence. He gets into mischief, learns valuable lessons on living from an old former slave, drinks too much one time, and even sets fire to one of the run-down shanties. Regardless of his pranks, José never neglects his education. 1 videodisc (107 min.)

MEDIA 10-803

 

Theeviravaathi The Terrorist 2000

Sri Rama, Abhijit Joshi, Shree Prasad, Santosh Sivan, Ravi Deshpande, Vijay Deveshwar, Ayesha Dharker, Vishnu Vardhan, Bhanu Prakash, and K Krishna

In a story inspired by the events surrounding the assassination of Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Ghandi, a suicide bomber examines her emotions and finds herself in a psychological divide as she contemplates her future. 1 videodisc (95 mins.)

MEDIA 10-84

 

Unwanted woman 2006

Tahminah Milani, Muhammad Nik bin, Marila Zareie, Amin Hayaie, Parsa Pirouzfar, Iranian Film Society, and Irmovies.com (Firm)

Searing tale about the struggles of women in modern-day Iran.  Poor Sima puts up with her philandering and abusive husband, Ahmad.  He is so blatant with his indiscretions that he asks Sima to cover for him when he plans a trip with his girlfriend Saba.  In an Iran where unmarried couples can be arrested for fraternizing in public, Ahmad needs Sima to pretend that Saba is her cousin.  Sima and the couple's young daughter accompany Ahmad and Saba on their trip - a humiliating situation for the devoted wife and mother.  But, a surprising turn awaits the trio when they stop in a town where a man has just murdered his wife for her alleged affair. 2 videodiscs (103 min.)

MEDIA 10-716 &10-717

 

Bandit Queen 1995

Shekhar Kapur, Sundeep S Bedi, Seema Biswas, Mala Sen, Nirmal Pandey, and Manoj Bajpai

A dramatization of the life story of the female dacoit, Phoolan Devi. "Born of low caste in the Chambal River Valley of India, 11-year-old Phoolan is sold into marriage with a man 20 years her senior. She escapes and falls in with a pack of ruthless bandits but the male-dominated gang comes with its own set of brutal humiliations, and Phoolan must struggle to rise above a culture determined to bring her down, in a bloody coup that electrified a nation"--Container. 1 videocassette (120 min.)

MEDIA 2-3300

 

Black Jesus 2002/1968

Franco Brusati, Carlo Lizzani, Valerio Zurlini, Woody Strode, Franco Citti, Ivy Video, and Eclectic DVD Distribution (Firm)

Based on actual incidents in the Congo, the country that became Zaire and then the Congo Republic, Woody Strode is a revolutionary leader betrayed by one of his followers, and unwittingly martyred by those in power. Throughout his interrogation and torture, we see the entire horror of the confrontation reflected in his eyes. 1 videodisc (90 min.)

MEDIA 10-526

 

Cecilia 199-?

Humberto Solas, Humberto Hernández, Daisy Granados, Imanol Arias, Raquel Revuelta, Cirilo Villaverde, Impala (Firm), Instituto Cubano de Arte e Industria Cinematográfica, and Marakka 2000, Inc

The story of Cecilia, a mulatta, and her relationship with a white man provides an intimate and stark portrayal of colonial Cuba. 2 videocassettes (165 min.)

MEDIA 2-6641

 

La ciudad The city 1999

David Riker and Paul Mezey

"With ... intensive collaboration with the New York Latino immigrant community over a five-year period, The City [La Ciudad] weaves a rich narrative tapestry of present day immigrant life. The film's four unforgettable stories center on a group of day-laborers scavenging for bricks; two teenagers from the same hometown who meet in the projects and fall in love; a homeless father who tries to enroll his daughter in school; and a garment worker who seeks justice in the sweatshops"--Publisher's Web site. 1 videocassette (88 min.)

MEDIA 2-5372, 10-543

 

Coraje Courage c1998

Alberto Durant, Andres Malatesta, Félix Rodríguez, Ana Caridad Sánchez, Olenka Cepeda, Agua Dulce Films, Fernando Colomo Producciones Cinematográficas, Televisión Espańola, Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú, Centro Cultural, Hubert Bals Fund, and  Latin American Video Archives

Story based on the last months in the life of Maria Elena Moyano, a leader of a women's organization in a slum outside of Lima. Known as Mother Courage, she stood up against the violence and terrorism that plagued her village. She was killed by the Shining Path for her work. 1 videocassette (110 min.)

MEDIA 2-7252

 

Flame 1996

Ingrid Sinclair, Simon Bright, Marian Kunonga, and Ulla Mahaka

One of the most controversial films ever produced in Africa (seized by the police during editing), this feature film not only exposes past abuses but continuing divisions within Zimbabwean society, especially against women and peasants. It is the story of two close friends, Florence and Nyasha as they train and fight as soldiers in the Zimbabwean liberation struggle, but after liberation find their lives little changed. 1 videorecording (85 min.)

DANA. MEDIA 1295       2-3299

 

Friends 1994, 1993

Elaine Proctor, Judith Hunt, Kerry Fox, Dambisa Kente, and Michele Burgers

The close friendship between three young South African women (a white political activist, a Black schoolteacher, and an Afrikaner archeologist) is tested when the activist sets off an airport bomb during the late '80's fight against apartheid and two innocent people are killed. 1 videocassette (105 min.)

MEDIA 2-3414

 

Golpes a mi puerta Knocks at my door 1998?

Alejandro Saderman, Juan Carlos Gené, Veronica Oddo, Elba Escobar, José Antonio Rodríguez, Juan Carlos Gené, and Alejandro Salderman

A deadly encounter between two nuns and the military police reflect the turbulent times in Latin American society. 1 videocassette (105 min.)

MEDIA 2-6074

 

Hai shang hua Flowers of Shanghai 1999?

Bangqing Han, Tianwen Zhu, Hsiao-hsien Hou, Tony Chiu Wai Leung, Michiko Hata, and Jialing Liu

This film is set in the elegant brothels of late nineteenth-century Shanghai, a hermetic world with its own highly ritualized codes of behavior, where "flower girls" must win, and then hold, the affection of their wealthy callers. 1 videocassette (113 min.)

MEDIA 2-5439

 

Hasta cierto punto Up to a certain point 1995

Tomás Gutiérrez Alea, Oscar Alvarez, Mirta Ibarra, Humberto Hernández, Omar Valdés, and Coralio Veloz

A clever self-reflexive satire about the battle of the sexes in contemporary Cuba. 1 videocassette (70 min.)

MEDIA 2-6117

 

Moolaadé 2004

Ousmane Sembčne, Fatoumata Coulibaly, Maimouna Helene Diarra, Films Domirev (Firm), and New Yorker Films

To escape the ritual of "purification" organized every seven years, four young girls flee their village and find protection with Collé, but their flight sends the local population into turmoil. 1 videocassette (124 min.)

MEDIA 10-2447     2-7181

 

Mr. and Mrs. Iyer c2004

Rahul Bose, Konkona Sensharma, Bhisham Sahani, Surekha Sikri, Sunil Makherjee, Esha Chauhan, Aparna Sen, Madhu Entertainment & Media Pvt. Ltd, Rainbow Films (Firm), and Triplecom Media (Firm)

A Muslim wildlife photograher and a married south Indian Brahmin are thrown together during on a bus journey when they find themselves in a middle of a Muslim riot. Their conventional beliefs are challenged and their lives are changed. 1 videodisc (120 min.)

MEDIA 10-413

 

La noire de Black girl 2005, 1965

Ousmane Sembčne, Mbissine Thérčse Diop, Anne-Marie Jelinck, Momar Nar Sene, Robert Fontaine, Abdoulaye Ly, Albourah, Films Domirev (Firm), and New Yorker Video (Firm)

In La noire de ..., a Senegalese maid goes to the Riviera with her employers and gains a new perspective on what it means to be African outside of Africa. A story of exile and despair. Borom Sarret follows a cart driver as he meets an unfortunate array of people in Dakar. 1 videodisc (ca. 80 min.)

MEDIA 10-671

 

A Passage to India 1984

E. M Forster, Santha Rama Rau, John Brabourne, Richard B Goodwin, David Lean, Peggy Ashcroft, Judy Davis, James Fox, Alec Guinness, Nigel Havers, and Victor Banerjee

Set in India in 1928, a young English woman travels with her fiance's mother to Chandrapore to visit her fiancee who is city magistrate.  Appalled at the treatment of the Indians by the British, they befriend a young Indian doctor, who oversteps the accepted boundaries between the classes by inviting the women on a picnic excursion.  In a strange turn of events, the doctor is accused of attempted rape of the young English woman.  What actually did happen is the central riddle of the film. 1 videocassette (163 min.)

MEDIA 2-1902

 

Pinky 1994, 1949

Jeanne Crain, Ethel Barrymore, Ethel Waters, William Lundigan, Elia Kazan, Philip Dunne, Dudley Nichols, Cid Ricketts Sumner, and Darryl Francis Zanuck

Pinky, a black woman who works as a nurse in Boston, finds that she is able to pass for white.  Afraid her true heritage will be discovered, she leaves her white fiance and returns home to Mississippi where she helps her grandmother care for her employer, an imperious plantation owner. When she names Pinky heiress to her estate, the community rises in resentment triggering a sensational court trial. Subject of a landmark Supreme Court case in film censorship, this moving story became itself a battle for human rights. 1 videocassette (102 min.)

MEDIA  2-3733

 

Red dust c2006

Tom Hooper, Anant Singh, Hilary Swank, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Gillian Slovo, HBO Video (Firm), BBC Films, Distant Horizon (Firm), Videovision Entertainment (Firm), and Industrial Development Corporation of South Africa

A political thriller set in a small South African town during the Truth and Reconciliation Commission hearings. Human rights lawyer Sarah Barcant must represent Alex Mpondo, a former political activist,  who was held captive and sadistically tortured by a police officer under the apartheid regime in South Africa. 1 videodisc (111 min.)

MEDIA 10-756

 

Road to freedom 1994

James Earl Jones, Mary Alice, Tommy Hollis, Cissy Houston, Clifton James, Nicole Leach, Joe Seneca, Kenneth Fink, David Kappes, and Michael Galin

When racial violence results in the rape of a young woman and the brutal murder of a fellow church deacon, Vernon Johns calls to his middle class black congregation to stand up for their rights. 1 videocassette

DANA 1170

 

Rue Cases-Nčgres Sugar Cane Alley c2004

Euzhan Palcy, Darling Legitimus, Garry Cadenat, Douta Seck, Joby Bernabé, Joseph Zobel, SU.MA.FA. Productions, Orca Productions, Nouvelles éditions de films (Firm), and New Yorker Video (Firm)

The teenage life and adventures of young José, who lives in a shanty-town on Martinique in the mid-1930s, comprises the body of this film. José lives with his grandmother and is well aware of the French colonial presence. He gets into mischief, learns valuable lessons on living from an old former slave, drinks too much one time, and even sets fire to one of the run-down shanties. Regardless of his pranks, José never neglects his education. 1 videodisc (107 min.)

MEDIA 10-803

 

Samt al-qusur The silences of the palace = Les silences du palais 1996

Moufida Tlatli, Amel Hedhili, Hend Sabri, Najia Ouerghi, Ghalia Lacroix, Sami Bouajila, Kamel Fazaa, Richard Magnien, and Anouar Brahem

Set in Tunisia in the 1950's in the last years of the Bey monarchy. Alia, the young servant-girl is misused by her masters and wooed by the rebel, while growing up in the palace. 1 videocassette (127 min.)

MEDIA 2-3344

 

Some mother's son 1997

Terry George, Jim Sheridan, Arthur Lappin, Edward Burke, Helen Mirren, Fionnula Flanagan, Aidan Gillen, and David O'Hara

Based on the true story of the 1981 hunger strike in a Britain prison, in which IRA prisoner Bobby Sands led a protest against the treatment of IRA prisoners as criminals rather than as prisoners of the war. 1 videocassette (112 min.)

MEDIA 2-1604

 

Theeviravaathi The Terrorist 2000

Sri Rama, Abhijit Joshi, Shree Prasad, Santosh Sivan, Ravi Deshpande, Vijay Deveshwar, Ayesha Dharker, Vishnu Vardhan, Bhanu Prakash, and K Krishna

In a story inspired by the events surrounding the assassination of Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Ghandi, a suicide bomber examines her emotions and finds herself in a psychological divide as she contemplates her future. 1 videodisc (95 mins.)

MEDIA 10-84

 

Une affaire de femmes Story of women 1992

Claude Chabrol, Marin Karmitz, Isabelle Huppert, Marie Trintignant, and Françoise Cluzet

A beautiful and childish woman's life is changed when she performs an abortion for a distraught neighbor. 1 videocassette (110 min.)

MEDIA 2-2653

 

Xica da Silva 1993

Jarbas Barbosa, Carlos Diegues, Zezé Motta, Walmor Chagas, Altair Lima, Elke Maravilha, Stepan Nercessian, Rodolfo Arena, José Wilker, and João Felício dos Santos

The story of the legendary Black Slave Xica da Silva. During an 18th century diamond rush, Brazil's interior becomes a scene of wealth and excess where Xica rises in power to become the unofficial Empress of Brazil, vividly fusing European and African culture. 1 videocassette (109 min.)

DANA 1393