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Videos on Class, Race, and Ethnicity

SELECTED DVDs and Videotapes in the Rutgers Libraries

Identity DVDs

500 years later c2005

Owen Alik Shahadah, Ako Osayaba Mitchell, Molefi K Asante, Afrikan Holocaust (Firm), Halaqah Media, Idnyc Filmworks, Souljazzfunk (Firm), and Lift Every Voice (Firm)

Filmed in five continents, this documentary film chronicles the struggles of people of African descent throughout the globe as they strive for basic freedoms and self-determination. 1 videodisc (106 min.)

MEDIA 10-1572

 

Being gay coming out in the 21st century c2003

Charlotte Angel, Kyle Boyd, and Cambridge Educational (Firm)

This program presents the accounts and stories of people who have recently taken the step of coming out. Interviewees and experts discuss the benefits of this important transition by examining the six stages of coming to terms with one's sexual identity. 1 videodisc (25 min.)

DANA. MEDIA 229 10-295

 

The best place to live 1982

Peter O'Neill, Ralph Rugoff, and Skylight Films (Firm)

A documentary about the changing lives and feelings of members of a Hmong community living in Providence, Rhode Island in 1980-81. 1 videocassette (53 min.)

MEDIA 10-3614       2-7710

 

Between two worlds c1990

Barry Greenwald, Peter Raymont, Barbara Sears, William Whitehead, Investigative Productions,  Telefilm Canada, First Run/Icarus Films, and West Glen Communications

Tells the tragic story of Joseph Idlout, an Inuit hunter, who attained celebrity status in 1950's Canada as a model eskimo in the "good Indian" mold. Through his son, Peter Paniloo, the film takes us on a poignant journey through Idlout's life. 1 videocassette (58 min.)

MEDIA 10-3026   2-6748

 

Black and white 2006

Kirsty MacDonald and  Women Make Movies (Firm)

"In a small New Zealand hospital in 1953, the birth of Mani Bruce Mitchell caused a mild pandemonium.  Fifty years later, Black and White interweaves the stories of this intersex activist and the acclaimed photographer Rebecca Swan, exploring their potent creative collaboration.  This fascinating documentary introduces viewers to notions of fluid gender identity, challenging the rigid categories of 'male' and 'female'."--Container. 1 videodisc (17 min.)

MEDIA 10-1162

 

The codes of gender identity + performance in pop culture c2009

Sut Jhally and Media Education Foundation

"Communication scholar Sut Jhally applies the late sociologist Erving Goffman's groundbreaking analysis of advertising to the contemporary commercial landscape in this provocative new film about gender as a ritualized commercial performance.  Uncovering a remarkable pattern of gender-specific poses, Jhally explores Goffman's central claim that the way the body is displayed in advertising communicates normative ideas about masculinity and femininity.  The film looks beyond advertising as a medium that simply sells products, and beyond analyses of gender that focus on biological difference or issues of surface objectification and beauty, taking us into the two-tiered terrain of identity and power relations"--Container. 1 videodisc (73 min.)

MEDIA 10-1580

 

The color of fear four little beds c2005

Mun Wah Lee and StirFry Seminars & Consulting

The Color of Fear 3 is an intimate conversation on the issues of what it is to be gay in this society and the impact it has on their sense of safety and identity. 1 videodisc (43 min.)

MEDIA 10-907

 

Desire 2005

Julie Gustafson, Tim Watson, Isaac Webb, and Women Make Movies (Firm)

"Starting in Desire, a New Orleans public housing development, filmmaker, Julie Gustafson collaborates with diverse teenage girls to create autobiographical videos about their developing sexuality and identity ... the complex economic forces that shape the young women's hopes, dreams and choices"--Container. 1 videodisc (84 min.)

MEDIA 10-788

 

First person plural c2000

Deann Borshay Liem, Center for Independent Documentary, Independent Television Service, National Asian American Telecommunications Association, and Center for Asian American Media

"In 1966, Deann Borshay Liem was adopted by an American family and was sent from Korea to her new home. Growing up in California, the memory of her birth family was nearly obliterated until recurring dreams led Borshay Liem to discover the truth: her Korean mother was very much alive. Bravely uniting her biological and adoptive families, filmmaker Borshay Liem's heartfelt journey makes FIRST PERSON PLURAL a poignant essay on family, loss, and the reconciling of two identities"--Container. 1 videodisc (60 min.)

MEDIA       MEDIA 10-722              2-5495

 

I am a man Black masculinity in America c2006

Byron Hurt, Andrew P Jones, National Black Programming Consortium, Media Education Foundation, Connecticut Public Television, and God Bless the Child Productions

A documentary that explores what it means to be a black man in America.  It confronts issues of race, and racism, through the lens of gender, probing deep within the traditional American ideals of manhood in order to draw out the complex and often ambivalent nature of black male identity. 1 videodisc (60 min.)

MEDIA 10-699

 

Is it a boy or a girl? c1999

Phyllis Ward, Ward & Associates (Firm), Discovery Channel (Firm), and Intersex Society of North America

Explores the medical management of infants born with ambiguous sexual anatomy and whether or not patients born with the disorder should be given the opportunity to choose their gender. 1 videodisc (53 min., 6 sec.)

MEDIA 10-1522

 

M2F a journey in gender identity c2003

Dee McLachlan and Pangaea Films

This documentary about transsexuality and transgenderism combines interviews with several transsexual women and crossdressers with insights from professionals in the field. 1 videodisc (120 min.)

MEDIA 10-914

 

Ma vie en rose My life in pink c1999

Alain Berliner, Carole Scotta, Michčle Laroque, Jean-Philippe Écoffey, Hélčne Vincent, Georges Du Fresne, Haut et Court (Firm), Sony Pictures Classics (Firm), and Columbia TriStar Home Video (Firm)

Ludovic is waiting for a miracle. With six-year-old certainty, he believes he was meant to be a little girl and that the mistake will soon be corrected. But where he expects the miraculous, Ludo finds only rejection, isolation and guilt--as the intense reactions of family, friends, and neighbors strip away every innocent lace and bauble. 1 videodisc (ca. 88 min.)

MEDIA 10-616

 

Massai, Massai die ungleichen Brüder c2004

Soli Dreckmann, Westdeutscher Rundfunk, and Films for the Humanities & Sciences (Firm)

Describes the pastoral life of the Masai tribe in Africa. The program follows the life of a family over the course of seven years as a glimpse into the life of the Masai as they struggle with the challenges of modernity. 1 videodisc (53 min.)

MEDIA 10-618

 

Middle sexes redefining he and she c2006

Antony Thomas, Carleen Ling-an Hsu, Gore Vidal, Home Box Office (Firm), Granada Television, and Films for the Humanities & Sciences (Firm)

"This program explores the lives of those who do not conform to rigid gender concepts and examines changes in brain science that are shedding light on grey areas between male and female."--Container. 1 videodisc (75 min.)

MEDIA 10-1008

 

Notebook on cities and clothes c2006

Wim Wenders, Yohji Yamamoto, Ulrich Felsberg, Road Movies Filmproduktion, Centre Georges Pompidou, and Anchor Bay Entertainment, Inc

Focuses on issues of identity -- how individuals see and define themselves based on clothes, where they live, how they see their place in the world. Profiles/interviews fashion designer Yohji Yamamoto as he and his staff prepare for presentation of a seasonal collection. Director/writer Wim Wenders compares the film and fashion industries, illustrating how they parallel one another. 1 videodisc (81 min.)

MEDIA 10-1750

 

Die Reise des Leowen 2009

Fritz Baumann, Howard Anthony Trott, Irey Trott, Makeba Trott, Fritz Baumann Filmproduktion, ArtMattan Productions, and Facets Video (Firm)

Brother Howie is a Jamaican Rastafari who feels disconnected from his ancestral birthplace of Africa. Following his need to find connection with his roots, he returns to his homeland, travelling first through England, then to the Northern coast of Africa, and eventually to Ghana, making observations and unexpected discoveries along the way. This docudrama represents an ongoing effort by the director to present questions of place and identity via the lives and beliefs of a Jamaican family. 1 videodisc (90 min.)

MEDIA 10-1687

 

Southern comfort 2003

Kate Davis, Robert Eads, Lola Cola, Q-Ball Productions (Firm), Docurama (Firm), and New Video Group

Toccoa, Georgia. Robert Eads is a 52-year-old wise-cracking cowboy who was born female and transitioned into living as a man after bearing two sons. Fifteen years later, he has fallen in love with Lola Cola, a vivacious and magnetic woman who was born male. Together they are coping with Robert's terminal case of ovarian cancer. 1 videodisc (90 min.)

MEDIA 10-1635

 

Transnational fiesta, 1992 1993

Paul H Gelles, Wilton Martinez, University of California, Berkeley, Center for Media and Independent Learning, and Berkeley Media

Until recently, it was widely assumed that Native communities throughout the Americas would be absorbed into the mainstream or otherwise disappear. But 500 years after the beginning of the Conquest, indigenous peoples are asserting their presence and identity with renewed vigor. This remarkable video illustrates this by exploring the multicultural and transnational experiences of a family of Peruvian Andean immigrants living in Washington, D.C. 1 videodisc (ca. 60 min.)

MEDIA 10-1180

 

Transparency 2005

Osama Al-Zain, Zahra Pictures, and Focus-Film

Examines one of the more controversial issues in Islam today, the Hijab -- the Islamic dress code for women. It answers a fundamental question: Is the Hijab a form of oppression or a woman's expression of faith? Through sharing their views and personal experiences, several Muslim women living in the United States help us understand the various attitudes towards the Hijab and the compelling arguments of the underlying issues from morality, modesty and faith to oppression and a women's right to choose. 1 videodisc (30 min.)

MEDIA 10-918

 

Identity

 

Afroargentinos Afroargentines c2002

Jorge Fortes, Diego Ceballos, Filmagen Producciones, Lagartija Muda Producciones , and Latin American Video Archives

Examines the hidden history of black people in Argentina and their contributions to Argentine culture and society. 1 videocassette (75 min.)

MEDIA 2-6627

 

An American love story 1999

Jennifer Fox, Bill Sims, Karen Wilson-Sims , Cicily Wilson-Sims, and Chaney Wilson-Sims

Documentary condensed from 1000 hours of filming the bi-racial Wilson Sims family: Karen Wilson, a white woman, Bill Sims, a black man, and their two daughters--daughter Cicily's entrance to college, her semester in Nigeria, and job search, daughter Chaney's first date, Karen Wilson's solitary visit to her mother, and ill health, Bill Simms' visit to his past life, and career struggles, and, 25 years after their first meeting, Karen and Bill's decision to attend her high school reunion to face people who have ostracized them in the past. 5 videocassettes  (ca. 500 min.)

MEDIA. MEDIA. MEDIA. MEDIA. MEDIA. MEDIA. MEDIA. MEDIA. MEDIA. MEDIA 2-5071 cassette 1 2-5071 cassette 1 2-5072 cassette 2 2-5072 cassette 2 2-5073 cassette 3 2-5073 cassette 3 2-5074 cassette 4 2-5074 cassette 4 2-5075 cassette 5 2-5075 cassette 5

 

Being gay coming out in the 21st century c2003

Charlotte Angel, Kyle Boyd, and Cambridge Educational (Firm)

This program presents the accounts and stories of people who have recently taken the step of coming out. Interviewees and experts discuss the benefits of this important transition by examining the six stages of coming to terms with one's sexual identity. 1 videodisc (25 min.)

DANA. MEDIA 229 10-295

 

The best place to live 1982

Peter O'Neill, Ralph Rugoff, and Skylight Films (Firm)

A documentary about the changing lives and feelings of members of a Hmong community living in Providence, Rhode Island in 1980-81. 1 videocassette (53 min.)

MEDIA 2-7710

 

Black and white 2006

Kirsty MacDonald and  Women Make Movies (Firm)

"In a small New Zealand hospital in 1953, the birth of Mani Bruce Mitchell caused a mild pandemonium.  Fifty years later, Black and White interweaves the stories of this intersex activist and the acclaimed photographer Rebecca Swan, exploring their potent creative collaboration.  This fascinating documentary introduces viewers to notions of fluid gender identity, challenging the rigid categories of 'male' and 'female'."--Container. 1 videodisc (17 min.)

MEDIA 10-1162

 

Black history lost, stolen or strayed? 2002

Bill Cosby, Andrew A Rooney, Perry Wolff, and Vern Diamond

"'Significant.' 'Moving.' 'Devastating.' These are words that were used to describe this news report on African-American history when it aired in July of 1968 ... Featured segments spotlight the changing image of black Americans through film and TV clips ranging from The birth of a nation, to Amos 'n' Andy, to Guess who's coming to dinner; Freedom Day School in Philadelphia, where African-American children were taught about their heritage and racial identity; and some of America's less familiar black. heroes, including Daniel Hale Williams, the first doctor to perform open heart surgery in America"--Container. 1 videocassette (55 min.)

DANA 1888

 

Black Indians an American story c2000

Chip Richie, Steven R Heape, Daniel Blake Smith, Charles Crosley, Dennis V Hazzard, Everett Dahlquist, Gabrielle West, Richard W Wilcox, Linda Coombs, Claudio Saunt, Thomas Doughton, Joanne Melish, James Earl Jones, and Rich-Heape Films

This video explores the issue of racial identity among Native and African Americans. This in-depth documentary examines the coalescence of these two groups in American history. 1 videodisc (60 min.)

DANA 153

 

Black is-- black ain't a personal journey through black identity 1995

Marlon T Riggs, Nicole Atkinson, and Christiane Badgley

American culture has stereotyped black Americans for centuries. Equally devastating, the late Marlon Riggs argued, have been the definitions of "blackness" African Americans impose upon one another which contain and reduce the black experience. In this film, Riggs meets a cross-section of African Americans grappling with the paradox of numerous, often contradictory definitions of blackness. 1 videocassette (88 min.)

ALEXANDER. DANA. MEDIA  424 424 2-2903

 

Black Israel 2003

Maurice Dorčs, Dominique H Masson, Films Esdés, and Filmakers Library, inc

Documentary presents scenarios of Africans and African Americans who live in the Jewish communities of Israel, and are Jewish by birth or by conversion. The positive and the negative ways in which people are affected by their heritage makes for a vibrant portrait of pluralistic 21st-century Jewish identities. 1 videocassette (88 min.)

MEDIA 2-6772

 

Black women on: the light, dark thang c1999

Celeste Crenshaw, Paula Caffey, Camille McCurty Ali, Black Women On Productions, Inc, and Women Make Movies (Firm)

Explores the politics of color within the African-American community. Afro-American women, representing a variety of hues, speak candidly about the longstanding "caste system" that permeates black society and share personal stories about how being too light or too dark has profoundly influenced their life and relationships. 1 videocassette (52 min.)

MEDIA 2-7333

 

Blue collar and Buddha a documentary  1996

Taggart Siegel, Kati Johnston, Charles Hallisey, and Ajaan Xamonphry Per

Explores the dilemma of Laotian refugees living in Rockford, Illinois who are torn between preserving their cultural identity and adapting to their new life in America. Re-settlement is complicated by rising tensions with neighbors, many of whom resent the Laotians' economic gains and view their Buddhism with hostility. 1 videocassette (57 min.)

MEDIA 2-3995

 

The Brandon Teena story 1998

Susan Muska and Greta Olafsdottir

Documentary film about Brandon Teena, who arrived in rural Falls City, Nebraska, in 1993 where his charm won him several friends in town. But on Christmas Eve Brandon was brutally raped and beaten, and then, a week later, murdered along with two other people, when his friends became enraged when they discovered that he was actually a woman. This is a tale of Brandon's coming of age struggle with identity and how his gender ambiguity induced feelings of betrayal, confusion and hostility among residents of a town in America's heartland. 1 videocassette (90 min.)

MEDIA 2-5262

 

Brincando el charco portrait of a Puerto Rican 1994

Frances Negrón-Muntaner

Contemplates the notion of "identity" through the experiences of a Puerto Rican woman living in the U.S. In a mix of fiction, archival footage, processed interviews and soap opera drama, this film tells the story of Claudia Marin, a middle-class, light-skinned Puerto Rican, lesbian, photographer/videographer who is attempting to construct a sense of community in the U.S. 1 videocassette (55 min.)

MEDIA 2-5189

 

Builders of images Latin American cultural identity 1993

Juan Mandelbaum and Raul Julia

The role of writers, musicians and the theater are shown in preserving cultural identity and bring about social change in Latin America. Examples from Puerto Rico, Brazil, Mexico and Argentina are shown. 1 videocassette (60 min.)

MEDIA 2-1919

 

Chronicle of a disappearance 1999

Elia Suleiman, Fuad K Suleiman, Mazira Suleiman, Elia Suleiman, Fawaz Eilemi, Jamel Daher, and Ola Tabari

Provides a personal meditation on what it means to be Palestinian. Examines the effect of the political impasse in the Middle East on the identity of the Palestinian people. 1 videocassette (88 min.)

MEDIA 2-5556

 

Chutney in Yuh Soca : a multicultural mix 1996

Karen Martinez, Dilly Braimoh, and Jillian Li-Sue

Chutney in Yuh Soca: a film showing the interaction of the East Indian and African populations of Trinidad and Tobago through the popular music "Chutney" which is an combination of Indian folk tunes with the tempo and spice of the Caribbean. The gospel truth: A Black family in Great Britain reaffirms their values and family cohesiveness through the singing of gospel music. Songs for our daughters: West Indian women in Britain discuss the way they pass their heritage and culture on to their mixed race daughters. 1 videocassette (35 min.)

MEDIA 2-5733

 

The codes of gender identity + performance in pop culture c2009

Sut Jhally and Media Education Foundation

"Communication scholar Sut Jhally applies the late sociologist Erving Goffman's groundbreaking analysis of advertising to the contemporary commercial landscape in this provocative new film about gender as a ritualized commercial performance.  Uncovering a remarkable pattern of gender-specific poses, Jhally explores Goffman's central claim that the way the body is displayed in advertising communicates normative ideas about masculinity and femininity.  The film looks beyond advertising as a medium that simply sells products, and beyond analyses of gender that focus on biological difference or issues of surface objectification and beauty, taking us into the two-tiered terrain of identity and power relations"--Container. 1 videodisc (73 min.)

MEDIA 10-1580

 

The color of fear four little beds c2005

Mun Wah Lee and StirFry Seminars & Consulting

The Color of Fear 3 is an intimate conversation on the issues of what it is to be gay in this society and the impact it has on their sense of safety and identity. 1 videodisc (43 min.)

MEDIA 10-907

 

Crossing borders a Cuban returns 1998?

Mario Congreve and Glenn Gebhard

Tells the story of Dr. Magaly Lavendez, a professor at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, who reflects on her cultural identity when she returns to the country of her birth and finds that neither the United States or Cuba offers complete acceptance. 1 videocassette (49 min.)

MEDIA 2-5384

 

Cultural identity vs. acculturation implications for theory, research, and practice 2002

There in ongoing discussion regarding the impact of acculturation on cultural identity development. Featuring the commentary of Manuel Ramirez, this video questions whether acculturation to mainstream culture means the inevitable relinquishment of ethnic identity. It provides historical and contemporary perspectives on the issue for indibiduals of Mexican heritage. 1 videocassette (45 min.)

MEDIA 2-6282

 

Desire 2005

Julie Gustafson, Tim Watson, Isaac Webb, and Women Make Movies (Firm)

"Starting in Desire, a New Orleans public housing development, filmmaker, Julie Gustafson collaborates with diverse teenage girls to create autobiographical videos about their developing sexuality and identity ... the complex economic forces that shape the young women's hopes, dreams and choices"--Container. 1 videodisc (84 min.)

MEDIA 10-788

 

Dreaming rivers 1988

Martina Attille, Corinne Skinner Carter, Stefan Kalipha, Angela Wynter, Sankofa Film & Video, and Women Make Movies (Firm)

After the death of their mother, who emigrated to England from St. Lucia to be with their father, two sisters and a brother of white English and Black Caribbean parentage attempt to fathom her psyche, her homesickness and depression after their father left the family, and their own ambiguous sense of identity and belonging. 1 videocassette (30 min.)

MEDIA 2-7332

 

Festival of Britain 1992

In Family portrait, Humphrey Jennings remains preoccupied with questions of national identity. He affirms Britain by evoking its great men as well as average, present day citizens. Waverly steps revives the city symphony film. It touches on such themes as life and death, romance and divorce, work and entertainment, which were the staples of the genre. David employs fiction film techniques to affirm Welsh identity. Its subject (coal ruining and the loss of family), story, sentimentalism and narrative structure are indebted to Richard "How green was my valley" but offer an alternative vision. 1 videocassette (93 min.)

MEDIA 2-1992

 

First person plural c2000

Deann Borshay Liem, Center for Independent Documentary, Independent Television Service, National Asian American Telecommunications Association, and Center for Asian American Media

"In 1966, Deann Borshay Liem was adopted by an American family and was sent from Korea to her new home. Growing up in California, the memory of her birth family was nearly obliterated until recurring dreams led Borshay Liem to discover the truth: her Korean mother was very much alive. Bravely uniting her biological and adoptive families, filmmaker Borshay Liem's heartfelt journey makes FIRST PERSON PLURAL a poignant essay on family, loss, and the reconciling of two identities"--Container. 1 videodisc (60 min.)

MEDIA       MEDIA 10-722              2-5495

 

Higher learning 1995,1994

John Singleton, John Hall, Bruce Cannon, Jennifer Connelly, Ice Cube, Omar Epps, Michael Rapaport, Kristy Swanson, Tyra Banks, and Larry Fishburne

Thought provoking film about diversity on a formerly quiet college campus.  Race and sexuality are just some of the issues explored in this troubling drama.  Sometimes love and understanding are not enough. 1 videocassette (131 min.)

MEDIA  DANA 2-3079     497

 

Home is struggle historias paralelas 1991

Marta Noemi Bautis

Explores the lives of women who have immigrated to the United States from different Latin American countries for very different reasons, economic and political.  In sharing their stories they present an absorbing picture of the construction of Latina identity and the immigrant experience. 1 videocassette (37 min.)

MEDIA 2-2777

 

I am a man Black masculinity in America c2006

Byron Hurt, Andrew P Jones, National Black Programming Consortium, Media Education Foundation, Connecticut Public Television, and God Bless the Child Productions

A documentary that explores what it means to be a black man in America.  It confronts issues of race, and racism, through the lens of gender, probing deep within the traditional American ideals of manhood in order to draw out the complex and often ambivalent nature of black male identity. 1 videodisc (60 min.)

MEDIA 10-699

 

Imitation of life c2008

Carl Laemmle, John M Stahl, Claudette Colbert, Warren William, Rochelle Hudson, Ned Sparks, Louise Beavers, Fredi Washington, Juanita Quigley, Alan Hale, Henry Armetta, Wyndham Standing, Ross Hunter, Douglas Sirk, Lana Turner, John Gavin, Sandra Dee, Susan Kohner, Robert Alda, Dan O'Herlihy, Juanita Moore, Fannie Hurst, Universal Pictures Company, Universal-International (Firm), and Universal Studios Home Entertainment (Firm)

1934 version: Two single mothers join together to form a successful business, but find that material success does nothing to stabilize their personal lives. 1959 version: Two single mothers, a down-on-her-luck actress and a homeless woman, attempt to find happiness for themselves and their daughters. 2 videodisc (236 min.)

MEDIA  MEDIA 10-1181    2-3642

 

In whose honor? 1997

Charlene Teters, Jay Rosenstein, and Michael Rothe

Discussion of Chief Illiniwek as the University of Illinois mascot, and the affect the mascot has on Native American peoples. Graduate student Charlene Teters shares the impact of the Chief on her family. Interviewees include members of the Board of Regents, students, alumni, current and former "Chiefs" and members of the community. 1 videocassette (47 min.)

MEDIA 2-3422

 

Is it a boy or a girl? c1999

Phyllis Ward, Ward & Associates (Firm), Discovery Channel (Firm), and Intersex Society of North America

Explores the medical management of infants born with ambiguous sexual anatomy and whether or not patients born with the disorder should be given the opportunity to choose their gender. 1 videodisc (53 min., 6 sec.)

MEDIA 10-1522

 

Juggling gender politics, sex and identity 1992

Tami Gold and Jennifer Miller

Features Jennifer Miller, juggler and director of Circus Amok. Miller speaks of her life and struggle as a lesbian woman who happens to have a moustache and beard. 1 videocassette (27 min.)

MEDIA 2-5866

 

Just Black? multi-racial identity 1991

Francine Winddance Twine, Jonathan Frederick Warren, and Francisco Ferrandiz Martin

Presents interviews with several articulate young men and women of mixed racial heritage. Each has one black parent and one white, Asian or Hispanic second parent. They share their views on their struggle to establish, acquire and assert a racial identity. 1 videocassette (57 min.)

MEDIA 2-2126

 

Lost boundaries 1996

William Lindsay White, Mel Ferrer, Beatrice Pearson, Susan Douglas, Canada Lee, Richard Hylton, Louis De Rochemont, Alfred Werker, Virginia Shaler, and Eugene Ling

Based on the true story of a light-skinned black family who pass for white in a New Hampshire town. 1 videocassette (99 min.)

MEDIA 2-1807

 

M2F a journey in gender identity c2003

Dee McLachlan and Pangaea Films

This documentary about transsexuality and transgenderism combines interviews with several transsexual women and crossdressers with insights from professionals in the field. 1 videodisc (120 min.)

MEDIA 10-914

 

Ma vie en rose My life in pink c1999

Alain Berliner, Carole Scotta, Michčle Laroque, Jean-Philippe Écoffey, Hélčne Vincent, Georges Du Fresne, Haut et Court (Firm), Sony Pictures Classics (Firm), and Columbia TriStar Home Video (Firm)

Ludovic is waiting for a miracle. With six-year-old certainty, he believes he was meant to be a little girl and that the mistake will soon be corrected. But where he expects the miraculous, Ludo finds only rejection, isolation and guilt--as the intense reactions of family, friends, and neighbors strip away every innocent lace and bauble. 1 videodisc (ca. 88 min.)

MEDIA 10-616

 

Massai, Massai die ungleichen Brüder c2004

Soli Dreckmann, Westdeutscher Rundfunk, and Films for the Humanities & Sciences (Firm)

Describes the pastoral life of the Masai tribe in Africa. The program follows the life of a family over the course of seven years as a glimpse into the life of the Masai as they struggle with the challenges of modernity. 1 videodisc (53 min.)

MEDIA 10-618

 

Material witness race, identity and the politics of gangsta rap 1995

Michael Eric Dyson and Sut Jhally

Dyson talks about the important issues of essentialism and notions of identity within the context of race, and discusses hip hop culture and the conflicts around gangsta rap. 1 videocassette (42 min.)

MEDIA 2-2628

 

A matter of choice  1990

Hattie Kauffman and Carol Cotter

Viewers travel to the heart of the Hopi nation, the oldest inhabited community in America, in an effort to understand the Hopi's struggle to find their place in the modern world. Viewers learn about the importance of identity to urban Indians, the growth of intertribal institutions such as the city powwow and Indian festivals. 1 videocassette (58 min.)

MEDIA 2-4241

 

Middle sexes redefining he and she c2006

Antony Thomas, Carleen Ling-an Hsu, Gore Vidal, Home Box Office (Firm), Granada Television, and Films for the Humanities & Sciences (Firm)

"This program explores the lives of those who do not conform to rigid gender concepts and examines changes in brain science that are shedding light on grey areas between male and female."--Container. 1 videodisc (75 min.)

MEDIA 10-1008

 

My mother India 2001

Safina Uberoi, Filmakers Library, inc, Australian Film Finance Corporation, and Chili Films

Portrait of the filmmaker's family, her Sikh father and Australian mother, and her upbringing in New Delhi.  "What begins as a gently humorous portrait unfolds into a complex commentary on the social, political, and religious events of the anti-Sikh riots in 1984 which tore this family apart.  This is a powerful story of love and hate, exile and belonging, loss of identity and return to faith"--Container. 1 videocassette (52 min.)

MEDIA 2-6286

 

Natal Da Portela 1988

Paulo César Saraceni, Milton Goncalves, Zezé Motta, and Almir Guineto

"The name 'Natal da Portela' is historically attached to the cultural identity of Brazil.  Natal da Portela created the first scola de samba in Rio de Janeiro.  The schools of samba--scolas de samba--are the soul of carnival....The principal role played by Milton Goncalves, one of the major black actors in Brazil, gives the film an authentic flavor rarely seen in films portraying the contemporary life of Black Brazilians."--Container. 1 videocassette (100 min.)

MEDIA 2-5035

 

Notebook on cities and clothes c2006

Wim Wenders, Yohji Yamamoto, Ulrich Felsberg, Road Movies Filmproduktion, Centre Georges Pompidou, and Anchor Bay Entertainment, Inc

Focuses on issues of identity -- how individuals see and define themselves based on clothes, where they live, how they see their place in the world. Profiles/interviews fashion designer Yohji Yamamoto as he and his staff prepare for presentation of a seasonal collection. Director/writer Wim Wenders compares the film and fashion industries, illustrating how they parallel one another. 1 videodisc (81 min.)

MEDIA 10-1750

 

One drop 2001

James Banks and Todd Bridges

Explores the recurring and divisive issue in African American communities of skin color. Contains intimate interviews with darker skinned African Americans, lighter skinned African Americans and inter-racial children of black and white parents. 1 videocassette (ca. 49 min.)

MEDIA 2-6004

Identity Cont'd

 One of us 1999

Susan Korda, One of Us Productions, and Filmakers Library, inc

"The filmmaker comes from a troubled Viennese Jewish family which was dislocated by the Nazis.  While in Berlin to make a documentary on what was called 'the new German identity', she becomes obsessed with Germany's cruelty"--Container. 1 videocassette (48 min.)

MEDIA 2-6415

 

Pariah c2007

Dee Rees, Nekisa Cooper, Wendell Pierce, Adepero Oduye, Pernell Walker, Northstar Pictures (Firm), and New Day Films

A coming of age drama about a Bronx lesbian teenager unsuccessfully juggling conflicting identities to avoid rejection from her friends and family. Mounting pressures from home, school, and within, cause the line between her dual personas to wear thin with explosive consequences. 1 videodisc (28 min.)

DANA 453

 

The passion of remembrance 1994

Maureen Blackwood, Isaac Julien, Martina Attille, and Nadine Marsh-Edwards

A drama which attempts to break down notions of a homogeneous black community and reflects instead the diversity of the black experience of Britain in the 1980's. Examines issues of gender, power and sexuality. 1 videocassette (80 min.)

MEDIA 2-2775

 

Prisoners among us Italian-American identity & World War II c2003

Michael Angelo DiLauro, Joseph M Orazi, Tom Brokaw, Mary Ann Esposito, Tony Lo Bianco, and MichaelAngelo Productions

Chronicles the experiences of Italian-Americans and Italian prisoners of war during World War II, and their assimilation into American culture.  Includes historical photographs, archival footage, literature, music, poetry, and personal interviews. 1 videocassette (110 min.)

MEDIA 2-6700

 

Real stories from a free South Africa: Vol. 3: Belonging 2004

Minky Schlesinger, Kethiwe Ngcobo, Renee Williams, Fuze Box (Firm), SABC 1 (Television station : Johannesburg, South Africa), and California Newsreel (Firm)

Kethiwe, born into exile as the daughter of political emigres, returned to South Africa in 1994. Ten years later, she continues to struggle to find her place in the new South Africa. 1 videocassette (53 min.)

MEDIA 2-7415

 

Die Reise des Leowen 2009

Fritz Baumann, Howard Anthony Trott, Irey Trott, Makeba Trott, Fritz Baumann Filmproduktion, ArtMattan Productions, and Facets Video (Firm)

Brother Howie is a Jamaican Rastafari who feels disconnected from his ancestral birthplace of Africa. Following his need to find connection with his roots, he returns to his homeland, travelling first through England, then to the Northern coast of Africa, and eventually to Ghana, making observations and unexpected discoveries along the way. This docudrama represents an ongoing effort by the director to present questions of place and identity via the lives and beliefs of a Jamaican family. 1 videodisc (90 min.)

MEDIA 10-1687

 

Run like a girl 1999

Carol Cassidy

Teenage girls from a variety of backgrounds discuss their search for identity and self-esteem and other social concerns. 1 videocassette (57 min.)

MEDIA 2-5299

 

Sex, unknown 2001

Andrew Cohen, Stephen Sweigart, and Will Lyman

Explores gender identity and gender reassignment with contributions of psychologists and researchers, and through personal insights from the Reimer family. 1 videocassette (60 min.)

MEDIA 2-6010

 

She drank, she swore, she courted girls --she even chewed tobacco : passing women in 19th century America 1983

Liz Stevens, Estelle B Freedman, and Allan Bérubé

Uses archival photographs and original artwork, with voiceover narrative, to illustrate the history of women who "passed" as men in mid-to-late 19th and early 20th century America. They passed for a variety of reasons, including sexual orientation, "men's wages", and political opportunities. 1 videocassette (33 min.)

MEDIA 2-5276

 

Shirin Neshat the woman moves c2004

Shirin Neshat, Jörg Jung, Ralf Raimo Jung, Westdeutscher Rundfunk, and Films for the Humanities (Firm)

An acclaimed photographer, filmmaker, and video artist, Iranian-born Shirin Neshat addresses the complex forces shaping the identity of Muslim women throughout the world and explores the social, political, and psychological dimensions of women's experiences. 1 videodisc (42 min.)

DANA 254

 

Silent sacrifices voices of the Filipino American family 2001

Christopher T Ridzon, Steve Godwin, and Patricia Heras

Explores the Filipino American first and second generation immigrant experience. Discusses what it is like to grow up in an immigrant family and what it means to be Filipino American. 1 videorecording (28 min.)

MEDIA 2-6106

 

The smell of burning ants 1994

Jay Rosenblatt

The film raises gender issues and provokes the viewer to refect on how our society can deprive boys of wholeness. Through the formative events of a boy's life, we come to understand the ways in which men can become emotionally disconnected and alienated from their feminine side. Illustrates how boys are socialized by fear, power and shame. 1 videocassette (22 min.)

MEDIA 2-5296

 

Southern comfort 2003

Kate Davis, Robert Eads, Lola Cola, Q-Ball Productions (Firm), Docurama (Firm), and New Video Group

Toccoa, Georgia. Robert Eads is a 52-year-old wise-cracking cowboy who was born female and transitioned into living as a man after bearing two sons. Fifteen years later, he has fallen in love with Lola Cola, a vivacious and magnetic woman who was born male. Together they are coping with Robert's terminal case of ovarian cancer. 1 videodisc (90 min.)

MEDIA 10-1635

 

Tongues untied 1989

Marlon T Riggs and Essex Hemphill

This is the acclaimed account of gay Black life by Emmy-award winning director Marlon Riggs. Using poetry, personal testimony, rap and performance, Tongues untied describes the homophobia and racism that confront Black gay men. 1 videocassette (55 min.)

MEDIA 2-1187

 

Tough guise violence, media, and the crisis in masculinity 1999

Jackson Katz, Sut Jhally, Jeremy Earp, Susan Ericsson, and Sanjay Talreja

Examines the relationship between the images in popular culture and masculine identities in the late 20th century United States. 1 videocassette (57 min.)

DANA, MEDIA 1710 2-3959

 

Transamerica c2006

Duncan Tucker, Felicity Huffman, Kevin Zegers, Fionnula Flanagan, Burt Young, Carrie Preston, Elizabeth Peana, Graham Greene, Belladonna Productions (New York, N.Y.), Weinstein Company, and Genius Products, Inc

A pre-operative transsexual learns that she fathered a child years earlier. 1 videodisc (104 min.)

DANA 412

 

Transnational fiesta, 1992 1993

Paul H Gelles, Wilton Martinez, University of California, Berkeley, Center for Media and Independent Learning, and Berkeley Media

Until recently, it was widely assumed that Native communities throughout the Americas would be absorbed into the mainstream or otherwise disappear. But 500 years after the beginning of the Conquest, indigenous peoples are asserting their presence and identity with renewed vigor. This remarkable video illustrates this by exploring the multicultural and transnational experiences of a family of Peruvian Andean immigrants living in Washington, D.C. 1 videodisc (ca. 60 min.)

MEDIA 10-1180

 

Transparency 2005

Osama Al-Zain, Zahra Pictures, and Focus-Film

Examines one of the more controversial issues in Islam today, the Hijab -- the Islamic dress code for women. It answers a fundamental question: Is the Hijab a form of oppression or a woman's expression of faith? Through sharing their views and personal experiences, several Muslim women living in the United States help us understand the various attitudes towards the Hijab and the compelling arguments of the underlying issues from morality, modesty and faith to oppression and a women's right to choose. 1 videodisc (30 min.)

MEDIA 10-918

 

Under one sky-- Arab women in North America talk about the hijab 2000

Jennifer Kawaja and Roula Said

Presents the history of Arab womanhood, from the days of early colonial missions to the post-Gulf War era. Informed, articulate Arab women living in North America describe the ideologies behind the veil and tear away the labels imposed by both East and West. 1 videocassette (44 min.)

MEDIA 2-246

 

Urban tribe c2000

Jennifer Halliday, University of California (System), and Extension Center for Media and Independent Learning

Shows African-American "natural hair" styles provided from a salon in Chicago. Customers talk about their attitudes, feelings, and identity with a hairdresser in Urban Tribe. 1 videocassette (26 min)

MEDIA 2-6421

 

Western eyes 2000

Gerry Flahive and Ann Shin

Examines the search for beauty and self-acceptance through the experiences of a young Filipina and Korean woman living in Canada who both believe their appearance, specifically their eyes, affect the way they are perceived. Both feel unsettled in Western society and are contemplating cosmetic surgery on their eyes. Layering interviews with references to super models and other pop-culture icons of beauty, the filmmaker captures the pain that almost always lies behind the desire for plastic surgery. 1 videocassette (40 min.)

MEDIA 2-2384

 

White identity theory origins and prospect 1994

Bruce Oldershaw, Rita Hardiman, and William E Cross

Hardiman and Cross discuss Hardiman's research in the field of white racial consciousness and identity. 1 videocassette (60 min.)

DANA 1624

 

Identity - New This Year