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FILM LIBRARY: F - I

The Fall of Fujimori
by Ellen Perry

In 1990, an unknown candidate named Alberto Fujimori rode a wave of popular support to become the president of Peru. He fought an all-out war on terror against the guerilla organization Shining Path, and won. Ten years later, accused of kidnapping, murder and corruption, he fled Peru to his native Japan, where he was in exile for four years. Fujimori has remained virtually silent about the abrupt end of his controversial presidency, until now. He granted an unprecedented, in-depth interview to filmmaker Ellen Perry, who presents an intimate, chilling portrait of this enigmatic leader’s rise and fall.

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A Family Undertaking
by Elizabeth Westrate

Prior to the 20th century, most Americans prepared their dead for burial with the help of family and friends, but today most funerals are part of a multimillion-dollar industry run by professionals. This increased reliance on mortuaries has alienated Americans from life's only inevitability — death. "A Family Undertaking" explores the growing home-funeral movement by following several families in their most intimate moments as they reclaim the end of life, forgoing a typical mortuary funeral to care for their loved ones at home. An Independent Television Service (ITVS) co-presentation.

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Farmingville
by Carlos Sandoval and Catherine Tambini

The shocking hate-based attempted murders of two Mexican day laborers catapult a small Long Island town into national headlines, unmasking a new front line in the border wars: suburbia. For nearly a year, Carlos Sandoval and Catherine Tambini lived and worked in Farmingville, New York, so they could capture first-hand the stories of residents, day laborers and activists on all sides of the debate. This timely and powerful film is more than a story about illegal immigration. Ultimately it challenges viewers to ask what the 'American dream' really means. An Independent Television Service (ITVS) and Latino Public Broadcasting (LPB) co-presentation. An Active Voice selection. A 2004 Election Issue Special. This film is only available in our free lending library for Youth Views screenings.

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Fenceline: A Company Town Divided
by Slawomir Grünberg with Jane Greenberg

Norco, Louisiana is a true company town. Named after a refinery now owned by Shell Oil, Norco is home to two distinct communities — one black and one white. Though separated by mere blocks, their realities are worlds apart. Nowhere is this clearer than in each community's response to possible links between the company's activities and the townspeople's illnesses. African-American residents who believe pollution is increasing as their health goes downhill demand to be relocated, led by the indefatigable Margie Richard. The white neighborhoods, largely home to employees of Norco, see no problems, and neither does the company. A modern David and Goliath story, "Fenceline" shows how one small community and one big corporation struggle to come to terms. An Independent Television Service (ITVS) and National Black Programming Consortium (NBPC) co-presentation.

This film is not currently available in our free lending library.

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The Fire Next Time
by Patrice O'Neill

The people of the Flathead Valley in Montana were stunned when a domestic terror cell's plot to kill local leaders was uncovered. Ex-cop Brenda Kitterman and environmentalist Mike Raiman wanted to do something to address the local tensions, but the community was torn. Many residents were losing their jobs in timber and mining, and blamed environmentalists. Adding fuel to the fire was a radio talk show host who declared environmentalists "an enemy... to be annihilated." Over a stormy two-year period, "The Fire Next Time" follows a deeply divided group of Montana citizens caught in a web of conflicts intensified by rapid growth and the power of talk radio. A co-presentation with the Independent Television Service (ITVS).

This film is not currently available in our free lending library.

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The Flute Player
by Jocelyn Glatzer

Arn Chorn-Pond was only a boy when the brutal Khmer Rouge regime overran Cambodia and turned his country into a ghastly land of "killing fields." While most of Arn's family, and 90 percent of the country's musicians, were killed, Arn was kept alive to play propaganda songs on the flute for his captors. Now, after living in the U.S. for 20 years, "The Flute Player" follows Arn's journey back to Cambodia as he seeks out surviving "master musicians" and faces the dark shadows of his war-torn past. An extraordinary story of survival, the film is a testament to one man's ability to transcend tragedy. An Independent Television Service (ITVS) and a National Asian American Telecommunications Association (NAATA) co-presentation.

This film is not currently available in our free lending library.

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Following Sean
by Ralph Arlyck

Thirty years after making a celebrated student short about a four-year-old child of free spirits living in San Francisco's Haight Ashbury district at the height of the 1960s, Ralph Arlyck attempts the kind of revelation only documentary film can provide. In "Following Sean," he goes in search of the impish, barefoot kid who delighted or horrified audiences, reflecting the hopes and fears of a turbulent, utopian era. In discovering what has become of Sean, Arlyck finds a complex reality — and experiences pure cinematic surprise. As the filmmaker comes to grips with his own midlife conflicts, "Following Sean" may reveal as much about Arlyck and his generation as it does his subject.

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Freedom Machines
by Jamie Stobie and Janet Cole

"Freedom Machines" takes a new look at disability through the lens of assistive technology. The experiences of a group of unforgettable people let us re-examine ideas about ability and disability grounded in our culture and attitudes. Engineers, designers and users challenge barriers inherent in our built environments, and reveal the gap between the promises of the 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act and everyday reality for 54 million Americans with disabilities. Whether mainstream technology or extraordinary inventions such as stair-climbing wheelchairs, "Freedom Machines" reveals both the power and limitations of technology to change lives. An Independent Television Service (ITVS) co-presentation.

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Georgie Girl
by Annie Goldson and Peter Wells

Born George Beyer, one-time prostitute-turned-politician, Georgina Beyer was elected to New Zealand's Parliament in 1999, becoming the world's first transsexual to hold a national office. Amazingly, a mostly white, conservative, rural constituency voted this former sex worker of Maori descent into office. Chronicling Georgina's transformations from farm boy to celebrated cabaret diva to grassroots community leader, "Georgie Girl" couples interviews and images of Beyer's nightclub and film performances with footage showing a day in the life of this New Zealand Member of Parliament. The film presents a remarkable account of Beyer's precedent-setting accomplishment, revealing her intelligence, charisma and humor.

 

This film is only available in our free lending library for Youth Views screenings.

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Golub
by Jerry Blumenthal, Gordon Quinn

The role of art in America has been debated recently everywhere from the Halls of Congress to the local shopping mall. "Golub" is more than a portrait of the socially committed painter Leon Golub, whose massive canvases are intended to provoke viewers. It is about media and contemporary society, social responsibility and creativity, art and information. "Golub conveys the exhilarating sense that art is inseparable from both the world that engenders it and the world that receives it." - Jonathan Rosenblum, The Chicago Reader

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Hardwood
by Hubert Davis

The Academy Award-nominated "Hardwood" is a deeply personal filmic journey by director Hubert Davis, the son of former Harlem Globetrotter Mel Davis. Mel, now a coach for young basketball players in Vancouver, recalls falling in love at first sight with Hubert's mother, a white woman, at a time when racism seemed to make their union impossible. Despite their emotional bond — still resonating over 20 years later — Mel chose to marry a black woman, with whom he also had a son. The filmmaker unites both sides of his family, speaking movingly about the complex web of love, betrayal and family ties that bind them all. Through personal interviews, archival footage and home movies Davis delves into his father's past in the hope of finding his own future.

This film is not available for classroom use.

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Hiding and Seeking: Faith and Tolerance After the Holocaust
by Oren Rudavsky and Menachem Daum

Is it possible to heal wounds and bitterness passed down through generations? An Orthodox Jewish father tries to alert his adult sons to the dangers of creating impenetrable barriers between themselves and those outside their faith. He takes them on an emotional journey to Poland to track down the family who risked their lives to hide their grandfather for more than two years during World War II. Like many children of survivors, the sons feel that Poland is a country that is incurably anti-Semitic, but it is precisely here that they meet people who personify the highest levels of compassion. "Hiding and Seeking" explores the Holocaust's effect on faith in God as well as faith in our fellow human beings. A co-presentation with the Independent Television Service (ITVS).

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High School
by Frederick Wiseman

Remember high school? Renowned filmmaker Frederick Wiseman's classic documentary "High School" renders this nearly universal American experience in unforgettable terms. Cited by the Library of Congress as a National Treasure, this 1968 film is both a document of the times and a statement of the ways in which school is used by one generation to pass its values on to the next.

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The Hobart Shakespeareans
by Mel Stuart

Teacher Rafe Esquith has a point of view — a very strong one — about educating children of immigrants. Teaching in Los Angeles at one of the nation's largest inner-city grade schools, Hobart Elementary, Esquith leads his class of fifth graders through an uncompromising curriculum of English, mathematics, geography and literature. He inspires them with cross-country trips to learn history first-hand. And at the end of the semester, every student performs in a full-length Shakespeare play: in this case Hamlet, with advice from actors Ian McKellen and Michael York. Despite language barriers and poverty, these Hobart Shakespeareans move on to attend outstanding colleges, motivated by a teacher honored with a National Medal of Arts. A co-presentation with Thirteen/WNET New York.

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Honorable Nations
by Chana Gazit, David Steward

For 99 years, the residents of Salamanca, N.Y. have rented the land under their homes for an average of $1/year from the Seneca Indians, under the terms of a lease imposed by Congress. Now, as the lease is about to expire, a century of bad business must be renegotiated. Chana Gazit and David Steward's film captures the unfolding drama as the survival of an American town and justice for the Senecas appear to be in conflict.

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Inheritance
by James Moll

Imagine watching Schindler's List and knowing the sadistic Nazi camp commandant played by Ralph Fiennes was your father. "Inheritance" is the story of Monika Hertwig, the daughter of mass murderer Amon Goeth. Hertwig has spent her life in the shadow of her father's sins, trying to come to terms with her "inheritance." She seeks out Helen Jonas, who was enslaved by Goeth and who is one of the few living eyewitnesses to his unspeakable brutality. The women's raw, emotional meeting unearths terrible truths and lingering questions about how the actions of our parents can continue to ripple through generations.

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In the Family
by Joanna Rudnick

How much would you sacrifice to survive? When Chicago filmmaker Joanna Rudnick tested positive for the "breast cancer gene" at age 27, she knew the information could save her life. And she knew she was not only confronting mortality at an early age, but also was going to have to make heart-wrenching decisions about the life that lay ahead of her. Should she take the irreversible preventive step of having her breasts and ovaries removed or risk developing cancer? What would happen to her romantic life, her hopes for a family? "In the Family" documents Rudnick's efforts to reach out to other women while facing her deepest fears. A co-production of Joanna Rudnick, Kartemquin Films and Independent Television Service (ITVS).

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In the Light of Reverence
by Christopher McLeod

Devils Tower. The Four Corners. Mount Shasta. All places of extraordinary beauty — and impassioned controversy — as Indians and non-Indians struggle to co-exist with very different ideas about how the land should be used. For Native Americans, the land is sacred and akin to the world's greatest cathedrals. For others, the land should be used for industry and recreation.

This film is only available in our free lending library for Youth Views screenings.

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In the Realms of the Unreal
by Jessica Yu

Reclusive janitor by day, visionary artist by night, outsider artist Henry Darger moved through life virtually unnoticed. But after his death, a treasure trove was discovered in his one-room Chicago apartment: a staggering 15,000-page novel and hundreds of illustrations that continue to inspire artists around the world. With dreamlike animation, poignant narration by Dakota Fanning and a haunting musical score, Academy Award winner Jessica Yu fashions a bold and beautiful film. "In the Realms of the Unreal" immerses us in Darger's startling universe of innocence and pain, showing how he forged magic out of the bleakest of lives. A co-presentation with the Independent Television Service (ITVS).

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In Whose Honor?
by Jay Rosenstein

Washington Redskins, Cleveland Indians, Atlanta Braves — Indian mascots and nicknames have historically been first draft picks in American sports. But for Charlene Teters, a Spokane Indian, transplanting cultural rituals onto the field is a symbol of disrespect. Jay Rosenstein follows Teters' evolution from mother and student into a leading voice against the merchandising of Native American symbols — and shows the lengths fans will go to preserve their mascots.

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I Used to Be a Filmmaker
by Jay Rosenblatt

In Jay Rosenblatt's award-winning "I Used to Be a Filmmaker," he and his newborn daughter, Ella, are the main protagonists as the filmmaker documents the first 18 months of the child's life, showing the progression from newborn to infant to toddler (and budding filmmaker herself). This is a 10 minute short film.

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