Boy Interrupted

Perry Films, Inc

A few days before his suicide, Evan Perry made a list of six things to live for, then matched it with a list of six things to die for. “We’ll never know what was really in Evan’s head the night he killed himself,” his mother, filmmaker Dana Perry, says. Through home movies and interviews with those closest to the 15-year-old, this HBO documentary tells the story of Evan’s battle with childhood bipolar disorder. Perry’s footage captures early manifestations of the disease as its symptoms unfolded, and the therapeutic options the family pursued. In the end it was Evan’s wish to discontinue medication that led to his fatal relapse, an occurrence all too common among people who have BPD. (92 minutes)

Manhattan Project (Modern Marvels)

Modern Marvels

Scientists, engineers, and the U.S. Army teamed up to detonate the first man-made atomic explosion. The effort to create a nuclear weapon went in to high gear after the attack on Pearl Harbor. After the bombings in Japan, some scientists regretted the role they played in brining this weapon of mass destruction into existence. Distributed by A&E Television Networks. (45 minutes)

Harvest

BayView Entertainment LLC.

Gathered one summer in a beautiful shoreline town, three generations are drawn together by their patriarch, played by Oscar-nominee Robert Loggia. With endearing moments of humor and uplifting spirit, Harvest is a portrait of a family awkwardly yet delicately hanging on to what was, what now is, and to one another. A superb ensemble cast, including Tony-winner Victoria Clark, Arye Gross, newcomer Jack Carpenter, and also featuring Oscar-nominee Barbara Barrie tugs on heartstrings and reminds us of a love that can weather all storms in this poignant yet amusing story. HARVEST brings to mind how we all come of age, in our own stumbling yet loving ways, often again and again. Starring Robert Loggia, Barbara Barrie, Jack Carpenter, Arye Gross, and Victoria Clark. Written and directed by Marc Meyers. Original music by Grammy- and Tony-winner Duncan Sheik and David Poe. Rated R. (103 minutes)

Man of the Year

BayView Entertainment LLC.

Bill (John Ritter) is the guest of honor as the “Man of the Year.” A very successful head of a large energy firm, he is a man with many dark secrets. His best friend, Stuart, hosts the party at his ritzy ultra-modern Hollywood Hills home. During the course of the night, secrets will be revealed, trusts will be broken, and relationships will change forever. Join them, their wives, their lovers, their friends, and their enemies for a night they’ll never forget as the guests discover that Bill is not the man they thought he was and his carefully constructed life begins to crumble like a house of cards. This entire revolutionary digital feature, filmed in one location and based on a concept created by Straw Weisman, was shot with 25 highly skilled improv actors, a character outline, and no script—in just one extraordinary night! Starring John Ritter, Leeza Gibbons, Lin Shaye, Heidi Mark (Rock Star), Kristen Miller, and Amy Hill. Directed by Straw Weisman. Rated R-equivalent. (90 minutes)

Another Earth (The Universe)

History Education

This program quantifies the life-sustaining conditions for a planet such as Earth. One planet among trillions, is Earth truly unique? Distributed by A&E Television Networks. A part of the series The Universe. (45 minutes)

Death Stars (The Universe)

History Education

Some explode into a supernova. Others blast out a tremendous gamma ray burst. This program focuses on death star WR104—a direct threat to Earth?—and death star 3C321, a terrifying vision of what could one day befall the Milky Way galaxy. Distributed by A&E Television Networks. A part of the series The Universe. (45 minutes)

Voltaire (A Concise Biography)

Academy Media

In this program from the Famous Authors series, viewers are introduced to the biography and work of the French writer Voltaire. The video discusses conditions and politics of 18th-century France, and reviews important tenents of the Enlightenment, both critical to understanding the writer's work. Voltaire was often in trouble, and sometimes imprisoned, for voicing his controversial views and mocking the court. (36 minutes)

Virginia Woolf (A Concise Biography)

Academy Media

This overview of Virginia Woolf's life and work from the Famous Authors series introduces the writer's upper-class family and their many literary friends who cultivated her talents and later inspired her characters. The film takes a look at Woolf's response to the early loss of her mother and sister and her mental health struggles thereafter. Woolf secured an important position in London literary circles, became part of the famous Bloomsbury group, and proceeded to write innovative fiction that changed the way women were represented in literature. (35 minutes)

Emile Zola (A Concise Biography)

Academy Media

In this program from the Famous Authors series, the audience is offered an overview of the life and work of Emile Zola, starting with an introduction to the writer's parents and his important boyhood friendship with Paul Cezanne. The film discusses Zola's attachment to themes of nature and liberty. Eventually he was hired by the French publisher Hachette and began gaining social and literary success in Paris. The program also discusses the Dreyfus Affair, in which Zola courageously and publicly defended a Jewish military officer wrongly accused of treason. (37 minutes)

J. S. Bach (A Concise Biography)

Academy Media

This program from the Famous Composers series introduces the life and work of the famous German composer J.S. Bach, starting with an overview of his family and the political and religious landscape of the time. Bach learned the violin at a young age and grew up around organ music in churches. He was soon earning money singing and successfully developing his musical talents as well as his scholarly mind. By seventeen he had been well-educated and obtained an appointment as choir master, but he neglected his duties with the mediocre talent of the young boys. The Duke of Saxe Weimar eventually created a comfortable post for Bach conducive to composing and teaching, leading to his success. (34 minutes)

Cuban Missile Crisis: An Exploration Through Archival Film

Pumpkin TV

Compiled by author, teacher, and curriculum advisor Ben Walsh, this program features 11 extracts on the Cuban missile crisis from various film archive sources. Clip selections and Walsh's commentary are organized around the following three topics: the build-up to the crisis, the actions and decisions of President John F. Kennedy in confronting the threat, and the outcome of the conflict in geopolitical terms. Specific film sources include One Week in October, a 1964 Defense Department documentary; Duck and Cover, a public information film from 1951; President Kennedy's address to the nation televised on October 22, 1962; Cuban Crisis, a newsreel from 1962; and Blockade Lifted, a newsreel from 1962. (15 minutes)

We Shall Not Be Moved: African-American Churches in the Civil Rights Era

Odyssey Impact, Inc.

Using a rich supply of archival photographs and film footage as well as firsthand accounts from pastors, activists, and community members, this program gives long-overdue attention to the pivotal role of African-American churches in the civil rights movement. Interviews feature former NAACP executive director Dr. Benjamin Hooks; diplomat, political luminary, and civil rights veteran Andrew Young; 1963 March on Washington organizer Rev. Abraham Lincoln Woods; National Baptist Convention historian Dr. Wilson Fallin; and many others. Viewers learn how the spiritual centers of Southern black life served as places for inspiring, strategizing, and implementing the greatest social and cultural paradigm shift of 20th-century America. (44 minutes)

Alzheimer's Today: A Caregiver's Guide

Nevco Educational Video Inc

This program, prepared specifically for home health care providers, offers an insightful look at Alzheimer’s disease and related disorders. Section one deals with understanding Alzheimer’s disease and ADRDs and discusses how to communicate with people affected by Alzheimer’s. Section two focuses on behavior management that begins with symptom recognition and concludes with specific strategies and techniques for dealing with challenging behaviors. And section three looks at how to maximize daily function specifically by promoting independence throughout all stages of Alzheimer’s. A thorough and accessible primer.

Episode 4: Gray to Green (design | e2)

PBS

A closer look at how much energy is used and how much pollution is created by construction. The impact on our environment is staggering. Distributed by PBS Distribution. (30 minutes)

Episode 6: Deeper Shades of Green (design | e2)

PBS

Meet maverick designer Cameron Sinclair, whose “design like you give a damn” credo was an inspiration for the e² series. Distributed by PBS Distribution. (30 minutes)

The Art of Spiegelman: From Raw, to Maus, and Beyond

Wichita Films

“Every time I’m about to do a strip, it’s because I can’t avoid it, either because I need the money—in the old days—or now, because I just need to think something through, make it manifest.” In this program, Pulitzer Prize-winner Art Spiegelman—humble, humorous, and completely honest—talks about his life history and his creative process using New York City as a backdrop and family photos, clips from home movies, and panels from comic creations such as Maus, Raw magazine, and In the Shadow of No Towers as props. Françoise Mouly, Spiegelman’s wife and cover editor at The New Yorker, is interviewed as well. Contains instances of explicit language and imagery. (43 minutes)

Ludwig van Beethoven (A Concise Biography)

Academy Media

In this program from the Famous Composers series, viewers are introduced to the life and work of Ludwig van Beethoven beginning with an overview of his family's history and eighteenth century Germany. By the age of seven, under the tutelage of his father, Beethoven was playing concerts. At 17 Beethoven went to Vienna for the first time and met Mozart but returned home quickly to help support his family in the wake of his mother's death. He managed to develop successfully at Bonn, however, returning to Vienna years later to take lessons with Haydn and other established musicians. Here Beethoven became known as a major composer and a moody and eccentric character. By the age of 28 the composer began to go deaf, but continued to write and conduct masterpieces. (39 minutes)

Episode 3: Searching for Our Names (African American Lives)

PBS

The challenge of genealogical research is even more evident as Henry Louis Gates Jr. continues back through the Colonial period of American history in this program. The film takes us on a journey to fill in the family trees of each of the series participants, through war service records and various records of property during slavery's apogee—including inventories, sales, or gifts of slaves. In West Virginia, Professor Gates finds a court transcript and discovers the legal struggle of his ancestor Isaac Clifford, a free man who was kidnapped and accused of being a runaway slave. Distributed by PBS Distribution. Part of the series African-American Lives. (54 minutes)

Richard Strauss (A Concise Biography)

Academy Media

This program from the Famous Composers series introduces the life and work of German composer Richard Strauss, born to a horn player, Franz Strauss, in 1864. The film sheds light on Strauss' childhood in Munich, which revolved around the boy's musical education. His father's conservative tastes played a large role in shaping the composer, but also kept him away from the important influence of Wagner until later in life. By 1883 he left Munich for Berlin, where he began conducting and eventually met the soprano Paline de Ahna. They were married in 1894 and the relationship had a great influence on Strauss' work. The film explores Strauss' complex experience in Nazi Germany, as he opposed the Nazi mission but hoped to benefit from their support of German arts and culture, and his surge of production before his death in 1949. (35 minutes)

Verdi (A Concise Biography)

Academy Media

This installment of the Famous Composers series introduces the life and work of Italian-born composer Giuseppe Verdi. The film begins by painting a portrait of the village Verdi was born in, then a part of the French Empire, and his childhood there as part of his Roman Catholic family. Following Verdi to Milan at the age of twenty, the film outlines the composers devlopment as a composer and as part of the artistic social circles. He soon returned to his childhood village, though, where he became music master and married, but quickly and tragically endured the deaths of his wife and two children. Verdi was devastated, but went on to remarry and compose a series of very successful operas. (30 minutes)

Chimps R Us

PBS

She is unconventional wisdom personified, as she had dedicated her entire life to chimpanzee research and conservation. It all began in 1960 when Jane Goodall, the 26-year-old untrained animal enthusiast, set off into the forest and launched what would become the most comprehensive and revealing study of chimps in the wild. In this episode of the PBS Scientific American Frontiers series, Chimps R Us, host Alan Alda spends time with the ground-breaking researcher during one of her many speaking tours. The cameras also follow Alda as he journeys to the Center for Orangutan and Chimpanzee Conservation in Florida—a sanctuary and care facility for chimpanzees discarded by the entertainment industry, medical researchers, and pet owners. Distributed by PBS Distribution. (60 minutes)

Flying High

PBS

Fascinated by flight? In this episode of the PBS Scientific American Frontiers series, host Alan Alda takes the viewer on a captivating journey through the world of aviation. From the evolution of flight in primitive insects to the latest in high-tech aircrafts, Flying High explores the flight secrets of birds, insects, and airplanes. This program features individual stories of avionic ingenuity and our natural world, such as: how birds fly; the test-flight of a solar-powered "eternal plane"; an evolutionary probe into how insects first took flight and how airline pilots cope with increasingly computerized navigation equipment. Lastly, it offers a rare view of a contest between aerial robots as they navigate, fly, and perform tasks...without guidance. Distributed by PBS Distribution. (60 minutes)

Forever Wild?

PBS

For nearly 10,000 years, the Earth's wild places have been replaced by agricultural landscapes—an occurrence that has left a single question in its wake: where are the wild things? In Forever Wild, a part of the PBS Scientific Frontiers series, host Alan Alda goes behind the scenes with forest and wild life advocates as they examine the questions brought about by a domesticated world: what does it take to make wild places "work"? Can a South African game park's rhinos behave as they would in the wild? Can bison restore an Oklahoma cattle ranch to prairie status? Alda also visits Arizona's Biosphere 2, a climate research institute, studying reactions of miniature wild ecosystems to the global atmospheres—a century into the future. Distributed by PBS Distribution. (60 minutes)

The Donner Party: A Film by Ric Burns

American Experience

Trapped in the Sierra Nevada mountains during the bitter winter of 1846, nearly 90 members of the Donner and Reed families longed for California's “promised land.” But a previously untraveled shortcut became a road to madness, death, and cannibalism. Members of the Donner party ate human flesh when they were caught snowbound just 150 miles from the end of their 2,500-mile trip across the United States. Using an array of archival photos, current landscapes, and readings of historic dispatches and letters, The Donner Party, from the PBS American Experience collection, creates a vivid portrayal of this ill-fated story; examining how the heartbreaking circumstances and miscues by the Donner party turned a common migration into one that is remembered as a colossal American tragedy. Distributed by PBS Distribution. (90 minutes)

From Jesus to Christ: The First Christians - Part 1

Frontline

Part one of the series From Jesus to Christ examines the influence of Judaism and the Roman Empire on the life of Jesus. Through compelling interviews with archeologists, theologians, and historians it is revealed that Jesus was an ordinary Jewish resident of his time, but new findings show that he was probably not of the assumed humble class. Nazareth, where he grew up, was about four miles from the cosmopolitan urban center of Sepphoris, one of the Roman provincial cities. And while Rome defined one dimension of Jesus' world, the other was symbolized by the great Temple in Jerusalem. The film also reveals an excavation of new theories leading to Jesus’ crucifixion—likely an act of the Romans—with little notice taken by Jewish people. Produced by Frontline. Distributed by PBS Distribution. Part of the series From Jesus to Christ: The First Christians. (60 minutes)

Episode 2: The Conquest of the Incas (Conquistadors, with Michael Wood)

PBS

In 1527, Francisco Pizarro set off on his third voyage to the New World in hopes of finding great riches in the land of the Inca in Peru. In this program, Michael Wood takes us back in time to discover how Pizarro ransomed the life of a king for a room full of gold and silver. This program portrays a remarkable story of greed, faith, dishonor, and valor. Few stories, if any, in history match its sheer drama. Part of the series Conquistadors. Distributed by PBS Distribution. (55 minutes)

The Bible's Buried Secrets: Beyond Fact or Fiction

PBS

Go on a scientific journey to the beginnings of modern religion, and dig into both the Bible and the history of the Israelites through the artifacts they left behind. The film focuses on the Hebrew Bible (the Old Testament) as the foundation for the great monotheistic religions: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. This powerful exploration of science, scripture, and scholarship examines the most pressing issues in biblical archaeology. Distributed by PBS Distribution. (112 minutes)

Episode 2: Empire Upon the Trails (The West: A Film by Stephen Ives)

PBS

From Mexican landowners in California to Native American tribes in the Black Hills of South Dakota, this film examines various perspectives on territorial claims to the West and the history of U.S. annexation. This program explains how events, such as the Texas War of Independence, opened the door to U.S. annexation. Diary excerpts, letters, and other primary resources vividly portray the experiences of early Oregon Trail settlers and the Mormons. Part of the series The West: A Film by Stephen Ives. Distributed by PBS Distribution. (84 minutes)

Episode 7:The Geography of Hope (The West: A Film by Stephen Ives)

PBS

Many Americans who set out to change the West found the West changed them instead. This program explores a broad panorama of western experiences: those of Great Plains homesteaders and farmers, Chinese immigrants and Hispanic townspeople in California, Mormons in Utah, Buffalo Bill Cody, cowboys during the fall of the great ranching boom, African-American sharecroppers seeking a “promised land,” and Native Americans on the reservations. Part of the series The West: A Film by Stephen Ives. Distributed by PBS Distribution. (84 minutes)

Peel: The Peru Project

BayView Entertainment LLC.

In this film from the family that made surf-film history, Wes Brown and T.J. Barrack take us to the beautiful waters of Peru, where surfing is a way of life and surfers are worshiped as national heroes. This surf odyssey fuses electrifying surf footage and unique cultural aspects, and includes an enchanting visit to Machu Picchu. Starring Randy Bonds, Jesse Colombo, Magoo de la Rosa, Mark Healey, Sofia Mulanovich, and Jamie Sterling. Directed by T.J. Barrack and Wes Brown. Rated PG-equivalent. (75 minutes)

Road to Nowhere

BayView Entertainment LLC.

There’s a murky, tenuous balance between reality and fiction—particularly when it involves a beautiful young woman, murder, a powerful politico, a missing fortune, and suicide. A passionate filmmaker, creating a film based upon a true crime, casts an unknown mysterious young woman bearing a disturbing resemblance to the femme fatale in the story. He finds himself unsuspectingly drawn into a complex web of haunting intrigue, obsessed with the woman, the crime, her possibly notorious past, and the disturbing complexity between art and truth. From the Smoky Mountains of North Carolina to Verona, Rome, and London, new truths are revealed and clues to other crimes and passions, darker and even more complex, are uncovered. Starring Cliff De Young, Waylon Payne, Tygh Runyan, Shannyn Sossamon, and Dominique Swain. Written by Steven Gaydos, and directed by Monte Hellman. Rated R. (122 minutes)

Stiffs

BayView Entertainment LLC.

Academy Award-nominated Danny Aiello stars as Frank Tramontana, a hearse driver who unwittingly gets drawn into a scheme his coworkers have concocted for a series of unfortunate “accidents” designed to clean up the neighborhood and fill their Mob-owned funeral parlor with much-needed customers. As the body count rises, they stumble and bumble their way through the sidesplitting antics of this new business plan strewn with familiar faces like Jon Polito (American Gangster) and Frank Vincent (The Sopranos). But things get a bit complicated and problems are further exacerbated when Frank’s provocative ex-wife (Lesley Ann Warren) reappears to give Frank a dose of reality! Starring Academy Award-nominee Danny Aiello, Jon Polito, Academy Award-nominee Lesley Ann Warren, Louis Vanaria, Heather Tom, Frank Vincent, Frank Bongiorno, and Joe Sicari. Written by Joseph Ciota, and directed by Frank Ciota. Rated R. (104 minutes)

The Exonerated

BayView Entertainment LLC.

As a play, The Exonerated—acclaimed in major cities across America—was awarded the Drama Desk, Lucille Lortel, and Outer Critics Circle Awards. Now, as a film, the undeniable power of the true stories of six exonerated survivors of death row will engage your emotion, incite your passion, and envelope you in their search for the lost small pieces of dignity and the lives so unceremoniously interrupted. Twenty-nine Academy Award nominations, 87 Golden Globe nominations, 112 Emmy nominations: such is the incredible cast of actors who have lent their considerable talents and passion to The Exonerated. Starring Brian Dennehy, Danny Glover, Delroy Lindo, Aidan Quinn, Susan Sarandon, and David Brown, Jr. Written by Jessica Blank and Erik Jensen, and directed by Bob Balaban. Rated R-equivalent. (90 minutes)

The Scenesters

BayView Entertainment LLC.

Someone is killing beautiful young hipsters in East L.A. But while the bloody trail is cold for the super-apathetic detectives, Charlie—a crime scene cleaner with a penchant for Sherlockian deduction—begins finding some unusual clues in the demo CDs of indie bands left behind at the murder sites, which he shares with two out-of-luck filmmakers turned crime scene videographers. Problem is, nobody is really sure that Charlie isn’t the serial killer himself. Meanwhile, the dead hipsters are piling up like pancakes in thrift-store flannel, there’s a rival Danish film crew, and on top of everything else, it looks like the killer is now making an experimental film of his own. Simple? Not really, but then murder never is. The Scenesters: a murder-serial killer-film noir-comedy with really great music. Starring Blaise Miller, Suzanne May, Jeff Grace, Kevin M. Brennan, Todd Berger, Monika Jolly, James Jolly, and Sherilyn Fenn. Written and directed by Todd Berger. Rated R. (102 minutes)

The Village Barbershop

BayView Entertainment LLC.

Art Leroldi is terminal. Terminally irritable, that is. A small-time, cantankerous Reno barber stuck in a rut of haircuts, hot dogs, and horse books, he lives every day like a warmed-over version of the last. Hit with the unexpected death of his longtime business partner and last apparent friend, he’s faced with losing the only thing in life he’s got left: his “man’s man” barbershop. To keep it, he’ll be forced to hire the last person on Earth he’d ever want working there: a woman. More specifically, Gloria MacIntyre, a pretty, young spitfire who stubbornly finds herself unable to take Art’s no for an answer. This is the humorous, sweet story of a fading old man who’s lost his way and a determined young woman looking to find hers—two unlikely people offered a second chance in one unlikely place, The Village Barbershop. Starring John Ratzenberger and Shelly Cole. Written and directed by Chris Ford. Rated R. (100 minutes)

One Peace at a Time

BayView Entertainment LLC.

Building on critical and audience acclaim for his film Nobelity, Turk Pipkin is continuing his global journey of knowledge and action with the feature film One Peace at a Time. While Nobelity deals with global problems, One Peace at a Time focuses on specific solutions. The goal is to create a virtual roadmap to a better future. One Peace at a Time is an opportunity for individuals, businesses, and foundations to reach out and change the world. With your support, we can help create the map to a better future, and inspire millions to do what needs to be done. Featuring Caroline Boudreaux, Mechai Viravaidya, Philip Berber, Donna Berber, Sugata Mitra, Helene Gayle, Muhammad Yunus, Cameron Sinclair, Dan Shine, Willie Nelson, Steve Goose, Steve Chu, Congressman Lloyd Doggett, and Lily and Katie Pipkin. Written and directed byTurk Pipkin, with music by Bob Dylan, Ben Harper, Jack Johnson, and Willie Nelson. (83 minutes)

Willa Cather's Paul's Case

BayView Entertainment LLC.

Lost in a world of fantasy, young working-class Paul dreams of escaping his dreary existence in turn-of-the-century Pittsburgh. As fate would have it Paul gets his chance by stealing some money and subsequently running off to glamorous New York City.Once there, Paul experiences everything he ever dreamed of, from a luxurious hotel suite to his first taste of champagne. However, when reality finally comes crashing down around him, Paul realizes the desperate course he must now take.In a powerful and intense performance, Eric Roberts (Star 80) plays the title role in this dramatization of Willa Cather’s “Paul’s Case.” As the tortured and tragic young man, Roberts brings to life this classic American story of a sensitive soul pitted against an uncaring materialistic society. As seen on PBS. (50 minutes)

The Yalta Conference, 1945

British Pathe

World War II - Yalta conference Copyright The WPA Film Library.

Ernest J. Gaines' The Sky Is Gray

BayView Entertainment LLC.

From Ernest J. Gaines, author of The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman, comes a deceptively simple yet emotionally complex tale of a young boy’s discovery of what it’s like to be black in Louisiana during the 1940s. James, the boy in question, has a raging toothache that necessitates a trip to the dentist. His mother (played by Emmy-winner Olivia Cole), accompanies James to town on an eye-opening odyssey where the boy gains valuable insights into poverty, racism, and his own sense of pride. With an exciting musical score by Webster Lewis, this multi-award winning film explores a child’s discovery that the world is a complicated place where things are never truly black or white…only shades of gray. Also starring James Bond III. Directed by Stan Lathan. As seen on PBS. (46 minutes)

Unrest in Palestine, 1947

British Pathe

Jewish-Arab unrest in Palestine Copyright The WPA Film Library.

The Invaders (Life After People, Season 1)

A&E

This program theorizes about what would happen if people disappeared from Earth and what would then become of Miami, Phoenix, and Shanghai. We look at the Taj Mahal in India and the abandoned village of Tyneham, England. This program also explores the possibility of invasive plants and animals, such as Burmese pythons, spreading uncontrollably. Part of the series Life After People. Distributed by A&E Television Networks. (45 minutes)

Civil War and Reconstruction, 1861-1877

Nat'l Archives & Records Administration

This archival educational film shot in 1965 examines the Civil War and Reconstruction as they affected the nation's African-American population. (19 minutes)

San Francisco Earthquake, 1906

The WPA Film Library

Aftermath of the San Francisco Earthquake Copyright The WPA Film Library.

Bill T. Jones: Still/Here

Doctoroff Media Group

What is it like to live with a life-threatening illness? Can fear, anger, and joy be translated into movement? In this program, journalist Bill Moyers and filmmaker David Grubin give viewers a rare glimpse into dancer/choreographer Bill T. Jones’s highly acclaimed dance, "Still/Here." At workshops around the country, people facing life-threatening illnesses are asked to remember the highs and lows of their lives, and even imagine their own deaths. They then transform their feelings into expressive movement, which Jones incorporates into the dance performed later in the program. Jones demonstrates for Moyers the movements of his own life story—his first encounter with white people, confusion over his sexuality, his partner Arnie Zane’s untimely death from AIDS, and Jones’s own HIV status. "My job," Jones tells Moyers, "is to evoke the spirit of survival." (57 minutes)

Inside Aflac: CEO Dan Amos

Nightline

Aflac’s duck “spokesman” has proven to be an overwhelming success, indelibly quacking the insurance company’s name into the pop culture landscape. In the conceptual stage, however, the mascot was a risky choice. This ABC News program features Aflac CEO Dan Amos, whose controversial decisions—including championing the duck symbol—have led the company to prosperity. Amos discusses several of his unusual leadership moves, including the latest: letting shareholders have a say in his salary. For viewers concerned with management, marketing strategies, and executive compensation issues, this report is an informative case study. Original ABC News broadcast title: Inside Aflac. (12 minutes)

By Profession . . . an Artist: Contemporary Art in Burkina Faso, Mali, Senegal, and South Africa

Octapixx

Historically, the arts in Africa were largely communal and unrecorded. But much has changed over the past century, and this program takes a look at art in sub-Saharan Africa as it exists today through profiles of Senegalese rap groups Alif and Wagëblë and the rap collective Fight and Forget, who use their music as a form of political activism; Senegalese sculptor Babacar Niang, whose workshop has trained artists who have found success in both the U.S. and Europe; Willie Bester, one of South Africa’s most important resistance artists; Raymond Bogwana of Abakhaya, a world-touring crossover marimba band from South Africa; the cast and crew of Mother Courage, an AIDS documentary filmed in Burkina Faso and screened at the largest film festival in Africa; and Malian griot Fanta Diabaté, matron of a 65-member family in which all, without exception, are griots—masters of words and the keepers of history. (Portions in other languages with English subtitles, 52 minutes)

The Summoning of Everyman

Douglas Morse

When Death comes to take Everyman to his final judgment, Everyman attempts to bribe Death—and when that fails, Everyman instead tries to find a companion to accompany him on the fearful journey. In this adaptation of The Summoning of Everyman by Douglas Morse, a cast of classically trained actors, period music, opulent costumes, and captivating cinematography breathe new life into an enduring 15th-century morality play. A bittersweet story of the human condition, performed with moving earnestness. A commendable resource for courses in medieval studies, drama, and literature. (53 minutes)

Taking on Tourette: Families Reveal Their Personal Struggles

ABC News

Secluded in upstate New York, a facility known as Camp Tic-a-Palooza welcomes young people with Tourette Syndrome. This ABC News program profiles several camp attendees, focusing on the challenges, triumphs, and emotional impact of living with TS. Ten-year-old Sid’s symptoms include frequently sticking out his middle finger. Amanda displays a menagerie of vocal tics, often hissing, barking, or roaring at others. More troubling are 13-year-old Isabella’s self-injurious tics, which obscure her sweet spirit and creativity. With perspective from family members and video diaries, the program also includes commentary from Dr. Jonathan Mink, co-chair of the TSA Scientific Advisory Board, and Dr. Jerome Bubrick, clinical instructor of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at the NYU School of Medicine. (41 minutes)

Hay Tiempo! The Photography of Manuel Alvarez Bravo-in Spanish

HIBOU PRODUCTIONS

Revered for his political insights as well as his dreamlike images, the Mexican photographer Manuel Alvarez Bravo produced a stunning body of work and an indelible artistic legacy. This program offers an eye-opening look at Alvarez Bravo's century of life and achievement, featuring interviews with the elderly artist and with others in his circle of friends and colleagues. Examples of his work-as well as archival footage and photographs of Alvarez Bravo in his studio or capturing specific images-will help viewers gain insight into his methods and philosophy. Provocative quotes from the artist are interspersed throughout the film. (Spanish, 52 minutes)

Preventing a Stroke

Information Television Network (ITN)

A major stroke can hit without warning and leave a broken body and a damaged mind in its wake. But there are ways to prevent strokes, even among high-risk groups. This program looks at anticoagulation and its role in averting strokes and other devastating conditions. Viewers learn how doctors identify risk factors in patients and how certain treatments can stop blood clots from forming and making their way to the brain. Subjects include ischemic strokes; intracerebral and subarachnoid hemorrhages; blood clot formation; deep vein thrombosis, or DVT; stroke symptoms; treatments by type of stroke; antithrombotic therapy; and telestroke. Commentary comes from Dr. Mark Alberts and Dr. Robert Bonow of Northwestern University. (26 minutes)

Investigative Reporting: The Righteous Lens

Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism

Investigative reporting is expensive, time-consuming, labor-intensive; it can be dangerous-and you can get sued. The resultant slack in network news investigative reporting has been taken up by some local stations. And, as this program illustrates, there are some important trends: the growth of environmental stories and the emergence of women as a powerful force in investigative journalism. There are also new techniques that bring viewers to the "scene of the crime," so to speak. The program shows some provocative and controversial examples. Narrated by Peter Jennings. (30 minutes)

Notations: A Composer's Response to Crisis

Mia Chung

In 1802, Beethoven faced the prospect of becoming deaf. But instead of causing defeat, that crisis triggered a season of transcendent creativity that changed the course of music history. In this program, pianist Mia Chung explores the innovations of Beethoven's genius in the face of enormous obstacles as she performs, deconstructs, and discusses two of Beethoven's most significant solo piano works: Piano Sonata no. 21 in C Major, op. 53 ("Waldstein"), composed in 1803-04, and Sonata no. 31 in A-flat Major, op. 110, composed in 1821. Ms. Chung has been called "uncommonly insightful, individualistic, lively" and "technically dazzling" by The New York Times. (2 hours 24 minutes)

Bill Moyers Journal: Pray the Devil Back to Hell

Doctoroff Media Group

Leymah Gbowee was born and raised in Liberia. She inspired and united her countrywomen to march with her against a dictator and restore the rule of law to their country. And her riveting story has been captured in an award-winning documentary, Pray the Devil Back to Hell. In this edition of the Journal, guest host Lynn Sherr, Liberia correspondent for Worldfocus, interviews activist Leymah Gbowee and the filmmaker, Abigail Disney, who recorded her incredibly effective campaign of nonviolence. Broadcast date: June 19, 2009. (56 minutes)

The Memory Loss Tapes

HBO

This program puts a human face on the progression of Alzheimer’s disease as it profiles seven people, ages 63 to 87, at different stages of the illness. Cases range from a woman fiercely holding onto her independence even as memory lapses make it harder and harder to do so, to a man who can no longer remember his family yet can still perform beautifully with a vocal group, to a woman who must be fenced in, literally, to keep her from wandering off her daughter’s property. “We wanted to capture a sense of what it was to be inside the disease,” says filmmaker Shari Cookson. “You see…how everything you’ve learned and been in your life is stripped away—yet you still get these glimmers of the person.” A viewable/printable discussion guide is available online. An HBO Production. A part of the series The Alzheimer’s Project. An HBO Production. (84 minutes)

Bionic Body

PBS

Could lab-grown organs and body parts one day become a common solution for eliminating disease and rejuvenating the body? This classic episode of Scientific American Frontiers examines methods for re-engineering human anatomy, including not only artificial organ cultivation and retinal implants but also advances in nerve regeneration to treat spinal cord injuries. Host Alan Alda looks at nerve stimulation in paralysis victims using implanted electrodes. He also engages in a moving conversation with Christopher Reeve about the quadriplegic actor's advocacy of research in this field. Distributed by PBS Distribution. (60 minutes)

Episode 2: A Very Bloody Affair (1862) (The Civil War: A Film by Ken Burns)

Ken Burns

The year 1862 saw the birth of modern warfare and the transformation of Lincoln's war to preserve the Union into a war to emancipate the slaves. This program begins with the political infighting that threatened to swamp Lincoln's administration and then follows Union General George McClellan's ill-fated campaign on the Virginia Peninsula and Ulysses S. Grant's costly victory at the Battle of Shiloh. The episode ends with rumors of Europe's readiness to recognize the Confederacy. Distributed by PBS Distribution. A part of the series The Civil War: A Film by Ken Burns. (68 minutes)

Episode 7: Most Hallowed Ground (1864) (The Civil War: A Film by Ken Burns)

Ken Burns

The program begins with the presidential election of 1864 that set Abraham Lincoln against his old commanding general, George McClellan. The stakes were nothing less than the survival of the Union itself: with Grant and Sherman stalled at Petersburg and Atlanta, opinion in the North had turned strongly against the war. But 11th-hour victories at Mobile Bay, Atlanta, and the Shenandoah Valley tilted the election to Lincoln, and the Confederacy's last hope for independence died. Distributed by PBS Distribution. A part of the series The Civil War: A Film by Ken Burns. (72 minutes)

Episode 9: The Better Angels of Our Nature (1865) (The Civil War: A Film by Ken Burns)

Ken Burns

This extraordinary final episode of The Civil War begins in the bittersweet aftermath of Lee's surrender and goes on to narrate the terrible events of five days later when, on April 14, Lincoln was assassinated. After chronicling Lincoln's poignant funeral, the program then recounts the final days of the war, the capture of John Wilkes Booth, and the fates of the Civil War's major protagonists. The consequences and meaning of a war that transformed America from a collection of states to the nation it is today are considered as well. Distributed by PBS Distribution. A part of the series The Civil War: A Film by Ken Burns. (69 minutes)

United News, Release 166 (1945): Allies Invade Balikpapan

United News

This World War II-era newsreel includes the following segments: 1. General MacArthur supervises a naval bombardment upon Borneo; the Australian 7th Division rolls inland. 2. Firemen battle flames in the Empire State Building after an aircrash. 3. Veterans go to Marseilles for the Pacific theater. 4. Refugees in allied displaced persons camps are routed homeward. 5. Japanese kamikaze planes strike the battleship Nevada and the carrier Ticonderoga. (10 minutes)

Universal Newsreels: Suspense Story -- National Press Club Hears Hitchcock (03/18/1963)

Universal Newsreel

This Universal newsreel focuses on Alfred Hitchcock, master of suspense, and his film The Birds. At the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., Hitchcock speaks humorously about his 50th movie and receives a citation to mark his 30 years of contributions to the world of entertainment. Universal Studios. (2 minutes)

Disability and Sexuality: Exploring the Intimacy Option

System TV

This program challenges the preconception that being physically disabled necessarily means a lack of desire for physical intimacy. Through candid interviews with people who have substantial physical disabilities—cases involving paraplegia, quadriplegia, kyphoscoliosis, neuromuscular disorders, and other conditions—the video expresses their needs as human beings, examines constraints placed upon them by their conditions as well as by the medical and residential facilities that serve them, and spotlights high-minded organizations prepared to assist them in having loving experiences. Filmed in Europe, Disability and Sexuality offers insights into issues that transcend national boundaries and find common ground in the heart. Contains mature themes and clinically explicit language. (52 minutes)

Radio Revolution: Broadcasting for Freedom in Cold-War Romania

Journeyman Pictures

Likened to “a strange religion…with millions of invisible believers,” Radio Free Europe gave listeners in Eastern Bloc countries a much-needed alternative to government media. This program examines the impact of RFE broadcasts on Nicolae Ceausescu’s Romania and the lengths to which Romanian authorities went to suppress U.S.-backed radio. Viewers learn how the 1977 Vrancea Earthquake enabled RFE to step up its activities in the country; how Ceausescu’s operatives in the Romanian Securitate—and, allegedly, even the notorious terrorist Carlos the Jackal—committed violent acts against RFE personnel; and how the power and popularity of RFE found full expression in the Romanian Revolution. (Portions in other languages with English subtitles, 59 minutes)

Into the Volcano

National Geographic

Photographer Carsten Peter is obsessed with devising innovative methods for capturing never-before-seen images from some of the scariest environments on the planet. This program joins Peter as he descends into a hell within paradise, photographing one of nature’s most violent forces at work. The Emmy-winning cameraman braves toxic gases, treacherous rock falls, and giant pools of molten lava as he rappels inside the active volcanoes of Vanuatu, an island in the South Pacific. A National Geographic Production. (31 minutes)

Living Treasures of Japan

National Geographic

Amid the clamor of business and technological advances, a reverence for age, custom, and craftsmanship endures in Japan. There, the title of “living national treasure” is bestowed on some 70 master artisans and performers who are charged with passing on the country’s cultural heritage to future generations. This program takes viewers into the studios, workshops, and homes of the remarkable people who quietly keep Japan’s precious creative traditions alive. Subjects profiled include a potter, a puppeteer, a swordsmith, a doll maker, a handmade paper expert, a koto player, a Kabuki actor, a bronze bell caster, and a weaver. A National Geographic Production. (59 minutes)

World Music: Stories Behind the Songs

National Geographic

Produced in conjunction with legendary singer Peter Gabriel, this program takes viewers to a stage outside London as it documents the work of artists appearing at the World of Music, Arts and Dance Festival (WOMAD). In addition to engaging and powerful onstage numbers, the film captures intimate, behind-the-scenes moments with world music stars, tracing each performer’s origins and artistic journey. Featured musicians include Dr. Hukwe and Charles Zawose from Bagamoyo, Tanzania; the musical troupe Spaccanapoli, from the streets of Naples, Italy; and many others. A National Geographic Production. (54 minutes)

Easy Ways to Use E-Learning

ClickView Pty Limited

As e-learning assumes a growing role in professional development, many teachers remain unsure about how to incorporate it. Meanwhile, students use technology in nearly every aspect of their lives and largely expect e-learning to be a part of their education. This program helps beginning and veteran teachers stay relevant in the area of instructional technology, providing practical, stress-free examples of successful e-learning. Viewers discover how laptops, handheld devices, interactive whiteboards, and cameras can be used in the classroom environment to enrich the student's experience and boost his or her academic development. Viewable/printable educational resources are available online. (25 minutes)

For a Thousand Tongues to Sing! The Life and Hymns of Charles Wesley

Lathika International Film & Entertainment

Between 1738 and 1788, Charles Wesley wrote more than 9,000 hymns and sacred poems, work which earned him the title "The Sweet Bard of Methodism." This program recounts Wesley's life and life's work, with special attention to his better-known songs, such as "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing." Scholars of music and theology speak about Wesley's childhood, education, and missionary work; explore the roots of his passion for hymn-writing; and demonstrate how Wesley's impressive body of work consistently embraced astute references to Scripture, poetic language, and personal experience. (55 minutes)

The Lowdown on Lowbrow: West Coast Pop Art

Fountain Productions

Its influences include comic books, B-movies, rock ’n’ roll, surfing, hot rods, and Cold War imagery. Art historians call it Pop Surrealism; practitioners call it Lowbrow. With dozens of artist and gallery curator interviews, along with hundreds of examples, this program chronicles Lowbrow’s evolution, its iconoclasm and often antagonistic relation to Abstract Expressionism, as well as the rise of female artists to its forefront. Artists interviewed include Lowbrow pioneer Robert Williams; Isabel Samaras; The Pizz; Shag; Anthony Ausgang; Lisa Petrucci; I, Braineater; 12 Midnite; Nicole Steen; and Vicki M. Other interviews include gallery curators Doug Nason and Billy Shire, author Sherri Cullison, Gearhead magazine editor Mike LaVella, and Annie Tucker, managing editor of Juxtapoz magazine. (49 minutes)

The Slanted Screen: Asian Men in Film and Television

Mutsuko Adachi

This award-winning documentary explores portrayals of Asian men in American cinema, chronicling the experience of actors who have struggled against Hollywood’s ethnic stereotyping and discriminatory practices. The Slanted Screen covers the practice of using Caucasian actors in yellowface makeup, drawing upon a wealth of materials, including 50 rare film clips spanning a century. The program, which was broadcast nationally on PBS, features voice-over narration by Daniel Dae Kim as well as interviews with actors Mako, James Shigeta, Jason Scott Lee, Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, Will Yun Lee, and Tzi Ma; producer Terence Chang; director Justin Lin; and casting director Heidi Levitt. (55 minutes)

How Difficult Can This Be? The F.A.T. City Workshop—Understanding Learning Disabilities

PBS

In this classic program, internationally known learning disabilities expert Richard D. Lavoie leads a group of educators, psychologists, parents, and children through a series of exercises that vividly illustrate the daily classroom reality of LD students, an experience fraught with F.A.T.: frustration, anxiety, and tension. After the workshop is done, participants discuss strategies for working more effectively with learning-disabled children. Mainstreaming, discipline, distractions, and self-concept are addressed. Distributed by PBS Distribution. (70 minutes)

Beyond F.A.T. City: A Look Back, a Look Ahead—A Conversation about Special Education

PBS

F.A.T.—frustration, anxiety, tension—are three all-too-familiar feelings for children with learning disabilities and their families. In this program, Richard D. Lavoie, creator of the original F.A.T. City Workshop, reviews the history and philosophy of that project, the major trends and issues in the field of learning disabilities since the late 1980s, and the challenges ahead for educators and parents of children with LD. Lavoie is known worldwide for his powerful and provocative presentations on learning disabilities and has worked in special education for decades as a teacher, an administrator, an author, and a consultant. Distributed by PBS Distribution. (90 minutes)

Thomas Jefferson: A Film by Ken Burns - Part 1

Ken Burns

A young Thomas Jefferson from the Virginia wilderness is transformed by the fire of the Enlightenment into his country’s most articulate voice for human liberty. Torn between serene family life at Monticello and his passion for politics, Jefferson suffers heartrending personal loss, even as he gives voice to a new era of democratic government. He then journeys to Paris as U.S. Minister to France for George Washington and supports the rising French Revolution. That is the story recounted in this classic program on the prepresidential years of the imperishable Thomas Jefferson. Distributed by PBS Distribution. A part of the series Thomas Jefferson: A Film by Ken Burns. (84 minutes)

Episode 1: Revolution (Not for Ourselves Alone: The Story of Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony)

Ken Burns

The first installment in Ken Burns’s remarkable documentary on the women’s suffrage movement, this program depicts the early years of Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton. With the help of rarely seen archival materials and voice-over portrayals by well-known actors, viewers learn how the ideas of both women came to maturity and how they became allies in the struggle for women’s rights. Distributed by PBS Distribution. A part of the series Not for Ourselves Alone: The Story of Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony—A Film by Ken Burns and Paul Barnes. (94 minutes)

Episode 2: The Fellowship (Frank Lloyd Wright: A Film by Ken Burns and Lynn Novick)

Ken Burns

The second installment in Ken Burns' powerful documentary on architect Frank Lloyd Wright and his milieu, this program depicts the middle to final years of Wright's life and career. With the help of rarely seen archival materials and voice-over portrayals by well-known actors, viewers learn about Wright's late-career struggles and triumphs as well as his immeasurable legacy. Distributed by PBS Distribution. A part of the series Frank Lloyd Wright: A Film by Ken Burns and Lynn Novick. (72 minutes)

Animal Minds

National Geographic

The question of animal intelligence has been debated for centuries. In recent years, science has come closer to proving that animals think and feel—perhaps not at the level of humans, but in ways that are nevertheless authentic. This classic program brings viewers into the midst of eye-opening zoological, neurological, and psychological research, revealing what many scientists believe to be cognitive abilities in animals. These include communication, creativity, cooperation, deception, and even self-awareness. The result is an exciting teaching tool that challenges traditionally held beliefs about animal minds. A National Geographic Production. (29 minutes)

Prelinger Archives: Magic in the Air (1955)

Prelinger Archives

This Prelinger Archives film illustrates the basic principles of what was, in 1955, state-of-the-art television technology. Visiting a TV studio as it prepares for a live broadcast, the film shows how television equipment works--including going inside a bulky camera and examining its contents, then following the broadcast "signal" with the help of classic voltage-like animation to a TV antenna and into the home of a happy viewer. How electrons are used to scan and reproduce a picture is explained quite effectively, if not in complete scientific detail then at least to the satisfaction of the average high-school physics student. The evolution of TV technology is paralleled with that of the American car. Jam Handy Organization, for the General Motors Corporation, Department of Public Relations. (8 minutes)

Prelinger Archives: The Dynamic American City (Part II) (c. 1956)

Prelinger Archives

This Prelinger Archives film (part 2 of 2) advocates urban redevelopment and renewal, 1950s-style. It supports strategies which are often criticized today, such as the leveling of run-down or historic neighborhoods in the name of progress as well as auto-centric city planning and suburban sprawl. However, as a socio-historical document, the film is a valuable look at the trends that created much of today's American landscape. Topics include the introduction of steel and other metals into skyscraper architecture, multi-level and underground parking garages, co-op apartment design, and other innovations of the period. Produced by Frederick J. Bashaw, for the Chamber of Commerce of the United States. (14 minutes)

Prelinger Archives: Henry Ford's Mirror of America (Part II) (1962)

Prelinger Archives

This Prelinger Archives film (part 2 of 2) is a compilation of images and sequences from the Ford Film Collection, with excellent footage of United States history, culture, industry, and daily life between about 1915 and 1930. Highlights include Coney Island, the increasing pervasiveness of the automobile in American life, and early manufacturing footage. This second part concentrates on American life as the country progressed toward the 1930s. Continues looking at the social impact of automobiles as well as other social, cultural, and economic changes. U.S. National Archives and Records Service. (19 minutes)

Cutting It in Costume: Design and Wardrobe Management

Classroom Video

When a play is performed, all eyes are on the actors—which means the costume department can make or break a production. This program introduces skills and responsibilities essential to theatrical costume design, technology, and management. After outlining the history of stage costuming, the video shows how an actor’s attire reveals his or her character, how a designer researches and incorporates period dress styles, and how various fabrics, colors, patterns, and aging effects are used in making costumes. Discussions of presets, quick-changes, and an actor’s backstage needs help students understand the wardrobe supervisor’s challenges. Costume professionals from London’s National Theatre add their expertise. A viewable/printable instructor’s guide is available online. A part of the series Treading the Boards: Theater Fundamentals. (25 minutes)

Dante's Inferno

Deutsche Grammophon GmbH

This ambitious program, produced by the award-winning film director Peter Greenaway and internationally known artist Tom Phillips, brings to life the first eight cantos of Dante’s Inferno. Featuring a cast that includes Sir John Gielgud as Virgil, the cantos are not conventionally dramatized. Instead, the feeling of Dante’s poem is conveyed through juxtaposed imagery that conjures up a contemporary vision of hell, and its meaning is deciphered in visual sidebars by eminent scholars who interpret Dante’s metaphors and symbolism. Contains nudity. (8 segments, 11 minutes each)

Toni Morrison

California Newsreel

This program introduces one of the greatest contemporary American authors: winner of the 1993 Nobel Prize in Literature, "a literary Moses stripping away the idols of whiteness and blackness that have prevented blacks from knowing themselves." Readings from Beloved and Jazz show how she returns to the pain of slavery and segregation to restore wholeness to the black psyche. "The past," Morrison says, "is more infinite than the future... It's avoiding it, deceiving ourselves about it, that paralyzes growth." (25 minutes)

Contemporary Life v. the Constitution

Doctoroff Media Group

When the authors of the Constitution met in 1787, they could not possibly have imagined what the world would be like 200 years later. This program examines two controversies today that have become tests of the Constitution-the use of mandatory drug testing by companies and the establishment of widely-accessible "dossiers" of personal information on computers, which the Supreme Court has ruled are not protected by the Constitution. (60 minutes)

The Simple Acts of Life

Doctoroff Media Group

This program was filmed at the Biennial Geraldine R. Dodge Poetry Festival, where poets gather every two years to read and discuss their work with large audiences of students and fellow poets. In this program, poets Robert Bly, Galway Kinnell, Sharon Olds, Octavio Paz, and William Stafford read and discuss their work. As Robert Bly observes: "Suppose you only knew 15 words. You could still make great poetry out of that, if you really felt those words." (60 minutes)

The Changing Role of Women: Mary Catherine Bateson

Doctoroff Media Group

The subject of women and their roles at home and at work is one of the major and continuing stories of the day. Mary Catherine Bateson, anthropologist and author, has written on topics ranging from the social consequences of the AIDS epidemic to life with her celebrated parents, anthropologists Margaret Mead and Gregory Bateson. One of her primary areas of interest is the social consequences of the changing roles of women. In this program with Bill Moyers, she talks about how the idea of "home" as a place to give and receive nurture might become a new metaphor for the workplace. Bateson also discusses how women can create order and sense out of their conflicting commitments. (30 minutes)

The Broken Cord: Louise Erdrich and Michael Dorris

Doctoroff Media Group

In this program with Bill Moyers, authors Louise Erdrich and the late Michael Dorris explain how traditions of spirit and memory weave through the lives of many Native Americans and how alcoholism and despair have shattered so many other lives. The devastating effect of fetal alcohol syndrome on their adopted son and on the Native American community as a whole is also discussed. The issues discussed in the program are underscored by the tragedy of Dorris’s untimely death. (30 minutes)

Jiangsu: Between the Emperor Canal and Modern Skyscrapers

German United Distributors

This program reveals the varied cultural landscape of China’s Jiangsu province, which is marked by a number of venerable waterways. Viewers visit the old city of Suzhou, which contains gardens recognized on the UNESCO World Heritage list. The modern industrial city of Wuxi has long been famed as a city of science; its Donglin Academy of Classical Learning, established in 1111 AD, offers lessons in calligraphy and classical music. And it was in the former capital and imperial city of Nanjing, on the Yangtze River, that medieval explorer Zheng He built his treasure fleet. The film also showcases China’s largest statue of the Buddha and depicts the production of silk, embroidery, gold brocade, and finely painted clay figures. Part of the series Journeys to Art: China. (44 minutes)

Guy de Maupassant: Histoire Vraie

Institut National de L’Audiovisual

Maupassant’s story is of a young servant girl seduced, made pregnant, and abandoned by her master, who dies because she cannot live without him. This dramatized version focuses on the relationships between people and the landscapes amid which they live, a story reflective both of Maupassant’s view of life and of the style in which he described it. (French, 64 minutes)

Genghis Khan: Terror and Conquest

Biography Channel

This episode of Biography offers insight into Genghis Khan, the savage military and political genius who founded Mongolia and went on to subjugate much of Eurasia. Distributed by A&E Television Networks. (45 minutes)

J. Pierpont Morgan: Emperor of Wall Street

Biography Channel

This episode of Biography sheds light on the life of John Pierpont Morgan—a man who single-handedly saved the United States from bankruptcy but was accused of being a monopolist. Distributed by A&E Television Networks. (45 minutes)

J. W. Marriott: Host to the World

Biography Channel

This episode of Biography spotlights John Willard Marriott, an entrepreneur who parlayed a root beer stand into a multi-billion-dollar hospitality-related corporation. Distributed by A&E Television Networks. (44 minutes)

Marco Polo: Journey to the East

Biography Channel

In this episode of Biography, historians and historic reenactments bring the fabled journeys of Marco Polo to life. Distributed by A&E Television Networks. (45 minutes)

Mark Twain: His Amazing Adventures

Biography Channel

He was a great American original, a gifted and irreverent storyteller whose portrayal of a wild young nation captured the imagination of the world. This episode of Biography revisits the jam-packed life of a literary giant, from his carefree boyhood in Hannibal, Missouri, to the devastating tragedies of his later life. Rare photographs, expert interviews, and excerpts from the stories that made him a legend in his own time bring his astonishing story to life. Steamboat pilot, Confederate Army deserter, travel writer, failed publisher, ill-starred investor, comic lecturer, social critic, family man, and author extraordinaire—Mark Twain was all of these, and more! Distributed by A&E Television Networks. (45 minutes)

Sir Isaac Newton: The Gravity of Genius

Biography Channel

This episode of Biography examines the incredible achievements and lonely life of Isaac Newton, whose Principia is to science as the Mona Lisa is to art. Distributed by A&E Television Networks. (45 minutes)

Theodore Roosevelt: Roughrider to Rushmore

Biography Channel

This episode of Biography profiles the inimitable Teddy Roosevelt: cowboy, conservationist, war hero, Nobel Prize-winner, president, and much more. Distributed by A&E Television Networks. (45 minutes)

Vincent Van Gogh: A Stroke of Genius

Biography Channel

In this episode of Biography, insights of biographers and artists and excerpts from Vincent Van Gogh’s own writings tell the remarkable tale of a genius whose brilliance went unrecognized in his lifetime.

Vladimir Lenin: Voice of Revolution

Biography Channel

Author, lawyer, Marxist revolutionary, creator of the Soviet Communist Party, and founder of the U.S.S.R., Vladimir Lenin led the Bolsheviks and the Red Army. This Biography episode follows Lenin’s revolutionary career. (45 minutes)

Battleground (The Color of War)

History Education

Fighting in every theater of war, allied soldiers faced an extraordinary range of harsh terrains and severe climates. In this program, the experience of the infantryman is examined through personal recollections of World War II veterans. Distributed by A&E Television Networks. A part of the series The Color of War. (45 minutes)

Aftermath (The Color of War)

History Education

The aftermath of World War II and peacekeeping efforts are examined in this program. Distributed by A&E Television Networks. A part of the series The Color of War. (45 minutes)

Covering War (The Color of War)

History Education

This program captures the experiences of the combat photographers, war correspondents, combat artists, radio personalities, and others who documented World War II. Distributed by A&E Television Networks. A part of the series The Color of War. (45 minutes)

Capturing Reality: The Art of Documentary

National Film Board of Canada

From cinema vérité pioneers Albert Maysles and Joan Churchill to maverick directors like Errol Morris and Werner Herzog, this program presents the reflections and experiences of some of the documentary world’s brightest luminaries. Interviews with 38 directors are combined with over 160 clips from such films as Grey Gardens, The Thin Blue Line, Darwin's Nightmare, Touching the Void, and One Day in September. Each participant describes both the journey of making a film and that of making a life in filmmaking, while addressing a fundamental question: can a documentary capture reality, and what does that look like? Interviewees include those mentioned above as well as Jennifer Baichwal, Alanis Obomsawin, Jennifer Fox, Scott Hicks, Hubert Sauper, Sabiha Sumar, Peter Wintonick, and Jessica Yu. A viewable/printable instructor's guide is available online. (97 minutes)