Contemporary World (Documentaries)

Directed by Smallstorm.
90 minutes; released 2007.
Armed with basic physics principles, the film-makers explain how the World Trade Towers could not have collapsed as they did on their own.

Directed by Jessica Sanders.
95 minutes; released 2005.
The dramatic and compelling story of seven men imprisoned for decades who were exonerated after DNA evidence proved their innocence.

Directed by Stephen Marshall.
125 minutes; released 2003.
Produced by the Guerilla News Network, this film challenges the U.S. government's official account of the events of September 11th, 2001. It features interviews of nine people answering eleven of the most pressing questions that emanate from the terrible and unexplained events of that day.

Produced by Z Video Productions.
68 minutes; released 2000.
In this lecture, Chomsky discusses economic globalization and its impact on people in the U.S. and around the world.

Produced by Z Video Productions.
47 minutes; released 2003.
David Barsamian, producer and host of Alternative Radio, as well as author of numerous books, discusses the growing resistance to a declaration of endless war finding expression and an increasing audience in alternative media. Filmed at Z Media Institute, June 2003.

Produced by Public Affairs Television, Inc.
52 minutes; released 2004.
Bill Moyers talks with Noam Chomsky about the meaning of protest today and the decline of political democracy.

Directed by Aaron Russo.
105 minutes; released 2006.
Russo's examination of the creation of federal income tax in the United States and its part in the erosion of civil liberties.

Produced by VisionTV Insight.
54 minutes; released 2002.
A VisionTV panel discusses the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 attack on the World Trade Center.

Directed by Ron Fricke.
96 minutes; released 1992.
A nature film shot on six continents in 24 countries. Baraka captures the planet's glories and violent calamities.

Directed by Albert Maysles and David Maysles.
91 minutes; released 2006.
On the thirtieth anniversary of their classic Grey Gardens, the Brothers Maysles have put together this follow-up from hours of newly discovered footage featuring the reclusive yet affable mother and daughter team of Edith and Edith Beale.

Produced by Hyperion.
82 minutes; released 2005.
A supplement to Mike Wallace's second volume of memoirs, this DVD contains footage of the interviews transcribed in the memoir.

Directed by Isidore Rosmarin.
74 minutes; released 2007.
Digging at the truth beneath the hype and headlines of the Arab-Israeli conflict, this film features interviews with top officials from former Israeli Prime Ministers, Mideast scholars, Hamas leaders, soldiers, terrorists, and the families caught in the middle of the fighting.

Directed by Michael Moore.
119 minutes; released 2002.
The United States is notorious for its gun problem; many are killed by firearms there. With his signature angry humor, and interviews with such people as Charlton Heston and Marilyn Manson, filmmaker Moore sets out to explore the roots of this bloodshed.

Directed by Eric Steel.
94 minutes; released 2006.
In this documentary about suicide, shocking images of successful and attempted suicides from the Golden Gate Bridge are accompanied by interviews with family members, witnesses, and surviving attempters.

Directed by Klaartje Quirijns.
53 minutes; released 2005.
The story of why and how an Albanian immigrant to America starts up a guerrilla army by transporting weapons from the United States to Kosovo. Based on Stacy Sullivan's book Be Not Afraid, For You Have Sons in America.

Directed by Michael Moore.
127 minutes; released 2009.
In this documentary on American capitalist culture, Michael Moore investigates the effect of corporate greed on American lives and concludes that while few benefit many more suffer, experiencing job loss, home foreclosures, and poverty. Written, produced, and directed by Moore.

Produced by Films for the Humanities & Sciences.
23 minutes; released 2003.
This ABC News program looks at sexual misconduct among Catholic clergymen and how the Church is addressing the problem.

Directed by Yoav Shamir.
79 minutes; released 2003.
More than three million Palestinians live in The West Bank and Gaza Strip, which has been under Israeli military authority since 1967. This award-winning film documents the impact of the enforced boundaries know as "checkpoints" on the Israeli border, the border guards drafted to monitor them, and the Palestinians who pass through them every day. In Hebrew and Arabic with English subtitles.

Directed by Sue Williams.
360 minutes; released 1989.
A three-part series on China in the twentieth century, looking at the birth of the new republic, the Mao years, and the recent transformation to an expanding free-market economy.

Directed by Martin Smith.
120 minutes; released 2004.
A PBS Frontline episode which explores how United States presidential candidates George W. Bush and John Kerry have been shaped by their family backgrounds and history.

Directed by Pier Paolo Pasolini.
90 minutes; released 1964.
In this documentary, Pasolini asks Italians about sex, love, prostitution, homosexuality, and marital and non-marital liaisons. Starring Pasolini as the interviewer and Lello Bersani as the narrator. In Italian with English subtitles.

Produced by Z Video Productions.
55 minutes; released 2004.
Talks by Pervez Hoodboy, Tanika Sarkar and Amarjeet Kaur address fundamentalism and religious intolerance, and focus on ways fundamentalist thinking has affected millions of people's lives through repression, massacres, and genocide. This Z Video production was filmed at the World Social Forum in Mumbai, India in January 2004.

Directed by Gail Pellett.
30 minutes; released 1990.
Bill Moyers talks with Bharati Mukherjee about the building resentment and tensions about immigrants to the United States.

Produced by the Teaching Company.
30-minute lectures; released 2009.
Pt 1. Lecture 1: What is conservatism?; Lecture 2: The glorious revolution and its heritage; Lecture 3: Burke, tradition, and the French Revolution; Lecture 4: Pitt and the wars of the French Revolution; Lecture 5: The American Revolution; Lecture 6: The Federalists; Lecture 7: Conservatives in the American south; Lecture 8: Northern Antebellum conservatism; Lecture 9: Opposing the Great Reform Act; Lecture 10: Robert Peel and the conservative revival; Lecture 11: Smith, Ricardo, Malthus, Mill; Lecture 12: Conservatism and the American Civil War, etc.

Directed by Jehane Noujaim.
86 minutes; released 2004.
This film provides a rare window into the international perception of the Iraq War, courtesy of Al Jazeera, the Arab world's most popular news outlet, which continues to show the world everything about the Iraq War that the Bush administration does not want the public to see.

Produced by Z Video Productions.
43 minutes; released 2004.
Maude Barlow, chair of the Council of Canadians, describes in detail how corporations, with the collusion of governments, have stolen water from communities, mostly in third world countries, and sold it back to citizens at outrageous prices.

Directed by Mark Achbar and Jennifer Abbott.
145 minutes; released 2003.
Since the late 18th century American legal decision that the business corporation organizational model is legally a person, it has become a dominant economic, political and social force around the globe. This film takes an in-depth psychological examination of this organization model and suggests what people with courage, intelligence and determination can do to stop it.

Directed by Basil Gelpke and Ray McCormack.
85 minutes; released 2006.
This documentary features interviews with some of the world's top energy experts, who confirm that our oil-dependency must change in light of dwindling resources.

Directed by David Batty and Kevin Toolis.
96 minutes; released 2005.
Former CIA spy Robert Baer examines the history of suicide bombing from its origins in the Iran-Iraq war, through the truck bombers in southern Lebanon, to its contemporary use throughout the Middle East.

Directed by Aisha Bain, Jen Marlowe and Adam Shapiro.
55 minutes; released 2005.
This documentary looks at the genocide taking place today in the Darfur region.

Directed by Marc Singer.
84 minutes; released 2000.
Documentary about a community of homeless people living in a train tunnel beneath Manhattan. Depicts a way of life that is unimaginable to most of those who walk the streets above. For some of those who have gone underground, it has been home for as long as 25 years.

Directed by Michael Kirk.
90 minutes; released 2006.
Investigates Dick Cheney's critical role in orchestrating the Iraq War and his power struggle with former CIA Director George Tenet.

Directed by Gail Pellett.
30 minutes; released 2006.
Bill Moyers talks with Sheldon Wolin about the concept of democracy and the search for a collective identity.

Directed by Victoria Barrett.
64 minutes; released 2001.
The story of small groups of Turkish Muslims, Jews and Christians who worked together to save Jewish lives during the Second World War.

Directed by John Junkerman.
55 minutes; released 2003.
Noam Chomsky speaks at Harvard University about the United States' definition of terrorism and foreign policy in regard to nations and groups considered to be guilty of terrorism.

Directed by Hayder Mousa Daffar.
75 minutes; released 2005.
Daffar's examination of life in Baghdad after the United States invasion of Iraq.

Produced by Z Video Productions.
89 minutes; released 2001.
This video provides an historical overview of East Timor by Cynthia Peters, an update on the refugee camps in West Timor by Winston Rondo, and a look at U.S. policy and what activists can do to change the situation by Noam Chomsky. This Z Video production was filmed on June 2, 2001, at a teach-in sponsored by the East Timor Action Network.

Directed by Gregory Greene.
78 minutes; released 2004.
A frightening documentary about the coming "end of oil" and the effect that a future of steadily increasing energy prices will have on the world in general and the suburbs in particular.

Directed by Alex Gibney.
110 minutes; released 2005.
The inside story of one of history's greatest business scandals, in which top executives of America's seventh largest company walked away with over one billion dollars, while investors and employees lost everything.

Produced by Z Video Productions.
40 minutes; released 2002.
Robert Bullard discusses environmental racism and the environmental justice movement's role in redefining environmentalism, while Vandana Shiva criticizes the inequality and bankrupt policies of the IMF and WTO. This Z Video production was filmed at the World Social Forum in Porto Alegre, Brazil, January 31-February 5, 2002.

Directed by Michael Moore.
122 minutes; released 2004.
Were you aware that America has had a deal to protect the Saudi royal family in exchange for easy access to Saudi oil since F.D.R.? Michael Moore was, and in this documentary he investigates many other interesting facts about America's foreign policy and the reasons for, and consequences of, the September 11, 2001 attack on America.

Directed by Angelo Sacerdote.
58 minutes; released 2002.
Using archival footage and interviews, this video presents an overview of the American food production system and explores the unintentional effects of pesticides, the resistance of biotechnology companies to food labeling and the links between government officials and major biotechnology and chemical companies.

Directed by Robert Gardner.
60 minutes; released 2002.
Elie Wiesel, Nobel Peace Prize Laureate and author of the Holocaust memoir Night, talks about his life, work and concerns for the future of humankind. He discusses his experiences as a journalist in Paris and Jerusalem, his authorship of more than 40 novels, plays and essays, and the events of September 11, 2001.

Directed by James Moll.
54 minutes; released 2004.
In 1943, a Catholic priest, Jewish rabbi, and two Protestant ministers were aboard the U.S.A.T. Dorchester when it was hit by a German torpedo. The four chaplains gave up their life preservers to save others, and spent their last moments praying together as the ship sank beneath the waves.

Directed by Jacqueline Soohen and Richard Rowley.
76 minutes; released 2004.
This documentary weaves together the images and voices of war around the world - from the front lines of struggles in Mexico, Argentina, South Africa, Palestine, Korea, 'the North' from Seattle to Genova, and the 'War on Terror' in New York and Iraq.

Directed by Tom Casciato and Kathleen Hughes.
57 minutes; released 1999.
Bill Moyers and key legal and public interest advocates examine how industries with money use their access to the media to overwhelm public debate.

Directed by Deborah Koons Garcia.
88 minutes; released 2004.
This documentary looks at the various forces behind the rise of genetically-engineered foods, as well as exploring alternatives to large-scale industrial agriculture.

Directed by Greg Barker.
115 minutes; released 2004.
A PBS documentary about the massacre of over 800,000 Rwandans in 1994.

Produced by VisionTV Insight.
39 minutes; released 2002.
Media critic Barrie Zwicker challenges the official explanation for the September 11th attack, and considers the implications of America's "war on terrorism".

Directed by Ellen Hovde, Albert Maysles, David Maysles and Muffie Meyer.
94 minutes; released 1975.
A documentary portrait of the relationship between Edith Bouvier Beale and her grown daughter Little Edie (cousins of Jackie O.), once aspiring actress in New York who left her career to care for her aging mother in their East Hampton home, and never left again.

Directed by Werner Herzog.
104 minutes; released 2005.
Using interviews and archival footage, acclaimed German director Herzog explores the life and death of amateur grizzly bear expert and wildlife preservationist Timothy Treadwell, who lived unarmed among grizzlies for 13 summers.

Directed by Cassian Harrison and Tim Lambert.
165 minutes; released 2005.
Based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning bestseller by Jared Diamond, Guns, Germs, and Steel explores 13,000 years of connections between geography, technology and global human development.

Directed by Barbara Kopple.
104 minutes; released 1976.
Kopple's landmark documentary about the 1973 Kentucky coal miners' strike which lasted over a year.

Directed by Peter Davis.
112 minutes; released 1974.
Recounts the history and attitudes of the opposing sides of the Vietnam War using archival news footage as well as new footage and interviews. A key theme is how attitudes of American racism and self-righteousness militarism helped create and prolong this bloody conflict.

Directed by Jeremy Earp and Sut Jhally.
76 minutes; released 2004.
An examination of the reasons used by the Bush Administration for the American intervention in Iraq.

Directed by Connie Littlefield.
57 minutes; released 2006.
A look at the history of LSD.

Directed by Elena Mannes.
50 minutes; released 1988.
Film producer David Puttnam talks to Bill Moyers about how movies reflect and influence U.S. society. First broadcast on the television show, A World of Ideas with Bill Moyers.

Directed by Steve James.
171 minutes; released 1994.
This documentary follows two inner-city basketball phenoms' lives through high school as they chase their dreams of playing in the NBA. An epic chronicle of hope and perseverance.

Directed by Suki Hawley & Michael Galinsky.
79 minutes; released 2002.
A documentary about biographer J.H. Hatfield and small press publisher Sander Hicks's battle to get Hatfield's controversial bestseller on the life of George W. Bush, Fortunate Son, back on shelves before the 2000 presidential election.

Directed by Deb Ellis and Denis Mueller.
78 minutes; released 2004.
Beginning with his early days as a shipyard labour organizer and bombardier in the Second World War, this documentary shows how Howard Zinn became an academic rebel and leader of civil disobedience at a time of institutionalized racism and war.

Produced by Z Video Productions.
101 minutes; released 2005.
Noam Chomsky covers the war in Iraq, the U.S. policy of obtaining strategic power and leverage over its key rivals, the hypocrisy of the U.S. "messianic vision" of bringing "democracy" and "freedom" to every corner of the world while violating democratic principles, international law, and increasing the threat of terror.

Produced by Z Video Productions.
52 minutes; released 2003.
Chomsky addresses the Bush administration's official plans for oppr.phpon, world domination, and international conflict, and the inevitable resistance these plans will excite. This Z Video production was filmed at Z Media Institute, June 2003.

Produced by AK Press.
220 minutes; released 2005.
Features one of the world's leading intellectuals, Noam Chomsky, contesting official versions of history and today's news in two powerful lectures and a 45-minute interview with Barry Pateman.

Directed by Danny Schechter.
98 minutes; released 2007.
This documentary by journalist Schechter looks at America's mounting debt crisis and its implications for the interconnected global economy.

Produced by Z Video Productions.
75 minutes; released 2006.
Speakers from various countries describe how the U.S. media assists in carrying out foreign policy through propaganda and misinformation.

Directed by Terry Sanders.
60 minutes; released 1996.
This documentary considers the implications digitally stored information will have on human knowledge, asking whether future generations will have access to the electronically recorded history of our time. A sequel to Slow Fires.

Directed by Raney Aronson.
60 minutes; released 2004.
An examination of the role of Evangelical Christianity in American politics.

Directed by Stanley Nelson.
90 minutes; released 2007.
An examination of the largest mass murder-suicide in history by the Peoples Temple followers of Jim Jones.

Directed by Michael Kirk.
60 minutes; released 2005.
Frontline and the Washington Post join forces to trace the political history of the man who has been Bush's chief strategist from the beginning. Karl Rove is described as having been on the inside of every political and policy decision of the Bush administration.

Produced by Z Video Productions.
63 minutes; released 2006.
A panel discussion about the human rights tragedy that followed Hurricane Katrina. Key issues covered include how Katrina encapsulated the specter of racism and the government response to it.

Produced by Z Video Productions.
85 minutes; released 2006.
In this talk, Chomsky focuses on the difficulty of working towards democracy. He details the history of the U.S., after WWII, becoming the most powerful state in history using military and economic policies that he argues were anything but democratic.

Directed by Amos Gitai.
123 minutes; released 2000.
A movie set during the Yom Kippur War in 1973, when Israel battled Egypt and Syria in Sinai and the Golan Heights. Shown from the perspective of two Israeli soldiers serving on a rescue crew, the film depicts a horrific day of death and destruction as the crew tries to pick up the pieces in the wake of slaughter.

Directed by Raney Aronson-Rath.
60 minutes; released 2005.
A PBS Frontline video investigating the steady decline in the number of physicians and clinics performing abortions.

Produced by Z Video Productions.
45 minutes; released 2006.
Chomsky looks at Latin America and the Caribbean, which have historically been areas the U.S. has dominated. In the last decade, Chomsky asserts, Latin America has been moving toward independence from the U.S. and is being to integrate and demand control of their own resources.

Directed by Agnès Varda.
82 minutes; released 2000.
Starting with a painting of women gathering wheat left over from a harvest, film-maker Varda explores the lives of modern-day gleaners--people who insist on finding a use for things that others throw away. The journey takes her from the French countryside to the streets of Paris.

Directed by Stephanie Black.
86 minutes; released 2001.
Jamaica became an independent country from Great Britain in 1962. It is the land of sea, sand and sun ... but it is also a prime example of the complexities of economic globalization on the world's developing countries. Effectively portrays the relationship between Jamaican poverty and the practices of international lending agencies while driving home the devastating consequences of globalization.

Directed by Seth Kramer, Daniel A. Miller and Jeremy Newberger.
65 minutes; released 2008.
David Harrison and Gregory Anderson document langues in Siberia, India, and Bolivia, which are on the verge of extinction.

Directed by Jennifer Baichwal.
90 minutes; released 2006.
This Genie award winner for Best Documentary follows large-scale photographer Edward Burtynsky to China as he captures the effects of the country's massive industrial revolution.

Produced by Z Video Productions.
76 minutes; released 2002.
Noam Chomsky discusses the war on terrorism, media disinformation, Mideast politics, and U.S. foreign policy.

Directed by Michael Kirk.
60 minutes; released 2002.
FBI Special Agent, John O'Neill, was the bureau's top counter-terrorism agent. He had been advocating a U.S. mission against Osama Bin Laden right up to the day O'Neill died at the World Trade Center. A PBS Frontline video.

Produced by MPI Home Video.
60 minutes; release 2005.
Newsreel accounts of the 1963 March on Washington speech by Martin Luther King, Jr.

Produced by Z Video Productions.
59 minutes; released 2006.
Panelists Nan Rubin, Carl Ginsburg, Gary Younge and Amy Goodman reveal the various schemes of the mainstream media, including bias, controlled coverage and lack of intelligent reporting.

Directed by Barak Goodman.
60 minutes; released 2001.
A report on the creators and marketers of popular culture for teenagers.

Directed by Leslie Clark.
30 minutes; released 2005.
Author Jacob Needleman discusses the role of money in our society and its power to shape our culture and our souls. First broadcast on the television show, A World of Ideas with Bill Moyers.

Produced by Z Video Productions.
64 minutes; released 2002.
Danny Schechter recounts with humor and style the ins-and-outs of mainstream media organization, culture, and practice, and then discusses possibilities for organizing from within mainstream media.

Directed by Leslie Clark.
30 minutes; released 1990.
Bill Moyers talks with Ruth Macklin, philosopher and professor of bioethics, who discusses the difficult decisions involved in medical care today and offers ethical insights into the emotional and morally difficult issues surrounding pregnancy. First broadcast on the television show, A World of Ideas with Bill Moyers.

Directed by Laura Poitras.
90 minutes; released 2006.
American filmmaker Laura Poitras follows Iraqi physician Dr. Riyadh - a Sunni political candidate and outspoken critic of the American occupation of Iraq - for an unforgettable journey into the heart of war-ravaged Iraq in the months leading up to the January 2005 elections.

Directed by Pamela Mason Wagner.
57 minutes; released 1999.
Bill Moyers interviews George Lucas, who discusses his efforts to tell old myths in new ways, the role of faith in his own life, and the influence of his mentor, Joseph Campbell.

Directed by Raney Aronson-Rath.
270 minutes; released 2007.
This four-part PBS documentary looks at the evolution of American journalism from the mid-1970s to today, with special attention given to the role of a free press in a post-9/11 world.

Produced by Z Video Productions.
111 minutes; released 2002.
Sponsored by the Culture and Technology Forum at MIT, Chomsky's 2001 talk in The New War on Terrorism focuses on examples of US terror to argue for political dissent and change.

Produced by Peek Media.
28 minutes; released 2001.
"New World Border documents the rise in human rights abuses along the US Mexico border since the implementation of border blockades, which have been erected in populated areas throughout the border region during the last decade." In English and Spanish with English subtitles.

Directed by Martin Scorsese.
207 minutes; released 2005.
Through interviews and rare concert performances Martin Scorsese documents Bob Dylan's rise from folk singer to legendary pop artist in 1966.

Directed by Jamal Dajani and David Michaelis.
58 minutes; released 2005.
A Palestinian-American and an Israeli travel together to Jerusalem and offer fresh insight on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Produced by Z Video Productions.
71 minutes; released 2006.
A discussion on the growing dangers of war with Iran and the political and economic forces behind the rhetoric driving both sides.

Produced by Z Video Productions.
73 minutes; released 2005.
Noam Chomsky answers questions from an audience in Argentina about the meaning of U.S. elections, U.S. foreign policy in Latin America, and the significance of growing social movements such as the World Social Forum. This Z Video production was filmed December 10, 2004 in Cambridge, Massachusetts and Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Directed by Linda Ellman.
119 minutes; released 2006.
The story of September 11, 2001 - the events leading up to it, the tragic day itself, and the aftermath.

Directed by Robert Kane Pappas.
103 minutes; released 2003.
Brings together an ex-"60-Minutes" producer, a United States congressman, as well as some of the country's leading intellectual voices on the media to examine the mix of business, politics and ideology that is the modern mainstream media.

Directed by Rachel Boynton.
87 minutes; released 2005.
Follows James Carville, Jeremy Rosner and a team of political consultants as they launch a media-savvy campaign for Bolivian presidential candidate Gonzalo Snchez de Lozada.

Directed by Barak Goodman and Rachel Dretzin.
90 minutes; released 2004.
Hosted by Douglas Rushkoff, this documentary examines the lucrative "persuasion industries" of advertising and public relations and shows how they have come to shape American life, politics and public opinion.

Directed by Ofra Bikel.
90 minutes; released 2004.
Faced with the fact that nearly 95 per cent of all criminal cases are resolved through plea bargains rather than by juries, this documentary investigates the moral, judicial and constitutional implications of relying on plea bargains to expedite justice.

Directed by Ilan Ziv.
48 minutes; released 1990.
This documentary focuses on the November 16, 1989 murder of six Jesuit priests in El Salvador by uniformed soldiers, and its consequences. The film looks at the personal histories of the priests and their murderer, the history of El Salvador during their time, and the role and attitude of the church and the University in Salvadoran society.

Directed by Ralf Springhorn.
27 minutes; released 2005.
Victims and perpetrators of the 1994 Rwanda genocide speak about their experiences and about the process of reconciliation.

Directed by Albert Maysles and Charlotte Zwerin.
91 minutes; released 1968.
Follows the activities of four traveling salesmen from the Mid-American Bible Company as they cover their respective territories.

Directed by Amos Gitaï et al.
135 minutes; released 2002.
Eleven acclaimed film-makers from around the world each contribute an 11 minute short film in response to the 9/11 attacks. In English, French, Japanese, Arabic, Bosnian, Hebrew, Farsi with English and French subtitles.

Produced by Mennonite Media.
58 minutes; released 2005.
Looks at how mental illness affects the lives of individuals and their families.

Directed by Kum-Kum Bhavnani.
70 minutes; released 2006.
This powerful documentary by first-time filmmaker Kum-Kum Bhavnani looks at women around the world who through their solidarity are working to effect change in their communities: from the women spearheading rainforest preservation in Brazil by working as rubber-tappers, to the Indian women behind the world's largest trade union, and many more.

Directed by Rebecca Cammisa & Rob Fruchtman.
88 minutes; released 2001.
In 1986, Helen Travis became a Benedictine Sister after she lost her husband and both her sons to substance abuse. Two years later she opened a halfway house for recovering male addicts. This documentary explores the love/hate relationship between this strict nun and the men who rely on her to help them overcome addiction.

Directed by Michael Moore.
97 minutes; released 2007.
A documentary of Moore's 2004 tour during which he visited 62 swing state cities in order to encourage young people to vote.

Directed by Terry Sanders.
60 minutes; released 1987.
A sobering look at how the gradual deterioration of library materials will lead to the irrevocable loss of our cultural heritage.

Produced by Z Video Productions.
75 minutes; released 2006.
This Left Forum session includes moving testimony from soldiers about war in general and the Iraq war in particular, and reveals how their feelings about that war have changed.

Directed by David Kasper and Barbara Trent.
28 minutes; released 2006.
A brief look at the growing anti-war and anti-occupation movement within the military and military families. Also features interviews with veterans and several short films.

Directed by Morgan Spurlock.
100 minutes; released 2004.
Spurlock examines the American obesity epidemic by interviewing experts nationwide and subjecting himself to a "McDonald's ONLY" diet for 30 days straight.

Directed by Elizabeth Murray.
48 minutes; released 2007.
Seven people from various cultural backgrounds share how they are dealing with the death of someone close to them.

Directed by Avi Lewis.
87 minutes; released 2004.
This documentary explores how Argentina's 2001 economic collapse, in which a prosperous middle-class economy was destroyed during 10 years of IMF policies, affected the lives of ordinary workers. Written by Naomi Klein.

Produced by Z Video Productions.
52 minutes; released 2006.
In this panel discussion at the 2006 Left Forum in New York City, four attorneys specializing in rights and constitutional law discuss civil liberties violations since 9/11, as well as domestic spying, U.S. presidential power, and PATRIOT Act provisions. The panelists are Michael Steven Smith, Dalia Hashad, Michael Ratner, and Heidi Bogosian.

Directed by Alex Jones.
110 minutes; released 2006.
An examination of the use of terror attacks by Western governments.

Directed by Steven Greenstreet.
88 minutes; released 2005.
When Michael Moore is invited to speak at a college it creates a firestorm not usually seen in the heart of conservative Mormon country. Protests, anger, and a bribery attempt by a local businessman to stop Moore's appearance punctuate this documentary that cuts to the heart of the rift in the nation.

Produced by Z Video Productions.
91 minutes; released 2005.
Howard Zinn, the well-known author of numerous books including the classic, A People's History of the United States, discusses his life experiences in war and peaceful struggle and how it relates to teaching and writing history, and viewing the world.

Directed by Nadia Collot.
52 minutes; released 2005.
Exposes the unsavoury practices of the powerful tobacco industry.

Directed by Kon Ichikawa.
170 minutes; released 1965.
An epic study of athletes struggling to excel against their own bodies and against each other. In Japanese with optional English subtitles.

Directed by Casey Peek.
16 minutes; released 2002.
This video illustrates the real dangers of so-called "free trade." It's an invaluable resource for trade unions and community groups confronting the powerful new forces of globalization.

Directed by Eugene Jarecki.
80 minutes; released 2002.
A documentary which investigates the involvement of United States Secretary of State in war crimes and other illegal activities in Cambodia and Chile.

Directed by Leni Riefenstahl.
120 minutes; released 1935.
Riefenstahl's documentation of the 1934 Nazi Party rally in Nuremberg.

Produced by Frontline with RAINmedia.
90 minutes; released 2003.
A PBS Frontline episode which traces the roots of the Iraqi war back to the days immediately after September 11, 2001.

Produced by Exodus Student Ministries.
25 minutes; released 2007.
Designed for youth groups and campus ministries, this documentary offers testimonials from young men and women struggling with same-sex attraction, as well as in-depth look into what the Bible says on homosexuality.

Produced by Z Video Productions.
56 minutes; released 2004.
Introduction by Lydia Sargent. Talks by Joseph Gerson, Michael Warshawsky, Nabila Faani, Achin Vanaik, Hanna Riehmawi, Rani Masri on Iraq, Palestine and Afghanistan.

Directed by Stephen Fell and Will Thompson.
110 minutes; released 2007.
An examination of the pro-life movement in the United States over the past 35 years, offering insight into both the religious and political ideologies of this social movement.

Directed by Nonny de la Peña.
68 minutes; released 2004.
Unconstitutional examines the series of apparently well-intended post-9/11 policies and legislation (such as the USA Patriot Act) which in fact threaten basic civil liberties.

Directed by Robert Greenwald.
90 minutes; released 2004.
Takes the viewer behind the walls of government, as CIA, Pentagon and foreign service experts speak out detailing the lies, misstatements and exaggerations that served as the reasons for fighting a "preemptive" war against Iraq that wasn't necessary.

Produced by World Artists Home Video.
128 minutes; released 2001.
A collaborative film project comprised of a collection of short films by a variety of experimental and documentary filmmakers in response to the events of September 11, 2001.

Produced by The Teaching Company.
30-minute lectures; released 2003.
Presents lectures concerning foreign relations between the United States and the Middle East, from 1914 to September 11, 2001.

Directed by Dahna Abourahme.
76 minutes; released 2004.
Set during the Second Intifada, this documentary follows four Palestinian families living in Dheisheh Refugee Camp near Bethlehem.Audio-track in English and Arabic with subtitles.

Directed by Michael Apted.
576 minutes; released 2004.
Seven documentary films which examine the lives of fourteen British children at seven year periods from 1964 to the present.

Directed by Yung Chang.
93 minutes; released 2007.
A documentary about the passengers of a luxury liner going up the Yangtze, a river in China whose waters will, on completion of the Three Gorges Dam project, submerge the villages along the riverbanks.

Produced by The Teaching Company.
30-minute lectures; released 2003.
Examines the fundamental question of our times: why was the 20th century so violent? It looks at the ideologies that promised utopias and total solutions to social problems and relates the terrible human toll of attempts to realize these ideas.

Directed by William Gazecki.
136 minutes; released 1997.
A documentary about the tragic April 1993 standoff between federal law enforcers and the Branch Davidian religious sect in which 80 people died.

Directed by Robert Greenwald.
97 minutes; released 2005.
An exposé of the personnel practices of retail-giant Wal-mart and the consequent costs to American taxpayers.

Produced by Z Video Productions.
42 minutes; released 2002.
Howard Zinn argues that the 2002 war in Iraq is not so much a war on terror as a manifestation of ongoing US foreign policy.

Directed by Michael Samstag.
74 minutes; released 2005.
A look into the history of war correspondents from WWII to present, with a special emphasis on the war in Iraq.

Directed by Betsy McCarthy.
30 minutes; released 1988.
Should western classics be taught as the foundation of all thought at the expense of contributions by women, minorities, and the third world? John Searle, philosopher and educator, argues education should accept significant works from other cultures, but only if they meet certain criteria. First broadcast on the television show, A World of Ideas with Bill Moyers.

Directed by Spike Lee.
256 minutes; released 2005.
Lee documents distinct perspectives on the pivotal events that preceded and followed Hurricane Katrina's passage through New Orleans, a catastrophe during which the divide between race and class lines has never been more pronounced.

Directed by Chris Paine.
93 minutes; released 2006.
In the late 90s, GM briefly introduced a fuel-efficient, environmentally-friendly electric car, the EV-1, which many believed had the potential to revolutionize the automotive world. This documentary explores the company's motives for junking the project.

Directed by Eugene Jarecki.
99 minutes; released 2005.
Explores a half-century of U.S. foreign policy from World War II to the Iraq War, revealing how political and corporate interests have become alarmingly entangled in the business of war. What emerges is a portrait of a nation in transition.

Directed by Calvin Skaggs and David Van Taylor.
100 minutes; released 2004.
This documentary attempts to explain U.S. President George W. Bush's evangelical agenda, first providing an historical context, and second focusing on Bush himself and his manipulation of "born again" imagery to attract votes.

Directed by William Karel.
93 minutes; released 2004.
A film by Karel, with the participation of France 2. This documentary explores the policies of the Bush administration - including the erosion of freedom entailed in the The Patriot Act, and of the Bush family - including it's ties to Saudi Arabian oil.

Produced by Z Video Productions.
53 minutes; released 2002.
Hooks talks about writing for alternative publishers and for the mainstream. She also reads from her work and discusses what it's like to write about race, gender, and class in a publishing world that encourages mediocrity. This Z Video production was filmed March, 2002.