American University Library - Central America Mediagraphy

Latin American Filmography - Central America
updated (7/07)

Alsino y el condor = Alsino and the condor . 1986. 1 videocassette (89 min.). Film depicts the clash between Central American governments and Sandinista rebels as seen through the eyes of Alsino, a young boy caught up in the conflicts who dreams of flying above the madness of the world around him. VHS 6216

Borderless: Lives of undocumented workers . 2006. 1 videodisc (27 min.). A docu-poem about the lives of undocumented worker. Gives voice to the dreams and struggles of undocumented workers, Geraldo, a Costa Rican construction worker, and Angela, a second-generation Caribbean domestic worker, bring to life problems of labour exploitation and family separation. DVD 2362

Can tropical rainforests be saved? 1991. 1 videocassette (ca. 120 min.). From a global perspective, examines ways in which rainforests are being depleted and the needs for their survival. Studies rainforests and deforestation in Africa, Latin America, and Asia. Includes Japan, the world's largest importer of rainforest wood; the Amazon; Indonesia; the Penans of Sarawak and the Batacs of Palawan, who are fighting to save their forest; Thailand and Ivory Coast; the Philippines; Costa Rica; Rwanda; Camaroon; Madagascar; and Panama, where the Kuna Indians are working to preserve their rainforest. VHS 1739

Central America: Costa Rica . Our developing world. 1996. 1 videocassette (20 min.). The topics of economic development, education, and self-help are featured in this program. We see: how the country uses coffee and banana exports to propel itself forward as a developing nation; how and why it chose educating its people over building an army; and how it remains a peaceful democratic anomaly in Latin America. VHS 4525

Jungleburger . 1986. 1 videocassette (52 min.). Film examines the impact - social, cultural and environmental - of the fast food industry on Third World countries. Focuses on the operations of a meat processing plant in Costa Rica that exports meat for the use of the fast food industry in the United States and how this industry has contributed to the depletion of the rain forests and the drop in meat consumption in Costa Rica. VHS 4695

Rosita a documentary . 2005. 1 videodisc (57 min., 47 sec.). When a nine-year-old Nicaraguan girl becomes pregnant as a result of a rape, her parents--illiterate campesinos working in Costa Rica--seek a legal therapeutic abortion to save their only child's life. Their quest triggers a battle over whose life has precedence, and pits them against the governments of Nicaragua and Costa Rica, the medical establishment, and the Catholic Church. As the story gains international media attention, its repercussions spread across Latin America and Europe. DVD 1560

Guatemala

Against forgetting: Digging up and confronting the past in Guatemala . 1996. 1 videocassette (16 min.). Discusses two massacres that occurred in 1982 as part of the government's anti-insurgency campaign in Guatemala, including the history of the beginning of the government repression in 1952. Since 1993 the mass graves of these victims have begun to be exhumed in order to provide proper burial. The Monuments to Truth project raises funds to help surviving victims create monuments to commemorate their lost loved ones. VHS 7307

Americas in transition . 199. 1 videocassette (30 min.). Focuses on American military intervention in Nicaragua, Guatemala, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Chile, and El Salvador. Discusses the roots of dictatorship, its effects on citizens, movements toward majority rule, and communist influences. VHS 6928

Ancient healing . 2000. 1 videocassette (27 min.). This video first demonstrates the use of moxa and acupuncture for treating sciatica and for repositioning breech babies prior to birth. Ted Kaptchuk provides a comparison of Chinese and western medicine. A final segment explores shamanism and healing in Guatemala. VHS 6860

The cola conquest: A trilogy . 1998. 3 videocassettes (153 min.). Looks at the extraordinary story of Coca-Cola, "the sublimated essence of all that America stands for," and its century-long battle with arch-rival Pepsi." Takes the viewer from Coke's invention by a morphine-addicted Civil War vet to the brink of the 21st century. The Big Sell: Through a century of image-making with master artists - including the creation of our modern version of Santa - Coke sheds its patent medicine image to become first the drink for young moderns, and finally the most recognized brand name on earth. Coke's success spawns numerous imitations, including Pepsi, which is just another cola until it targets the "Pepsi Generation." With Pepsi's launch of the Michael Jackson campaign, the Cola Wars explode. Cola War and Peace: During World War II, Coca-Cola becomes an essential morale booster for the troops and a worldwide symbol of the American way of life. As the Cold War turns frigid, former Pepsi lawyer, Richard Nixon, gives Pepsi a decade-plus jump on Coke behind the Iron Curtain. But when the Berlin Wall falls, Coca-Cola is there passing out "the taste of freedom." Back at home, Coca-Cola plays a significant role in the American Civil Rights movement and offers a Vietnam War-weary nation the ultimate commercial for world peace. Coca-Colonization: Tea spills in China, wine in France and blood in Guatemala, as Coca-Cola teaches the world to acquire a taste for "The Real Thing." But as Coke - and Pepsi - are busy abroad conquering new markets, upstart colas are ripping at their heels back home. From the jungles of Papua New Guinea to the "Coca-Cola Olympics" in Atlanta, we see the globalization of American pop culture and corporate influence on the souls of nations. VHS 5885

Continent on the move . Americas. 1993. 1 videocassette (60 min.). Series of programs focusing on contemporary Latin America. This segment follows a Mexican migrant family on its rural-to-urban journey, comparing this internal migration with the transnational flow of immigrants from war-torn Guatemala into Mexico. VHS 2123

Danger children at work . Life: Life series 3. 2002. 1 videocassette (27 min.). Part of a series examining the issue of globalization and its effect on ordinary people around the world. This segment looks at the production of fireworks by poor families and their children in Guatemala. Since the land is poor, many have turned from agriculture to producing fireworks at home. The practice has become the major source of income for 80% of local people, with no safety controls and frequent accidents. VHS 7159

Dirty secrets: Jennifer, Everardo & the CIA in Guatemala . 1998. 1 videocassette (56 min.). Follows the efforts of Texas lawyer Jennifer Harbury to find the truth about her husband Everardo, a Guatemalan peasant revolutionary who "disappeared" after capture by Guatemalan government forces. Involvement by the CIA and other American governmental bodies in this and related events is revealed. VHS 4928

The geographic dynamic of the Pacific Rim: Middle America, collision of cultures . The power of place: world regional geography. 1995. 1 videocassette (58 min.). Singapore, gateway city, looks at how Singapore exploits its location to play a key commercial role in Pacific Asia. Australia, new links to Asia, investigates Australia's European roots and recent Asian influences in economic development. Mexico, motive to migrate, examines migration patterns both within and outside of Mexico. Guatemala, continuing conquest, examines the "cycles of conquest" borne by Maya peoples in Guatemala. VHS 3763-3764

Goodbye baby: Adoptions from Guatemala . 2005. 1 videodisc (58 min.). "The number of adoptions from Guatemala to the US has risen dramatically in recent years, as has the controversy. What is seen as an act of love by adoptive parents is viewed with suspicion inside Guatemala, and the film examines the ramifications that money, private lawyers, media coverage and women's rights have on the adoption process." - Taken from container. DVD 2287

The Highland Maya: A case study in economic anthropology . Faces of culture: revised. 1994. 1 videocassette (28 min.). Explores the complex interweaving of economics and religion known as the "cargo" system, which is found among the Highland Maya of Mexico and Guatemala. VHS 3125

If the mango tree could speak . 1993. 1 videocassette (58 min.). Looks at children, ages 12 to 15, growing up in the midst of war in Guatemala and El Salvador. The children share their dreams and hopes as well as their pain and loss as they talk about war and peace, justice, ethnic identity, friendship and marriage. VHS 4323

In whose interest? 2002. 1 videocassette (28 min.). Film focuses on US intervention in Guatemala, Vietnam, East Timor, El Salvador and Palestine/Israel. VHS 7264

Intervention . Secret intelligence. 1988. 1 videocassette (60 min.). Traces the history of the CIA from its beginnings under Truman to fight Communism in Europe, through the Eisenhower administration, including its involvement in coups in Iran and Guatemala, to the Bay of Pigs disaster during John Kennedy's administration. VHS 834

The man we called Juan Carlos . 2000. 1 videocassette (53 min.). Explores the life of Wenceslao Armira. A Mayan farmer from Guatemala, he later became a leader of guerilla troops and lost two of his children to death squads in 1984. His interaction with filmmakers for over 25 years raises questions of human rights and social justice. VHS 6853

A massacre remembered . 2000. 1 videodisc (4 min.). "Guatemala's thirty-six year civil war claimed the lives of more than 200,000 citizens and displaced millions more. The Guatemalan military killed, tortured, raped and butchered hundreds of thousands of people. This WITNESS Rights Alert feature tells the story of Jesus Tecu Osorio, survivor and witness to the Rio Negro Massacre that took place on March 13, 1982, and his long struggle for justice." -from www.witness.org. Tells the story of Jesús Tecú Osorio, one of the few survivors of the Rio Negro Massacre that took place in Guatemala on March 13, 1982. After witnessing the massacre of more than one hundred children and nearly eighty women by members of the Guatemalan army and civil patrols, Jesus and seventeen other children were taken to work as servants in the houses of the patrollers who killed their families. Jesus lived in captivity for three years until freed by his only surviving sister. VHS 7556

Maya: The blood of kings . Lost civilizations. 1995. 1 videocassette (ca. 50 min.). While Europe was in the midst of the Dark Ages, the Maya of Central America were developing a culture responsible for a complicated writing system, mathematic and astrological calculations and archeological marvels. Explore ruins in the jungles of Mexico, Honduras and Guatemala to understand a people both sophisticated and bloodthirsty and a society that collapsed with mysterious speed. VHS 5172

El norte = The North . 1984. 1 videocassette (141 min.). Film looks at the plight of illegal aliens in the U.S. Beginning in the remote mountain jungles of Guatemala, this highly-acclaimed drama about a brother and sister seeking a better life centers on two young Indians. When their father is killed by government soldiers and their mother taken away, they set out for the "promised land" to the north--El Norte. VHS 154

On the trail of the jaguar . Lost civilizations. 1990. 1 videocassette (43 min.). Exploration of the archaeological finds from the Mayan civilization at the Tikal region of northern Guatemala. VHS 3478

Popol vuh: Sacred book of the Quiché Maya . 1988. 1 videocassette (62 min.). Portrays the creation myth of the Quiché Maya of ancient Guatemala. Gives life to the mystic history and art of the Maya, using animated drawings taken directly from classic Maya pottery. VHS 1783

A right to justice . 2001. 1 videocassette (10 min.). "Focusing on the indigenous massacres during the civil war in Guatemala, the video documents the aftermath of the Ro Negro massacre and the community's struggle to attain proper compensation and social justice. On March 13, 1982, 177 Maya-Ach women and children from the village of Ro Negro were massacred by the army and civil patrol groups; 18 children were forced to witness the murders and subsequently to work as servants in the homes of the executioners. This village was specifically targeted by the army because of their reticence to leave their ancestral lands located in the basin of the future Chixoy hydroelectric dam funded by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and the World Bank." -from www.witness.org. Follows the struggle of the indigenous Maya Achi people of Guatemala to learn the truth of the Rio Negro genocide that took place on March 13, 1982. Includes footage of the recent trial of a few of the perpetrators and details recent efforts to document the atrocities and to secure justice through the prosecution of those responsible. VHS 7557

Rigoberta Menchu: Broken silence . 1993. 1 videocassette (21 min.). This program focuses on 1992 Nobel Peace Prize winner, Rigoberta Menchu, as she discusses the lack of human rights for the indigenous people of Guatemala and her commitment to the struggle for a more egalitarian society. VHS 3507

El silencio de Neto = The silence of Neto . 1998. 1 videocassette (106 min.). Produced entirely in Guatemala and filmed in the colonial city of Antigua, this film tells the story of a young boy's coming of age while his country struggles to preserve democracy amidst CIA cold-war propaganda. Through the eyes of young Neto, the viewer is given an authentic insider's look at the diverse people of Guatemala and the historical events in the mid-1950s that have shaped their destiny. VHS 5041

Todos Santos = The survivors . 1989. 1 videocassette (58 min.). Documents the impact of civil war, guerrilla warfare, and government reprisal on the Indian village of Todos Santos Cuchumatán, in the Guatemalan highlands, since 1979. Shows agricultural, economic, social, phychological, and theological effects on the villagers. Sequel to Todos Santos Cuchumatán. VHS 1080

We are Guatemalans . 1995. 1 videocassette (28 min.). Interviews a group of 2000 Guatemalan refugees returning to their hometown, Cuarto Pueblo, after 12 years of exile in Mexican refugee camps. VHS 3699

When the mountains tremble . 1983. 1 videocassette (ca. 85 min.). A documentary describing the struggle of the Indian peasantry in Guatemala against state and foreign oppression. Uses a variety of forms -- interviews, direct address, newsreels, re-inactmemts, video transmissions, and on-the-spot footage shot at great hazard. Loosely centered on the experiences of 1992 Nobel Peace Prize winner Rigoberta Menchù. VHS 739

A woman's place: Short stories . 1995. 1 videocassette (70 min.). Six 10 minute videos by women about the status and condition of women in 6 countries. [1] In Fiji women are involved in new sea farming projects. -- [2] In South India a literacy campaign gives birth to an effective anti-liquor campaign. -- [3] In South Africa, the Women's Health Project ensures that women will have a voice in shaping the new health care system. -- [4] A new generation of Caribbean women are using drama and reggae to focus attention on domestic violence. -- [5] Thousands of Filipino women are leaving children and country behind to work as domestics in Hong Kong. -- [6] Guatemalan women widowed in the civil unrest have formed an organization, Conavigua, to conduct literacy classes and encourage political participation. VHS 4106

Honduras

Banana split. 2002. 1 videocassette (47 min.). "Beginning with consumers in a local fruit market; this film winds its way through the hustle and bustle of a major distribution centre, to the daily challenges of everyday life in Honduras. Viewers find out about the history of bananas, the highly sophisticated system of production and transportation involved in bringing the fruit to market, and are introduced to sponsored efforts to help secure the banana as a staple food source in the developing world. In Asia, Africa and Latin America, the banana represents the fine line between life, misery and death for millions of people. Viewers learn not only about bananas, but about the problems of marketing and distribution, the effects of disease and natural disasters, the role played by international development, and are given reason to pause the next time they visit their local fruit seller." --from www.magiclantern.ca. VHS 7342

The body parts business . 1994. 1 videocassette (62 min.). Human rights activist Bruce Harris follows rumors of a black market in human body parts to Argentina, Honduras and Russia. He builds a strong case for a worldwide investigation of this corrupt international business. VHS 3449

In search of Columbus . Columbus and the age of discovery. 1991. 1 videocassette (58 min.). Although he helped to define it, Columbus would never know the modern world. This program follows the path of the admiral's fourth and final voyage in 1502 to Santo Domingo, Honduras, and Panama in search of gold and a strait to the east. Turns to the later discoveries of Cabot (1497), Cabral (1500), and Magellan (1519) and seeks modern day evidence of the effects of Columbus' voyages. Explores how different nations perceive Columbus 500 years after his arrival in the New World. VHS 1437

Lost king of the Maya . 2001. 1 videocassette (60 min.). Travels back 1600 years to show the ancient Mayans' intellect, astronomical abilities and complex culture. A team of archaeologists and historians piece together an image of the rise and fall of Copan, a site in Honduras, and of Yax K'uk Mo, a Mayan king. VHS 6631

The Mosquito Coast . 1999. 1 videodisc (118 min.). Allie Fox is fed up. Angered by an America that "buys junk, sells junk, eats junk," and a world whose nuclear doomsday clock is always two minutes away from midnight, the brilliant inventor leads his trusting wife and four children into the remote Central American jungles to carve out a new society. DVD 289

Sweating for a t-shirt . 1999. 1 videocassette (23 min.). This documentary film examines work conditions in some sweatshops in Honduras, and includes interviews with some of the workers. Promotes activism in consumer countries such as the U.S. to solve the problem. VHS 5865

Teatro! 1989. 1 videocassette (58 min.). Documentary looks at the grass roots Honduran acting troup, Teatro la Fragua, founded by Jesuit priest, Jack Warner. Company members are shown performing in three plays, conducting an acting workshop in the town of Salama, and on a retreat to Copan, an ancient Mayan center. VHS 2548

Nicaragua

Coverup behind the Iran Contra Affair . 1988. 1 videocassette (72 min.). An account of the first arms sale to Iran and the Reagan/Bush campaign's secret deal to torpedo Jimmy Carter in 1980. Discusses the shadow government of former CIA operatives, drug smugglers, top U.S. military personnel and others, and how their actions have impacted the course of history. Includes evidence of the history of CIA involvement in drug running from the Vietnam heroin era to the Central American cocaine epidemic. First- hand accounts of the bombing of the press conference in La Penca, Nicaragua, discussing who the assassins were and why American journalists were the real targets. Oliver North's plan to suspend the U.S. constitution and how it became a Reagan/Bush tool to protect an unpopular foreign policy. VHS 594

Dawn of the people: Nicaragua's literacy crusade . 1983. 1 videocassette (26 min.). This film, sponsored by the Sandinista Front for National Liberation, describes the literacy crusade launched by the Sandinista government of Nicaragua. Almost 70,000 volunteers went into the villages of Nicaragua to teach both children and adults to read and write. VHS 1125

Ernesto Cardenal . Lannan literary series. 1991. 1 videocassette (60 min.). Ernesto Cardenal, an ordained Catholic priest, a revolutionary and an acclaimed poet reads in Spanish from Cántico Cósmico. The English translations are read by actor Edward Asner and poet Rubén Martínez who also interviews Ernesto Cardenal--Container. VHS 3223

Forgive us our debts . 2001. 1 videodisc (ca. 50 min.). "This film visits one of the world's most impoverished nations - Nicaragua - to gauge the impact of that country's indebtedness on the poorest members of their society. The documentary relates the powerful story of the grassroots movement to end Third World debt, a movement that has confronted the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, and the G8 lenders, in each case demanding that they cancel the debts of the world's poor. The Jubilee 2000 debt cancellation campaign was inspired by the ancient Biblical observance of "jubilee" described in Leviticus 25, as a tradition that was honored every 50th year when the sounding of a loud trumpet proclaimed liberty throughout the country. Calling for complete debt forgiveness, which at the time included the reinstatement of property ownership and the freeing of indentured slaves, the practice of jubilee granted personal freedom and provided hope to future generations. Amongst those featured are Bono, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Sir Bob Geldof, Ann Pettifor of Jubilee 2000, and Dr. Juliet Schor, the Harvard economist." --from www.bullfrogfilms.com. DVD 982

Guns, drugs and the CIA . 1987. 1 videocassette (58 min.). Investigate charges that the CIA has used drug lords and drug money to fight secret wars around the globe for 40 years. These same drug dealers have used CIA money, equipment, and protection to increase the flow of illegal narcotics. Focuses on two of the CIA's largest covert operations, the Contra war in Nicaragua and the secret war in Laos during the Vietnamese Conflict. VHS 768

High crimes and misdemeanors . 1990. 1 videocassette (90 min.). Summarizes the covert operations that became the Iran-Contra Affair. Examines the involvement of the Reagan administration in the arms-for-hostages exchange, and explains the role of Iran, Israel, and Nicaragua in the affair. VHS 1236

Miracles are not enough . Americas. 1993. 1 videocassette (60 min.). One of a series of programs focusing on contemporary Latin America. This segment travels to Brazil and briefly to Nicaragua to observe the explosion of theological debate, social activism, and spiritual renewal that is changing a region where religion has long played an important role in society and politics. In the last 30 years, the religious landscape has changed dramatically, with new religions challenging Catholicism, old and new beliefs mingling, and the Catholic Church undergoing remarkable changes. VHS 2126

Our forgotten war . 1988. 1 videocassette (58 min.). A portrait of the country of El Salvador and the impact of American programs and policies on the country, people and war. In Central America, while US attention has been dominated by the contra war in Nicaragua, the battle for El Salvador continues. The US government has dumped nearly $3 billion in aid into El Salvador (more than ten times the amount spent on the contras), but there are new signs that the American policy is in trouble. Features exclusive footage shot behind guerilla lines. VHS 770

President George Bush, the first 100 days . 1989. 1 videocassette (119 min.). February 7, 1989: President Bush motors to Capitol Hill to discuss the savings and loan crisis with Congressional leaders -- March 10, 1989: President Bush nominates Richard Cheney to be Secretary of Defense and answers reporters' questions about the failed nomination of John Tower. March 24, 1989: President Bush, Secretary of State James Baker, and Congressional leaders hold a press conference to discuss the Central American presidents' agreement and Nicaraguan politics -- April 14, 1989: the administration and Congress discuss the bipartisan budget agreement -- April 20, 1989: President Bush makes a statement about the Lebanese civil war. VHS 899

Revolution in Nicaragua ; Battle for El Salvador . Crisis in Central America. 1999. 1 videocassette (120 min.). Four part series reviews Central America's long and violent history of dictatorships, revolutions, class struggles, human rights abuses, and foreign intervention. Draws on specially compiled interviews with political leaders, soldiers and civilians of Cuba, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Guatemala, Panama, Honduras, Costa Rica, Mexico, Venezuela, Puerto Rico, France and the U.S. Features archival footage from the film libraries of these countries as well as of private individuals. Revolution in Nicaragua: In 1979 the Sandinistas led a revolution that overthrew the Somoza Dynasty which had ruled Nicaragua for almost 50 years. It was a revolution the U.S. first tried to prevent, then tried to court and now tries to undermine. This report traces the evolution of U.S. involvement in Nicaragua and the struggle for control of the revolution -- Battle for El Salvador: Traces the evolution of El Salvador's civil war and of U.S. policy toward this Central American country. VHS 5519

Rights of passage: Four stories of survival . 1994. 1 videocassette (27 min.). "Filmed with sensitivity in Nicaragua, India, Jamaica and Burkina Faso, it allows the adolescent girls to speak for themselves. Aleyda in Nicaragua is addicted to glue sniffing and is slipping into a life of prostitution; Tarranum in India has been pulled out of school and is waiting to be married off; in Jamaica, Natalyn is fourteen years old and seven months pregnant, and Adjara in Burkina Faso faces the prospect of female genital mutilation"--Container. VHS 3912

Ronald Reagan . We the people: the President and the Constitution. 1991. 1 videocassette (60 min.). President Reagan discusses Congress and the budget process, the role of the executive branch in the management of the economy, presidential relations with the media, the appointment of justices of the U.S. Supreme Court, and presidential initiatives in foreign affairs including the intervention in Grenada, the bombing of Libya, and United States support of the Nicaraguan contras. VHS 2007

The secret government the Constitution in crisis : a special report . 1987. 1 videocassette (90 min.). A personal essay that examines actions of the secret U.S. government which resulted in the Contra war in Nicaragua, the Iran-Contra scandal, and other wars and tragedies over the last forty years. VHS 325

Target Nicaragua: Inside a covert war . 2006? 1 videodisc (60 min.). This film portrays the CIA's Contra war against Nicaragua's Sandinista government. DVD 2208

The uncompromising revolution . 1989. 1 videocassette (80 min.). Includes brief pictorial history of Cuba (McKinley, Th. Roosevelt, battleship Maine, Platt Amendment) followed by biography of Castro (student days, the ship Granma, guerrilla war, execution of Battista's officers, C.I.A. sabotage, Bay of Pigs). Then explores these issues: nationalization of American businesses, Soviet aid and weapons, Cuba's role in Latin America, Nicaragua, Angola. Castro comments. Interviewed workers either praise the absence of social classes, socialized health and educational systems, or worry about corruption, cronyism, sloppiness in construction and other industries, theft of state property. Women imprisoned for latter offense in a model jail praise the prison and denounce their offenses. Also: brief discussions of divorce, art and culture, homosexuality, santero. Castro visits nuclear power plant and lens factory in closing sequences. VHS 872

Under fire . 1983. 1 videocassette (ca. 127 min.). The final days of Somoza's Nicaragua as witnessed and experienced by three American journalists. VHS 2968

Walker . 1988. 1 videocassette (95 min.). The story of the real-life American soldier of fortune who declared himself president of Nicaragua in 1855 and ruled that country for two years. VHS 6528

The world stopped watching . 2003. 1 videocassette (52 min.). The World Stopped Watching is a sequel to the award winning the World Is Watching, a cinema verite look at foreign news coverage of a climactic moment in the US-financed Contra war against Nicaragua's revolutionary government. Fourteen years later, filmmakers Peter Raymont and Harold Crooks return to Nicaragua with two American journalists who were in the original film - and a Canadian journalist from La Presse - to discover what became of the first revolution to be conducted in the glare of the world media. They question the role and responsibility of journalists and their employers who first put Nicaraguans under the microscope, and then rushed off to the next hot spot. VHS 7746

Panama

Get up, stand up . Americas. 1993. 1 videocassette (60 min.). One of a series of programs focusing on contemporary Latin America. This segment addresses internal and external challenges to sovereignty in the Americas and examines the ways in which several nations cope with the dilemma of maintaining economic and cultural sovereignty in the face of strong pressures, both foreign and domestic. Looks at Colombia, Jamaica, and Panama, exploring a wide range of threats to sovereignty, from narco-terrorism to foreign intervention. VHS 2128

Jimmy Carter . We the people: the President and the Constitution. 1991. 1 videocassette (60 min.). President Carter discusses the presidency from the perspective of a Washington outsider who sought to make human rights a centerpiece of his administration. Carter reflects upon the nature of presidential leadership, illustrated by the Camp David accords, the Iran hostage crisis, the Panama Canal Treaty, the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, and the energy crisis. VHS 2006

The Noriega connection . 199. 1 videocassette (58 min.). Examines how agencies of the U.S. government, using Noriega as an intelligence intermediary, consistently ignored the heinous activities of the deposed dictator for nearly twenty-five years. Working from U.S. intelligence documents and interviews with sources in the Drug Enforcement Administration, the CIA, the Justice and State Departments, the film tracks the U.S. government's long and duplicitous relationship with the fallen dictator. VHS 787

The Panama deception . 1993. 1 videodisc (ca. 91 min.). Offers a view of the U.S. invasion of Panama that was not given by the American media. Presents evidence of mass burials of civilian casualties and internment of homeless civilians which was concealed by the U.S. military or went unreported. Also claims to reveal President George Bush's "secret agenda" behind the invasion: To keep U.S. military bases in Panama after the year 2000 in defiance of canal treaties. DVD 2254, VHS 2662

The return of Rubén Blades . 1995. 1 videocassette (82 min.). A profile of the Panamanian lawyer and entertainer. Film follows the singer to Harvard, where he gets his master's degree in international law; to his old neighborhood in Panama; to California for a recording session with Linda Ronstadt, and to New York for a performance at S.O.B.'s. Includes musical segments. VHS 5367

The Yankee years ; Castro's challenge . Crisis in Central America. 1999. 1 videocassette (120 min.). Four part series reviews Central America's long and violent history of dictatorships, revolutions, class struggles, human rights abuses, and foreign intervention. Draws on specially compiled interviews with political leaders, soldiers and civilians of Cuba, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Guatemala, Panama, Honduras, Costa Rica, Mexico, Venezuela, Puerto Rico, France and the U.S. Features archival footage from the film libraries of these countries as well as of private individuals. Yankee years: Looks at the turbulent years from the Spanish-American War in 1898 to the 1950's, that set the stage for today's U.S.-Central American relations. Covers the glory days of building the Panama Canal, through the early U.S. Marine occupation of Nicaragua, to the Cold War crisis in Guatemala in 1954 which resulted in the C.I.A.'s first covert war in the region. Castro's challenge: The Cuban revolution in 1959 was the first successful challenge to U.S. preeminence in the hemisphere. This report looks at the roots of revolution, Fidel Castro's rise to power, his consolidation of the first communist state in the Americas, his support of revolution abroad, and the evolution of tensions with the U.S. VHS 5518

El Salvador

Battle for El Salvador: Revolution in Nicaragua ; . Crisis in Central America. 1999. 1 videocassette (120 min.). Four part series reviews Central America's long and violent history of dictatorships, revolutions, class struggles, human rights abuses, and foreign intervention. Draws on specially compiled interviews with political leaders, soldiers and civilians of Cuba, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Guatemala, Panama, Honduras, Costa Rica, Mexico, Venezuela, Puerto Rico, France and the U.S. Features archival footage from the film libraries of these countries as well as of private individuals. Revolution in Nicaragua: In 1979 the Sandinistas led a revolution that overthrew the Somoza Dynasty which had ruled Nicaragua for almost 50 years. It was a revolution the U.S. first tried to prevent, then tried to court and now tries to undermine. This report traces the evolution of U.S. involvement in Nicaragua and the struggle for control of the revolution -- Battle for El Salvador: Traces the evolution of El Salvador's civil war and of U.S. policy toward this Central American country. VHS 5519

Fire in the mind . Americas. 1993. 1 videocassette (60 min.). One of a series of programs focusing on contemporary Latin America. As Latin American countries struggle to come to terms with their problems, many demand fundamental structural change - revolution. This program focuses on revolutions in two countries: El Salvador and Peru. It examines the conflict in El Salvador, rooted in issues of land and poverty and where some of the problems are being addressed. But in Peru, serious economic conditions and poverty have resulted in a violent and more deadly revolutionary group, the Shining Path. VHS 2129

Free trade slaves . 1999. 1 videocassette (58 min.). Film discusses free trade zones and the accompanying human problems that have arisen with human rights, exploitation of workers and environmental degradation. Filmed on location in Sri Lanka, El Salvador, Mexico and Morocco. VHS 6945

In whose interest? 2002. 1 videocassette (28 min.). Film focuses on US intervention in Guatemala, Vietnam, East Timor, El Salvador and Palestine/Israel. VHS 7264

Making the news fit . 1987. 1 videocassette (28 min.). Uses the civil war in El Salvador as an example to show that the news media often reports only information which the Reagan administration wants the nation to know. Cites remarks from such people as a former CIA analyst, a journalism professor, and reporters who remember situations in El Salvador differently than what was originally reported in the media. VHS 2979

Maria's story . 1990. 1 videocassette (53 min.). Documentary based on life and work of Maria Serrano, leader in the guerilla movement in El Salvador. Film uses film footage of Farabundo Marti National Liberation Front (F.M.L.N.) guerilla forces in El Salvador, at it shows Maria teaching guerillas, and planning and carrying out military attacks on government positions. VHS 1669

Romero . 2000. 1 videodisc (105 min.). Romero is a compelling and deeply moving look at the life of Archbishop Oscar Romero of El Salvador, who made the ultimate sacrifice in a passionate stand against social injustice and the oppression in his country. This film chronicles the transformation of Romero from an apolitical, complacent priest to a committed leader of the Salvadoran people. DVD 1167

Salvador . 2001. 1 videodisc (123 min.). In 1980, Richard Boyle, a veteran war photographer whose career needs a boost, heads for El Salvador to cover the civil war there. He forms an uneasy alliance with both guerrillas in the countryside who want him to get pictures out to the US press, and the right-wing military, who want him to bring them photographs of the rebels. After the murder of Archbishop Romero, the rape and murder of an American nurse and three nuns, and the death of a fellow journalist, Boyle attempts to escape El Salvador with his Salvadorean girlfriend Maria and her family. DVD 1154

U.S. human rights policy . 1992. 1 videocassette (96 min.). Mr. Schifter testifies before the House Subcommittee on Human Rights and International Organization, Gus Yatron, Chairman. Despite the end of the Cold War and increased U.S. involvement, incidents of human rights violations continue. Mr. Schifter discusses the Subcommittee's annual report and answers questions about reported atrocities in many countries, including El Salvador, Iraq, India, Tibet (and China generally), Syria, Cuba, and religious repression in Saudi Arabia. VHS 210

General

Attack on the Americas ! 1980. 1 videocassette (30 min.). A production dealing with U. S. foreign policy and the revolutionary situation in Central and Latin America, during the last five years. Emphasis is given to the role of Castro's Cuba and the spread of Socialism. Experts in the area of foreign policy discuss the U. S. political and economic relationship to this geographic area and what can be done to halt the spread of Socialism. VHS 6916

Central America: The burden of time . Legacy. 1991. 1 videocassette (57 min.). The program discusses the sophisticated civilizations of the Aztecs, the Maya, and the Inca, their near obliteration by the Conquistadores, the parts that survive today, and their influence on our lives today. VHS 1695

Columbus didn't discover us . 1992. 1 videocassette (24 min.). Indians from North, Central, and South America speak of the impact the Columbus legacy has had on the lives of indigenous people. VHS 1979

Cristóbal Colón 500 años después . 1992. 1 videocassette (24 min.). Indians from North, Central, and South America speak of the impact the Columbus legacy has had on the lives of indigenous people. VHS 1980

Crisis in Central America . Frontline. 1985. 4 videocassettes (VHS) (220 min.). Reviews Central America's history of dictatorships, revolutions, class struggles, human rights abuses, and foreign intervention. Draws on specially compiled interviews with political leaders, soldiers and civilians of Cuba, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Guatemala, Panama, Honduras, Costa Rica, Mexico, Venezuela, Puerto Rico, France and the U.S. Features archival footage from the film libraries of these countries as well as of private individuals. VHS 5518-5519

Environment under fire: Ecology and politics in Central America . 1988. 1 videocassette (28 min.). Examines the way export crops, pesticides and war contribute to mass poverty and ecological destruction in Central America. Discusses the role of U.S. policies in that destruction, and Nicaragua's attempts to preserve the natural environment. VHS 1564

The global assembly line . 1986. 1 videocassette (32 min.). Portrays the lives of working men and women in the "free trade zones" of developing countries and North America, as U.S. industries close their factories to search the globe for lower-wage work forces. From Tennessee to Mexico's northern border, and from Silicon Valley to the Philippines, this film "emerges as the definitive statement on the international division of labor and the growing importance of women in the industrial workforce." VHS 1059

The JVC Smithsonian Folkways video anthology of music and dance of the Americas . 1995. 6 videocassettes (329 min.). Presents a wealth of ethnic music from the Americas. Most segments are short. Includes folk music, folk songs, performances on traditional musical instruments, dances, and religious or ritual performances. The tapes contain no spoken introduction or explanation, but the booklets contain: overview essays that discuss entire traditions; selection descriptions that present information about each cut; and resource material, including suggestions for listening, viewing, and reading. The quality of the recording varies from segment to segment. VHS 7420

The kingdom divided . God and politics. 1988. 1 videocassette (90 min.). Part of a series examining how religious beliefs shape political events. This segment examines a clash between two visions of Christianity that is having a profound effect on both religion and politics in this hemisphere. Shows how religious forces are shaping events in war-torn Central America. Reveals how this spiritual war is closely related to U.S. foreign policy. VHS 459

Latin America: Intervention in our own backyard . Between the wars. 1991? 1 videocassette (26 min.). Series uses original newsreels, soundtracks and rare archival footage to document the years between World War I and World War II. This segment examines four decades of U. S. intervention in Latin America from the Spanish American War in 1898 until World War II. For over a century, the Monroe Doctrine was invoked to justify intervention in the Caribbean, Central and South America. Pan-American relationships deteriorated until 1933, when the policy of intervention is abolished and FDR's "Good Neighbor" policy is launched. VHS 630

Legacy . 1991. 6 videocassettes (57 min. ea.). This six part series explores the influence of ancient culture on our lives today. Host/writer Michael Wood visits the ancient cities and great ports of India and China, the deserts of Egypt and Iraq, the Mexico of the Inca, Aztec and Mayan peoples, the Greek and Roman monuments of Europe and the jungles of Central America searching for the living legacies of these once great civilizations. The series traces how the institutions that arose with urban civilization 5,000 years ago, such as organized religion, bureaucratic government and international trade are still affecting the political and cultural mindset of many parts of the world today. VHS 1691-1696

Lost kingdoms of the Maya . 1993. 1 videocassette (60 min.). An exploration of the forests of Central America and Mexico on the trail of the ancient Maya. Distinguished scientists unearth artifacts, reconstruct cities and decipher the hieroglyphics of an extraordinary civilization. VHS 2120

The lost world of the Maya . 1974. 1 videocassette (36 min.). For over a thousand years the Mayan civilization grew and flourished in the rain forests of Central America. Discovered and finally destroyed by the Spanish Conquistadors, it was lost again until explorers brought it to light in the 19th century. Eric Thompson, an archaeologist who has had a 45 year love affair with the Maya, takes the viewer on a pilgrimage through the Mayan world, visiting, on the way, all the great ruined cities he has known for half a century. Describes ruins existing in such ancient cities as Tikal, Palenque, Yaxchilan, and Quirigna, and re-creates the Mayas' daily life. Concludes with a description of the theories that have been used to explain why Mayan civilization fell. VHS 5676

Made in the USA: Jobs for export . 1992. 2 videocassettes (ca. 40 min.). First segment: includes three reports by Dave Marresh examining how the U.S. Agency for International Development uses tax dollars to target, promote, and finance the relocation of U.S. companies to Central America. Second segment: includes a debate between Al Gore and Labor Secretary Lynn Martin dealing with the issue of U.S. job losses due to business relocation to developing countries. VHS 2009-2010

The Maya temples, tombs, & time . 1995. 1 videocassette (53 min.). Using recent breakthroughs in deciphering Maya glyphs and archeological discoveries, film takes a new look at the Maya, now widely considered to have been the most brilliant and advanced indigenous people of the Americas. Uses on-location footage, aerial photography, National Geographic recreations and computer animation. VHS 5787

Power and terror: Noam Chomsky in our times . 2002. 1 videodisc (72 min.). "Chomsky places the terroist attacks of 9/11 in the context of American foreign intervention throughout the postwar decades--in Vietnam, Central America, the Middle East and elsewhere."--Container. DVD 965

South of the border . 1989. 1 videocassette (63 min.). Surveys protest music in Central America, from Mexico City to Managua, where popular music has become a forum for social commentary and political protest. VHS 3702

The sword and the cross . Columbus and the age of discovery. 1991. 1 videocassette (58 min.). This program explores the interests of the conquistadors and the church, and their effect on the indigenous population. Follows events of Columbus's second voyage, 1493, and subsequent conquest, colonization and quest for gold. Looks at the settlement at Isabella in Venezuela, its influence on Christianisation, exploitation and the crusade of Fr. Domenico de las Casas and others against slavery and brutality, and the decimation of the local population by disease. Looks at Cirtez's conquest of Mexico, Teotihuacan, the Aztecs and the results of Christianisation. VHS 1435

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