-
see also Women's
Studies - U.S.; Biographies
of Notable Women; Gay,
Lesbian, and Transgender Mediagraphies
Arts and Literature
Antonia: A portrait of the woman. 1994. 1 videocassette (58 min.). Celebrates the determination
and accomplishments of a musical pioneer as it
presents a portrait of Antonia Brico who in the
1930s established an international reputation
as an accomplished orchestra conductor. Also shows
how Antonia, in the face of adversity and discrimination,
seeks the opportunity to lead a major symphony
orchestra in a field dominated by men in the Western
world. (VHS 5817)
Ayn Rand: A sense of life. 1999. 1 videodisc (143 min.). Documentary look at the
life and work of the controversial Russian-born
author, Ayn Rand from early childhood and escape
from Soviet Russia to her struggle and triumph
as an American writer. Film draws on personal
papers and public archives as it combines fact,
literary fiction and a weave of interviews with
intellectual heir Leonard Peikoff, television
journalist Mike Wallace as well as photos, film
footage and an original film-noir scene from her
1934 play, "Ideal." Captures Rand's
life-long themes of reason, rational selfishness
and political freedom. (DVD 72)
Barbara Kruger: Pictures & words. Art / New York. 1996. 1 videocassette (28 min).
Barbara Kruger's art blends the pragmatic world
of advertising and graphic design, a highly developed
aesthetic sense and a razor sharp political viewpoint
that touches on such themes as patriarchy and
our consumer culture as she makes work that not
only questions the traditional modes of making
art, but work that forcefully interjects itself
into our preconceived values and social systems.
Seen are two recent shows at the Mary Boone Gallery
in SOHO as well as work done in the streets of
New York. In interviews, author Kate Linker and
critic Peter Schjeldahl discuss the artist's work.
(VHS 6391)
The cinematic jazz of Julie Dash. 1997. 1 videocassette (27 min.). Afro-American filmmaker,
producer, writer and director Julie Dash talks
about her life and work and the difficulties she
has had getting her films distributed and accepted.
Interspersed with her comments are clips from
three of her films, Daughters of the dust, Illusions,
and Diary of an African Nun, and she talks about
the making of a fourth film, Four women. One of
her principal aims, she says, is "to redefine
images of black women on the screen.". (VHS
6679)
Dream girls.
1 videocassette (50 min.). Film looks at the Takarazuka
Revue, a highly successful theater company in
Japan, where all roles are played by women and
the Takarazuka Music School whose students dream
of joining the Revue. (VHS 4518)
Emily Carr: A woman of all sorts. 1997. 1 videocassette (55 min.). The life of Canadian
artist and writer Emily Carr. Actors portray her
as a young woman, and then as an older woman.
(VHS 7389)
Emma Amos: Action lines. African American artist series. 1996. 1 videocassette
(28 min.). Emma Amos, an African American artist,
talks about her life and her art. Amos paints
pictures based on her feelings and fears. She
includes materials such as photographs, her own
weaving, and African cloth to help portray what
is important to her. (VHS 5800)
From the journals of Jean Seberg. 1998. 1 videodisc (98 min.). A bio-pic about actress
Jean Seberg is presented in a first-person, autobiographical
format. Mark Rappaport seamlessly interweaves
cinema, politics, American society and culture,
and film theory to inform, entertain, and move
the viewer. Seberg's many marriages, as well as
her film roles, are discussed extensively. Her
involvement with the Black Panther Movement and
subsequent investigation by the FBI is covered.
Notably, details of French New Wave cinema, Russian
Expressionist films, and the careers of Jane Fonda,
Vanessa Redgrave, and Clint Eastwood are also
examined. Much of the film is based on conjecture,
but it encourages viewers to re-examine their
ideas about women in film. (DVD 431)
Gaja Gamini.
2000. 1 videodisc. The film, an operatic ballet,
moves between illusion & reality. It depicts
the journey of a woman called Gaja Gamini, suspended
in time and space along with a variety of characters
from art, history, music & poetry. These characters,
voicing the aesthetics of feminine beauty, are
points of reference and interact with each other
on the essence & identity of woman. (DVD 315)
Kiki Smith.
Art/New York. 1994. 1 videocassette (28
min.). An interview with Kiki Smith, an innovative
sculptor in New York City. Covers two of her exhibits
(in 1992 and in 1993) at the Fawbush Gallery.
Also includes interviews with Joe Fawbush and
Thomas Jones, her dealers, and Claudia Gould,
director of Artist Space, also in New York. (VHS
5794)
Marguerite: A reflection of herself. 2002. 1 videocassette (61 min.). A personal portrait
of the great French writer Marguerite Duras.
Made with home movies, archives, film extracts,
readings, and television interviews filmed over
many years. (VHS 7273)
Martha Graham: The dancer revealed. Dance series. 1994. 1 videocassette (60 min.).
A documentary of the life of the American dancer
and choreographer, Martha Graham. Extracts of
her works include "Appalachian Spring"
and "Night journey.". (VHS 3351)
Mary Frank: A matter of spirit. Art/ New York. 1998. 1 videocassette (28 min.).
Looks at the work of Mary Frank, an artist best
known for her ceramic sculpture and her work in
printmaking. However, in the past 10 years or
so, she has also turned to painting and has created
an impressive body of work rich in evocative imagery.
Includes Frank's 1998 exhibition titled "Inscapes"
at the DC Moore Gallery as well as interviews
with gallery director Edward De Luca, art historian
Linda Nochlin and Mary Frank in her studio and
sculpture garden in upstate New York. (VHS 5796)
Nan Goldin: In my life. Art/New York. 1997. 1 videocassette (28 min).
The work of Nan Goldin, one of the major photographers
of the latter part of the 20th century, is featured
through a retrospective at the Whitney Museum
of American Art. The exhibition was organized
by Elizabeth Sussman and selected by Goldin and
David Armstrong. Interviews with Goldin and Marvin
Heiferman are included. (VHS 5795)
Paris was a woman. 1996. 1 videocassette (75 min.). Through a combination of still photos,
archival film footage, and interview commentary
this film documents the creative community of
French, English and American women, many of whom
were lesbians, who gravitated to the Left Bank
in Paris during the early part of the 20th century.
Among those the film profiles are: Collette, Djuna
Barnes, Gertrude Stein, Romaine Brooks, Marie
Laurencin, Bernice Abbot, Gisele Freund, Sylvia
Beach, Adrienne Monnier, Janet Flanner, Natalie
Clifford Barney. (VHS 5148)
Persistent women artists: Pablita Velarde, Mine Okubo,
Lois Mailou Jones.
1997. 1 videocassette (28 min.). International
artist and art educator Betty LaDuke interviews
three American women artists of diverse heritages,
who discuss how their art reflects the experience
of each as a Native, Asian, and African American
woman. (VHS 5805)
A reputation.
Women : word for word. 1997. 1 videocassette
(30 min.). "In 1612, Artemisia [Gentileschi]
accused a fellow artist of rape. Using original
transcripts from the rape trial, this program,
through Artemisia's and other character's testimony,
reconstructs how the male-dominated art community
of Michelangelo's Rome falsified her promiscuity
and forever destroyed her reputation as a woman
and even as an artist."--Container. (VHS
5347)
The war within: A portrait of Virginia Woolf. 1995. 1 videocassette (52 min.). A portrait of Virginia
Woolf, including a recreation of the furor around
the 1910 and 1912 post-Impressionist exhibits,
documentation of the Woolfs' contribution to the
creation of the League of Nations, the recently
discovered letters of Virginia Woolf to Vita Sackville-West
and the actual Gestapo arrest list of 1940 that
shows the Nazis's intention to arrest both Leonard
and Virginia Woolf. (VHS 4093)
The wonderful horrible life of Leni Riefenstahl. 1993. 2 videocassettes (181 min.) or 1 videodisc (188
min.). Interviews with Leni Riefenstahl, now in
her nineties, flash-backs and modern film sequences
tell the story of the most famous woman film director
of all time. Known for her films made during
the Third Reich, Riefenstahl's story is a controversial
one. Best known for "Triumph of the Will,"
the film made of the 1934 Nazi Party Congress,
it proved to be her undoing. (DVD 731)
Zero budget.
1996. 1 videocassette (27 min.). Looks at the
emergence of lesbian feature filmmakers in the
U.S. and how they produce films on a small budget.
Interviews with directors Rose Troche (Go Fish);
Sharon Pollack (Everything Relative); Kimberley
Pierce (Stone); and Alex Sichel (All Over Me)
as well as with producer Dolly Hall, executive
producer Christine Vachon and writers Sylvia Sichel
and Guinevere Turner. (VHS 4784)
Domestic issues and topics
Abused women who fought back: The Framingham Eight. 1994. 1 videocassette (44 min). Explores the problem
of domestic violence through the dramatic memories
of the women who became known as the "Framingham
Eight." Each woman was imprisoned in Framingham,
MA, for killing a spouse or partner they say abused
them repeatedly. (VHS 3026)
Aileen Wuornos: The selling of a serial killer. 1994. 1 videocassette (87 min.). True story of the
first female serial killer in the U.S., Aileen
Wuornos, and the opportunists who used her story.
They include the woman who adopted Aileen while
she was on trial and then sold Aileen's story,
the lawyer who convinced Aileen to plead no contest,
and Aileen's lesbian lover who got her to confess.
(VHS 6965)
Barbie nation: An unauthorized tour. 1998. 1 videocassette (53 min.). Looks at the Barbie
doll as a Rorschach test, revealing attitudes
about sexuality, body image, gender roles and
creativity as it tells the story of Barbie creator
and Mattel co-founder Ruth Handler. Journeying
from Barbie conventions to anti-Barbie demonstrations,
from girls' play dates to Barbie web pages, film
plumbs the cult of the Barbie doll, telling the
Barbie stories of diverse men, women and children.
(VHS 6117)
bell hooks: Cultural criticism & transformation. Race and diversity series. 1997. 1 videocassette
(66 min.). bell hooks makes a compelling argument
for the transformative power of cultural criticism.
She demonstrates how learning to think critically
can play a role in students' quest for a sense
of agency and identity. (VHS 2547)
A boy named Sue.
2000. 1 videocassette (57 min.). This documentary
chronicles the transformation of a transsexual
names Theo from a woman to a man over the course
of six years. The film successfully captures Theo's
physiological and psychological changes during
the process, as well as their effects on his lesbian
lover and community of close friends. (VHS 7496)
The Brandon Teena story. 1999. 1 videocassette (88 min.). Documentary film about
Teena Brandon, who arrived in rural Falls City,
Nebraska, in 1993 and assumed a new identity as
a young man named Brandon. When Brandon went to
jail for forging checks, his identify as a woman
was revealed. Three weeks later Brandon was brutally
raped and beaten by two men. Two weeks after that
the same men murdered him along with two other
people. Film looks at Brandon's coming of age
struggle with identity and how his gender ambiguity
induced feelings of betrayal, confusion and hostility
among residents of a town in America's heartland.
(VHS 6374)
Butterfly.
2000. 1 videocassette (80 min.). Julia "Butterfly"
Hill, a twenty-four year old has spent two years
living in a tree. She's protesting lumbering of
redwood forests in California. Wolens' interviews
over two years, including six nights with Hill
on her 180-foot high platform, reveal an intensely
spiritual and articulate woman determined to accomplish
her goal. (VHS 6409)
Complaints of a dutiful daughter. 1994. 1 videocassette (45 min.). Shows interactions
between an Alzheimer's patient and her daughter.
The daughter discusses how she has dealt with
her mother's illness and describes various stages
of the disease. (VHS 3572)
The date rape backlash: The media and the denial of rape.
1994. 1 videocassette (58 min.). A critical examination
of how media portrayal of date rape has evolved
within a span of five years from portraying date
rape as an epidemic to a view of date rape as
feminist victim oriented propaganda. (VHS 3485)
Feminist futures: Finding the joy. 2000. 1 videocassette (ca. 60 min.). bell hooks, social
critic, feminist scholar, activist, poet, memoirist
and teacher, explores the topic of love and how
it has been perceived in relation to feminism.
A question and answer session follows the lecture.
(VHS 6337)
Feminist therapy. APA psychotherapy videotape series. 1994. 1 videocassette (42
min.). From a 12 part series that presents distinguished
psychotherapists of different theoretical orientations
demonstrating their own ways of conducting psychotherapy
in entire sessions. Clients are played unscripted
by professional actors who improvise on the basis
of real case materials. Laura S. Brown conducts
a mock therapy session that stresses the use of
feminist therapy, an approach that encourages
clients to discover the manner in which their
authority in their lives has been taken from them
and to reclaim that authority and to speak in
their own voice. (VHS 7360 pt. 7)
Gender and communication: Male-female differences in
language and nonverbal behavior.
2001. 1 videocassette (42 min.). This video explores
the impact that gender has on both verbal messages
including speech, language, and vocabulary, as
well as on nonverbal channels of communication
such as touch, movement, and gesture. (VHS 7365)
God is not through with me yet. 1995. 1 videocassette (27 min.). Film examines the
past and present lives of ordinary, Afro-American
Baptist women in Marion County, Florida, in order
to record their role in the conservation and transmission
of Afro-American culture. Looks at their role
in the establishment, management and support of
Baptist churches. Features interviews with members
of the New Jerusalem Baptist Church, York, Florida,
and the Canaan Missionary Baptist Church, Flemington,
Florida, among others. (VHS 4412)
Golden threads.
1999. 1 videocassette (56 min.). Profiles the
life of 93-year old lesbian activist Christine
Burton, founder of a global networking service
for mid-life and elder lesbians. Gives a groundbreaking,
intergenerational picture of sexuality, life choices,
and aging. (VHS 6610)
A healthy baby girl. 1996. 1 videocassette (57 min.). At twenty-five, Judith Helfand was
diagnosed with a rare form of cervical cancer
caused by diethylstilbestrol (DES), a synthetic
hormone that her mother had taken to prevent miscarriage.
At home with her own family after a radical hysterectomy,
she picked up her camera and, over the next five
years, created a video-diary that explores what
happens when science, marketing, and corporate
power intersect with the deeply held desire to
reproduce ourselves. Film documents a story of
mother-daughter love, family renewal, survival,
political awakening, and community activism. (VHS
4593)
The heart of the matter. 1994. 1 videocassette (54 min.). Documentary on women
afflicted with AIDS. Focuses on the life and death
of Janice Jirau, an African American woman, who
was infected with the virus by her husband. Following
his death and her diagnosis with the HIV virus,
she became politically active and publicly sought
to challenge the mythology of the disease. Interviews
with other HIV-positive women underscore the universal
nature of the problems Janice confronted and draws
attention to the alarming growth of this epidemic
among women. (VHS 4633)
Hide and seek.
1996. 1 videocassette (64 min.). An exploration
into lesbian adolescence in the 1960's. (VHS 6710)
The human body: Appearance, shape and self-image. 1998. 1 videocassette (37 min.). Examines facets of
the human body that impact our preferences, our
ideals, our attitudes and our self-image. Covers
basic attitudes of people (primarily young people)
toward their bodies and how what they think is
influenced by their culture. Discusses the rationale
behind tattooing, branding and body piercing,
cosmetic surgery, and eating disorders. Looks
at how the media portrays women and the prejudice
against being over weight. (VHS 5600)
In my own skin: The complexity of living as an Arab in
America.
2001. 1 videocassette (16 min.). This video sheds
the light on the complexities of the Arab American
experience through the candid, in-depth interviews
with five young Arab women living in New York
in the months following the September 11th attacks
on the World Trade Center. (VHS 6997)
Jupiter's wife.
1996. 1 videocassette (ca. 78 min.). Maggie, a
homeless woman who wanders in New York's Central
Park with her pack of dogs and an enormous backpack,
claims to be the daughter of the actor Robert
Ryan and the wife of the Roman god Jupiter. For
two years, filmmaker Negroponte follows her everyday
life as he tries to uncover the truth behind her
cryptic stories. (VHS 4997)
Lipstick. 2002.
1 videocassette (10 min.). "Emily is your
average teenage girl. She hangs with her friends.
Plays soccer. Looks forward to graduation. And
thinks about boys...and girls. This is Emily's
story of coming out."--Container. (VHS 7280)
Mirror for the heart: Facing eating disorders . 1996. 1 videocassette (24 min.). Examines the hidden
behavior, stress, denial, and cycle of guilt and
shame that underlie eating disorders. Shows how
women can find relief in sharing their stories
with others. Stresses the importance of proper
treatment and professional help. (VHS 4209)
Miss America.
American Experience. 2002. 1 videocassette
(ca. 96 min.). Tracking the country's oldest beauty
contest - from its inception in 1921 as a local
seaside pageant to its heyday as one of the country's
most popular events - Miss America paints a vivid
picture of an institution that has come to reveal
much about a changing nation. Using intimate interviews
with former contestants, and fabulous behind-the-scenes
footage and photographs, the film reveals why
some women took part in the fledgling event and
how the pageant became a battle ground and a barometer
for the changing position of women in society.
(VHS 6988)
Miss India Georgia. 1997. 1 videocassette (56 min.). Documentary look at four contestants
in the Miss India Georgia Pageant in Atlanta.
It tells the story of their experiences as first
generation Americans and the difficulties of blending
a contemporary American life style with the cultural
heritage and traditions of India. These young
women disclose the complexity of their feelings
about growing up in the U.S. as children of immigrant
parents. (VHS 5156)
Monuments are for men, waffles are for women: Exploring
gender permanence & impermanence. 2000. 1 videocassette (37 min.). Explores the concept
of symbolic gender construction. A class at Ohio
University provide discussion about the impermanence
of work done by women and the permanence of work
done by men in the United States. Categories examined
are U.S. currency, holidays, last names, shopping,
sports, language, vocations, and buildings. (VHS
7473)
My feminism.
1997. 1 videocassette (55 min.). Presents the
views of a number of women as they discuss feminism
and the feminist movement, including current status,
adversaries, cultural history and subservience
of women, female backlash, movement timidity,
and feminism in developing countries. (VHS 4709)
Nuyorican dream.
2000. 1 videocassette (82 min.). Follows five
years in the life of a New York Puerto Rican family
struggling against poverty, drug addiction and
incarceration, capturing the emotional immediacy
of a family in a free-fall without a social safety
net. It also celebrates elements of community
life -- solidarity, sharing of resources, cultural
citizenship -- which make day-to-day survival
possible giving testimony to the central role
played by Puerto Rican women in maintaining family
and cultural ties. (VHS 6490)
Period piece.
1996. 1 videocassette (30 min). Women of various
ages (8-84) and ethnicities share how they felt
when their menstrual cycles first started. Old
educational films are revisited in new ways to
show humorous and historical views of this rite
of passage. This film explores the general discomfort
around the subject of menstruation and the pain
girls experience as they negotiate relationships
with their bodies and their culture. (VHS 4263)
Poverty outlaw.
1997. 1 videocassette (60 min.). Documentary from
the point-of-view of Philadelphia welfare recipients,
showing some of the devastating effects of welfare
reform. Chronicles the growth of the Kensington
Welfare Rights Union, a group of welfare recipients
organizing to protest the cuts in their benefits
and to work toward better living conditions for
poor people who live in the Kensington neighborhood
of Philadelphia. (VHS 4342)
The powder room.
1996. 1 videocassette (ca. 50 min.). A film in
which the powder room becomes a metaphor for women's
inner spaces. Originating from the director's
observation that women trade secrets with friends
and strangers in public washrooms, documentary
goes behind the closed doors of women's washrooms
to record women as they reveal to each other the
secrets of their emotional lives - confessing
their joys, their frustrations and their pain
about love, sex, relationships with men and friendships
with each other. (VHS 4626)
Pride divide.
1997. 1 videocassette (57 min.). Film explores
the gender gap between gays and lesbians - a conflict
that is often fraught with irony as their struggle
of male versus female mirrors many traditional
conflicts inherent to straight relationships.
Looks at issues around male domination versus
female submission; promiscuousness versus commitment;
exaltation of the body versus the spirit: AIDS
versus breast cancer support. Looks at the subtle
chauvinism by gay activists who excluded lesbians
from their political and social life, especially
in the 1950s. (VHS 5545)
Reviving Ophelia: Saving the selves of adolescent girls.
1998. 1 videocassette (35 min.). Clinical psychologist
Mary Pipher discusses the challenges facing today's
teenagers, especially girls, as well as the role
of media and popular culture in shaping their
identities. Offers ideas to help girls free themselves
from the influences of media-saturated culture.
(VHS 5371)
Self-defense for women. 1994. 1 videocassette (59 min.). June Castro, an accomplished
martial artist, demonstrates the basic elements
needed for self-defense. She teaches how to avoid
confrontations through awareness and how to escape
if possible. (VHS 3406)
Sexual orientations in perspective. 2001. 1 videocassette (ca. 65 min.). Themes discussed
include the conceptualization and development
of sexual orientations and such orientations in
relationship to other aspects of human diversity.
(VHS 6638)
Southern comfort. 2003. 1 videodisc (90 min.). Toccoa, Georgia. Robert Eads is a 52-year-old
wise-cracking cowboy who was born female and transitioned
into living as a man after bearing two sons. Fifteen
years later, he has fallen in love with Lola Cola,
a vivacious and magnetic woman who was born male.
Together they are coping with Robert's terminal
case of ovarian cancer. (DVD 631)
Unveiled: The mother/daughter relationship. 1997. 1 videocassette (ca. 55 min.). Film is a candid
look at three sets of mothers and daughters in
the throes of planning a wedding. Done in verite-style
cinematography complemented with interviews, film
is spiced with humor, pathos, frustration, resentment
and love. (VHS 4627)
Welfare warriors. 1997. 1 videocassette (ca. 36 min.). Welfare Warriors is a grassroots
movement of single mothers on welfare who are
opposed to the "welfare reform bill"
signed into law in August 1996 by President Clinton.
Film seeks to put today's efforts to dismantle
the welfare state into an historical perspective
through women's personal experiences and the comments
of social critics and advocates of welfare. Through
lobbying, public speaking and direct action, the
women of Welfare Warriors seek to dispel the negative
myths about welfare mothers and to assert that
"an attack on poor women is an attack on
all women.". (VHS 5308)
When women kill.
1994. 1 videocassette (47 min.). Ann Jones, author
of "Women Who Kill," explains the evolution
of societies' attitude toward women who murder
abusive spouses. Places the personal stories of
three battered women in a legal/historical context
as the women tell why they killed; also exposes
the obstacles facing women who live with batterers.
(VHS 3109)
Women and public policy: The actors and the issues. 1994. 1 videocassette (120 min.). Dr. Harrison discusses
the historical and political context of women's
role in the development of public policy that
affects women. Dr. Williams also takes a historical
view but focuses on family law and especially
on the issue of family violence. Dr. Budetti discusses
the role of women in higher education, and Dr.
Burk discusses current strategy and issues. (VHS
2623)
Women of substance. 1994. 1 videocassette (30 min.). A glimpse into the lives of women substance
abusers and their young children. Includes options
in treatment and recovery. (VHS 7376)
You don't know Dick: Courageous hearts of transsexual
men.
1997. 1 videocassette (58 min.). Provides honest
and riveting portraits of six men (Michael, an
artist; Ted, a computer executive; Stephen, a
police officer; Max, a writer; James, a leader
in the transsexual community; and Loren, a photographer)
who once were women. Through their commentaries
and the experiences of partners, friends, and
family emerges an unforgettable story of self-discovery.
(VHS 4604)
Equal Rights
America's Victoria: Remembering Victoria Woodhull. 1995. 1 videocassette (82 min.). Uses archival images,
interviews with contemporary feminists such as
Gloria Steinem, and readings from Woodhulls's
works to present a portrait of the first woman
to appear before a Congressional committee and
the first woman to campaign (in 1872) for U.S.
President - on a ticket of a single sexual standard
for men and women, legalization of prostitution,
reform of marriage and family institutions, and
"free love.". (VHS 5137)
Classroom climate workshops [gender equity]. 1996. 1 videocassette (30 min.). Objective of the video
is to present dramas that deal with the issue
of gender inequity in the classroom in order to
increase awareness of issues, explore teachers'
attitudes and consider steps to improve the classroom
climate. Video contains three scenes that illustrate
gender inequity in the classroom. Each scene is
introduced by a narrator and shows a teaching
assistant interacting with students in a chemistry
lab. Cues are provided so that the tape may be
stopped for discussion. Guide offers a step-by-step
approach to using the video in a gender equity
workshop. (Kit 81)
Eleanor Roosevelt. 2000. 1 videocassette (ca. 150 min.). For more than thirty years, Eleanor
Roosevelt was America's most powerful woman. Drawing
on interviews with her closest relatives, friends,
and biographers, as well as rare home movie footage,
the film reveals the hidden dimensions of one
of the century's most influential women. (VHS
6170)
No secret anymore: The times of Del Martin & Phyllis
Lyon.
2003. 1 videocassette (57 min.). "Chronicles
the lives of two women who have been partners
in love and political struggle for half a century.
San Francisco icons, Del and Phyllis are known
as the founders of the modern lesbian civil rights
movement. No Secret Anymore follows them through
six decades, tracing the emergence of lesbians
from the fear of discovery to the expectation
of equality."-WomanVision website. (VHS 7542)
Not for ourselves alone: The story of Elizabeth Cady
Stanton & Susan B. Anthony.
1999. 2 videocassettes (210 min.). "The dramatic,
little-known story of one of the most compelling
friendships in American history. Elizabeth Stanton
and Susan Anthony were born into a world ruled
entirely by men. By the time their lives were
over, they had changed for the better the lives
of a majority of American citizens. Their personal
relationship was often turbulent but they never
wavered in their shared belief that equality was
the birthright of every woman, and for more than
half a century led the fight to make that dream
a reality"--Container. (VHS 5947)
One woman, one vote. 1995. 1 videocassette (109 min.). Documents the 70-year struggle for
women's suffrage which culminated in the ratification
of the Nineteenth Amendment in 1920. It illuminates
the alliances, infighting, betrayals and defeats
that paved the way for victory in the battle for
women's right to vote. Historical footage is enhanced
with vocal performances, and interviews with historians
provide the viewer with both current and historical
perspectives. (VHS 3076)
Six generations.
1999. 1 videocassette (15 min.). From Elizabeth
Cady Stanton to her great-great-great-granddaughter
Elizabeth Jenkins-Sahlin, six generations of Stanton
women have fought for equality in the voting booth,
the classroom, and the workplace. This concise
overview of the women's movement in America uses
interviews, archival footage, and photos to spotlight
key contributors, such as the Stantons and Susan
B. Anthony, and history-making moments in the
ongoing struggle for equal rights, ranging from
the first Women's Rights Convention in 1848 to
the protest marches of the 1960s and 70s. (VHS
5956)
The speeches of famous women. The speeches collection. 1995. 1 videocassette
(56 min.). Traces the progression of the women's
movement with speeches from suffragettes through
senators, including Eleanor Roosevelt, Betty Ford,
who endorses the Equal Rights Act, and leaders
Betty Friedan, Senator Carol Moseley-Braun and
Barbara Boxer. (VHS 3790)
Feature Films
Bend it like Beckham. 2003. orig. 2002. 1 videodisc (112 min.). Eighteen year-old Jesminder's parents
want her to be a nice, conventional Indian girl.
But she just wants to play soccer like her hero,
David Beckham. For Jess, that means kicking a
ball around the local park with the lads until
she's spotted by Jules, who invites her to join
the local women's team. Feature film. (DVD 672)
La bien pagada = Well paid woman. Popular Mexican cinema. 1998. orig. 1947. 1 videocassette
(90 min.). The story about a woman who is unfaithful
to her husband. Later she finds herself in a situation
were she is humiliated to the point of having
to sell her body for pleasure. Her ex-husband
buys her favors, treating her like a prostitute.
An example of the Cabaretera genre of Mexican
film. A beautiful young woman weds a wealthy older
man, but after several years, takes up with a
former boyfriend. Will true love win out in the
end? Feature film. (VHS 6748)
Charulata = The lonely wife. Sony pictures classics. 1997. orig. 1964. 1 videocassette
(ca. 117 min.). The wife of a publisher tries
to find a way out of her confining domestic situation. Feature film. (VHS 7082)
Down in the delta. 1999. orig. 1998. 1 videodisc (ca. 111 min.). A troubled single mother from a tough
Chicago neighborhood is sent to spend a summer
at her family's home in rural Mississippi. Directed
by Maya Angelou. Feature film. (DVD 60)
Faat Kine.
The library of African cinema. 2000. 1
videocassette (121 min.). "The deceptively
light domestic drama of Faat Kine, a gas station
operator born, significantly, the same year as
Senegalese independence, 1960."--http://www.californianewsreel.com. Feature film. (VHS 6795)
La fille seule = A single girl. 1997. orig. 1993. 1 videocassette (90 min.). Drama showing a day
in the life of a young Parisian woman named Valerie
who is beginning a new job and who reveals to
her boyfriend that she is four weeks pregnant. Feature film. (VHS 6058)
Girlfight.
2001. orig. 2000. 1 videodisc (110 min.). Diana Guzman is
always fighting, whether at home in the housing
projects with her abusive dad or at high school.
She finds a new outlet for her anger at her brother's
boxing gym. With hard-core training from veteran
boxing coach Hector, Diana learns she has the
guts and talent to be a contender. Feature film. (DVD 204)
Go fish. 1995.
orig. 1994. 1 videocassette (83 min.). A humorous and sensual
look at love among a small circle of young gay
women. Kia , a professor, is involved with Evy.
They would like Kia's roommate, Max, to meet a
woman. Kia sets her up with Ely, an ex-student
of hers who is in the process of terminating a
long-distance relationship. They finally go out
on a date and everyone insists on getting all
the details. Feature film. (VHS 4138)
Halfaouine: Child of the terraces = [Asfour stah]. 1997. orig. 1990. 1 videocassette (98 min.) or 1 videodisc (96
min.) . Named after the small Tunisian town where
it takes place, this coming-of-age film is a sensitive,
comical look at growing up under the puritanical
codes of Islam. It also offers a rich, vibrant
portrait of a 12-year-old boy's life, family and
community living in the Arab neighborhood of Halfaouine. Feature film. (DVD 732)
Heavenly creatures. 1994. 1 videodisc (99 min.) or 1 videocassette (99 min.). When circumstances
bring together two bright and highly imaginative
teenage schoolgirls they quickly form an unwavering
bond, creating a fantasy world that only they
can share. Disturbed by the intensity of the friendship,
their parents threaten to keep them apart. The
girls vow to stay together, devising a secret
plan that leads to shocking consequences. Feature film. (DVD
678)
The hours.
2003. orig. 2002. 1 videodisc (114 min.). In 1929, Virginia
Woolf is starting to write her novel, 'Mrs. Dalloway,
' under the care of doctors and family. In 1951,
Laura Brown is planning for her husband's birthday,
but is preoccupied with reading Woolf's novel.
In 2001, Clarrisa Vaughn is planning an award
party for her friend, an author dying of AIDS.
Taking place over one day, all three stories are
interconnected with the novel: one is writing
it, one is reading it, and one is living it. Feature film. (DVD
668)
I shot Andy Warhol. 1996. orig. 1995. 1 videocassette (104 min.). A journey into the cultural whirlwind
of events surrounding Valerie Solanas' shooting
of pop-art superstar Andy Warhol. Solanis (Lili
Taylor) arrived in mid-'60s New York City with
a single-minded mission: to spread the word on
female superiority. While feverishly putting her
radical ideas down on paper, she becomes a fringe
member of the psychedelic entourage surrounding
Andy Warhol (Harris). But when her feminist zeal
grows too bizarre and violent, even for this avant-garde
circle, the consequences are explosive. Feature film. (VHS 4683)
If these walls could talk. HBO original movies. 1996. 1 videocassette (ca.
97 min.). Film looks at the abortion issue from
the 1950s to the present as it examines how three
separate women coped when faced with an unexpected
pregnancy. Part 1/1952: A recently widowed nurse
(Demi Moore) struggles to take control of her
life after she finds she is pregnant by her brother-in-law.
Part 2/1974: A mother of four (Sissy Spacek) is
overwhelmed trying to raise a family and maintain
a career. Part 3/1996: A young student (Anne Heche)
makes a decision with the help of another woman
(Cher) that will change the course of both their
lives. Feature film. (VHS 5073)
If these walls could talk 2. HBO original movies. 2000. 1 videocassette (97
min.). "Three couples over three different
decades are bonded by the depth of their passions,
their unconventional love and a house that might
offer up their stories"--Container. Dramatizes
the lesbian experience in America in three different
decades. "1961" features Redgrave as
an older lesbian who is left out of the decision-making
process in the wake of her partner's sudden death.
"1972" looks at the lesbian role in
the feminist movement of the 1970s through the
eyes of a college-age couple. "2000"
features DeGeneres and Stone as a lesbian couple
trying to conceive a child. Feature film. (VHS 6774)
In the time of the butterflies. 2002. orig. 2001. 1 videodisc (92 min.). An idealistic young woman
falls for a rebel leader and takes on a murderous
dictator. Today, November 25 is observed in many
Latin American countries as the International
Day Against Violence Towards Women. This is based
on the story of the Mirabal sisters, whose deaths
became the final blow to the regime of Leonidas
Trujillo, who was assassinated six months later. Feature film. (DVD 479)
Kandahar: Journey into the heart of Afghanistan. 2003. orig. 2001. 1 videodisc (85 min.). Nafas, an Afghan-born
Canadian journalist, returns to her homeland in
a desperate attempt to reach her sister, who,
overcome with grief after being injured by a landmine
and her despair over the Taliban's oppression
of women, has vowed that she will commit suicide
at the time of the next solar eclipse, only three
days away. Feature film. (DVD 563)
Karmen Gei.
Library of African cinema. 2002. orig. 2001. 1 videocassette
(83 min.). Karmen escapes prison through her lesbian
relationship with the warden. She then wrecks
the marriage and career of a police corporal by
making him her lover and co-conspirator in a smuggling
ring. She abandons the corporal who, in a fit
of jealous rage, stabs her. Contains much singing
and dancing. Feature film. (VHS 7214)
The Magdalene sisters. 2004? orig. 2002. 1 videodisc (ca. 120 min.). In Ireland in the
1960s, four women were sent to the Magdalene Laundries,
an institution for "fallen" women, where
they will atone for their sins through a regimented
life of work and prayer. They all had to work
in the laundry, where the strict nuns would break
everyone's wills through sadistic punishment.
Based on a true story. Feature film. (DVD 442) SEE ALSO
Sex in a cold climate - a documentary on the same
topic - VHS 7460.
Oranges are not the only fruit. 1997. orig. 1987. 2 videocassettes (165 min.). The coming-of-age
story of Jess, the adopted daughter of a deeply
religious woman, who grows up isolated and insulated
in the north of England in the 1960's. Jess's
love for another girl scandalizes her mother,
the church and community who set out to flush
the evil from her. Jess is forced to realize she
has her own mission to save the world - for love
and understanding. Feature film. (VHS 4481)
Rabbit-proof fence. 2003. orig. 2002. 1 videodisc (93 min.). In 1931, Molly and her younger cousins,
Gracie and Daisy, were three half-caste children
from Western Australia who were taken from their
parents under government edict and sent to an
institution, were taught to forget their families,
their culture, and re-invent themselves as members
of "white" Australian society. The three
girls begin an epic journey back to Western Australia,
traveling 1,500 miles on foot with no food or
water, and navigating by following the fence that
has been build across the nation to stem an over-population
of rabbits. Feature film. (DVD 556)
Real women have curves. 2003. orig. 2002. 1 videodisc (90 min.). Should she leave home,
go to college and experience life? Or stay home,
get married, and keep working in her sister's
struggling garment factory? It may seem an easy
decision, but for 18-year-old Ana, every choice
she makes this summer will change her life. Feature film. (DVD
656)
Strangers in good company. 1992? orig. 1990. 1 videocassette (101 min.) or 1 videodisc (105
min.). Seven elderly women and their bus driver
band together to survive when their bus breaks
down in the Quebec countryside. As they draw
closer, the women begin to share stories from
their pasts. Feature film. (DVD 212)
Thirteen. 2004.
orig. 2003. 1 videodisc (100 min.). Los Angeles teenager and
overachiever Tracy is an excellent student in
her seventh grade class and gets along well with
her mother, Melanie. She fears that she's not
cool enough to be friends with Evie, the most
popular girl in school. Fueled with genuine adolescent
energy, Tracy follows Evie's lead into the harsh
realities of sex, drugs, and hard-edged adventure.
Consumed with temptations and conflicting desires,
Tracy loses her good-girl identity, greatly affecting
her relationship with her mom. Feature film. (DVD 769)
Une Femme est une femme = A woman is a woman. 1998. orig. 1961. 1 videodisc (84 min.). When the beautiful Angéla
wants to have a baby and her lover refuses to
participate, she looks to recruit his best friend. Feature film.
(DVD 67)
The watermelon woman. 1997. orig. 1996. 1 videocassette (79 min.). Mock-documentary. While looking for
a suitable subject for her first film, aspiring
black lesbian filmmaker Cheryl (Cheryl Dunye)
runs across "Watermelon Woman" - an
African-American bit player in an old movie. Cheryl
decides that she must have been the lover of a
white female director and sets out to find the
truth while conducting her own affair with a rich
white woman. Feature film. (VHS 5602)
International Issues and Perspectives
Afghanistan: State of the Taliban. 2001. 1 videocassette (50 min.). This documentary traces
the history of the Taliban from its rise to power
in 1996 to its dominance over the Afghan population.
Through interviews with Afghan civilians and refugees
this program examines the ideology and objectives
of this militant Islamic organization and the
tactics they use that often violate human rights
and are contrary to the beliefs of many who follow
the Islamic religion. (VHS 6851)
All different, all equal. Life. 2000. 1 videocassette (24 min.). Part
11 of a series on how the globalized world economy
affects ordinary people. Looks at progress in
achieving greater equality for women -- five years
after the Beijing Conference on Women where government
delegations pledged themselves to tackle increasing
violence against women. Examines gains in women's
rights globally with visits to Northern Ireland,
Nigeria, Fiji, New Zealand, Brazil and other nations
focusing on crimes against women and achievements
by women towards equality. (VHS 7173)
The annotated Alice. 1998. 1 videocassette (51 min.). Alice Shalvi immigrated to Israel from
England in 1949. In 1962 she received a PhD in
English Literature from the Hebrew University
of Jerusalem. "In this intimate documentary
portrait, Alice Shalvi shares her thoughts and
memories of her public and private life, from
her childhood in Essen to her present-day success
as a leading Israeli scholar, feminist and peace
activist. Prof. Shalvi tells the story of her
personal odyssey as a daughter, wife, mother of
six, university professor, principal of an experimental
girls' religious school and founding chairwoman
of the Israel Women's Network. The program ends
as she begins her present job as Rector of the
Schechter Institute of Jewish Studies in Jerusalem."
Uses home movies, archival footage and interviews
with Prof. Shalvi. (Quoted summary taken from
The National Center for Jewish Film website: http://www.brandeis.edu/jewishfilm.).
(VHS 5837)
Asylum. 2002.
1 videocassette (20 min.). Baaba Andoh, a young
Ghanian woman, tells her story directly to the
camera: how she went to see her father, whom she
had never met, to ask his blessing on her impending
marriage. His reaction was to arrange a marriage
for her to an elderly man and to tell her she
would be "circumcised." Baaba flees
and when her father pursues her and offers a reward
for her return to him, she has no choice but to
leave her home with false papers and try to become
a refugee in the United States. Her moving retelling
of her story is alternated with a collage of still
images and video of life in Ghana. (VHS 7281)
At the end of a gun: Women and war. Life. 2000. 1 videocassette (24 min.). Part
9 of a series on how the globalized world economy
affects ordinary people. Druki's family fell victim
to the bloody civil war between the Tamil Tigers
and Sri Lankan government forces that has been
tearing the island of Sri Lanka apart for the
last 17 years. This program reports from Sri Lanka
on the suffering of thousands of women -- widowed,
displaced, detained, separated from husbands,
children and other loved ones -- as a result of
the war. (VHS 7172)
Beauty of the fatherland: Estonia. Gender montage. 2001. 1 videocassette (51 min.).
A wry examination of femininity and beauty in
Estonia through the lens of beauty pageants and
a girl scout troop. (VHS 7524)
Beyond Beijing.
1996. 1 videocassette (42 min.). From August 30
to September 15, 1995 two parallel events took
place in China: the NGO (Non-governmental organization)
Forum on Women in Huairou, and the United Nations
Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing. This
film looks at the Conference's attempts to complete
the platform document, at the various workshops
held, and particularly at the individual NGO Forum
projects, such as 'Women weaving the world together'.
(VHS 4689)
Beyond borders-- Arab feminists talk about their lives--
East and West.
2000. 1 videocassette (50 min.). In the Arab world,
women are fighting a two-front war against repressive
internal constraints and intrusive Western interference.
In this program, a feminist delegation composed
of author Nawal Saadawi and other renowned activists
from the Middle East and North Africa gathers
at the UN, on college campuses, and in church
basements to speak out about deterioration of
women's rights in the Arab states in an effort
to heighten awareness of the Arab feminist struggle
for equality--and the effects of U.S. foreign
policy on their efforts. (VHS 7185)
Beyond the veil.
1997. 1 videocassette (22 min.). In this program,
a female reporter, Anna Maria Tremonti, dons the
hijab and goes undercover to find out how Iranian
women feel about the government-enforced dress
code and about their d