- 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 diminished role in Iranian society. (VHS 7393)

Beyond the veil. 1999. 3 videocassettes (52 min. ea.). The born again Muslims: Variations in veil policies in Sudan, Turkey and Iran reflect variations in Islam in these three countries. Shows that the Muslim world is not monolithic in its views. The holy warriors: Film examines the reasons for more radical interpretations of the Quran in Algeria, Egypt, Palestine, Jordan, Pakistan and Afghanistan. Analysis of the jihad helps Westerners perceive why some Muslims believe that they can escape Westernization only through violence, how one man's terrorism may be another man's patriotism. How then can differing cultures find a common basis for mutual respect? The new cold war: Is the gap between the West and moderate Muslims widening? Is the West determined to impose its values on Islamic nations without regard to national preferences, thus radicalizing local patriots? Are all Western motives self-serving? When both cultures accept that their definitions of democracy and human rights differ, there will be a firm basis for dialogue now, and peaceful co-existence in the future. (VHS 5550)

Bought & sold. 1997. 1 videocassette (42 min.). Based on a two year undercover investigation conducted by GSN into the illegal trafficking in women from the Former Soviet Republics, this documentary features interviews with traffickers, Russian mafia, trafficked women, and groups working to provide services to trafficked women. (VHS 7124)

Caught in the crossfire. A question of rights. 1998. 1 videocassette (15 min.). This film is part of the series "A Question of Rights" that explores what governments, communities, NCOs and individuals are doing to ensure that women's reproductive rights are recognized in Ethiopia, Latvia, Jamaica and Fiji. This segment looks at Fiji which, since the armed coup in 1987,  has become a cauldron of ethnic persecution and human rights abuses. Male authority in Pacific culture is so deeply entrenched that women have no power to say "no" to sexual exploitation. Prostitution is a taboo subject in Fiji and is illegal, but it is the women and not the men who get prosecuted. (VHS 5612)

Community. 1996. 1 videocassette (24 min.). Film looks at positive long term change that can come with women's participation in community affairs. Women and men in the Satkhira district of southwestern Bangladesh discuss their progress in creating economic opportunity for all while addressing the issue of women's rights. (VHS 4906)

Covered. 1995. 1 videocassette (30 min.). Examines the reasons behind the increased veiling occurring in Egypt. Intimate interviews set against a backdrop of compelling footage reveal the complex motives of women choosing to cover up. (VHS 3550)

Crimes of honour. 1999. 1 videocassette (44 min.). Filmed in Jordan and on the West Bank, film looks at women in Islamic culture who are killed by their male relatives because they are thought to have dishonored their families by engaging in unacceptable relationships with men or running away. Also profiles three women, Rana Husseini, a reporter for the Jordan Times, Asma Khader, a Jordanian human rights lawyer, and Nadera Shalhoub-Kervorkian, founder of the Women's Work Center for Legal Aid Counseling in the West Bank, who have committed themselves to human rights and who attempt to provide protection and assistance to those in danger of losing their lives. (VHS 5979)

The day I will never forget. 2002. 1 videocassette (90 min.). (Producer)  Examines the practice of female genital mutilation in Kenya and the pioneering African women who are bravely reversing the tradition. (VHS 5886)

Days of democracy. 1996. 1 videocassette (70 min.). This film depicts the endeavors of women in Egypt to make a comeback to political life through the parliamentary elections held at the closing years of the 20th century. (VHS 6879)

Divorce Iranian style. 1998. 1 videocassette (ca. 80 min.). "... this fly-on-the-wall look at several weeks in an Iranian divorce court provides a unique window into the intimate circumstances of Iranian women's lives. Following Jamileh, whose husband beats her; Ziba, a 16 year old trying to divorce her 38 year old husband; and Maryam, who is desperately fighting to gain custody of her daughters, this deadpan chronicle showcases the strength, ingenuity, and guile with which they confront biased laws, a Kafakaesque administrative system, and their husbands' and families' rage to gain divorces." (Summary from Women Make Movies website: http://wmm.com). (VHS 5995)

The doctor's story. Life: Life series 3. 2002. 1 videocassette (23 min.). Part of a series examining the issue of glabalization and its effect on ordinary people around the world. Nepal has one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the world. This episode explores the plight of Nepal's local health services, and links the situation to the prohibition by the U.S. government against funding any non-governmental organization that supports abortion. (VHS 7203)

The dream becomes a reality: Nation building and the continued struggle of the women of the Eritrean People's Liberation Front. 1995. 1 videocassette (48 min.). Interviews with women who were treated as equals during the struggle for Eritrean independence about their current employment and social conditions.  Most have continued to work in their professions or vocations although the traditional cultural forces make full sexual equality impossible. (VHS 4158)

Educating Lucia. Life. 2000. 1 videocassette (24 min.). Part 25 of a series on how the globalized world economy affects ordinary people. Focuses on the story of three African sisters who want to graduate to secondary school but are more likely to receive no formal education, working as seasonal laborers on one of Zimbabwe's large tobacco farms. They're being raised by their grandmother who can only afford school fees for one girl. In African countries such as Zimbabwe, Uganda and Benin the odds are dramatically against girls getting an education. (VHS 7179)

Femmes aux yeux ouverts = Women with open eyes . Library of African cinema. 1994. 1 videocassette (52 min.). Profiles contemporary African women in four West African countries: Burkina Faso, Mali, Senegal and Benin. We meet a woman active in the movement against female genital mutilation, a health care worker educating women about sexually transmitted diseases, and businesswomen who describe how they have set up an association to share expertise and provide mutual assistance. VHS 3649)

Four women of Egypt. 1997. 1 videocassette (90 min.). Four Egyptian women have the same goals--human dignity and social justice--but each adopts an approach radically different from the others. Muslim, Christian, Jewish or non-religious, their visions of society range from wanting a secular or socialist state to an Islamic one.  Amina Rachid was raised in a non-religious, Westernized, aristocratic household before embracing Socialism and fighting for social justice. Another deeply committed activist, Shahenda Maklad, a Muslim, was a student demonstrator in Egypt's national movement who lost her husband to a political assassination before pursuing political office herself. Her mentor, Wedad Mitry, a devout Christian, is a militant nationalist leader and author. Their friend, Safynaz Kazem, is a political journalist and strict Muslim. These four women are the subject of this impressive documentary exploration of opposing religious, social, and political views in modern-day Egypt. These friends, deeply committed, argue openly, without ever breaking the bond that unites them. [Section of summary taken from Women Make Movies Website: http://wmm.com]. (VHS 5994)

The fragile rice bowl. China, unleashing the dragon. 1995. 1 videocassette (50 min.). The second film in a four part documentary chronicling the transformation currently sweeping over China, from its initiation by Deng Xiaoping, to the economic, social and cultural realities of today's China. This episode examines the impact of economic changes on women and families in China by following the changes experienced by one extended family living in Shanghai. (VHS 5632)

From maids to compañeras. 1998. 1 videocassette (23 min.). Three black women who worked as domestic servants before the 1959 Cuban revolution tell the story of their transformation from being dispossessed and poor to full participants in the new social order. After attending school in the 1960s, they now work as a poet, a judge and a cook. (VHS 5556)

Girls from Chaka street. A question of rights. 1998. 1 videocassette (15 min.). This film is part of the series "A Question of Rights" that explores what governments, communities, NCOs and individuals are doing to ensure that women's reproductive rights are recognized in Ethiopia, Latvia, Jamaica and Fiji. This segment deals with the flourishing sex industry in Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia. Underage girls - earning more in a night on the street than a trained doctor does in a month - face physical and psychological risks, and Mafia involvement is growing. (VHS 5515)

Globalization, culture and civilization. 2000. 1 videocassette (101 min.). A forum at the Aspen Institute where participants talked about economic progress in a global economy and potential effects on various cultures.  Among the issues addressed were using the global economy to empower women and the poor, potential changes in the workplace, and possible ways to constructively control economic growth.  Participants included academicians and Queen Noor of Jordan. After the remarks the panelists answered questions from the audience. (VHS 6446)

Hack workers: Uzbekistan. Gender montage. 2002. 1 videocassette (21 min.). Hack workers, poor Uzbekistan women abandoned by their husbands, are subject to physical violence, rape and murder. (VHS 7525)

Half the sky: Women of the Jiang family. A woman's place. 1996. 1 videocassette (50 min.). Mao Zedong said that "women are 'half the sky' and they are absolutely the equal of men." Four generations of women members of the Jiang family discuss the progress made by women in China, both socially and economically, in recent times. (VHS 4922)

Hopes on the horizon. 2001. 1 videocassette (115 min). Chronicles the rise of pro-democracy movements in six African countries during the 1990s: Benin: a peaceful transition from dictatorship to democracy -- Nigeria: a human rights movement challenges the military -- Rwanda: Historians build a platform for dialogue -- Morocco: Women's rights activists reform the traditional religious family code -- Mozambique: Agricultural cooperatives advocate economic reform and land rights -- South Africa: A township unites to promote quality education. (VHS 6831)

House on fire. A question of rights. 1998. 1 videocassette (15 min.). This film is part of the series "A Question of Rights" that explores what governments, communities, NCOs and individuals are doing to ensure that women's reproductive rights are recognized in Ethiopia, Latvia, Jamaica and Fiji. Segment looks at Jamaica and the Caribbean area which has one of the highest rates of domestic violence in the world. Triggered by unemployment and drug use, it's also perpetuated by a culture that still fails to condemn violence against women, and sexual violence in particular, as a crime. (VHS 5513)

Il cerchio = The circle. 2001. 1 videodisc (87 min.). This film offers insights into the lives of women in Iran. As the narrative dynamically shifts from woman to woman, their stories culminate with tremendous potency, transforming a shared sense of despair and injustice into one of kinship and even hope.

In the name of honour. Life. 2000. 1 videocassette (24 min.). Part 21 of a series on how the globalized world economy affects ordinary people. This program explores how oppression of the minority Kurds in the disputed enclave of Northern Iraq has unleashed a chain of violence and crimes often directed at Kurdish women and how Kurdish women are fighting back for their own protection and working for human rights in Iraq. (VHS 7177)

Invisible: Georgia. Gender montage.  2003. 1 videocassette (26 min.). Women are rendered invisible by the patriarchal social structures in Azerbaijani villages. (VHS 7526)

The Japanese nightmare. 200. 1 videocassette (28 min.). "In Japan, more and more young women are rebelling against the societal norm. They do not want to settle down, marry and have families. Instead, more and more have careers and live with their parents enabling them to have disposable income which they spend for their own enjoyment"--Conainer. (VHS 7516)

Keep her under control: Law's patriarchy in India. 1998. 1 videocassette (52 min.). Produced and filmed in northeastern Rajasthan, India, this video documents a dispute resolution in a multi-caste village of Hindus, Muslims, and Sikhs. The film discusses the Meos, a Muslim farming caste, and shows the paradox between a male ideology that demands the control of women and one woman's resistance to that agenda.  (VHS 5587)

Kim Campbell, through the looking glass. 2000. 1 videocassette (70 min., 30 sec.). Briefly looks at  Canadian politician Kim Campbell's early life, her entry into local and provincial politics and then focuses on her career at the national level including her victory in the Progressive Conservative party leadership campaign in 1993 and loss in the election a few months later. (VHS 6846)

Live containers: Tajikistan. Gender montage.   2002. 1 videocassette (27 min.). Economic hardship drives some Tajik women to smuggle heroin inside their bodies. (VHS 7527)

Made in Thailand. 1999. 1 videocassette (33 min.). A documentary about women factory workers in Thailand and their struggle to organize unions. In Thailand women make up 90% of the labor force responsible for garments and toys for export by multinational corporations. While probing the impact of the New World Order on populations that provide cheap labor in Thailand, the film also profiles women newly empowered by their campaign for human and worker's rights. (VHS 7125)

Miss Captivity. 2002. 1 videocassette (80 min.). Viewers of Lithuania television saw a different sort of beauty pageant this fall. Women prisoners vied to become Miss Captivity. The 39 women who participated were treated to a crash course in walking in high heels, putting on cosmetics, fittings with a fashion designer, and rehearsals with a singer. They also had sessions with a psychologist, who presumably told them how to be a "real " woman. They usually work at sewing machines making prison uniforms. The winner got the equivalent of $1,150, payable when she gets out of prison. She is expected to get time off for good behavior. (VHS 7351)

Modern heroes, modern slaves. 1997. 1 videocassette (45 min.). Shows the human and sometimes tragic side of the overseas contract worker from the Philippines, where each day, thousands of women leave to seek work as domestics in more prosperous places. Most of the money that they earn is sent home to their families - a revenue source so important to the national economy that the Philippine government calls these workers "modern day heroes."  Looks at such problems as: failed marriages, family break ups and exploitation and abuse at the hands of unscrupulous employers. (VHS 5547)

Mrs. President: Women and political leadership in Iran. 2002. 1 videocassette (46 min.). "In the summer of 2001, 47 Iranian women neither affiliated with nor supported by any political party registered themselves as candidates for the presidential elections. Due to the Guardian Council's interpretation of a clause in the constitution, none of the women were allowed to run. This documentary presents the thoughts and opinions of six female candidates who agreed to be interviewed, along with the commentary of two female Iranian journalists who cover political developments for magazines in their country."--container. (VHS 7323)

Not the numbers game. 1996. 1 videocassette (43 min.). Looks at how several developing countries have progressed in meeting the agreements signed at the Cairo Conference on Population and Development in which peoples' needs rather than population numbers were emphasized in discussions. Six short films were edited into a single film that examines the conditions of women in these countries and their efforts to attain their dreams while dealing with problems that make their lives difficult. The stories include: women in India who are demanding the basic services they need for a dignified life; women in Uganda who are calling for a halt to the barbaric practice of female genital mutilation; an unsupported second wife working endless jobs in Kenya to afford school and hope for her children; teenage pregnancy and machismo in Peru; industrial employment in Indonesia; and the status of women on postwar Cambodia. (VHS 5379)

Operation fine girl: Rape used as a weapon of war in Sierra Leone. 2001. 1 videocassette (46 min.). Documentary about the use of sexual violence against women as a weapon in the Sierra Leone civil war. (VHS 7571)

Paradise bent: Boys will be girls in Samoa. 1999. 1 videocassette (50 min.). An exploration of the Samoan fa`afafine, boys who are raised as girls, fulfilling a traditional role in Samoan culture. The film shows how in the large Samoan family there may be one or two fa'afafines who are not only accepted but appreciated. They share the women's traditional work of cooking, cleaning, and caring for the children and the elderly.  "Paradise Bent" brings up issues of culture and gender and the complexities of sexual identity. (VHS 7348)

The perfumed garden. 2000. 1 videocassette (56 min.). Through interviews with men and women of all ages and classes this film explores the myths and realities of sensuality and sexuality in Arab society, a world of taboos, of erotic literature and films. It begins looking at a more permissive history, and ends with the experiences of contemporary lovers from mixed backgrounds. The film discusses pre-marital sex, courtship and marriage, familial pressures, social taboos and issues of language. It also demonstrates how the rich legacy of fantasy in the A Thousand and One Arabian Nights still permeates contemporary Arab culture. (VHS 7314)

Power, feminine gender: Ukraine. Gender montage.  2003. 1 videocassette (23 min.). Argues that matriarchy is the natural form of social organization in the Ukraine. (VHS 7528)

Red butterflies where two springs meet: Kyrgyzstan. Gender montage.   2002. 1 videocassette (15 min.). Janyl Alibekova, an independent artist who creates traditional felt carpets, becomes a celebrity during the break-up of the Soviet Union. (VHS 7529)

The right to choose. Life. 2000. 1 videocassette (24 min.). Part 8 of a series on how the globalized world economy affects ordinary people. Nibret is eleven -- and they're marrying her off to a man she's never met. Forced marriage isn't unusual in northern Ethiopia -- it helps to cement ties between families and establish land rights. This program reports on the dissonant voices arguing for change in local cultures -- and calls for reproductive health care and primary education for women and looks at widespread discrimination and violence against women. (VHS 7171)

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)

Rise: Revolutionary women re-envisioning Afghanistan. 2002. 1 videocassette (15 min.). Documents the lives of Afghans following the recent American-led military campaign. RAWA members interview refugees, victims of factional fighting and Taliban abuse as well as residents who witnessed the recent bombings of civilian homes. RAWA spokeswomen call for gender equality, democracy, freedom, and an end to foreign military intervention. Shot by members of the Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan, using both a regular and a hidden camera. (VHS 7564)

Rising above: Women of Vietnam. A woman's place. 1996. 1 videocassette (50 min.). Documentary examines the social and economic progress made by women in Vietnam since, and before, the end of the Vietnamese Conflict in 1975 and at their present day efforts to avoid being relegated to the role of second class citizens. Film looks at the lives of five women including Mrs. Nguyen Thi Dinh, who was a general and deputy commander of Vietcong forces, and Mrs. Binh, who negotiated with Henry Kissinger at the Paris Peace Accords. (VHS 4921)

Sacrifice. 1998. 1 videocassette (48 min.). Each year thousands of girls are recruited from rural Burmese villages to work in brothels in Thailand where they are held for years in debt bondage. The trafficking of Burmese girls is a direct result of political repression in Burma. Human rights abuses, war, and ethnic discrimination have displaced thousands of families leaving them with no means of livelihood. This film, through interviews with the girls, examines the social, cultural and economic forces at work in the trafficking of these Burmese girls. (VHS 6469)

Saheri's choice. 1998. 1 videocassette (27 min.). Glimpse into contemporary Indian society as program examines the custom of  arranged marriages in India. Follows the story of one girl and her family as they confront the reality of an impending marriage that was arranged when the girl was barely six years old. An overview of the custom presents it as common among all castes, although many Indians view the practice in a negative light. Education, family wealth, and astrological compatibility are examined as important in determining with whom the marriages are arranged. In one case, the issue of dowry leads to the suicide of a young female marriage prospect. Severe penalties for breaking engagements are discussed, along with divorce negotiations should the marriage fail. (VHS 5344)

The selling of innocents. 1996. 1 videodisc (ca. 50 min.). Documentary on the young girls in the sex traffic industry in India. (DVD 788)

Señorita extraviada = Missing young woman. 2001. 1 videocassette (76 min.). Over 250 young women were kidnapped, raped and murdered from the city of Juárez, Mexico. The perpetuators of these crimes have not been apprehended, even though these crimes have been occurring regularly since 1993. (VHS 7306)

Sex in a cold climate. 1997. 1 videocassette (50 min.). The film is a disturbing portrait of Magdalen asylums, run by corrupt and sadistic Catholic nuns in Ireland.  The purpose of the asylums, named after the repentant biblical prostitute Mary Magdalene, was to correct the supposed sexual deviance of young women.  The film follows the stories of four women who were detained in Magdalen asylums between the 1940s and the 1960s. (VHS 7460)

Silk patterns: Mongolia. Gender montage.   2003. 1 videocassette (27 min.). Female college graduates wear a special deli, the traditional women's costume, yet these women have few options in life after graduation. (VHS 7530)

Sixteen decisions. 2000. 1 videocassette (59 min.). Examines the social charter of the Grameen Bank of Bangladesh and the 16 principles which undergird its success by examining the life of Selina, one of the 2.4 million Bangladeshi women building stronger rural economies through microcredit lending. (VHS 6832)

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)

Tomorrow will be better? Lithuania. Gender montage.  2003. 1 videocassette (40 min.). Four women struggle to build a new life in a post-Soviet Lithuania. (VHS 7531)

Visages de femmes = Faces of women. International cinema. 1995. 1 videocassette (103 min.). Politically and stylistically adventurous film exploring the links between feminism, economics and tradition in modern-day Africa. African women, who daily face hardship and obstacles, mainly as a result of traditional social mores, explore ways to better their lot, to gain a measure of commercial and cultural freedom and equality. (VHS 3402)

Welcome to womanhood. 1998. 1 videocassette (14 min.). In a follow-up to the 1996 documentary "The Cutting Edge," BBC-TV correspondent, Donu Kogbara returns to the Kapchorwe region of Uganda to look at the success and failure of the REACH project in northern Uganda which tried to replace the dangerous practice of female genital mutilation with ceremonies for the exchange of cattle and gifts to welcome young girls into the adult community. (VHS 5374)

When women unite: The story of an uprising. 1996. 1 videocassette (80 min.). Using interviews with participants and reenactments, filmmakers recreate an actual event. In Nellore District, Andhra Pradesh, India, between 1992 and 1995, arrack, a type of country liquor, was being manufactured by the government and supplied to the villages through middlemen. Since arrack was easier to obtain than water, the village men were staying intoxicated and becoming more and more abusive to their families. The women of the villages in Nellore District rallied and got the government to stop the sale of arrack in the villages. (VHS 4650)

Wishing for seven sons and one daughter: Azerbaijan. Gender montage.  2002. 1 videocassette (26 min.). Seven sons and one daughter is a traditional Azerbaijani wedding wish, and some wives are pressured to abort unwanted female fetuses. (VHS 7532)

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)

Women and Islam. Islamic conversations. 1994. 1 videocassette (30 min). Leila Ahmed argues the case for revision of the widely-held views of the Islamic world about the role of women, using examples from history and the role played by women in the contemporary society.  She explains the origin of the veil, and discusses the issue of marriage and women's rights within marriage. (VHS 6146)

Women & war. 2000. 1 videocassette (52 min.). Interwoven with footage from recent conflicts in the Middle East, Bosnia, northern Uganda, and South Africa, this program captures women's personal experiences of military violence, explains how they survived, and reflects on their growing resistance to war. The women's feelings of loss, uncertainty, and anguish are expressed through stories of cruelty, degradation, and psychological trauma, while their attempts to achieve reconciliation and rebuild shattered communities demonstrate their positive efforts to create a more peaceful future for everyone. (VHS 7111)

Women in development. 1996. 1 videocassette (ca. 30 min.). Looks at a broad range of issues relating to the advancement and empowerment of women in three countries in the Asia-Pacific region. Considers how cultural factors determine roles for men and women as it specifically addresses the issues of women's health and education (literacy rates, pregnancy and family planning), women and poverty (issue of the wage differential between men and women and the role of low interest loan programs that target poor women) and women and the environment in the countries of the Solomon Islands, Vietnam and Palau. (VHS 4663)

Women of the Wall. 1999. 1 videocassette (31 min.). News items in the Israeli media note the stages of the Jewish women's struggle with Orthodox Jewish tradition for the right to pray at the Wall. (VHS 6653)

Women world leaders. 1996. 1 videocassette (30 min.). Weaves the common threads of fifteen female political figures: their experiences, values, accomplishments, joys, tragedies and mistakes into a forthright and honest look at women in the highest echelons of power. (VHS 7113)

The women's bank of Bangladesh. 1997. 1 videocassette (47 min.). In Bangladesh, the Grameen Bank, founded by professor of economics Muhammad Yumus, makes small-business loans to women only. Film describes the philosophy, development, and function of the bank and then follows the daily activities of three women who have taken out loans to fund their cottage industries. (VHS 4542)

World of difference. A question of rights. 1998. 1 videocassette (12 min.). This film is an introduction to the series "A Question of Rights" that explores what governments, communities, NCOs and individuals are doing to ensure that women's reproductive rights are recognized in Ethiopia, Latvia, Jamaica and Fiji. This segment traces the background to the international agreements on women rights. Host Bella Abzug shows that when women are excluded from basic rights and decision making, the economy, development, and environment suffer. (VHS 5511)

Young wives' tales. A question of rights. 1998. 1 videocassette (15 min.). This film is part of the series "A Question of Rights" that explores what governments, communities, NCOs and individuals are doing to ensure that women's reproductive rights are recognized in Ethiopia, Latvia, Jamaica and Fiji. Segment looks at an 11 year old Ethiopian girl being married to a man she has never met before. What are her chances of surviving the experience? Recent statistics show that early marriage is on the increase in many parts of the world, increasing the risk from pregnancy and childbirth for girls whose bodies are not fully developed. (VHS 5614)

 

Women in Mass Media

The Beulah show. Black artists of the silver screen. 1996. 1 videocassette (51 min.). In the first episode Beulah and Bill show the Henderson's ten-year-old son how to do "with-it" dancing.  His dancing teacher is upset, but the girls his age are impressed.  In episode two Bill is talked into babysitting for a seven-year-old girl and Oriole has a new boyfriend. (VHS 4135)

Dreamworlds 2: Desire / sex / power in music video. 1995. 1 videocassette (57 min.). A controversial video that MTV tried to ban. Portrays the impact that sex and violence in media have on society and culture in our everyday life. Shows scenes from over 165 music videos to show how the media portrays masculinity, femininity, sex, and sex roles. Includes a scene of a brutal gang rape from the movie, The Accused. (VHS 5858)

Hollywood harems. 1999. 1 videocassette (25 min.). Examines Hollywood stereotypes of the East, with particular attention paid to the Middle East and the depiction of women of the East. Juxtaposing film clips from the 20s through the 80s, the filmmaker argues these fantasies have worked both to shape and reinforce often derogative assumptions about the peoples of the East while at the same time reinscribing the moral, spiritual, and cultural supremacy of the Anglo-European West. (VHS 6173)

Killing us softly 3: Advertising's image of women. 2000. 1 videocassette (34 min.). Discusses the manner in which women continue to be portrayed by advertising and the effects this has on their images of themselves. (VHS 6449)

No man's land: Women front line journalists. 1994. 1 videocassette (50 min.). Profiles members of a truly rare breed -- women war correspondents. The film focuses on Janine di Giovanni, an American reporter who covers Sarajevo for London's Sunday Times, and Lyse Doucet who covers the "forgotten war" in Afghanistan for the BBC. As they and others such as Clare Hollingworth, Maggie O"Kane, Kate Adie, Ann Median and Martha Teichner speak of their experiences and personal sacrifices, many common traits are revealed. Paints a gripping portrait of women who have staked places in a traditionally male profession. (VHS 4584)

Playing unfair: The media image of the female athlete. 2002. 1 videocassette (30 min.). It has been 30 years since Title IX legislation granted women equal playing time, but the male-dominated world of sports journalism has yet to catch up with the law. Coverage of women's sport lags far behind men's, and focuses on female athletes femininity and sexuality over their achievements on the court and field. (VHS 7160)

Searching for Debra Winger. 2004. 1 videodisc (99 min.). This documentary is not only about film star Debra Winger, but also about the trials and tribulations of actresses in Hollywood who have reached "that certain age". Arquette interviews several of her colleagues, all of whom have their own personal horror stories about insensitive producers and casting directors who tend to think of over-40 actresses as being suitable only for mother, "other woman", and "hero's girlfriend" roles, if they bother to cast these roles at all. The women also discuss the difficulties in balancing a successful career and a private life. (DVD 780)

Sex and the city: The complete first season. 2000. 2 videodiscs (ca. 300 min.). A thirty-something sex columnist and her three single friends examine relationships and sexual roles in New York City. (DVD 372)

She says: Women in news. 2001. 1 videocassette (60 min.). Ten women in positions of power in the news industry describe how women in news are changing the news agenda, the culture of the newsroom and the culture itself. Among the women featured in the program are: Judy Woodruff, prime anchor and correspondent, CNN; Helen Thomas, dean of White House correspondents, Hearst, formerly UPI; Anna Quindlen, Newsweek columnist, former Op Ed page columnist, New York Times; Nina Totenberg, legal affairs correspondent, NPR, Carole Simpson, anchor World News Tonight Sunday, ABC News; Geneva Overholser, Washington Post; Judy Crichton, first women producer of CBS Reports; Paula Madison, Vice President and General Manager, KNBC, Los Angeles. The women describe their early experiences in the business and tell specific news stories that women in decision-making positions in the newsroom have influenced. (VHS 7365)

Sisters in cinema. 2003. 1 videocassette (62 min.). A documentary discussing the strong visual history of the contributions of African American women to the film industry. (VHS 7484)

Slim hopes: Advertising and the obsession with thinness. 1995. 1 videocassette (30 min.). Explores the manner in which women are portrayed by advertising with the focus on thinness. Discusses the impact this portrayal has on the self images of women and girls. (VHS 3497)

Without lying down: Frances Marion and the power of women in Hollywood. 2001. 1 videodisc (56 min.). This insightful documentary gives voice to Frances Marion's words taken from her letters, diaries and memoirs. Footage from more than twenty of Marion's movies align with commentary by pre-eminent silent film historian Kevin Brownlow, critic Leonard Maltin and Marion's celebrated biographer, Cari Beauchamp. (DVD 686)

 

Women at work

Asking different questions: Women and science . 1996. 1 videocassette (51 min.). How do women fare in the world of science? Is there such a thing as a "feminist science?" Are scientists really detached, objective observers or do they have personal biases and beliefs that can affect their work? Features five women scientists who have re-examined (by asking questions different from the mainstream of science) the very foundations of modern science in an attempt to understand whether the benefits of science and technology are always worth the cost. Each woman has incorporated her feminism and social activism into her work and is an advocate for a holistic, less-fragmented approach to the study of science. (VHS 4615)

Breakthrough: The changing face of science in America. 1996. 6 videocassettes (342 min.). Intimate biographical profiles of 20 contemporary Afro-American, Latino and Native American male and female scientists and engineers who are making advances in many scientific disciplines. (VHS 3941-46)

In the game. 1994. 1 videocassette (55 min.). Behind-the-scenes story of one season with Coach Tara VanDerveer and the Stanford Women's Basketball Team as they try to live out the biggest dream in college sports -- to win a national championship.  It also takes a look at the inequities in men's and women's sports and offers a serious examination of how women's college athletics have been affected by Title IX. (VHS 4165)

Just for the ride. 1996. 1 videocassette (53 min.). A history of women in professional rodeos, and their evolving role from background "decoration" to full-fledged rodeo participants. Looks at women's rodeo champions, Fern Sawyer and Jan Youren. (VHS 5896)

Talking 9 to 5: Women and men in the workplace. 1995. 1 videocassette (30 min.). Linguist Deborah Tannen examines the ways people talk and listen at work, highlighting differences in the conversational styles of men and women. She uses meaningful stories and real-life examples to show how understanding these conversational gender differences in style can improve communication in the workplace. (VHS 7574)

Through the glass ceiling. 1994. 1 videocassette (17 min.). Film tells the story of Princess Ella who was showered with desirable gifts at birth, except for the curse of her wicked aunt. That curse was that she should learn to type at age 16. Narrowly escaping this awful fate, Ella sets out on her career path at the Equal Opportunities Kingdom. (VHS 3479)

Who's counting? Marilyn Waring on sex, lies & global economics. 1995. 1 videocassette (95 min.). The program shows how the GDP (gross national product) is biased against traditional women's work and does not subtract for unproductive expenditures like oil spills. (VHS 3918)

The writing on the wall: Throwing the book at sexual harassment. 1997. 1 videocassette (22 min.). Film seeks to drive home the point that sexual harassment is serious business and that juries and judges, government regulators, the media and the public are more than ready to throw the book at sexual harassment violators. In a fact-based dramatization, several individuals subject fellow employees to sexual demeaning, hostile conduct that culminates with anonymous, harassing writing on a men's room wall. When an ineffective management response fails to stop and adequately address the problem, the victims ultimately abandon the in-house complaint channels and file charges. Thus what started as an internal complaint escalates into a very public class-action law suit and the "writing on the wall" is hacked out of the toilet wall to be used as evidence. (VHS 6172)

 

Women in history

Around the world in 72 days. 1997. 1 videocassette (60 min.). The story of a remarkably ambitious woman who, in an era of Victorian reserve, became a household name by doing things a woman wasn't supposed to do. But none of Bly's adventures prepared for her most demanding stunt of all - an around the world trip in record time. By the time Nellie Bly embarked on this trip that would make her world famous, she had already made a name for herself as one of Joseph Pulitzer's top reporters, writing the stories that captured the imagination of the newspaper readers. (VHS 4844)

Emma Goldman, the anarchist guest. 2000. 1 videocassette (42 min.). Depicts the life and philosopies of Emma Goldman, an anarchist nicknamed "Red Emma" for her radical political views. Follows her tumultuous life from Russia to the United States and her eventual deportation from the U.S. because of her politics. Traces Goldman's journey to the Canadian home where she found exile in her later years. (VHS 7562)

Evita. 1997? 1 videocassette (ca. 135 min.). True-life story of Eva Perón, who rose above childhood poverty and a scandalous past to achieve fortune and fame. (VHS 4215)

Evita: The woman behind the myth. 1996. 1 videocassette (ca. 50 min.). To some, she was a hero. To others, she was a symbol of naked ambition. To the world, she remains a legend. Eva Duarte de Peron -- Evita -- is one of the most controversial figures in history. Program uses photographs and films to tell Evita's real story, from her humble birth to her tragic death from cancer at 33. (VHS 5265)

Fly girls. 1999. 1 videocassette (57 min.). Drawing on archival footage, rarely seen home movies, and interviews with the participants themselves, FLY GIRLS tells the fascinating story of the Women's Air Force Service pilots (WASP). Led by America's most accomplished aviatrix Jacqueline Cochran, these courageous women logged more than sixty million miles, ferrying planes throughout the United States, test-piloting experimental aircraft, and training men to fly. Still, the WASP fought a daily-and sometimes deadly-battle for respect. (VHS 5806)

The hidden army: Women in World War II. 1 videocassette (46 min.). The hidden army: Using a mixture of dramatized events and newsreels, this film extols the work of women in industry during World War II.  It was primarily made to get more women involved in the industrial sector of war work, since the number of women factory workers had actually declined in 1943 -- Women in defense: A newsreel commentary produced for the purpose of informing the public about and further promoting the contributions of women in the U.S. war effort.  Contains footage of women performing jobs traditionally reserved for men -- Army and Navy nurse POWs in World War II: Focuses on the strength and courage of the U.S. Army and Navy nurses who survived the World War II prison camps of Bataan and Corregidor. (VHS 5350)

Lakota woman. 1994. 1 videocassette (118 min.). True story of the 1973 uprising that united Native Americans in their fight for survival. One woman rises from ignorance and fear to meet the challenge of her proud heritage during a bloody siege in which 2,000 Native Americans stood their ground and vowed never to be silent again. (VHS 5439)

The legacy of Barbara Jordan: Four speeches. 1996. 1 videocassette (75 min.). Barbara Jordan was the first black woman elected to the House of Representatives from the South. She served three terms in that office, and became known for her speeches. She was an attorney and later an educator in Houston, Texas. (VHS 3824)

The life and times of Sara Baartman, "the Hottentot Venus". 1998. 1 videocassette (52 min.). Sara Baartman was taken from her Cape Town home to London in 1810 where she was exhibited as a freak. A court battle waged by abolitionists to free her from her exhibitors failed. In 1814 she was taken to France and became the object of scientific and medical research that formed the bedrock of European ideas about black female sexuality. She died the next year. Using historical drawings, cartoons, legal documents, and interviews with noted cultural historians and anthropologists, film deconstructs the social, political, scientific and philosophical assumptions which transformed one young African woman into a representation of savage sexuality and racial inferiority. (VHS 5976)

Margaret Sanger. 1998. 1 videocassette (87 min.). Margaret Sanger was a birth control advocate (she opened the first birth control clinic in the U.S.), self-styled libertarian, and ardent proponent of women's rights. However, she also made use of the racist and elitist arguments of eugenics. Using rare archival footage, diary excepts, and commentary from historians, critics, and relatives, documentary traces Sanger's life and work in the promotion and legalization of contraception. Examines her legal battles, her work to distribute scientific birth control information, and her best-known achievement: the establishment of Planned Parenthood. Offers insight into her Bohemian life as well as the fierce opposition she faced from conservative religious and social groups. (VHS 5537)

Pandora's box: The roles of women in ancient Greece. Institute for Mediterranean Studies. 1995. 1 videocassette (47 min.). Scholars have come to realize that the artists of ancient Greece, in presenting interpretations of myths and rituals in vase painting and sculpture, used a wealth of visual imagery. Using this art, Ellen Reeder illustrates how that imagery reveals to us today the values, perceptions and concerns that surrounded the woman of Classical Greece. (VHS 4395)