This media list catalogs films available at Augusta University that intersect with themes and issues associated with women's and gender studies.
These films include educational films, documentaries, as well as independent and wide-release films. Listed materials are either available via check-out at Augusta University's Reese Library or viewable online through Films on Demand (requires GALILEO login). Some of the items listed below offer explicit feminist analysis, while others offer opportunities for your feminist analysis and response. Be sure to examine the media critically and consider the possibilities and limitations associated with the films' treatment of its subject.
If a DVD in the list does not yet have a DVD call number listed, check the library catalog. Some of the recently ordered materials are still being cataloged. Media catalog originally compiled by Megan Pugh, maintained and uploaded by Kirsten Fitzgerald. Please report any broken links to wgst@augusta.edu.
Women's and Gender Studies
Summerville Campus
Office N226
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100 Percent Woman: The Story of Michelle Dumaresq
Films on Demand • Filmoption International • 2004 • 60 minutes
“A post-operative transsexual, Michelle Dumaresq has provoked outrage by entering the sport of women’s mountain bike racing. This program studies complex issues of gender identity surrounding the controversy and manifested in Dumaresq’s personal and professional relationships. Commentary from her parents reveals unconditional support for her choices, while interviews with friends and rival cyclists indicate a wider range of positions—from confused ambivalence to a belief that Dumaresq is male and should be barred from competing. A candid look at clashing views of femininity, 100 Percent Woman explores challenging terrain in gender sociology.” - Films on Demand
Categories: LGBTQ, Trans*, Women in Sports
Adult Entertainment: Psychosocial Study of an American Obsession (Educator's Edition)
Films on Demand • Filmoption International • 2007 • 55 minutes
"Award-winning director Lance Tracy balances serious science with tongue-in-cheek humor to create a documentary scrutinizing the scope and effects of pornography that is informative, compelling, and unsettling. Constructing an experiment to identify attitudinal and behavioral changes that manifest as a result of viewing porn—a study in the manner of the Annenberg School of Communications and California State University studies—Tracy tracks two men, one single and one married, for 60 days. The effects of a 30-day regimen of X-rated DVDs, Internet porn, adult mags, sex shops, and strip clubs, followed by a 30-day readjustment period, are both illuminating and dismaying. Porn addiction, the sex-industrial complex, and porn-related freedom of speech issues are also explored. Commentary by the University of Pennsylvania’s Mary Anne Layden; Judith Reisman, author of “Soft Porn” Plays Hardball; Robert Weiss, of the Sexual Recovery Institute; Michael Castleman, author of Great Sex; and psychologist Daniel Linz is featured. Contains mature themes and explicit language and imagery. Some language may be offensive. Also included are an expurgated audio track and 18 video clips on topics ranging from porn statistics, to the effects of porn on sexual and emotional intimacy, to the influence of porn on children (DVD only). Viewable/printable documents such as the actual 88-question study survey and the survey results for the single subject, the married subject, and his wife are available online." - Films on Demand
Categories: Education, Marriage, Pornography, Psychology, Sex, Sex & Gender, Sex Education, Sex Work, Sexuality
Reese Library • VCT 3606 • 1990 • 28 minutes
“One year after the massacre of fourteen women at Montreal's Ecole Polytechnique on December 6, 1989, this video looks at the issue of male violence against women, women's fear, and what we as a society must do.” – GIL catalog
Categories: Canada, History, Violence Against Women
After the Rape: Mukhtar Mai Seeking Justice in Pakistan
Films on Demand • ABC Nightline • 2005 • 23 minutes
“Mukhtar Mai was gang-raped, but it wasn’t considered a crime; it was a sentence handed down by a Pakistani tribal council—a punishment for the alleged indiscretions of her younger brother. This ABC News program confronts the council’s decision, a ruling declared an outrage by a local imam and others, while introducing the courageous woman who chose to defy custom and fight for justice in the Pakistani courts.” – Films on Demand
Categories: Criminal Justice, Law, Pakistan, Patriarchy, Sexual Assault, Women of Color
Reese Library • DVD 1458 • 1998 • 125 minutes
“Based on a true story, Aimée & Jaguar is an unforgettable film about love, passion and the triumph of the human spirit. In the darkest days of World War II, while the Allies are bombing Berlin as the Gestapo is purging the capital of Jews, a dangerous love affair blossoms between two women. For Lilly (aka "Aimée"), a married woman, the mother of four sons, and an exemplar of Nazi motherhood, this affair will be the decisive experience of her life. For Felice (aka "Jaguar"), Jewish, and a member of the underground, their love fuels her hope for survival. A half-century later, their incredible story became an international bestseller. Max Färberböck's award-winning film brings this extraordinary relationship to life. --From the cover.
Categories: Germany, History, Judaism, LGBTQ, Feature Film
Alice Dreger: Is anatomy destiny?
TED Talks • TEDxNorthwesternU • 2010 • 19 minutes
"Alice Dreger works with people at the edge of anatomy, such as conjoined twins and intersexed people. In her observation, it's often a fuzzy line between male and female, among other anatomical distinctions. Which brings up a huge question: Why do we let our anatomy determine our fate?" - TED.com
Categories: Biology, History, Intersex, Sex & Gender
Films on Demand • California Newsreel • 1992 • 33 minutes
“'Being black, being a woman, and being a writer is just the most wonderful challenge. It’s like having three eyes, three hearts, rather than one,' says the author of The Color Purple in this profile, as she relives her journey from an impoverished childhood in rural Georgia to the peace and creativity of her present life in northern California. Alice Walker describes how the Civil Rights movement transformed her life, defines her concept of 'womanism,' and explains her recurrent theme of a woman’s recovery of wholeness through resistance to racism and sexism.” – Films on Demand
Categories: Feminism, Literature, Patriarchy, Race, Womanism, Women of Color, Women's History
Alice Walker and The Color Purple
Reese Library • VCT 2618 • 1986 • 62 minutes
“A masterfully filmed interview in which the author's comments and recitations are juxtaposed with dramatic interpretations of her novel and clips from the film adaptation. Director Steven Spielberg is also interviewed.” – GIL catalog
Categories: Literature, Womanism, Women of Color, Women's History
Alice Walker: A Portrait in the First Person
Reese Library • VCT 1673 • 1994 • 28 minutes
“Jim Hanley interviews Alice Walker, author of the novel The Color Purple. Her discussion touches on a variety of topics including family violence and the position of black women in America.” – GIL catalog
Categories: Literature, Patriarchy, Womanism, Women of Color, Women's History
Ana María Matute: Dreams into Words
Films on Demand • Films for the Humanities & Sciences • 2003 • 31 minutes
"Raised within the socially restrictive mores of a transient middle-class family and troubled with a stammering problem, Ana María Matute took refuge in literature. At 17, she began to use her experiences to probe the themes of lost childhood, injustice, and the lives of the marginalized. She soon developed a fresh prose style that deftly blended fantasy and realism, revitalizing the mid-20th-century Spanish literary scene. This landmark program features an interview with Matute and readings from her works, as well as the insights of writer and journalist Inmaculada de la Fuente, the University of Madrid’s Alicia Redondo Goycoechea, and Fernando Valls, of the Universidad Autónoma of Barcelona, in an exploration of the narrative virtuosity of one of Spain’s most honored and beloved writers. (Spanish with English narration and subtitles.)" - Films on Demand
Categories: Art, Europe, Feminism, Foreign Language, Literature, Spain, Spanish, Women of Color, Writing
Anything You Can Do, I Can Do Better: Why the Sexes Excel Differently
Films on Demand • Actuality Films • 1991 • 51 minutes
Reese Library • VCT 3527 • 1999 • 51 minutes
“Statistically speaking, why have men and women not proved equally adept at the same things? In this program, researchers debate whether differences in brain architecture lead to a division of talents and aptitudes between the sexes--and draw some startling conclusions. To illustrate these differences, children are observed in classrooms, on the playground, and at home.” – GIL catalog
Categories: Biology, Psychology, Sex
Are You Still a Sl ave? Liberating the Black Female Body
The New School • LiveStream.com • 2014 • 114 minutes
"Join bell hooks and other leading voices in black feminism and the LGBTQ community: author Marci Blackman (Tradition), film director Shola Lynch (Free Angela and All Political Prisoners), and author and activist Janet Mock (Redefining Realness), in conversation about liberating the black female body." - LiveStream.com
Categories: African American/Black, Body Image, Feminism, LGBTQ, Media, Objectification, Sex, Sex & Gender, Sex Education, Sexuality, Trans*, Transgender, Womanism, Women in the Media, Women of Color
Reese Library • VCT 3434 • 2000 • 225 minutes
“Although women have been left out of federally funded medical studies for years, it is somewhat comforting to know that spending on women's health research is at an all-time high. This research has revealed that gender differences do exist and that what works for men does not necessarily translate in the care and treatment of women" – Container.
Categories: Cancer, Healthcare, Medicine, Patriarchy, Sex & Gender, Women's Health
Asking For It: The Ethics and Erotics of Sexual Consent
Reese Library • DVD 1467 • 2010 • 38 minutes
“The line between sexual consent and sexual coercion is not always as clear as it seems, and according to Harry Brod, this is exactly why we should approach our sexual interactions with great care. Brod, a professor of philosophy and leader in the pro-feminist men's movement, offers a unique take on the problem of sexual assault, one that complicates the issue even as it clarifies the bottom-line principle that consent must always be explicitly granted, never simply assumed. In a non-threatening, non-hectoring discussion that ranges from the meanings of "yes" and "no" to the indeterminacy of silence to the way alcohol affects our ethical responsibilities, Brod challenges young people to envision a model of sexual interaction that is most erotic precisely when it is most thoughtful and empathetic.” --Container
Categories: Consent, Sex Education, Rape, Sexual Assault
Films on Demand • Smiley Film Sales • 2009 • 80 minutes
“Artistic expression of alternatively gendered people’s lives reveals a captivating world where gender cannot be defined as simply male or female. This program features New Zealand photographer Rebecca Swan and her images for Assume Nothing, a book that explores the beauty and complexity of gender identity. Four of Swan’s subjects speak candidly about their own gender identities and experiences, focusing on their creative expression as artists: Mani, born an intersex child who was raised as a girl by her parents from a very young age; Ema, a Maori woman who identifies strongly with elements of both the female and male genders; Jack, a transgender poet who underwent surgery to transition physically from female to male; and Shigeyuki, an internationally acclaimed multidisciplinary artist who is a Samoan-Japanese Fa’a fafine, who was born in a man’s body but blessed with the spirit of a woman (and a man). Contains explicit language and imagery.” – Films on Demand
Categories: Biology, LGBTQ, New Zealand, Sex & Gender, Trans*, Two Spirit
Films on Demand • Meridian Education Corporation • 2006 • 29 minutes
“Anorexia and other eating disorders exert a frightening degree of control over millions of teenagers, especially young women. Manifested in so-called pro-ana or pro-mia Web sites, which actively promote anorexia, bulimia, and binge eating, the mental and physical grip of these sicknesses can prove impossible to break. This program represents a powerful weapon in the battle against eating disorders, pinpointing their origins in body image and self-esteem issues, illustrating their grim consequences in crystal clear terms, and offering students, parents, teachers, and counselors a rich source of information and support. Hosted by The Sopranos’ Jamie-Lynn Sigler, herself a survivor of teenage anorexia, the video explains how to recognize eating disorders, how friends and loved ones should communicate their fears and concerns, and how those who suffer from these often fatal illnesses can find professional help. Special emphasis is placed on identifying anorexia, bulimia, and binge eating as actual diseases, not as misguided lifestyle choices—a realization necessary for effective treatment.” – Films on Demand
Categories: Body Image, Eating Disorders, Women's Health
Films on Demand • The Open University • 2006 • 29 minutes
"With its 'Real Beauty' information and marketing campaign, the Dove brand struck a chord with women skeptical of unhealthy or absurd standards of attractiveness. But did the campaign have the widespread impact Dove intended? And what are the implications for the global cosmetics and fashion industries? This program investigates consumer reactions against the idealized images of beauty promoted by TV, movies, and glossy magazines, while exploring the complex relationship between corporate strategy and feminine self-esteem. High-level insights concerning Dove, L’Oreal, and advertising giant Saatchi & Saatchi provide a fascinating departure point for socioeconomic discourse." - Films on Demand
Categories: Body Image, Media, Sociology, Women in the Media, Women's Health
Beauty in the Eyes of the Beheld
Films on Demand • Art Palette Productions • 2008 • 55 minutes
“Society tells us that beautiful women have it all. But beauty can be as much a curse as it is a blessing. In this sensitively filmed program, eight women labeled as beautiful—two pageant winners, an exotic dancer, a former pop musician, a college student, an assistant paralegal, a physician, and an entrepreneur—explore body image issues through their frank stories of how concepts and realities of physical beauty have molded their lives for both better and worse. Objectification, negative stereotyping, insecurity, and vulnerability are recurring themes, as are opportunity and preferential treatment. A study of skin-deep attractiveness, the video offers empowering insights into inner beauty as well.” – Films on Demand
Categories: Body Image, Objectification, Women's Health
Reese Library • DVD 1629 • 2009 • 53 minutes
"[Diane] Israel, a Boulder-based psychotherapist and former champion triathlete, talks candidly about her long and agonizing personal struggle with eating disorders and obsessive exercising, fearlessly confronting her own painful past as she attempt to come to terms with American culture's unhealthy fixation on self-destructive ideals of beauty and competitiveness. The film lends context to Israel's personal odyssey with fascinating insights from athletes, bodybuilders, fashion models, and inner-city teens, as well as prominent cultural critics and authors" --Container
Categories: Body Image, Eating Disorders, Women in Sports, Women's Health
Becoming Me: The Gender Within
Films on Demand • Mary Ann Watson • 2009 • 40 minutes
“What ultimately determines a person’s gender? Is it chromosomes, hormones, genitals, or an innate sense of self? In this Telly Award–winning program, five transgendered individuals between the ages of 20 and 50 speak openly about what it has meant to them to be transgendered—their first experiences of gender confusion, life after coming out, family responses, and more. Advice for others who may be questioning their own gender is provided, and the process of sexual reassignment surgery is addressed.” – Films on Demand
Categories: LGBTQ, Sex & Gender, Trans*
Before Stonewall: The Making of a Gay and Lesbian Community
Reese Library • DVD 478 • 1985 • 87 minutes
“Traces the social, political and cultural history of homosexuality in America from the 1920s to 1969; the beginning of the Gay Liberation Movement after a police raid on Stonewall Inn, a gay bar in New York City; and the three-day riot that followed.” – GIL Catalog
Categories: LGBTQ, LGBTQ Rights
Bell Hooks: Cultural Criticism and Transformation
Reese Library • VCT 3235 • 1997 • 62 minutes
“Bell Hooks makes a compelling argument for the transformative powers of cultural criticism. She demonstrates how learning to think critically was central to her own self-transformation and how it can play a role in the students' quest for a sense of agency and identity. Includes footage from many films and music videos, and news coverage.” – GIL catalog
Categories: Feminism, Literature, Patriarchy, Womanism, Women in the Media, Women of Color
Benazir Bhutto: Battling Dictatorship in Pakistan
Films on Demand • Danish Broadcasting Corporation • 2005 • 41 minutes
“As prime minister of Pakistan, Benazir Bhutto was the first woman—and also the youngest person—to head the government of a Muslim-majority state in modern times. In this program, Bhutto answers questions about the personal risks she faced as a woman pursuing a career in Pakistani politics, the influence of Western democracy on her as a politician, and the empowering effect of her role in public life on Pakistani women. She also explains why her government recognized the Taliban regime in Afghanistan and addresses charges of corruption against her. Background on her upbringing and education and her “arranged” marriage is included as well.” -- Films on Demand
Categories: Pakistan, Patriarchy, Women in Politics, Women of Color, Women's Rights
Beyond Beijing: Women and Economic Justice
Reese Library • VCT 759 • 1996 • 58 minutes
“Looks at the central issues of women, equality and economic justice.” – GIL catalog
Categories: Economics, Women of Color, Women's Rights, World Culture
Beyond Borders: Arab Feminists Talk About Their Lives
Films on Demand • ONF NFB • 1999 • 51 minutes
"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 the 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." - Films on Demand
Categories: Activism, Africa, Algeria, Arab Women, Asia, Christianity, Egypt, Female Circumcision, Feminism, Foreign Policy, Genocide, Islam, Israel, Judaism, Middle East, Neocolonialism, Palestine, Politics, Religion, War, Warfare, Westernization, Women of Color, Women's Rights, World Culture, World History
Reese Library • VCT 1263 • 1989 • 27 minutes
“Discusses the changing role of men in America and the effect this change has on the family and the larger social setting.” – GIL catalog
Categories: Family Dynamics, Masculinity, Patriarchy, Sex & Gender
Birth of a Surgeon: Empowering Midwives in Mozambique
Films on Demand • Wide Angle • 2008 • 57 minutes
“Suffering from an acute shortage of doctors, Mozambique launched a bold grassroots initiative to combat its high maternal death rate: the training of midwives in surgical delivery-related techniques. In this program, Wide Angle reports from the region with an inspiring profile of a female midwife-in-training and tracks her progress as she learns to counter life-threatening complications of labor such as eclampsia, acute bleeding, and ruptures of the uterus and performs a C-section. Filmed in the operating room and during night shifts in the delivery ward, Birth of a Surgeon illustrates the much greater contribution to maternal and neonatal care that a surgically trained midwife can make in Mozambique. In addition, WHO Director-General Margaret Chan speaks with Aaron Brown about her pledge to give particular attention to the health of women and to healthcare in Africa.” – Films on Demand
Categories: Africa, Mozambique, Women in Medicine, Women of Color, Women's Health
Black Female Voices: bell hooks & Melissa Harris-Perry
LiveStream.com • The New School • 2013 • 95 minutes
"Join bell hooks and Melissa Harris-Perry in a conversation about race, black womanhood, politics, media, and love." - LiveStream.com
Categories: African American/Black, Feminism, Media, Politics, Relationships, Womanism, Women in the Media, Women of Color
Reese Library • VCT 1277 • 1987 • 32 minutes
“Four animated segments (ca. 8 min. each) trace the ways in which justice has been applied to women in Western society. 'All men are created equal': the origins of basic concepts of Western law in ancient Greece, showing how unequal men and women are before the law. 'Someone must be trusted': the inherent male, white, middle class bias of tribunals and courts of law. 'Murder most foul': based on an actual case in a British Crown Court, where a villain gets away with murder. 'Some protection': based on a true story, showing the devastating effect on imprisonment on young girls.” – GIL catalog
Categories: Criminal Justice, Europe, Greece, History, Law, Patriarchy, Sex & Gender, United Kingdom
Born into Prostitution: The Badis of Nepal
Films on Demand • Danish Broadcasting Corporation • 2006 • 30 minutes
“A daughter of a Badi prostitute is required to be registered under the surname Nepali. So marked from birth, she is born into prostitution and is expected to follow her mother into that trade—unless the family, the Dalit community, or charitable NGOs are moved to help them make a change. This program profiles two Badi families and the positive efforts of one former prostitute and Suklal Nepali, director of SAFE (Social Awareness for Education), to assist them. Ironically, it is a sex customer, through his blunt appraisal of Badi prostitutes, who inadvertently speaks the most eloquently of these women’s plight.” – Films on Demand
Categories: Asia, Nepal, Sex Work, Women of Color
Reese Library • DVD 450 (3 discs) • 2003 • 132 minutes (44 minutes each)
“Scientific studies indicate that men and women do not have identical brain structures which may account for some of the differences in behavior between sexes. Vol. 1 explores effect of hormones received during gestation on behavior. Vol. 2 looks at how different brain architecture can lead to differences in ability and learning patterns. Vol. 3 looks at social relations between men and women.” – GIL catalog
Categories: Biology, Sex, Sex & Gender
Films on Demand • BBC Worldwide • 2005 • 52 minutes
"Busting some gender-related beliefs while supporting others, this program shows that brain chemistry doesn’t fit neatly into male and female categories. Five men and five women are put through scientific experiments, exploring major sex-related brain functions—including emotional recognition, empathy, competition, communication, and basic cognition. Candid camera sessions reveal male and female attitudes and behaviors that correspond to the test results—while a scientist studies the brains of a couple who constantly disagree, searching for clues in their neural activity that will help explain communication difficulties." - Films on Demand
Categories: Biology, Sex, Sex & Gender
Breaking the Ice: The Mary Ann Shadd Story
Reese Library • VCT 2805 • 1997 • 24 minutes
“A dramatic recreation of the story of Mary Ann Shadd, an abolitionist, suffragette and integrationist. Living in Windsor, Ontario, she fought for integrated education, battled segregationists and started the first integrated school in Canada. She later became the first female newspaper editor and the first black female attorney in North America.” – GIL catalog
Categories: Abolition, Canada, Women of Color, Women's History, Women's Suffrage
Breaking the Rule of Thumb: A Documentary
Reese Library • VCT 2213 • 1997 • 35 minutes
“Explores why the legal system of the United States is not prepared to handle domestic abuse cases effectively, and how society and the law have made it difficult for women in abusive situations to get help or relief. Interviews female survivors of domestic abuse as well as experts in the field.” – GIL catalog
Categories: Abuse, Criminal Justice, Domestic Violence, Law, Violence against Women
Brené Brown: Listening to shame
TED Talks • TED2012 • 2012 • 21 minutes
"Shame is an unspoken epidemic, the secret behind many forms of broken behavior. Brené Brown, whose earlier talk on vulnerability became a viral hit, explores what can happen when people confront their shame head-on. Her own humor, humanity and vulnerability shine through every word." - TED.com
Categories: Psychology, Self Care, Sociology, Women's Health
The Bro Code: How Contemporary Culture Creates Sexist Men
Reese Library • DVD 1618 • 2011 • 58 minutes
"Filmmaker Thomas Keith takes aim at the forces in male culture that condition boys and men to dehumanize and disrespect women. Keith breaks down a range of contemporary media forms, zeroing in on movies and music videos that glamorize womanizing; pornography that trades in the brutalization of women; comedians who make fun of sexual assault; and a groundswell of men's magazines and cable TV shows that revel in old-school myths of American manhood. Even as epidemic levels of men's violence against women persist in the real world, the message Keith uncovers in virtually every corner of our entertainment culture is clear: It's not only normal -- but cool -- for boys and men to control and humiliate women. Arguing that there's nothing normal, natural, or inevitable about this mentality, The Bro Code challenges young people, young men and women alike, to step up and fight back against the idea that being a real man means being sexist"--From publisher's website.
Categories: Domestic Violence, Feature Film, Masculinity, Media, Men in the Media, Patriarchy, Sex & Gender, Violence, Violence against Women, Women in the Media
Buying Into Sexy: The Sexing Up of Tweens
Films on Demand • CBC Television • 2005 • 26 minutes
“Ads targeting girls between the ages of 8 and 12 employ an increasing level of sexuality. Are advertisers responding to neo-feminist notions of “girl power” or are they leading girls toward harmful self-images? This program examines the trend by following a group of tween girls through their daily lives, recording their perceptions of fashion, celebrities, boys, and themselves. Interviews with both concerned and clueless parents—as well as a behind-the-scenes look at the corporate decision-making which so profoundly impacts tween culture—are also included. Frank conversations with Candie’s CEO Neil Cole and a hard look at MuchMusic programming practices enhance this urgently needed social analysis.” – Films on Demand
Categories: Body Image, Women in the Media, Sexualization of Children
Films on Demand • Java Films • 2008 • 60 minutes
“Some Asian traditions hold that sex with a virgin will bring a man good luck and health. Tragically, the custom is far from moribund—in the dark world of Southeast Asian prostitution, there is a growing demand for younger and younger companions. This program reveals the disturbing inner workings of Cambodia’s child-sex industry as well as its manifold human consequences. Viewers meet teenage girls who entered the trade as high-priced virgins—some under coercion, others to support their families, all ending up trapped in slavery. Additional interviews feature activists from human rights NGOs such as APLE, an agency with ties to France, and LICADHO, a group based in Cambodia.” – Films on Demand
Categories: Asia, Cambodia, Human Trafficking, Sex Work, Sexual Assault, Sexualization of Children, Women of Color
Changing Men: Unlearning the Behaviors of Domestic Violence
Films on Demand • ABC Commercial • 2008 • 46 minutes
“David Nugent, once a violent and abusive person himself, today runs a community-based behavior change group in Australia called Heavy M.E.T.A.L.: Men’s Education Toward Anger & Life. Helen Wirtz is a facilitator at Monash Link’s Men’s Responsibility Group. This program tracks the progress of group members Andrew, Adam, and Alex—three husbands and fathers with dangerous antisocial behavioral issues—as they struggle to stop committing emotional and physical violence against those who love them the most. How did they become the way they are? And will their committed participation in group therapy sessions enable them to salvage their marriages?” – Films on Demand
Categories: Abuse, Domestic Violence, Masculinity, Violence against Women
Chisholm ’72: Unbought and Unbossed
Reese Library • DVD 1716 • 2004 • 77 minutes
“This documentary follows the 1972 campaign waged by Shirley Chisholm, the first African-American woman to run for a major party's nomination for United States President. Chisholm first made her mark on American political history when, in 1968, she became the first African-American woman elected to Congress, representing New York.” – GIL catalog
Categories: Women in Politics, Women's History, Women of Color
The Codes of Gender: Identity & Performance in Popular Culture
Reese Library • DVD 1425 • 2009 • 72 minutes
"Communication scholar Sut Jhally applies the late sociologist Erving Goffman's groundbreaking analysis of advertising to the contemporary commercial landscape in this provocative new film about gender as a ritualized cultural performance. Uncovering a remarkable pattern of gender-specific poses, Jhally explores Goffman's central claim that the way the body is displayed in advertising communicates normative ideas about masculinity and femininity. The film looks beyond advertising as a medium that simply sells products, and beyond analyses of gender that focus on biological difference or issues of surface objectification and beauty, taking us into the two-tiered terrain of identity and power relations. With its sustained focus on the fundamental importance of gender, power, and how our perceptions of what it means to be a man or a woman get reproduced and reinforced on the level of culture in our everyday lives, The Codes of Gender is certain to inspire discussion and debate across a range of disciplines." --Container.
Categories: Feature Film, Femininity, Gender Identity, Gender Relations, Gender Roles, LGBTQ, Masculinity, Patriarchy, Sex & Gender, Women in the Media
Reese Library • DVD 161 [2 discs] • VCT 3236 • 1997 • 154 minutes
“The heart-wrenching story of a young black girl in the early 20th century who's forced into a brutal marriage and separated from her sister.” – GIL catalog
Categories: Abuse, African American/Black, Domestic Violence, Feature Film, Literature, Popular Culture, Race, Rape, Sexual Assault, Violence against Women, Women of Color
Corazon Aquino: Restoring Democracy in the Philippines
Films on Demand • Danish Broadcasting Corporation • 2005 • 41 minutes
“The assassination of Ninoy Aquino marked the beginning of the end for Ferdinand Marcos. In this program, Corazon Aquino explains how she entered into politics to continue the fight that her slain husband had begun—and in the process toppled a dictator and restored democracy in the Philippines. Discussion of key moments in her odyssey vividly evoke the time when a housewife with no political aspirations emerged as Asia’s first female democratically elected president. Aquino, an exemplar of humility and faith in action, risked everything to carry out her heartfelt resolve to return power to the people.” – Films on Demand
Categories: Asia, Philippines, Women in Politics, Women's History, Women of Color
Courtney Martin: This isn't her mother's feminism
TED Talks • TEDWomen 2010 • 2011 • 12 minutes
"Blogger Courtney Martin examines the perennially loaded word 'feminism' in this personal and heartfelt talk. She talks through the three essential paradoxes of her generation's quest to define the term for themselves."
Categories: Activism, Feminism
Reese Library • DVD 1713 • 2013 • 19 minutes
“In 1983, Deborah Peagler, a woman brutally abused by her boyfriend, was sentenced to 25 years-to-life for her connection to his murder. Twenty years later, California passed a law allowing incarcerated domestic violence survivors to reopen their cases. This documentary follows two attorneys who take Debbie's case and strive to attain testimonies of long lost witnesses, proof of perjured evidence, and new testimonies from the men who committed the murder.” – GIL catalog
Categories: Abuse, Criminal Justice, Domestic Violence, Law, Violence against Women
Crossing the Line: Sexual Harassment and How to Confront It
Films on Demand • Cambridge Educational • 2005 • 24 minutes
"The only way to remove sexual harassment from school and work is to get educated about the problem and learn ways to deal with it. This informative video explains different kinds of sexual harassment, defines the factors motivating harassers, and provides specific techniques for dealing with the problem. Viewers will see what steps to take if anyone harasses them or if they witness the harassment of others, including keeping a journal, employing the 'broken record' technique, speaking with supervisors, sending memos, using grievance procedures, and filing formal complaints." - Films on Demand
Categories: Sexual Assault, Sexual Harassment, Women in the Workplace
Films on Demand • Ente Público Radiotelevisión • 1998 • 60 minutes
"This program examines the pros and cons of Fidel Castro’s Cuban revolution through the eyes of women exiles in Miami and Castro supporters in Cuba. We hear from several women, including an avid anti-Castro exile and a Cuban television reporter, who tell stories of repression under the Castro regime. Health workers and educators discuss the benefits of Castro’s policies, and the role of women in the revolution." - Films on Demand
Categories: American History, Caribbean, Cuba, Education, Healthcare, History, Latin America, Politics, Women of Color, Women and Education, Women and Politics, Women's Rights
The Date Rape Backlash, The Media, and the Denial of Rape
Reese Library • DVD 264 • 2002 • 57 minutes
“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.” – GIL catalog
Categories: Feminism, Media, Patriarchy, Rape, Rape Culture, Women in the Media
Date Violence: A Young Woman’s Guide
Films on Demand • Magna Systems • 1997 • 22 minutes
“The need to have someone special in your life is particularly pressing in adolescence. But what happens when that relationship turns violent? Using dramatizations, this program offers information to teens on how to recognize an abusive relationship, and what to do about it. Media glorification of sex and violence, dysfunctional male role models, and thirst for control are examined as the roots of male violence toward women. Forms of abuse range from criticism, insults, humiliation, withholding affection, control over decision-making, and name-calling, to hitting, biting, and forced sex. A discussion on the importance of self-esteem, and how to rebuild it after leaving an abusive relationship, concludes the program on a hopeful note.” – Films on Demand
Categories: Abuse, Rape, Rape Culture, Sexual Assault, Violence against Women
The Difference Between Men and Women
Films on Demand • ABC News • 2006 • 37 minutes
“Men don’t listen. Women can’t read maps. Men snore more. Women are less likely to have affairs. Should those statements be dismissed as stereotypes, or can we point to tangible discrepancies—behaviorally and neurologically speaking—along gender lines? This ABC News program explores sex differences and the brain circuitry behind them. Presenting an interview with Dr. Louann Brizendine, author of the controversial book The Female Brain, the program covers such provocative topics as teen brain chemistry and development, the ways that sex is discussed in 'mixed company,' and the powerful hormones brought on by motherhood. Renowned transgender neurobiologist Ben Barres is also featured.” – Films on Demand
Categories: Biology, Sex & Gender, Women's Health
Dishonorable Killings: Punishing the Innocent
Films on Demand • Ricardo Lobo • 2008 • 26 minutes
“The horrific practice of honor killing still prevails in many Middle Eastern and Central Asian countries—and, as this film demonstrates, it is wielded not only against rape victims but also to punish women for simple romantic attachments. Going deep into tribal communities in rural Turkey, the video presents villagers who describe and condone honor killings that have occurred locally. Most chilling is a conversation with a man who murdered his own sister for the family’s honor. The documentary also profiles potential victims of honor killing forced into hiding, often as a result of gossip and innuendo among neighbors, as well as critics of the ancient, brutal custom.” – Films on Demand
Categories: Asia, Middle East, Patriarchy, Rape, Rape Culture, Sexual Assault, Turkey, Violence against Women
Dreamworlds 3: Desire, Sex & Power in Music Video
Reese Library • DVD 1274 • 2004 • 54 minutes
“A look at how the narratives of music videos shape individual & cultural attitudes toward femininity, masculinity, sexuality and race.” – GIL catalog
Categories: Masculinity, Men in the Media, Popular Culture, Race, Women in the Media
Dying to Leave: The Dark Business of Human Trafficking
Films on Demand • Wide Angle • 2004 • 57 minutes
"Every year, at least two million people are packed in shipping containers, pulled through sewage tunnels, secreted in car chassis, and ferried across frigid waters. Among this human cargo, an alarming number end up as prostitutes, thieves, or sweatshop laborers. This Wide Angle documentary explores the worldwide boom in illicit migration and human trafficking, recording the stories of those who pull up their roots and risk all and putting a human face on an issue too often reduced to statistics. It examines the circumstances that drive these migrants from their homes, highlights the difficulties involved in their epic journeys, and reveals what awaits them in their new world." - Films on Demand
Categories: Abuse, Asia, Australia, China, Colombia, Criminal Justice, Europe, Human Rights, Human Trafficking, Immigration, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Italy, Japan, Latin America, Law, Mexico, Middle East, Migrant Workers, Modern Slavery, Moldova, Pacific Islands, Politics, Poverty, Prostitution, Sex Work, Slavery, South America, Substance Abuse, Women of Color, Women's Health, Women's Rights, World Culture
Ecuador: The Indigenous Woman (English Language) & La Mujer Indígena (Spanish Language)
Films on Demand (English) • Films on Demand (Spanish) • Ente Público Radiotelevisión • 1997 • 59 minutes
"Isolated in jungles, or crowded into large cities, Latin American Indians constitute the most exploited sector of society. This program traces the harsh life of indigenous women from several tribes, including the Otavalan, Puruha, and Quechua of Ecuador, from pre-Columbian times to the present. Topics discussed include rape as an ongoing practice; labor exploitation; the effects of acculturation; and racial and sexual discrimination." - Films on Demand
Categories: Anthropology, Bolivia, Colonialism, Discrimination, Economics, Ecuador, Foreign Language, Guatemala, Indigenous Women, Latin America, Marriage, Mexico, Motherhood, Race, Racism, South America, Spanish, Women of Color, Women's Rights
Reese Library • DVD 5 • DVD 1226 • 1999 • 124 minutes
“Before the Golden Age, Elizabeth was a passionate and naïve girl who came to reign over a land divided by bloody turmoil. Amid palace intrigue and attempted assassinations, the young queen is forced to become a cunning strategist while weighing the counsel of her mysterious advisors, thwarting her devious rivals, and denying her own desires for the good of her country.” – GIL catalog
Categories: Feature Film, United Kingdom, Women's History
Reese Library • DVD 782 • 2002 • 53 minutes
“Documents the experiences of children of migrant farm workers trying to complete their education.” – GIL catalog
Categories: Education, Immigration, Latin@, Mexican Americans, Migrant Workers, Women of Color
Eve Ensler: Embrace your inner girl
TED Talks • TEDIndia 2009 • 2010 • 20 minutes
"In this passionate talk, Eve Ensler declares that there is a girl cell in us all -- a cell that we have all been taught to suppress. She tells heartfelt stories of girls around the world who have overcome shocking adversity and violence to reveal the astonishing strength of being a girl." - TED.com
Categories: Feminism, Patriarchy, Sexism
Eve Ensler: Happiness in body and soul
TED Talks • TED2004 • 2006 • 21 minutes
"Eve Ensler, creator of 'The Vagina Monologues,' shares how a discussion about menopause with her friends led to talking about all sorts of sexual acts onstage, waging a global campaign to end violence toward women and finding her own happiness." - TED.com
Categories: Activism, Literature, Sex, Violence against Women
Exposing Sex in America: Community Concern or Municipal Intrusion?
Films on Demand • ABC News • 2008 • 41 minutes
"Arrested for allegedly lewd conduct in a park, a man commits suicide after his name and photo are published in the newspaper. The Chippendales, a burlesque entertainment troupe, is taken to jail when some members are charged with having made suggestive pelvic movements during a show. A store that sells sex toys is now barred from offering its merchandise unless customers sign a waiver that they are buying items for medical reasons. Are these stories examples of community concern for the safety and moral values of society or municipal intrusions into personal privacy? John Stossel weighs in on the question in this ABC News program. Some content may be objectionable." - Films on Demand
Categories: Consent, Criminal Justice, Law, Marriage, Media, Politics, Polygamy, Sex, Sex Education, Sex in the Media, Sex Work, Sexuality, Women's Health
The Extremes of Fashion: Women’s Couture and the Media
Films on Demand • Clap D'Ort Films • 2006 • 53 minutes
“Fashion show runways, photo shoots, the playgrounds of the chic and stylish: this program illustrates the cycles of women’s couture through the ’50s, ’60s, and ’70s—and the portrayal of women in the media as they progressed through the postwar decade, the civil rights movement, Beatle-mania, the Vietnam War, and the era of women’s lib. Plenty of designer names are dropped, both from then and now, as viewers are presented with a kaleidoscope of relentlessly captivating creations from Europe and the U.S. Whether covering everything or baring all, fashion liberates even as it objectifies.” – Films on Demand
Categories: Fashion, Women in the Media, Women's History
Family Violence: Breaking the Chain
Films on Demand • WBZ-TV • 1993 • 23 minutes
Greenblatt Library • WA 308 F199 2004[DVD] • 2004 • 28 minutes
“This program looks at the effects of family violence on the abused and the abuser: at the danger that abused children will grow up to repeat the pattern of violence in their own relationships; at the problems of date violence; at the physical and emotional abuse women suffer at the hands of their husbands and lovers. While showing the benefits of therapy, it stresses the need of the abused for safety from those who abuse them--shelters, hot-lines and community assistance.” – GIL catalog
Categories: Abuse, Domestic Violence, Violence against Women
Female Circumcision: Human Rites
Films on Demand • Journeyman Pictures • 1998 • 40 minutes
"This program documents the ritual of female genital mutilation, also known as female circumcision, practiced among some African groups; explores its roots in myth; and discusses movements under way to ban the practice. Interviews with anti-circumcision activists, including medical personnel, describe the health ramifications, including hemorrhage, infection, and painful sex. Victims discuss both the physical and emotional pain of circumcision, and both males and females discuss why they support or reject circumcision as a valid cultural practice. Graphic scenes of an actual female circumcision are shown." - Films on Demand
Categories: Africa, Anthropology, Burkina Faso, Christianity, Coming of Age, Female Circumcision, Healthcare, Islam, Patriarchy, Religion, Togo, Women of Color, Women's Health, Women's Rights
LiveStream.com • The New School • 2013 • 3 videos
Beyond the Book: Reverberations of Women's Liberation (83 minutes)
REACT: The Feminine Mystique at 50 (46 minutes)
The Feminine Mystique: Past, Present, Future (82 minutes)
"This symposium marks the 50th anniversary of the publication of Betty Friedan’s groundbreaking book The Feminine Mystique. Friedan, a union activist and journalist, transformed the national conversation about the role of women in American society with her book, leading to the creation of the National Organization for Women (NOW) in 1965. This event features presentations and inter-generational dialogues about feminism’s past and present, particularly responses to and the continuing relevance of The Feminine Mystique." - LiveStream.com
Categories: Activism, Feminism, Gender Relations, Gender Roles, Sex, Sex & Gender, Wage Gap, Women in Business, Women and Education, Women in the Workplace, Women's Health, Women's Rights
Femmes aux Yeux Ouverts (Women with Open Eyes)
Reese Library • VCT 1069 • 1994 • 52 minutes
"Surveys social conditions faced by women in Burkina Faso, Mali, Senegal and Benin, including circumcision, forced marriage, AIDS, and economic repression. Examines grass-roots efforts toward education and improvement as Africa opens to democracy." - GIL catalog
Categories: Activism, Africa, Arranged Marriage, Benin, Burkina Faso, Economics, Education, Female Circumcision, Foreign Language, HIV/AIDS, Mali, Marriage, Senegal, Women and Education, Women's Health, Women's Rights
Reese Library • VCT 1638 • 1994 • 60 minutes
“’Fire eyes’ explores the socio-economic, psychological and medical consequences of the ancient custom of female circumcision which is performed on more than 80 million women worldwide. In this film, several women who have experienced this 'rite of passage' voice varying points of view on perpetuating the practice.” – GIL catalog
Categories: Biology, Coming of Age, Female Circumcision, Violence, Violence against Women, Women's Health, World Culture
First: Perspectives on Sexual Awakening and Identity
Films on Demand • Eve Waltermaurer & Hazel Gurland • 2008 • 40 minutes
"Joy, fear, wild pleasure, a sense of danger—these emotions are at the core of almost any coming-of-age experience. Multiply them by a thousand, and maybe throw disgust or boredom into the mix, and you have a fleeting glimpse of the thoughts and sensations surrounding a young woman’s first sexual encounter. This program collects stories and reflections on that very subject from ten unique women, all of whom speak candidly about their backgrounds, their expectations prior to having sex, and how they have learned to define themselves sexually. Participants range from Trish, age 16 and the only virgin in the group, to 45-year-old Anne, who remembers hiding her feelings of triumph after her first lovemaking, to Pauline, an octogenarian who wistfully recalls losing her virginity—on her wedding night. Heterosexual and gay issues are both addressed in detail." - Films on Demand
Categories: Coming of Age, LGBTQ, Psychology, Sex, Sex & Gender
Flappers: The Birth of the 20th Century Woman
Films on Demand • TVF International • 1999 • 53 minutes
"Living in the era of The Great Gatsby, flappers succeeded in breaking through the barricades of gender prejudice and social inequality on a large scale. Using vibrant archival film clips and interviews with women who came of age during the Roaring 20s in Britain, this program chronicles the emergence of the modern woman in the aftermath of World War I. Higher education for women, the entry of women into politics and the professions, women’s suffrage, new attitudes toward sexuality, and other topics are addressed within the historical context of the early 1900s." - Films on Demand
Categories: History, Patriarchy, United Kingdom, Women's History, Women's Suffrage
Flirting with Danger: Power and Choice in Heterosexual Relationships
Reese Library • DVD 1828 • 2012 • 52 minutes
"Social and developmental psychologist and author Lynn Phillips explores the line between consent and coercion in this thought-provoking look at popular culture and the way real girls and women navigate their heterosexual relationships and hookups. Featuring dramatizations of interviews that Phillips conducted with hundreds of young women, the film examines how the wider culture's frequently contradictory messages about pleasure, danger, agency, and victimization enter into a woman's most intimate relationships with men. The result is a refreshingly candid, and nuanced, look at how young women are forced to grapple with deeply ambivalent cultural attitudes about feminine sexuality."--Container.
Categories: Consent, Rape, Rape Culture, Sex, Sex Education
For Love of Liberty: the Story of America’s Black Patriots
Reese Library • DVD 1585 (3 discs) • 2010 • 514 minutes
“Gain an unprecedented look at the experiences and accomplishments of African Americans in the military, and learn why such a group of heroic men and women would fight for the freedom of others that they themselves weren't able to enjoy. Hosted by Halle Berry with an introduction by Colin Powell.” – GIL catalog
Categories: American History, Race, Women in the Military, Women of Color, Women's History
Framing an Execution: ABC News & the Case of Mumia Abu-Jamal
Reese Library • DVD 1192 • 2001 • 49 minutes
“In the 1990's, Mumia Abu-Jamal, an African American journalist on death row, became a symbol of the inequities in the United States judicial system. This film examines how ABC reporter Sam Donaldson's framing of Abu-Jamal's case stands up to the available facts and how it measures up to basic journalistic standards of fairness, balance, and accuracy.” – GIL catalog
Categories: Criminal Justice, Law, Popular Culture, Race
Reese Library • VCT 1671 • 1990 • 32 minutes
“Freedom Bags is the story of African-American women who migrated from the rural south during the first 3 decades of the 20th century. Hoping to escape from the racism and poverty of the post-Civil War South, they boarded segregated trains for an uncertain future up North. Most could find jobs only as house workers, but they kept their dignity and sense of worth through difficult times.” – GIL catalog
Categories: American History, Race, Women of Color, Women's History, Women's Rights
Frida Kahlo: Portrait of a Woman
Films on Demand • KNME TV • 1991 • 20 minutes
“A unique, powerful, first-rate painter overshadowed by her lionized painter-husband, a bisexual woman torn apart by her obsessive love for her faithless husband, Frida Kahlo lived a life of physical and spiritual torment. This program provides personal insights into her work and her torment; it offers a portrait of the woman and the roots of her work in the meaning of her gender.” – Films on Demand
Categories: Art, Latin America, LGBTQ, Mexico, Sex, Women's History
From Mao Towards Full Equality
Films on Demand • Southern Star • 2001 • 56 minutes
"This program offers an in-depth appraisal of how China’s women’s movement slowly gathered momentum under Mao Zedong’s and Deng Xiao Ping’s rule during the latter half of the 20th century. Outstanding footage from propaganda and documentary sources and compelling interviews with women who participated in the events of those decades reveal the hard-won gains through Communist legal and social reforms, the efforts of Madame Song Qing Ling and leading feminist He Xiang-ning, and women’s rights conventions. The mixed results of the Liberation and Independence campaign, the Heroes of the Nation initiative, and the Cultural Revolution are also critically examined." - Films on Demand
Categories: Activism, Asia, China, Contraception, Feminism, Poverty, Reproductive Justice, Sex Education, Women of Color, Women in the Workplace, Women's Rights
Full Cover Girl: How Fundamentalism and Democracy Are Eroding Women’s Rights in Iraq
Films on Demand • WGBH • 2008 • 53 minutes
“Peace, prosperity, and the implementation of Islamic law: that is the dream of Jinan al-Ubaidy, an influential member of Iraq’s parliament who is calling loudly for Sharia-based government—and, as her opponents say, for a return to the subordination of women to men. Filmed on location in war-torn Baghdad, this program exposes the deteriorating state of women’s rights as fundamentalist Islamic and burgeoning democratic ideals bury the secular principles that had empowered Iraqi women for decades. Jinan al-Ubaidy and Abir al-Sahlani, a political activist standing in bitter opposition to al-Ubaidy’s platform, are featured as Full Cover Girl tracks this tragic conflict of ideologies in which women—targeted by extremists for not wearing hijab, for working outside the home, for driving a car, for having an education—are being killed by the thousands. Additional insights are provided by Paul Bremer, former head of the Coalition Provisional Authority, and other noteworthy figures.” – Films on Demand
Categories: Asia, Iraq, Islam, Middle East, Patriarchy, Religion, Women's Rights
Game Over: Gender, Race & Violence in Video Games
Reese Library • VCT 2732 • 2000 • 41 minutes
"This educational documentary offers a refreshing dialogue about the complex and controversial topic of video game violence, and is designed to encourage high school and college students to think critically about the video games they play, instead of dismissing the technology as 'harmless fun'"--Container.
Categories: Masculinity, Men in the Media, Race, Sex & Gender, Video Games, Violence, Women in the Media
Reese Library • DVD 1834 • 2009 • 80 minutes
"Filmmaker Scott Hamilton Kennedy brilliantly captures, in a series of explosive and wrenching turn of events, the ways greedy developers, inept politicians and self-serving community leaders can run rough shod over the lives of working class families fighting to save the 14-acre urban farm that has become the very source of survival. Equal parts The Wire & Harlan County, USA , The Garden, exposes the fault lines in American society and raises crucial and challenging questions about liberty, equality, and justice for the poorest and most vulnerable among us. As the battle lines are drawn between this group of low-income families struggling to protect a 14-acre urban farm against a backdrop of grey and hardened skyscrapers, their cause became an international sensation that drew the attention of numerous notable activists and politicians, including Dennis Kucinich, Joan Baez, Danny Glover, and Willie Nelson." - GIL catalog
Categories: Activism, Economics, Farming, Feature Film, Politics, Poverty
Geisha: The Twilight of the Flowers
Films on Demand • Insomnia World Stories • 2004 • 54 minutes
“Even today, the geisha epitomize the beauty of Japan’s past. But theirs is a dying profession as the glare of Tokyo neon competes with the more mellow glow of Kyoto. Drawing on interviews with the world-renowned Mineko Iwasaki and other geisha and those who idolize them, this program places the geisha squarely in the context of contemporary Japan. In addition to background on the geisha mystique—the clothing, the makeup, the exhaustive training in the arts—the program dispels the distorted image of geisha as courtesans and illustrates their efforts to retain their significance while adapting themselves to a world of commercialism and technology.” – Films on Demand
Categories: Asia, Japan, Popular Culture, Women in the Media, Women of Color
Gender and Communication: Male-Female Differences in Language and Nonverbal Behavior
Reese Library • DVD 1142 • 2001 • 42 minutes
“This video explores the impact that gender has on verbal messages such as speech, language, and vocabulary as well as on nonverbal channels of communication such as touch, movement, and gesture.” – GIL catalog
Categories: Communication, Sex & Gender
Gender and Performance: A Doll’s House
Reese Library • DVD 768 • 1995 • 179 minutes
“Focusing on the final scene of Ibsen's 'A Doll's House', which is presented by the same actors and production team in three different sets and costumes, this program examines how the gender issues raised by the play can be interpreted in different ways.” – GIL catalog
Categories: Art, Literature, Sex & Gender
George Sand: The Story of Her Life
Films on Demand • Centre National de Documentation Pédagogique • 2004 • 53 minutes
“Surveying the uncompromising life and career of the erstwhile Amandine Aurore-Lucie Dupin, this program familiarizes viewers with her literary output, political beliefs, and the widely varied circles she inhabited. Beginning with her birth in Paris, the film describes Sand’s semi-aristocratic upbringing, stifling marriage, turbulent romances, creative evolution, and visionary proto-feminist stance. Sand’s memoir excerpts and artworks are featured; her stays in Venice and Mallorca and her experiences in Paris during the Revolution of 1848 are also detailed along with analysis of her major novels, including Indiana, Les Maîtres Sonneurs, Le Péché de Monsieur Antoine, and many others.” – Films on Demand
Categories: Europe, France, Literature, Women's History
Reese Library • DVD 1420 • 2004 • 74 minutes
"In the past decade, the San Francisco youth crime rate declined, the number of GIRLS in the Juvenile Justice System more than doubled. This film follows four years in the lives of three teenage girls caught up in San Francisco's Juvenile Justice System."--title screens. This documentary tells the compelling stories of Stephanie, Shangra, Sheila, and Lateefa, opening a window onto the juvenile justice system, exposing its failure to break the cycle of poverty, crime, and incarceration that consumes vulnerable young women. Two programs are highlighted: The Walden House Sister Kin Project and The Center for Young Women's Development's Sisters Rising internship program, for pushing the boundaries when it comes to helping girls in the system, addressing issues like sexual abuse, self-esteem, and community as part of the healing process for young women.” – GIL catalog
Categories: Body Image, Criminal Justice, Incarcerated Women, Law, Sexual Assault, Violence against Women
Gloria Steinem: A Woman’s Progress
Reese Library • VCT 1632 • 1994 • 28 minutes
“Gloria Steinem assesses the status of women in American society today and reflects on her own experience.” – GIL catalog
Categories: Activism, Feminism, Women's Rights
Reese Library • DVD 1841 • 2012 • 65 minutes
"THE GREY AREA is an intimate look at women's issues in the criminal justice system and the unique experience of studying feminism behind bars. Through a series of captivating class discussions, headed by students from Grinnell College, a small group of female inmates at a maximum women's security prison in Mitchellville, Iowa, share their diverse experiences with motherhood, drug addiction, sexual abuse, murder, and life in prison. The women, along with their teachers, explore the "grey area" that is often invisible within the prison walls and delve into issues of race, class, sexuality and gender. The number of women in prison has grown by over 800% in the past three decades, two thirds are mothers and are incarcerated for non-violent offenses and more than 80% have been victims of domestic violence or sexual assault at some point in their lives. THE GREY AREA is an important look into the complex factors behind these statistics and how feminism sheds light and brings hope to those incarcerated. This is an excellent film to prompt discussion in women's studies, courses that include prison reform or violence against women, American studies and sociology." --Publisher description.
Categories: Criminal Justice, Domestic Violence, Feminism, Incarcerated Women, Sexual Assault, Sociology, Substance Abuse, Violence against Women
Reese Library • DVD 1789 (2 discs) • 2012 • 232 minutes
"Inspired by Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn's groundbreaking book, Half The Sky takes on the central moral challenge of the 21st century: the oppression of women and girls worldwide. Take an unforgettable journey with six actress/activists and New York Times journalist Kristof to meet some of the most courageous individuals of our time, who are doing extraordinary work to empower women and girls everywhere. These are stories of heartbreaking challenge, dramatic transformation and enduring hope. You will be shocked, outraged, brought to tears. Most important, you will be inspired by the resilience of the human spirit and the capabilities of women and girls to realize their staggering potential. Half The Sky is a passionate call-to-arms, urging us not only to bear witness to the plight of the world's women, but to help to transform their oppression into opportunity. Out future is in the hands of women, everywhere." --Publisher description.
Categories: Activism, Women's Rights
Helen Fisher: Why we love, why we cheat
TED Talks • TED2006 • 2006 • 24 minutes
"Anthropologist Helen Fisher takes on a tricky topic – love – and explains its evolution, its biochemical foundations and its social importance. She closes with a warning about the potential disaster inherent in antidepressant abuse." - TED.com
Categories: Anthropology, Biology, Gender Relations, History, Love, Sex, Sex & Gender
He Said, She Said: Gender, Language, and Communication
Reese Library • VCT 1729 (2 copies) • 2001 • 50 minutes
“Live video presentation of Deborah Tannen's seminal contributions to the understanding of gender, language and communication. Produced, edited and paced for curricular use in communication, linguistics, psychology, sociology and other social sciences.” – GIL catalog
Categories: Communication, Gender Relations, Language, Psychology, Sex & Gender, Sociology
Hip-Hop: Race, Politics, and Hyper-Masculinity
"'Hip-Hop: Race, Politics and Hyper-Masculinity' will explore deeper conversations of homo-eroticism, violence, objectivity of women and racial indifference throughout the hip-hop community. [...] The panel will consist of educators, musicians, journalists and pop culture aficionados including Anthony Gaskins, Jozen Cummings, LastO, Mic Sean, Jen Johnson, Brad Wete, Roy Paul, and Sowmaya Krishanamurthy, Shawn Setaro, and The New School's Top Hip-Hop Head." - LiveStream.com
Categories: Activism, African American/Black, Discrimination, Latin@, LGBTQ, Masculinity, Men in the Media, Media, Media Representation, Objectification, Politics, Pop Culture, Race, Racism, Women of Color, Women in the Media
A History of Care: Nursing in America
Films on Demand • Medcom-Trainex • 2006 • 6 minutes
"Progressing from the late 18th century to the present day, this program offers a capsule summary of nursing in America. The tireless work of the U.S. Army and Navy nursing corps, the American Red Cross, and the countless nurses affiliated with hospitals and other organizations is celebrated while honoring the courage and self-sacrifice of those who put themselves in harm’s way in order to help the helpless. Dorothea Dix, Clara Barton, Harriet Tubman, Sojourner Truth, Clara Maass, Lillian Wald, and Lavinia Dock are only a few of the nurses singled out by history—and this video—for special commendation. Inspiring! Useful in both academic and career guidance contexts." - Films on Demand
Categories: Healthcare, Nursing, Women's Health
How Do We Define Feminist Liberation?
LiveStream.com • The New School • 2014 • 115 minutes
"Join bell hooks in conversation with R&B singer Lisa Fischer (20 Feet from Stardom) and actress Kim Sykes (Pariah) about celebrating black female power." - LiveStream.com
Categories: African American/Black, Body Image, Feminism, Media, Pop Culture, Race, Racism, Womanism, Women in the Media, Women of Color
How Islam made me a feminist: Zena Agha
TEDx Talks • TEDxWarwickSalon (Women) • 2013 • 15 minutes
"At 17 Zena was the youngest member of Operation Black Vote's MP Shadowing Scheme, campaigning for a boycott of Israeli Settlement foodstuffs in Westminster as well as Deputy Member of Youth Parliament. Part of her extensive community work includes running poetry workshops, and she was shortlisted for the London Mayor's Young Person Peace Prize. Zena founded and co-ordinates Warwick University's biggest spoken word collective 'Shoot from the Lip' - running poetry slam nights and was awarded funding from the Lord Rootes Memorial Fund. Media credits include BBC Arabic and the BBC World Service and she created and produced Operation Black Vote's Power of Poetry project." - TED.com
Categories: Europe, Feminism, Islam, Motherhood, Religion, United Kingdom, Women of Color, Women and Religion, Women's Rights
Human Trafficking: Crisis for the EU and the World
Films on Demand • Wilson R. Ruiz • 2007 • 27 minutes
"Europe’s wealth represents a golden opportunity for those who smuggle cheap, easily exploited workers across international borders. But how does the loathsome mechanism of human trafficking actually occur, and what are EU authorities doing to fight it? This program investigates by recording the experiences of human trafficking victims and evaluating the work of the EU government in the battle against 21st-century slavery. Corruption, prostitution, victim protection and repatriation, and the creation of FRONTEX— the agency responsible for European border patrol—are all highlighted, while members of the European Parliament and other officials discuss what must be done to improve anti-smuggling efforts." - Films on Demand
Categories: Abuse, Criminal Justice, EU, Europe, Germany, Human Rights, Human Trafficking, Prostitution, Rape, Sex, Sex Work, Sexual Assault, Substance Abuse, Women's Rights
I Am… Safe Zone: LGBT Ally Development Training
Reese Library • DVD 1726 (4 discs) • 2012 • 208 minutes
“I am...safe zone develops LGBT allies beyond 'it gets better.' Become a part of the solution by actively working across difference and understanding your own story within heteronormativity, cisgender privilege, anti-racism, and other ways of advocating for others.” --From container.
Categories: Activism, Heteronormativity, LGBTQ, Privilege, Sex & Gender
Reese Library • DVD 1491 • 2002 • 58 minutes
“Russia's dismal post-Soviet economy has given rise to widespread alcoholism, depression, and divorce. One consequence is that many desperate young Russian women turn to marriage agencies in a bid to escape--those linking Russian women with 'rich' American men are thriving. Filmed principally in St. Petersburg over several years, this film examines the motivations of two agency heads and follows several of these women as they seek a brighter future. Told from all these women's point of view, this is an often brilliant, funny, and unflinching examination of a cultural reality: the 'mail-order bride' with a clear-eyed certainty about what she is doing, and why.” – GIL catalog
Categories: Asia, Immigration, Mail Order Brides, Marriage Agencies, Russia, Women's Rights
Films on Demand • Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center • 2001 • 29 minutes
"While intimate partner abuse can occur in same-sex couples, the abuser in the vast majority of cases is a man, his target a woman. This program from The Doctor Is In profiles Buffalo, New York, where the medical community, social and psychiatric services, police, and courts have formed a coalition to reduce the incidence of partner abuse and help the victims. Among those who comment are Dr. Susan McLeer, the head of Erie County Medical Center’s psychiatry department; Katey Joyce, director of a shelter for battered women; and Jessica Benigni, chair of the Erie County Coalition Against Family Violence." - Films on Demand
Categories: Abuse, Criminal Justice, Domestic Violence, Law, Healthcare, Psychology, Rape, Sexual Assault, Social Work, Violence against Women, Women's Health
Reese Library • DVD 1739 • 2012 • 98 minutes
"From Oscar- and Emmy-nominated filmmaker Kirby Dick (This Film Is Not Yet Rated; Twist of Faith) comes THE INVISIBLE WAR, a groundbreaking investigative documentary about one of America's most shameful and best-kept secrets: the epidemic of rape within the U.S. military. The film paints a startling picture of the extent of the problem--today, a female soldier in combat zones is more likely to be raped by a fellow soldier than killed by enemy fire. Twenty percent of all active-duty female servicewomen are sexually assaulted. Profoundly moving, the film follows the stories of several idealistic young servicewomen who were raped and then betrayed by their own officers when they courageously came forward to report. Both a rallying cry for the hundreds of thousands of men and women who've been assaulted and a hopeful road map for change, THE INVISIBLE WAR is one of those rare films so powerful it has already helped change military policy." --Publisher description
Categories: Feature Film, Rape, Rape Culture, Sexual Assault, Sexual Harassment, Women in the Military
iO Tillett Wright: Fifty shades of gay
TED Talks • TEDxWomen2012 • 2013 • 19 minutes
"Artist iO Tillett Wright has photographed 2,000 people who consider themselves somewhere on the LGBTQ spectrum and asked many of them: Can you assign a percentage to how gay or straight you are? Most people, it turns out, consider themselves to exist in the gray areas of sexuality, not 100% gay or straight. Which presents a real problem when it comes to discrimination: Where do you draw the line?" - TED.com
Categories: Art, Discrimination, Homophobia, LGBTQ, Sex, Sex & Gender
Films on Demand • National Geographic • 2000 • 27 minutes
"An opaque veil, gloved hands, and long black flowing garments—these are among the images that Westerners most commonly associate with Iranian women. In this program, National Geographic photographer Alexandra Avakian sets out to dispel long-held stereotypes as she ventures behind the veils of women in Iran, ultimately discovering a tough and spirited female community. The New York City native also delves into Iran’s underground youth culture and travels to her ancestral village in search of the grave of her great-great-grandmother." - Films on Demand
Categories: Asia, Iran, Islam, Middle East, Stereotypes, Women's Rights
Reese Library • DVD 265 • 2004 • 123 minutes
“Alice Paul and Lucy Burns were two defiant suffragist women who fought for the passage of the 19th Amendment. The two activists broke from the mainstream women's rights movement and created a more radical wing, daring to push the boundaries to secure women's voting rights in 1920. In a country dominated by chauvinism, this is no easy fight. Along the way, sacrifices are made: Alice gives up a chance for love, and colleague Inez Mulholland gives up her life.” – GIL catalog
Categories: Activism, American History, Feature Film, Women's History, Women's Rights, Women's Suffrage
Isabel Allende: Tales of passion
TED Talks • TED2007 • 2008 • 18 minutes
"Author and activist Isabel Allende discusses women, creativity, the definition of feminism -- and, of course, passion -- in this talk." - TED.com
Categories: Art, Feminism, Latin@, Women of Color, Writing
Isabel Allende: The Woman’s Voice in Latin American Literature
Films on Demand • KQED • 1991 • 56 minutes
"Isabel Allende, the first Latin American woman to bestride the world literary stage, describes the emotions that inform her fiction and the events that set them in motion. Niece of the deposed (and presumably assassinated) Chilean Marxist president Salvador Allende, she fled Chile in terror and blossomed in exile to write of the love, hate, and revenge that shape the lives of people she knew, or dreamt about: her characters, her own legend in the making." - Films on Demand
Categories: Chile, Latin@, Latin America, Literature, South America, Women of Color, Writing
It’s Time: African Women Join Hands Against Domestic Violence
Films on Demand • Journeyman Pictures • 2009 • 53 minutes
“Once accepted as a cultural norm in Africa, domestic violence is increasingly recognized for what it is—an assault on the rights and well-being of women, as well as a major impediment to progress on the continent. This program examines the issue in Ethiopia and South Africa, focusing on efforts to reduce and hopefully eliminate violence against women. Viewers meet survivors of domestic abuse and sex crimes who are regaining control over their lives in safe houses and educational centers.” – Films on Demand
Categories: Abuse, Africa, Domestic Violence, Ethiopia, Rape Culture, South Africa, Violence against Women, Women of Color
Jackson Katz: Violence against women—it's a men's issue
TED Talks • TEDxFiDiWomen • 2013 • 18 minutes
"Domestic violence and sexual abuse are often called 'women’s issues.' But in this bold, blunt talk, Jackson Katz points out that these are intrinsically men’s issues -- and shows how these violent behaviors are tied to definitions of manhood. A clarion call for us all -- women and men -- to call out unacceptable behavior and be leaders of change." - TED.com
Categories: Abuse, Domestic Violence, Masculinity, Patriarchy, Rape, Sexual Abuse, Sexual Assault, Violence against Women
Reese Library • DVD 1843 • 2009 • 81 minutes
"A Jihad for Love is the world's first feature documentary to explore the complex global intersections between Islam and homosexuality. Parvez enters the many worlds of Islam by illuminating multiple stories as diverse as Islam itself. The film travels a wide geographic arc presenting us lives from India, Pakistan, Iran, Turkey, Egypt, South Africa and France. Always filming in secret and as a Muslim, Parvez makes the film from within the faith, depicting Islam with the same respect that the film's characters show for it."
Categories: Africa, Asia, Europe, Feature Film, Islam, LGBTQ, Middle East, Religion, World Culture
Johanna Blakley: Social media and the end of gender
TED Talks • TEDWomen 2010 • 2011 • 9 minutes
"Media and advertising companies still use the same old demographics to understand audiences, but they're becoming increasingly harder to track online, says media researcher Johanna Blakley. As social media outgrows traditional media, and women users outnumber men, Blakley explains what changes are in store for the future of media." - TED.com
Categories: Media, Popular Culture, Sex & Gender
Kavita Ramdas: Radical women, embracing tradition
TED Talks • TEDIndia 2009 • 2010 • 19 minutes
"Investing in women can unlock infinite potential around the globe. But how can women walk the line between Western-style empowerment and traditional culture? Kavita Ramdas of the Global Fund for Women talks about three encounters with powerful women who fight to make the world better -- while preserving the traditions that sustain them." - TED.com
Categories: Asia, India, Women of Color, Women's Rights, World Culture
Killing Us Softly 3: Advertising's Image of Women
Reese Library • DVD 925 (2 copies) • 2002 • 34 minutes
“Discusses the manner in which women continue to be portrayed by advertising and the effects this has on their images of themselves.” – GIL catalog
Categories: Body Image, Eating Disorders, Media, Popular Culture, Women in the Media
Killing Us Softly 4: Advertising's Image of Women
Reese Library • DVD 1506 • 2010 • 45 minutes
"In this new, highly anticipated update of her pioneering Killing us softly series, the first in more than a decade, Jean Kilbourne takes a fresh look at how advertising traffics in distorted and destructive ideals of femininity. The film marshals a range of new print and television advertisements to lay bare a stunning pattern of damaging gender stereotypes--images and messages that too often reinforce unrealistic and unhealthy perceptions of beauty, perfection, and sexuality. By bringing Kilbourne's groundbreaking analysis up-to-date, Killing us softly 4 stands to challenge a new generation of students to take advertising seriously, and to think critically about popular culture and its relationship to sexism, eating disorders, and gender violence"--Container.
Categories: Body Image, Eating Disorders, Human Trafficking, Media, Popular Culture, Sex & Gender, Sex Work, Women in the Media
Films on Demand • Parthenon Entertainment • 2008 • 48 minutes
“Elegant, flowing, and steeped in mythology, the kimono has survived for fifteen hundred years as a symbol of Japanese tradition and a mirror of Japan’s evolving culture. From medieval courtesans adorned in sensual finery to samurai warriors whose clothing signified their military allegiance, anyone donning a kimono accepted and perpetuated its meanings. Today, knowledge of its traditions and observance of the elaborate rules surrounding it have declined. Nevertheless, thanks to the small number of modern Japanese women who honor and study their past, the multifaceted gown lives on. This program examines the kimono’s continuing importance in Japanese culture and society—from the tea ceremony to the fashion runway.” – Films on Demand
Categories: Asia, Culture, Fashion, History, Japan, Women of Color, Women's History
Reese Library • VCT 124 • 2000 • 54 minutes
“Filmed in Nuevo Leon, Mexico, in Mission, Texas and Shafter, California, this movie follows the life of a migrant community, primarily through the eyes of Elizabeth, whose wedding to Artemio concludes the documentary.” – GIL catalog
Categories: Feature Film, Immigration, Latin@, Latin America, Marriage, Mexican Americans, Mexico, Migrant Workers, Women of Color
Ladies First: Rwandan Women Help Heal Their Nation
Films on Demand • Wide Angle • 2004 • 57 minutes
"After genocide ripped their nation apart in the 1990s, the women of Rwanda have led the healing process and have helped usher in a much-needed era of stability. By depicting the multifaceted efforts of women activists to build a sustainable peace between the majority Hutus and minority Tutsis, this Wide Angle documentary explores the challenges facing Rwanda. The film features an in-depth examination of the remarkable role Rwandan women play in politics and the business sector and shows how one portion of a citizenry, no matter how under-recognized and under-appreciated, can help guide a nation and provide a courageous example to the wider world. Ambassador Swanee Hunt, Director of the Women and Public Policy Program at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government, discusses Rwanda’s women with Mishal Husain." - Films on Demand
Categories: Activism, Africa, Genocide, Rwanda, Women and Peace, Women in Politics, Women in the Workplace, Women's Rights
Reese Library • DVD 1758 • VCT 3232 • 1992 • 127 minutes
"Tom Hanks, Geena Davis and Madonna star in this major-league comedy from the team that brought you BIG. Hanks stars as Jimmy Dugan, a washed-up ball player whose big league days are over. Hired to coach in the All-American Girls Baseball League of 1943--while the male pros are at war--Dugan finds himself drawn back into the game by the heart and heroics of his "all-girl" team. Jon Lovitz adds a scene-stealing cameo as the sarcastic scout who recruits Dottie Hinson (Davis), the "baseball dolly" with the Babe Ruth swing. Teammates Madonna, Lori Petty and Rosie O'Donnell round out the roster, taking the team to the World Series. Based on the true story of the pioneering women who blazed the trail for generations of athletes, A League of Their Own is "a home run." (Joel Siegel, ABC-TV)" --From container.
Categories: Feature Film, Popular Culture, Women in Sports, Women's History
Lesley Hazleton: The doubt essential to faith
TED Talks • TEDGlobal 2013 • 2013 • 14 minutes
"When Lesley Hazleton was writing a biography of Muhammad, she was struck by something: The night he received the revelation of the Koran, according to early accounts, his first reaction was doubt, awe, even fear. And yet this experience became the bedrock of his belief. Hazleton calls for a new appreciation of doubt and questioning as the foundation of faith -- and an end to fundamentalism of all kinds." - TED.com
Categories: Islam, Religion
Let’s Talk About It: Domestic Violence & Let's Talk About It: Domestic Violence (with Spanish subtitles)
Films on Demand • Filmblanc • 2005 • 46 minutes • Spanish subtitles
"Xiomara Fuentes, Amandeep Kaur, and Nneka - three wives beaten and humiliated by their husbands—are the subjects of Let’s Talk About It, which gives a voice and a face to a spreading epidemic of spousal abuse. This program puts video cameras into the hands of these women’s children who then interview their mothers about why they endured—and how they survived—such physical and emotional injury. The questions they ask, framed with a poignant blend of candor and naiveté, leave no room for equivocation. A compelling and purposeful call to action produced by acclaimed filmmaker Deepa Mehta, Let’s Talk About It is a journey into the secret and dangerous world of domestic violence, no more powerfully illustrated than through the eyes of the children." - Films on Demand
Categories: Abuse, Domestic Violence, Marriage, Spanish, Violence against Women, Women of Color, World Culture
Reese Library • DVD 1847 • 2008 • 82 minutes
“Powerful and provocative, LIONESS traces the stories of five female support soldiers who served in Iraq in various capacities mechanic, supply clerk, engineer and ultimately became the first women in American history to be sent into direct ground combat. The film follows the Lionesses rapid progression from diffusing tensions with local civilians to fierce street-level combat in Ramadi, and in doing so raises such issues as gender and warfare and the deep divide between policy and practice. Together, these women's experiences illuminate the emotional and psychological effects of war from a uniquely female perspective.” - AMAZON
Categories: Feature Film, Iraq, Middle East, Sex & Gender, Sexual Assault, War, Women in the Military, Women's Health
The Life and Legend of Sojourner Truth
Films on Demand • Lynn C. Spangler • 2000 • 57 minutes
"As with many historic American figures of the 19th century, Sojourner Truth’s story is incomplete and somewhat mythical, a fact compounded by her having been born a slave. This detailed program traces the lifelong odyssey of a woman who literally walked out of bondage, changed her name in 1843, and traveled the country as an abolitionist and women’s rights advocate. Along the way she would meet Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln and be further cast into fable by Harriet Beecher Stowe. Interviews with scholars and dramatic readings from Truth’s speeches and autobiography conjure more clearly a picture of this truly heroic woman." - Films on Demand
Categories: Abolition, African American/Black, American History, Slavery, Women and Politics, Women of Color, Women's History, Women's Rights
The Line: Where is the Line of Consent?
Reese Library • DVD 1422 • 2010 • 24 minutes
"A one-night stand far from home goes terribly wrong. A young woman is raped. And as she struggles to understand what happened, she decides to make a film about the relationship between her own experience and the tangle of political, legal, and cultural questions that surround issues of sex and consent. The result is a powerful documentary about the terrible personal reality of rape and sexual violence, and the more complicated and ambivalent ways sexual assault often gets framed and understood in the wider culture. As she tries to make sense of her own experience, and the sometimes ambiguous line between consent and coercion, filmmaker Nancy Schwartzman goes head-to-head with the man who assaulted her, questioning him and recording their conversation with a hidden camera. Schwartzman, as the prismatic main character, is likeable, while embodying the needs, desires, and inner conflicts common among young sexually active American women. She broadens, and complicates, her own experience and perspective with insights from sex workers, survivors, and activists, eschewing easy answers to provide an admirably nuanced take on the horror of rape and the warped dynamics of a culture that too often seems bent on glamorizing it. Completed after being presented in classrooms on dozens of college campuses, The Line is structured to invite and reward students' trust, making them comfortable enough to discuss sex, consent, legal rights, and the politics surrounding gender violence while examining issues too often deemed embarrassing, shameful, or taboo." - Container
Categories: Consent, Criminal Justice System, Law, Rape, Rape Culture, Sex Education, Sex Work, Sexual Assault, Women's rights
A Litany for Survival: The Life and Work of Audre Lorde
Reese Library • DVD 1808 • 2006 • 53 minutes
“An epic portrait of the eloquent, award-winning Black, lesbian, poet, mother, teacher and activist, Audre Lorde, whose writings - spanning five decades - articulated some of the most important social and political visions of the century. From Lorde's childhood roots in NYC's Harlem to her battle with breast cancer, this moving film explores a life and a body of work that embodied the connections between the Civil Rights movement, the Women's movement, and the struggle for lesbian and gay rights. At the heart of this documentary is Lorde's own challenge to "envision what has not been and work with every fiber of who we are to make the reality and pursuit of that vision irresistible." – Publisher description
Categories: Feminism, Human Rights, LGBTQ, Literature, Womanism, Women of Color, Women's Health, Women's Rights
Lives for Sale: Human Trafficking
Films on Demand • Lightworks Enterprises • 2006 • 60 minutes
"Each year, more than one million people try to cross the U.S.-Mexico border, contending with dangerous forces that prey on their hopes and exploit their gullibility. This program exposes the most painful, disturbing, and hidden dimension of illegal immigration: the growing black market trade in human beings. Shedding light on the poverty that causes so many to risk everything by leaving their home countries, the film reconstructs the frightening journeys of sex-slavery victims and highlights the work of CAST—the Coalition to Abolish Slavery and Trafficking. Border patrol agents and other members of law enforcement share their knowledge and experience regarding this ongoing human rights crisis." - Films on Demand
Categories: Human Trafficking, Immigration, Latin America, Mexico, Sex Work, Slavery
Lucía y el Sexo ("Sex and Lucía")
Reese Library • DVD 247 • 2001 • 128 minutes
“After the loss of her long-time boyfriend, Lucía seeks refuge on a quiet Mediterranean island where she meets a new man and begins to discover the dark secrets of her past relationship.” – GIL catalog
Categories: Europe, Feature Film, Foreign Language, France, Relationships, Sex, Spain
LZ Granderson: The myth of the gay agenda
TED Talks • TEDxGrandRapids • 2012 • 18 minutes
"In a humorous talk with an urgent message, LZ Granderson points out the absurdity in the idea that there's a 'gay lifestyle,' much less a 'gay agenda.'" - TED.com
Categories: Discrimination, Homophobia, LGBTQ, LGBTQ Rights, Masculinity
Ma Vie en Rose (My Life in Pink)
Reese Library • DVD 1765 • VCT 2598 • 1998 • 89 minutes
“With six-year-old certainty, Ludovic believes he was meant to be a little girl and that the mistake will soon be corrected. Instead of the miraculous, Ludo finds rejection, isolation and guilt as the intense reactions of family, friends, and neighbors strip away every innocent lace and bauble.” – GIL catalog
Categories: Europe, Feature Film, Foreign Language, France, Gender Identity, LGBTQ, Sex & Gender, Trans*
Madeleine Albright: Fighting Genocide in Kosovo
Films on Demand • Danish Broadcasting Corporation • 2005 • 40 minutes
“For former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, the war in Kosovo was both political and very personal. This program focuses on how America’s first female Secretary of State built national and international consensus against Slobodan Milosevic to derail his agenda of ethnic cleansing in the wake of the failed Rambouillet peace negotiations. Albright also discusses the shaping of her values through both her early years of life in the Europe of Hitler and Stalin and her family losses to the Holocaust. Positive comments on what it was like to be a high-ranking woman in the male-dominated world of politics and diplomacy round out the program.” – Films on Demand
Categories: American History, Europe, Foreign Policy, Genocide, Kosovo, Patriarchy, Women and Peace, Women in Politics, Women's Rights
Madeleine Albright: On Being a Woman and a Diplomat
TED Talks • TEDWomen 2010 • 2011 • 13 minutes
"Former US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright talks bluntly about politics and diplomacy, making the case that women's issues deserve a place at the center of foreign policy. Far from being a 'soft' issue, she says, women's issues are often the very hardest ones, dealing directly with life and death. A frank and funny Q&A with Pat Mitchell from the Paley Center."
Categories: Foreign Policy, Patriarchy, Women in Politics, Women's Rights
Reese Library • DVD 1146 • 2004 • 119 minutes
“In Ireland in the 1960s, four women were sent to the Magdalene sisterhood asylum because of 'sinful' behavior. 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.” – GIL catalog
Categories: Abuse, Catholicism, Christianity, Europe, Feature Film, Ireland, Mental Health, Women's Health
Mary Cassatt: A Brush with Independence
Reese Library • DVD 548 • 2003 • 57 minutes
“The extraordinary story of a woman who defied tradition, a painter whose work captivated Edgar Degas, and the only American asked to join the French Impressionists. Best remembered for her tender yet unsentimental depictions of mothers and children, Cassatt was also a driving force for women's suffrage and other issues of her day.” – GIL catalog
Categories: Art, American History, Europe, France, Women's History, Women's Suffrage
Reese Library • VCT 1991 • 1993 • 94 minutes
“Based on the memoir and letters of Mary Silliman, this film depicts the struggle during the American Revolutionary War, of Fairfield, Conn., a town deeply and bitterly divided over independence. After the kidnapping and imprisonment of her husband by the British, Mary Silliman managed to secure her husband's freedom while still handling domestic affairs and coping with the war.”
Categories: American History, Warfare, Women's History
Maxine Hong Kingston and the Road Back from Vietnam
Films on Demand • Digital Classics Distribution • 1996 • 53 minutes
"Facing the reality of what happened in Southeast Asia—and bringing others together to reconcile with it—has become the life work of novelist Maxine Hong Kingston, who teaches Buddhism and creative writing to Vietnam veterans. "In the workshops, [they] break out of the solipsism, the narcissism, the isolation," says Professor Kingston, who was awarded the National Humanities Medal by President Clinton. In this program, Professor Kingston explores the causes and effects of alienation from one’s country in a journey to France in 1996 to meet with Thich Nhat Hahn, who was a strong presence at the Paris talks that later produced the peace accords ending the Vietnam War." - Films on Demand
Categories: American History, Asia, Asian American, Buddhism, History, Literature, Religion, War, Women of Color, Women and Peace, World History, Writing
McKenna Pope: Want to be an activist? Start with your toys
TED Talks • TEDYouth 2013 • 2013 • 6 minutes
"McKenna Pope's younger brother loved to cook, but he worried about using an Easy-Bake Oven — because it was a toy for girls. So at age 13, Pope started an online petition for the American toy company Hasbro to change the pink-and-purple color scheme on the classic toy and incorporate boys into its TV marketing. In a heartening talk, Pope makes the case for gender-neutral toys and gives a rousing call to action to all kids who feel powerless." - TED.com
Categories: Activism, Feminism, Gender Roles, Masculinity
Me Facing Life: Cyntoia’s Story
Reese Library • DVD 1803 • 2011 • 52 minutes
“Me facing life : Cyntoia's story takes a hard look at some of the complex social issues concerning a 16-year-old girl who is serving a life sentence for murder. Cyntoia Brown found herself in a series of bad situations that led to her killing a man. The filmmaker spent nearly six years exploring her life and familial relationships in order to answer a very basic question ... why? This documentary pushes aside assumptions about what we think about violence and takes a glance into a startling social mirror that reveals a strong connection between violence in her maternal line and a predestined childhood filled with bad decisions.” – GIL catalog
Categories: Biology, Criminal Justice, Incarcerated Women, Violence, Women of Color
Mexico: Rebellion of the Weeping Women
Films on Demand • Ente Público Radiotelevisión • 1992 • 61 minutes
"This is the story of Mexican women who have fought, and continue to fight, for equality and women’s rights. They are women looking for children kidnapped during political pogroms, journalists, writers, and political activists. Machismo and the resulting sexism, as well as Catholicism and its perpetuation of the myth of the Virgin Mary as the standard for feminine behavior, are discussed as social factors contributing to the continued subjugation of Mexican women. Also available in Spanish." - Films on Demand
Categories: Activism, Catholicism, Christianity, Feminism, Indigenous Women, Latin America, Mexico, Patriarchy, Politics, Poverty, Rape, Religion, Sexism, Violence against Women, Women of Color, Women's Rights
Reese Library • DVD 1650 • 2011 • 90 minutes
“Like drawing back a curtain to let bright light stream in, Miss Representation uncovers a glaring reality we live with every day but fail to see. Written and directed by Jennifer Siebel Newsom, the film exposes how mainstream media contribute to the under-representation of women in positions of power and influence in America. The film challenges the media's limited and often disparaging portrayals of women and girls, which make it difficult for women to achieve leadership positions and for the average woman to feel powerful herself. In a society where media is the most persuasive force shaping cultural norms, the collective message that our young women and men overwhelmingly receive is that a woman's value and power lie in her youth, beauty, and sexuality, and not in her capacity as a leader. While women have made great strides in leadership over the past few decades, the United States is still 90th in the world for women in national legislatures, women hold only 3% of clout positions in mainstream media, and 65% of women and girls have disordered eating behaviors. Stories from teenage girls and provocative interviews with politicians, journalists, entertainers, activists and academics, like Condoleezza Rice, Nancy Pelosi, Katie Couric, Rachel Maddow, Margaret Cho, Rosario Dawson and Gloria Steinem build momentum as Miss Representation accumulates startling facts and statistics that will leave the audience shaken and armed with a new perspective.” --Publisher description.
Categories: Body Image, Media, Popular Culture, Women in the Media, Women Leaders, Women's Health
Missing Women: Female-Selective Abortion and Infanticide
Films on Demand • ARTE France • 2006 • 54 minutes
"In India, Pakistan, and China, being born a girl can be an instant death sentence. This program—winner of the Albert Londres Prize, France’s highest award for journalism—unflinchingly examines the cultural, economic, and political reasons for the systematic elimination of females in Asia and considers the implications of the dramatic demographic disruption that will likely occur as a result of this growing imbalance between the sexes. The use of amniocentesis and ultrasound scans to identify female fetuses for abortion is investigated, as are the practices of newborn abandonment and infanticide by a parent or a hired baby girl killer." - Films on Demand
Categories: Abortion, Asia, China, India, Infanticide, Pakistan, Patriarchy, Reproductive Justice, Women of Color
Modern Slavery: Human Trafficking
Films on Demand • First Hand Films • 2008 • 45 minutes
“In search of a better life, Natasha and Galia Gutu thought they had found fulfilling jobs in Turkey through their seemingly helpful neighbors. But when the Gutu sisters left their home in Moldova they were actually traveling into a nightmare—not the health aide employment that their 'friends' had promised, but rather enslavement as prostitutes. This program follows their story by recording their own painful accounts, a different side of the narrative as told by the mother-daughter pair who led them into deception, and the real-life courtroom drama that unfolds when the sisters bring charges against their former neighbors. Will a guilty verdict start Natasha and Galia on the road to healing?” – Films on Demand
Categories: Asia, Criminal Justice, Europe, Human Trafficking, Law, Moldova, Sexual Assault, Sex Work, Turkey
The Mommy Mystique: The Anxiety of Modern Motherhood
Films on Demand • ABC Nightline • 2005 • 23 minutes
"Featuring an interview with acclaimed author and cultural observer Judith Warner, this ABC News program conveys the perspective of an American mother who has done much of her parenting outside the United States. Warner discusses her book Perfect Madness and its observations about the hectic, competitive lifestyle embraced by many American moms—a lifestyle increasingly fraught with anger and depression. While the author and three other mothers provide insight on a personal, emotional level, Warner’s analysis of women on the edge raises political and cultural questions that are worthy of every American’s consideration." - Films on Demand
Categories: Culture, Mental Health, Motherhood, Parenthood, Psychology, Women's Health, World Culture
Mother and Eve: Breaking the Silence
Films on Demand • CCI Releasing • 1996 • 54 minutes
"In this program, four middle-aged women—Jeannine, Paulette, Suzanne, and Rachel—speak with both candor and sensitivity about how they came to redefine their sexual orientation. Their stories of coming to terms with their true sexuality in Sudbury, Ontario, are stories of courage, transformation, and a fierce determination to be true to themselves. Additional insights are provided by their ex-spouses and children. (French with English subtitles.)" - Films on Demand
Categories: Canada, Coming of Age, Foreign Language, LGBTQ, Sex & Gender, Sexuality
Mothers in Prison: Children in Crisis
Reese Library • VCT 3409 • 2002 • 57 minutes
“Women are now the fastest growing segment of the prison population. Eighty percent of women in prison are mothers. Seventy-five percent are mothers of minor children and studies show that these children are 5 to 6 times more likely to be imprisoned in their futures. At a time when tougher prison sentences are being handed down and more children are being affected by a parent's incarceration, AETN presents a documentary that looks at the social, economic, political, and emotional costs. AETN producers interviewed mothers in prison, children, caregivers, child welfare experts and prison authorities in an attempt to illustrate how a mother's incarceration affects her children"--http://www.aetn.org/mip/
Categories: Criminal Justice, Incarcerated Women, Law, Motherhood, Poverty, Women's Health
Myths That Maim with Maureen O’Hara
Reese Library • VCT 171 • 1992 • 46 minutes
“This video explores the social construction of gender identities and gender violence, tracing the stories, myths and images of our culture and showing the millenia-old patterns of dominance & subordination that lead to violence and abuse.” – GIL catalog
Categories: Abuse, Gender Identity, Sex & Gender, Violence
Nellie McKay: "Mother of Pearl," "If I Had You"
TED Talks • TED2008 • 2008 • 6 minutes
"The wonderful Nellie McKay sings 'Mother of Pearl' (with the immortal first line 'Feminists don't have a sense of humor') and 'If I Had You' from her sparkling set at TED2008." - TED.com
Categories: Feminism, Humor, Music, Women's Rights
Nicaragua: Turning Away from Violence
Films on Demand • Network Ireland Television • 2004 • 26 minutes
“In Nicaragua, a growing awareness of domestic violence and its consequences has spurred grassroots activism. This program documents the efforts of two groups, the Xochitl-Acatl Women's Center and the Association of Men Against Violence, both of which confront gender and sexual abuse. Arguing that economic and political oppression influence male tendencies to exercise physical authority within the home, the video describes educational campaigns that build financial self-sufficiency and self-esteem in both men and women. Interviews with participants feature more than one success story.” – Films on Demand
Categories: Domestic Violence, Latin America, Nicaragua, Patriarchy, Sex & Gender, Sexual Abuse, Women of Color, Violence against Women
Reese Library • DVD 1230 • 2006 • 126 minutes
“Josey Aimes needs a job and goes to work at a Minnesota steel mine after splitting with her violent husband. But the job proves to be almost as harrowing as her marriage. The male miners are resentful of women taking their jobs, so the men verbally abuse and play humiliating pranks on the female miners. After being physically assaulted by a coworker, Josey tries to fight against the harassment, but none of the other women will join her case for fear that things will only get worse. A fictionalized account of the first major successful sexual harassment case in the U.S. - Jenson v. Eveleth Mines, where a woman who endured a range of abuse while working as a miner filed and won a landmark 1984 lawsuit.” – GIL catalog
Categories: American History, Domestic Violence, Feature Film, Law, Popular Culture, Sexual Abuse, Sexual Harassment, Women in the Workplace, Women's History, Women's Rights
Not a Bedroom War: New Visions of Leadership for Women
Films on Demand • Jane Balfour Films • 1993 • 52 minutes
"The title of this unique documentary is drawn from Betty Friedan’s challenge of the 1970s that feminism is not about men and women but about changing the world. The program was filmed at the meeting of women leaders from around the world who gathered in Dublin in 1992 to discuss new visions of leadership. Ireland’s President Mary Robinson, Friedan, and Utte Ranke-Heinemann are among the many charismatic speakers who debate the nature of power and empowerment—of religion, marriage, dreams, and achievements." - Films on Demand
Categories: Activism, Europe, Feminism, Ireland, Women Leaders, Women and Politics, Women in Politics, Women and Religion, Women in the Workplace, Women's Rights
Not For Ourselves Alone: The Story of Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony
Reese Library • DVD 1145 • 1999 • 180 minutes
“Together, Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony fought for the rights of women in America—indeed, women everywhere—and their determination and achievements still ripple through American society. This stirring documentary by Ken Burns and Paul Barnes recounts the challenges and triumphs of two pioneers who gave birth to the women’s movement.” – Films on Demand
Categories: American History, Feminism, Women's History, Women's Suffrage
NOW hosted by David Brancaccio: Daughters for Sale
Reese Library • DVD 1661 • 2008 • 30 minutes
"An innovative program in Nepal is helping to free young girls that live as modern day slaves. Unable to make ends meet, many families in western Nepal have been forced to sell their daughters, some as young as six, to work far from home as bonded servants in private homes. With living conditions entirely at the discretion of their employers, these girls seldom attend school and are sometimes forced into prostitution. This week NOW travels to Nepal during the Maghe Sankranti holiday, when labor contractors come to the villages of the area to 'buy' the children. There, we meet the Nepalese Youth Opportunity Foundation, which is trying to break the cycle of poverty and pain with an Enterprising Idea. They're providing desperate families with an incentive to keep their daughters: a piglet or a goat that can ultimately be sold for a sum equivalent to that of their child's labor. The organization says it has brought thousands of girls home to live with their families, but many cultural and political challenges still stand in their way. This is part of NOW's continuing series on innovative and sustainable solutions to world problems, what we call Enterprising Ideas." --Publisher description.
Categories: Arranged Marriage, Asia, Child Abuse, Child Labor, Human Rights, Human Trafficking, Nepal, Poverty, Prostitution, Slavery, Sexual Assault, Sex Work, Women's Rights
NOW hosted by David Brancaccio: Fighting Child Prostitution
Reese Library • DVD 1662 • 2009 • 30 minutes
"Living in the shadows of contemporary American society are tens of thousands of underage prostitutes--desperate, exploited kids robbed of their childhood and of hope. The Department of Justice says, on any given day, tens of thousands of children across America are involved in prostitution. NOW visits Atlanta to see how the growing problem of child prostitution is being tackled in an aggressive new campaign." - GIL Catalog
Categories: Child Abuse, Georgia, Human Trafficking, Prostitution, Sexual Assault, Sex Work
NOW hosted by David Brancaccio: Teen Workers and Sexual Harassment
Reese Library • DVD 1663 • 2009 • 30 minutes
“A shocking statistic--teenagers are in more danger from sexual predators at their part time jobs than through the Internet. According to one estimate, 200,000 teenagers are assaulted at the workplace each year. It's a vastly underreported phenomenon, but some brave young women are stepping up publicly to tell their stories. This week, NOW collaborates with the Schuster Institute for Investigative Journalism at Brandeis University to bring you an unprecedented broadcast investigation of teen sexual harassment in the workplace. In the program, abused teenagers share their own stories with Senior Correspondent Maria Hinojosa. We track their legal journeys to justice, and how the issue impacts hundreds of thousands of teenagers across the country--many of whom don't know how to report workplace abuse, or to even recognize when their bosses cross the line. “--Container.
Categories: Abuse, Law, Sexual Abuse, Sexual Harassment, Teenagers, Women in the Workplace
Off the Straight and Narrow: Lesbians, Gays, Bisexuals, and Television
Reese Library • DVD 258 • 2002 • 63 minutes
“Casts a critical eye over the growth of gay images on TV. Leading media scholars provide the historical and cultural context for exploring the social implications of these new representations. Challenges viewers to consider the value and limits of available gay images: who is represented, what they get to say, and how people respond to them.” – GIL Catalog
Categories: Discrimination, LGBTQ, Media
Reese Library • VCT 1938 • 1995 • 120 minutes
"How could America call itself the world's greatest democracy, but continue to deny the right to vote to more than half of its citizens? This program documents the struggle which culminated in the passing of the 19th Amendment in the U.S. Senate by one vote. Witness the 70-year struggle for women's suffrage. Discover why the crusaders faced entrenched opposition from men and women who feared the women's vote would ignite a social revolution." - GIL Catalog
Categories: American History, Women's History, Women's Rights, Women's Suffrage
PBS Frontline • 2012 • 33 minutes
"Najibullah Quraishi journeys deep into the Afghan countryside to reveal the deadly bargain local farm families have been forced to make with drug smugglers in order to survive." - PBS.org
Categories: Abuse, Afghanistan, Arranged Marriage, Asia, Child Abuse, Human Rights, Human Trafficking, Middle East, Poverty, Sexual Assault, Slavery, Substance Abuse, Women of Color, Women's Rights
Out of Control: AIDS in Black America
Films on Demand • PJ Productions • 2006 • 41 minutes
Greenblatt Library • WC 503 O94 2006[DVD] • 2006 • 41 minutes
"With the final investigative work of journalist Peter Jennings as its cornerstone, this program studies the frightening rise of AIDS among African-Americans—a trend that has been developing for several years, but which has gone largely unnoticed outside the black community. Jennings’ contribution to the program is a candid group discussion he conducted with HIV-positive African-American men in Atlanta. In addition to that eye-opening conversation, the program also features talks between anchor Terry Moran and various black leaders—including the Reverends Jesse Jackson, Calvin Butts, and T. D. Jakes—and frank input from several African-American women." - Films on Demand
Categories: African American/Black, HIV/AIDS, Race, Sex, Women of Color, Women's Health
PBS Frontline • 2013 • 54 minutes
"In Pakistan, women and girls who allege rape are often more strongly condemned than their alleged rapists. Some are even killed by their own families. For this unforgettable documentary, filmmakers Habiba Nosheen and Hilke Schellmann spent years tracing one alleged rape victim's odyssey through Pakistan's flawed justice system -- as well as her alleged rapists’ quest to clear their names." - PBS.org
Categories: Asia, Criminal Justice, Law, Pakistan, Patriarchy, Rape, Sexual Assault, Violence against Women, Women of Color, Women's Rights
Reese Library • DVD 1844 • 2012 • 87 minutes
"Alike (Adepero Oduye) is a 17-year-old African-American woman who lives with her parents Audrey and Arthur (Kim Wayans and Charles Parnell) and younger sister Sharonda (Sahra Mellesse) in Brooklyn's Fort Greene neighborhood. She has a flair for poetry, and is a good student at her local high school. Alike is quietly but firmly embracing her identity as a lesbian. With the sometimes boisterous support of her best friend, out lesbian Laura (Pernell Walker), Alike is especially eager to find a girlfriend. At home, her parents' marriage is strained and there is further tension in the household whenever Alike's development becomes a topic of discussion. Pressed by her mother into making the acquaintance of a colleague's daughter, Bina (Aasha Davis), Alike finds Bina to be unexpectedly refreshing to socialize with. Wondering how much she can confide in her family, Alike strives to get through adolescence with grace, humor, and tenacity - sometimes succeeding, sometimes not, but always moving forward." - GIL Catalog
Categories: African American/Black, Coming of Age, Feature Film, LGBTQ, Sex & Gender, Teenagers, Women of Color
Passionate Present: Protecting Black Girlhood
LiveStream.com • The New School • 2014 • 104 minutes
"Join bell hooks and Salamishah Tillet, Associate Professor at the University of Pennsylvania and co-founder of A Long Walk Home, Inc., in a conversation addressing the welfare of black girls and their continued devaluation." - LiveStream.com
Categories: African American/Black, Body Image, Child Abuse, Feminism, Media, Media Representation, Pop Culture, Race, Racism, Teenagers, Violence against Women, Womanism, Women of Color
Pathology of Privilege: Racism, White Denial, & the Costs of Inequality
Reese Library • DVD 1450 • 2008 • 57 minutes
“Tim Wise offers a unique, inside-out view of race and racism in America. Wise provides a non-confrontational explanation of white privilege and the damage it does not only to people of color, but to white people as well. This is an introduction to the social construction of racial identities, and a new tool for exploring the often invoked--but seldom explained--concept of white privilege.” – GIL Catalog
Categories: Privilege, Race, Racism, Women of Color
The Pay Gap: Sexism or Something Else?
Films on Demand • ABC News • 2005 • 8 minutes
"Warren Farrell protested alongside Gloria Steinem in support of women’s rights and was even elected to the board of NOW—three times. But Farrell is also the author of Why Men Earn More: The Startling Truth Behind the Pay Gap—and What Women Can Do About It. In this brief ABC News segment, John Stossel considers the opposing views of Farrell and Martha Burk, chair of the NCWO and author of Cult of Power: Sex Discrimination in Corporate America and What Can Be Done About It. It’s about supply and demand, states Farrell, not sexism: higher compensation generally means bigger sacrifices on the home front—a cost most women are statistically less willing to bear than men." - Films on Demand
Categories: Feminism, Motherhood, Sexism, Women in the Workplace, Women's Rights
Reese Library • DVD 781 • 1999 • 42 minutes
"Set in Ciudad Juarez, where U.S. multinational corporations assemble equipment across the border from El Paso, Texas, this work investigates the growing impact of the global economy on Mexican women who live and work in the area. The video explores the sexualization of the border through labor division, prostitution, the expression of female desires in the entertainment industry, and sexual violence in the public sphere..."--Container.
Categories: Abuse, Economics, Latin@, Latin America, Mexico, Prostitution, Sex Work, Sexual Abuse, Women of Color, Women's Rights
Reese Library • DVD 1709 • 2008 • 95 minutes
“In 1970s Iran, Marjane 'Marji' Satrapi watches events through her young eyes and her idealistic family. Their long dream is realized when the hated Shah is defeated in the Iranian Revolution of 1979. Now ruled by Islamic fundamentalists, Marji grows up to witness first-hand how the new Iran has become a repressive tyranny on its own. With Marji dangerously refusing to remain silent at this injustice, her parents send her abroad to Vienna to study. This change proves an equally difficult trial for Marji as she finds herself in a different culture loaded with abrasive characters and profound disappointments that deeply trouble her. Even when she returns home, Marji finds that both she and her homeland have changed too much and the young woman and her loving family must decide where she truly belongs.” – GIL catalog
Categories: Asia, Feature Film, Iran, Middle East, Women's History, Women's Rights
Philip Zimbardo: The demise of guys?
TED Talks • TED2011 • 2011 • 5 minutes
"Psychologist Philip Zimbardo asks, 'Why are boys struggling?' He shares some stats (lower graduation rates, greater worries about intimacy and relationships) and suggests a few reasons -- and challenges the TED community to think about solutions."
Categories: Gender Relations, Masculinity, Psychology, Sex
Playing Unfair: The Media Image of the Female Athlete
Reese Library • DVD 1477 • 2002 • 30 minutes
“Critically examines the post-Title IX media landscape in terms of representation of female athletes. 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 sports lags far behind men's, and focuses on female athletes' femininity and sexuality over their achievements on the court and field. While female athleticism challenges gender norms, women athletes continue to be depicted in traditional roles that reaffirm their femininity--as wives and mothers or sex objects. By comparison, male athletes are framed according to heroic masculine ideals that honor courage, strength, and endurance. Sports media scholars Mary Jo Kane (University of Minnesota), Pat Griffin (University of Massachusetts), and Michael Messner (University of Southern California) look at the persistence of heterosexism and homophobia in perpetuating gender stereotypes. They argue for new media images which fairly and accurately depict the strength and competence of female athletes.” – GIL catalog
Categories: Discrimination, Gender Roles, Homophobia, LGBTQ, Sex & Gender, Women in Sports, Women in the Media
Films on Demand • ABC News • 2006 • 37 minutes
"Is polygamy a degrading and harmful practice that only benefits men, or a misunderstood aspect of American subculture that deserves a break? This ABC News program gives the subject careful attention by interviewing women with widely varying polygamist experiences. Some practitioners portray it as a healthy institution that eliminates jealousy and isolation. Another woman condemns it, recounting a barrage of abuses from her polygamist past and epitomizing the viewpoint of many who have escaped the culture. The program accompanies the young woman as she returns to her childhood home to confront those who exploited and mistreated her." - Films on Demand
Categories: Marriage, Polygamy, Religion, Sex
Films on Demand • Nederlandse Omroep Stichting • 1990 • 30 minutes
"Men playing the stage roles of women is as old as the history of theater; in the tradition of Kabuki, the portrayal of female characters has become a tradition of its own. This program looks at the history of Kabuki and the role of women, particularly the dynastic development of the onnagata—the female impersonator—and the intricate techniques and details by which a thoroughly masculine male transforms himself into a man’s dream of the womanly woman: more feminine and more perfect than any real woman, young lover, geisha, or princess." - Films on Demand
Categories: Asia, Art, History, Japan, Literature, Sex & Gender, Theater, Trans*
Portraits in Human Sexuality: The Business of Sex
Films on Demand • Mary Ann Watson • 2006 • 34 minutes
"Pornography shops. Phone sex services. Strip clubs. Culturally, such businesses are typically consigned to the questionable fringes of society. But are there exceptions? In this program, workers in these three industries share their personal experiences; describe their clientele, which, in addition to men, often includes women and couples; and explain how they have lifted their occupations to a higher level by setting strict limits and boundaries that both they and their customers must adhere to. Contains mature themes and explicit language and imagery." - Films on Demand
Categories: Criminal Justice, Gender Relations, Human Trafficking, Prostitution, Psychology, Relationships, Sex, Sexuality, Sex Work, Sociology, Substance Abuse, Women's Health
Portraits in Human Sexuality: Human Development
Films on Demand • Mary Ann Watson • 2006 • 35 minutes
"Parents, friends, sex education classes, the media—all of them shape our perceptions of reproduction and physical intimacy. Starting at the beginning, then, this program focuses on developmental issues in human sexuality. Its four interview segments question children on what they know about love and sex; adolescents on what they know about sex and what constitutes good sex education; adults on what they believe children should know about sexuality; and a persevering couple on their difficulties in achieving pregnancy and reaching full term. Contains clinically explicit language." - Films on Demand
Categories: Conception, Development, Gender Relations, Love, Parenthood, Pregnancy, Psychology, Relationships, Sex, Sex & Gender, Sex Education, Sexuality, Sociology, Teens, Women's Health
Portraits in Human Sexuality: Medical Issues
Films on Demand • Mary Ann Watson • 2006 • 36 minutes
"Is sexuality an unavoidable casualty of physical disability or of surgery that significantly restructures intimate parts of the body? In this program, a man with a spinal cord injury, a woman with breast cancer who had a skin-saving mastectomy and reconstructive surgery, and a transsexual woman who underwent sex reassignment surgery discuss ways in which sexual expression has changed since their life-altering events. Perspectives from their significant others are elicited as well. Contains clinically explicit language and illustrations." - Films on Demand
Categories: Cancer, Disability, Gender Identity, Healthcare, Psychology, Relationships, Sex, Sex & Gender, Sex Education, Sexuality, Trans*, Women's Health
Portraits in Human Sexuality: Meeting, Dating, and Maintaining Relationships
Films on Demand • Mary Ann Watson • 2006 • 36 minutes
"This program looks at aspects of how relationships are formed and sustained. Interview segments include a couple who talk about connecting online through Match.com; a diverse group of young Muslim women who discuss the liberating effects of physical modesty and Islamic approaches to courting and marriage; and a couple who describe how they met and demonstrates how PREP relationship enhancement classes have strengthened their marriage." - Films on Demand
Categories: Arranged Marriage, Gender Relations, Islam, Marriage, Online Dating, Relationships, Psychology, Sex, Sex & Gender
Portraits in Human Sexuality: Nonconsensual Sexuality
Films on Demand • Mary Ann Watson • 2006 • 40 minutes
"Without consent, sexual intercourse is nothing less than rape. This program offers insights into sexual victimization through interviews with a young woman who was raped in her own home by an armed assailant and a young man who was expelled from college on a charge of acquaintance rape. Also, a rehabilitation service for sexual offenders is profiled, with an emphasis on the treatment of deviant sexual arousal and the cognitive restructuring, victim impact awareness, and empathy skills development that goes into it. Contains mature themes and explicit language." - Films on Demand
Categories: Abuse, Consent, Criminal Justice, Mental Health, Psychology, Rape, Rape Culture, Sexual Assault, Violence against Women, Women's Health
Portraits in Human Sexuality: Sexual Dysfunction and Therapy
Films on Demand • Mary Ann Watson • 2006 • 39 minutes
"It has been estimated that 80 to 90 percent of couples will have one or more of the nine sexual dysfunctions outlined in the DSM-IV. This program introduces the most common dysfunctions while dispelling myths about female sexuality, stressing the importance of good communication, and offering advice on improving sexual technique. Common sexual disorders are commented upon as well. In addition, a case study of a couple with psychogenically induced low sex drive provides an opportunity for viewers to learn what it is like to participate in sex therapy. Contains clinically explicit language and illustrations." - Films on Demand
Categories: Gender Relations, Healthcare, Marriage, Mental Health, Psychology, Relationships, Sex, Sex Education, Sexuality, Women's Health
Portraits in Human Sexuality: Sexual Orientation
Films on Demand • Mary Ann Watson • 2006 • 37 minutes
"Geoffrey and Mark and Lisa and Allison are a pair of gay couples who are co-parenting biological children they conceived together. In this program, the four discuss when they first discovered they are gay; how they met their partners; major issues they have faced as gay couples; their children, ages 2 and 4, and the co-parenting experience; and what it means to them all to be a family. In addition, an overview of HIV/AIDS given by a health care professional distinguishes the virus from the syndrome, explains how HIV is contracted and transmitted, and promotes protected and informed sex for sexually active students, debunking a variety of myths along the way." - Films on Demand
Categories: Coming of Age, Co-Parenting, Discrimination, Healthcare, HIV/AIDS, LGBTQ, Parenthood, Psychology, Relationships, Sex, Sex Education, Sexuality, Women's Health
Power and Control: Domestic Violence in America
Reese Library • DVD 1494 • 2010 • 64 minutes
“Through the story of Kim, a mother of three in Duluth, MN, this film takes a dramatic and timely exploration of domestic abuse, which examines the persistence of violence against women in the US. Duluth was the birthplace of a revolution in the way society approaches battering, and the film tells the story of the leaders from Duluth who remain on the front lines today. The film also looks at the debate launched by researchers and academics who have challenged the Duluth approach.” – GIL catalog
Categories: Abuse, Criminal Justice, Domestic Violence, Law, Violence against Women
Reese Library • DVD 1357 • 2008 • 72 minutes
“Documentary about a group of brave and visionary women who demanded peace for Liberia, a nation torn to shreds by a bloody civil war, violent warlords and a corrupt Charles Taylor regime. Includes interviews, archival images, and scenes of present-day Liberia together to recount the experiences and memories of the women who were instrumental in bringing lasting peace to their country.” – GIL Catalog
Categories: Africa, History, Liberia, Politics, War, Women and Peace, Women of Color, Women's History
Reese Library • DVD 827 • 2006 • 57 minutes
"Explores compelling questions about physical attractiveness, examining how facial features and body shape influence human behavior and self-esteem. After identifying what may be a universal standard of beauty, the video suggests that this standard is hard-wired into the brain--with varying implications for men and women. The growing popularity of cosmetic medicine is also studied, as patients convey their social and psychological reasons for changing what nature gave them."--Container.
Categories: Biology, Body Image, Medicine, Psychology, Sex & Gender
The Purity Myth: The Virginity Movement's War against Women
Reese Library • DVD 1652 • 2011 • 45 minutes
“The United States is obsessed with virginity from the media to schools to government agencies. The Purity Myth is an important and timely critique of about why this is so, and why it's problematic for girls and women. Analyzing cultural stereotypes and media messages, Jessica Valenti reveals the overt and hidden ways our society links a woman's worth to her sexuality rather than to values like honesty, kindness, and altruism. With intelligence and wit, this film exposes the legal and social punishments that women who dare to have sex endure, while presenting a powerful argument that evaluating girls and women on their sexuality needs to stop” – GIL catalog
Categories: Feature Film, Reproductive Justice, Sex, Sex & Gender, Sexuality, Teens, Women in the Media
The Queen of Sheba (In Search of Myths & Heroes)
PBS • 2005 • 60 minutes
“This program marks the beginning of Michael Wood’s quest as he ventures into the world of an exotic and mysterious woman of power. Immortalized in the Hebrew Bible, the Muslim Koran, and in many Christian traditions, the tale of the queen's journey to meet King Solomon has been told and retold for nearly 3,000 years. Wood's fascinating voyage starts on Easter night in Jerusalem, taking him around the Red Sea to Egypt, Eritrea, and Ethiopia, and to the lost world of Axum. He discovers the legend has been told with variant detail: in Africa, she is black—and a woman of power; in Arabia, she's half-woman, half-demon. 'But the tale of her transformations—from exotic and mysterious alien to eternal female; from fantasy mother and lover to cloven-footed demon,' Woods notes, 'is a parable of so many women of power throughout history.'" — PBS.org
Categories: Africa, Asia, Christianity, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, History, Islam, Jerusalem, Judaism, Literature, Middle East, Mythology, Religion, Saudi Arabia, Women in Politics, Women of Color, Women's History
Reese Library • VCT 3239 • 1990 • 26 minutes
“This documentary presents the experiences of Japanese women who married servicemen from the United States after World War II and came to Kansas to live with their husbands. The stories of these women's lives are mainly told through interviews with their children.” – GIL catalog
Categories: American History, Asia, Asian-American, History, Immigration, Japan, Marriage, Women of Color, Women's History
Reese Library • DVD 437 • 1996 • 60 minutes
“Stuart Hall, a renowned public speaker and teacher, presents a lecture on race and the meaning of racial signifiers (e.g., skin color) at Goldsmiths' College, New Cross, London. Begins with an interview of Hall by Sut Jhally.” – GIL catalog
Categories: Culture, Race, Racism, Sociology, United Kingdom, Women of Color
Racial Stereotypes in the Media
Films on Demand • Films for the Humanities & Sciences • 2008 • 42 minutes
"Although demeaning and offensive racial stereotypes were pervasive in popular media of every kind during the 20th century, most observers would agree that the media is much more sensitive to representations of race today. But the pernicious effects of that stereotyping live on in the new racism arising from disparities in the treatment of stories involving whites and people of color in a ratings-driven news market, media-enhanced isolationism as a result of narrowcasting, and other sources. This program examines the relationship between mass media and social constructions of race from political and economic perspectives while looking at the effects media can have on audiences. A Films for the Humanities & Sciences Production." - Films on Demand
Categories: Media, Race, Racism, Sociology, Stereotypes, Women of Color
Rachel’s Daughters: Searching for the Causes of Breast Cancer
Greenblatt Library • WP 870 R119 1997 [VIDEO] [2 copies] • 1997 • 106 minutes
“This documentary follows a group of women, all breast cancer activists who are fighting or have survived the disease, who are on a personal mission to unearth the causes of breast cancer. It incorporates interviews with prominent scientists, documentary footage from high cancer rate areas, and investigates women's personal battles to stay healthy.” – GIL catalog
Categories: Cancer, Healthcare, Medicine, Women's Health
Films on Demand • WBZ-TV • 1986 • 30 minutes
Reese Library • VCT 1259 • 1990 • 30 minutes
"FBI statistics show that a woman is raped every seven minutes in the United States. These are reported rapes; probably ten times as many rapes go unreported. Hosted by actress Veronica Hamel, this program seeks to determine why people rape and to help people protect themselves against this crime. It examines the history and mythology of rape, and explains who are its most likely victims. The program contains interviews with experts in the fields of media, law enforcement, and sociology." - Films on Demand
Categories: Criminal Justice, Law, Media, Rape, Rape Culture, Sexual Assault, Sociology, Victim Blaming, Violence against Women, Women's Health, Women's Rights
PBS Frontline • 2013 • 55 minutes
"FRONTLINE and Univision partner to tell the story of the hidden price many migrant women working in America’s fields and packing plants pay to stay employed and provide for their families. This investigation is the result of a yearlong reporting effort by veteran FRONTLINE correspondent Lowell Bergman, the Investigative Reporting Program at UC Berkeley, and the Center for Investigative Reporting." - PBS.org
Categories: Immigration, Latin@, Mexican Americans, Mexico, Migrant Workers, Rape, Sexual Assault, Violence against Women, Women of Color, Women's Rights
Recovering Bodies: Overcoming Eating Disorders
Reese Library • VCT 2225 • 1997 • 34 minutes
“Focuses not simply on people's problems with food, but on the renewed hope for a healthy life that the process of recovery can provide. Presents the stories and testimonies of seven college students, showing the wide range of pressures that can lead to disordered eating. Discusses the psychological and physical symptoms of eating disorders.”- GIL catalog
Categories: Body Image, Eating Disorders, Healthcare, Medicine, Psychology, Women's Health
Films on Demand • ONF NFB • 1995 • 48 minutes
"This drama is about five teenagers who are working to recover from the effects of sexual abuse in the context of a teen group. The program is designed to acknowledge and validate the feelings and experiences of teens and adults who have been sexually abused, and to encourage recovery within a context of healing and hope. Each of the teens talks about his or her feelings of fear, sadness, anger, depression, guilt, and confusion and the ways in which they have coped with these feelings. The six segments of the program show us six “movements” in the process of healing, as the teens give each other support over a period of six months. At the last meeting, the program observes that each teen is beginning to move towards a safe and healthy life." - Films on Demand
Categories: Abuse, Healthcare, Mental Health, Psychology, Rape, Sex Education, Sexual Abuse, Sexual Assault, Teens, Women's Health
Religions of the Book: Women Serving Religion
Films on Demand • University of Notre Dame • 1991 • 29 minutes
"One of the most visible issues facing Judaism, Christianity, and Islam is the role of women serving religion. Because of religious and cultural conditioning in the past, women in all three religions have experienced limited roles. Today, though, their voices are being heard. This program traces women’s roles in religious tradition and what it means to be a woman in these three religions today. The program also explores the cultural influences of feminism upon religious tradition and the beliefs regarding the ordination of women." - Films on Demand
Categories: Christianity, Feminism, Islam, Judaism, Patriarchy, Religion, Women Leaders, Women of Color, Women's Rights, World Culture
Right to Femininity: Fighting Female Circumcision in Africa Today
Films on Demand • ORF • 2004 • 46 minutes
"The custom of female circumcision faces growing opposition in Africa. This program presents multiple perspectives on the issue, interviewing health care personnel, professional circumcisers, women who have undergone the ritual, and men who are against it. Examining medical and emotional problems that follow genital mutilation, the video also features signs of positive change, including a Nigerian drama troupe that stages anti-circumcision productions and groups like UNICEF, CARE Austria, and the Girls’ Power Initiative that campaign in areas where the ritual’s effects are most profound. Includes graphic footage of births and circumcisions." - Films on Demand
Categories: Africa, Female Circumcision, Healthcare, Human Rights, Medicine, Nigeria, United Nations, Women of Color, Women's Health, Women's Rights
Rigoberta Menchu: Broken Silence
Films on Demand • Jane Balfour Films • 1992 • 25 minutes
"In recognition of her work for social justice and ethno-cultural reconciliation" she was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize on October 12, 1992. 'The celebration of Columbus is for us an insult,' said Menchú, one of the most outspoken, articulate, and persuasive advocates of native rights. This program presents a profile of this extraordinary woman, whose life has become a symbol of the sufferings, not only of her own Mayan Quiché people, but of all the indigenous people of the Americas. It is a moving portrait, too, of a self-taught woman who dreams of two things: a Guatemalan Congress integrating indigenous and nonindigenous men and women—and having a child 'so I can plant my own seed, for better or worse.'"
Categories: American History, Europe, Guatemala, Human Rights, Indigenous People, Latin America, Native Americans, Spain, Women and Peace, Women of Color, Women's Rights
Rocking the Cradle: Gay Parenting
Films on Demand • Mary Ann Watson • 2007 • 38 minutes
"Prior to the 1960s, the idea of same-sex parenting had yet to reach the consciousness of most Americans. The majority of gays and lesbians did not even consider parenting, fearing the stigma their children might face. By 2000, however, the U.S. Census Bureau indicates that a full one-third of lesbian couples and roughly a quarter of gay male couples had opted to become parents. This program captures six gay/lesbian families in their day-to-day lives. Two of these families are families by adoption, two are co-parenting families, and two are lesbian families by insemination. Man-on-the-street interviews as well as emotional testimonials from the 15 adults and 11 children featured in this film provide a range of perspectives on gay parenting. A viewable/printable instructor’s guide is available online." - Films on Demand
Categories: Adoption, Co-Parenting, Discrimination, Human Rights, Law, LGBTQ, LGBTQ Rights, Motherhood, Parenthood
Reese Library • VCT 1621 • 1994 • 60 minutes
“Program explores romantic comedy films which often indirectly reveal truths about the battle of the sexes. Explores both sides of American romantic comedy, the surface humor and its roots in questions of gender and sexuality, Includes interviews with directors, screenwriters and scholars.” – GIL catalog
Categories: Gender Relations, Media, Men in the Media, Popular Culture, Sex & Gender, Women in the Media
Reese Library • DVD 692 [2 copies] • VCT 2348 • 1990 • 53 minutes
“Eileen Atkins' one-woman stage performance recreates Virginia Woolf's talk to the women of Girton College, Cambridge. A call to women to declare their independence, talent and freedom to write, think, love and labor, and to control their own destinies, yet realize necessary communion on all levels between men and women.” – GIL catalog
Categories: Literature, Women and Education, Women's Rights, Writing
Reese Library • VCT 2604 • 1999 • 57 minutes
"The unconventional yet extremely demanding sports of rugby, synchronized swimming, and double-Dutch jumping provide the context for teenage girls from a cross-section of ethnic backgrounds to probe the issues of adolescence. They discuss their feelings of liberation within the strict regimentation of competitive sports, their search for identity and self-esteem while revolting against the stereotyped expectations of others, body image, dating, and the importance of mothers and coaches as mentors. They also tackle social concerns, including bulimia, self-injury, suicide, broken homes, teenage pregnancies, and crime." - GIL catalog
Categories: Body Image, Eating Disorders, Criminal Justice, Poverty, Race, Teens, Stereotypes, Suicide, Women in Sports, Women's Health
Ruzi Kih Zan Shudam ("The Day I Became a Woman")
Reese Library • DVD 1796 • 2005 • 78 minutes
“Three portraits of women at three stages of life in Iran: a nine-year-old girl is told she can no longer play with boys because she is now a 'woman', a young wife who enters a bicycle race against her husband's wishes, and an elderly woman who gains money and the freedom to do what she wishes with it.” – GIL catalog
Categories: Asia, Coming of Age, Farsi, Feature Film, Foreign Language, Gender Roles, Iran, Middle East, Women's Rights
Films on Demand • ATA Trading Company • 1997 • 27 minutes
Reese Library • VCT 2841 • 1997 • 27 minutes
"This program examines the custom of arranged marriages in India. It follows the story of Saheri and her family as they confront the reality of an impending marriage that was arranged when she was barely six years old. An overview of the custom presents it as common among all castes, although many Indians today 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. This is a candid glimpse into contemporary Indian society." - Films on Demand
Categories: Arranged Marriage, Asia, Gender Roles, India, Marriage, Poverty, Suicide, Women of Color, Women's Rights
Scottsboro: An American Tragedy
Reese Library • VCT 2861 • 2001 • 90 minutes
“In 1931, two white women stepped from a boxcar in Paint Rock, Alabama to make a shocking accusation: they had been raped by nine black teenagers on a train. So began one of the most significant legal fights of the twentieth century. The trials of the nine young men would draw North and South into their sharpest conflict since the Civil War, yield two momentous Supreme Court decisions and give birth to the civil rights movement.” – GIL catalog
Categories: American History, Criminal Justice, History, Law, Race, Racism, Rape
Senorita Extraviada: Missing Young Woman
Reese Library • DVD 780 • 2001 • 74 minutes
“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.” – GIL catalog
Categories: Criminal Justice, Human Rights, Human Trafficking, Latin America, Latin@, Mexico, Rape, Sexual Assault, Violence against Women, Women of Color, Women's Rights
Reese Library • VCT 3612 • 2003 • 17 minutes
“In response to video games that graphically depict women as sexual objects and victims of brutal violence, Sex, Murder, and Video Games explores how violence against women is promoted, how power and violence are related, and how violence against women is paired with entertainment.” – GIL catalog
Categories: Abuse, Media, Popular Culture, Video Games, Violence against Women, Women in the Media
Sexism in Language: Thief of Honor, Shaper of Lies: A Lecture
Reese Library • DVD 771 • 1995 • 30 minutes
“Lynn T. Lovdal explores sexism in both the syntax and semantics of language and shows how it is often unintentional or even unrecognized. She explores four key areas: 'female' words that are dependent on a 'male' version, words that are more positive for men than for women, words for women that carry negative sexual connotations, and 'neutral' words that become inferior when applied to women.” – GIL catalog
Categories: Culture, Language, Sexism, Writing
Sexual Harassment Awareness Package
Crossing the Line: Sexual Harassment and How to Confront It • Films on Demand • Cambridge Educational • 2005 • 24 minutes
"The only way to remove sexual harassment from school and work is to get educated about the problem and learn ways to deal with it. This informative video explains different kinds of sexual harassment, defines the factors motivating harassers, and provides specific techniques for dealing with the problem. Viewers will see what steps to take if anyone harasses them or if they witness the harassment of others, including keeping a journal, employing the “broken record” technique, speaking with supervisors, sending memos, using grievance procedures, and filing formal complaints. A viewable/printable instructor’s guide is available online." - Films on Demand
Is it sexual harassment? • Films on Demand • Cambridge Educational • 1994 • 14 minutes
"This is the perfect complement to Sexual Harassment: Crossing the Line. The workbook reinforces materials covered and provides exercises which help users relate the information to themselves. It includes thought-provoking scenarios and asks viewers to decide if each scene depicts a sexual harassment situation. Can be used as a stand-alone unit for educating groups or individuals about what actions constitute sexual harassment, how it affects people, and specific steps that can be taken to stop a harasser. A great discussion starter and an effective means for creating awareness of inappropriate behavior." - Films on Demand
Categories: Consent, Sex Education, Sexual Assault, Sexual Harassment, Women in the Workplace
Sexual Harassment: News at Six
Films on Demand • Meridian Education Corporation • 1998 • 14 minutes
"When a group of middle school students happens to see a local news story on sexual harassment, they decide to build a school project around this interesting but often misunderstood topic. Using a video camera, they roam the halls of their school and discover, to their amazement, that sexual harassment is alive and well, even in the middle school. Through tasteful dramatizations, some very real issues are explored including a working definition of sexual harassment and some clear examples designed to relate to viewers. This is an excellent introduction to a difficult topic. At various points in the video, viewers are asked to stop the tape and discuss specific questions relating to information they have just seen. They will see an example of sexual harassment and decide if it’s true, what’s wrong with the behavior, and how the individuals might have done things differently. By the end of the video, our students have gained a much better understanding of this uncomfortable issue...and so will yours." - Films on Demand
Categories: Consent, Education, Sex Education, Sexual Assault, Sexual Harassment, Teens, Women and Education
Sexual Harassment: Serious Business
Reese Library • VCT 2577 • 1993 • 25 minutes
“Four job situations are acted out, illustrating different types of sexual harassment and offering effective methods of dealing with sexual harassment in the workplace.” – GIL catalog
Categories: Consent, Sex Education, Sexual Assault, Sexual Harassment, Women in the Workplace
Films on Demand • Cambridge Educational • 2001 • 19 minutes
"More than ever before, Americans are being bombarded—and acculturated—by the media, and only discerning individuals will recognize the sexual biases that all too often are a part of each day’s worth of information and entertainment. This program focuses on identifying and looking beyond categorical stereotypes of women, men, gays, and lesbians. A Cambridge Educational Production." - Films on Demand
Categories: Discrimination, LGBTQ, Media, Men in the Media, Sex & Gender, Sexism, Sociology, Stereotypes, Women in the Media
Sexual Stereotypes in the Media
Films on Demand • Films for the Humanities & Sciences • 2008 • 38 minutes
"Categorizing others is a part of human nature, and even as infants we divide the world into two groups—male and female—to help organize our reality. But when these stereotypes are used to make assumptions about a person’s character and value, they become gender bias or outright sexism. This program illustrates some of the commercial, cultural, psychological, and sociological forces that have shaped sexual stereotypes in the media, such as demographic segmentation and the selling of gender, the myths of alluring femininity and rugged masculinity, Jungian personality archetypes, consensus reality, stereotype threat, the hegemonic forces of agenda setting and mainstreaming, body image dysfunctions, and the theory of the male gaze. A Films for the Humanities & Sciences Production." - Films on Demand
Categories: Body Image, Femininity, Gender Roles, Masculinity, Media, Men in the Media, Psychology, Race, Sex, Sex & Gender, Sociology, Stereotypes, Women in the Media
Sexual Stereotypes in Media: Superman and the Bride
Reese Library • VCT 1266 • 1993 • 37 minutes
“Depicts the pervasive male and female stereotypes on film and TV, and shows how women as well as men commonly accept these stereotypes. Film clips, television advertisements and sitcoms, and so-called documentaries from the 1940s, 50s, and 60s show men as domineering masters, and women as their doting subordinates. As a classroom teaching tool, the program encourages discussions regarding the media's continuing role in reinforcing sexual stereotypes, as well as the ongoing sexual biases that nurture them.” – WorldCat.org
Categories: Gender Roles, Media, Men in the Media, Sex & Gender, Stereotypes, Women in the Media
Shackled Women: Abuses of a Patriarchal World
Films on Demand • Journeyman Pictures • 1999 • 41 minutes
"With dowries reaching fifty percent of a family’s income, a second daughter is often called 'the girl born for the burial pit.' This program assesses second- and third-world abuses of women’s rights by the male establishment—and examines how female collaboration sometimes contributes to their perpetuation. Feminist Taslima Nasreen; the author of Brides Are Not for Burning; and others speak out on topics such as dowry deaths, female circumcision, the Islamic zina law, the rigors of hijab,and child prostitution. But does the banding together of women against female infanticide in Tamil Nadu spell the beginning of a women’s solidarity movement and a new world order? Some content may be objectionable." - Films on Demand
Categories: Abuse, Afghanistan, Arranged Marriage, Asia, Bangladesh, Child Abuse, Christianity, Domestic Violence, Female Circumcision, Feminism, Human Rights, Incarcerated Women, India, Infanticide, Islam, Marriage, Middle East, Pakistan, Patriarchy, Prostitution, Rape, Religion, Reproductive Justice, Sex Work, Violence against Women, Women of Color, Women's Health, Women's Rights, World Culture
Films on Demand • New Atlantis • 2004 • 54 minutes
"Taking inspiration from the spiritual concept of Shakti, the Great Mother or supreme female deity of the Hindu religion, this program celebrates the power of women to drive social and economic change in India. Female-centric activism propels an organization that combats the practice of child marriage, and another which has created a banking system for the poor. The video also examines a renowned scientist who promotes eco-feminism and a married couple fighting for the rights of the traditionally shunned Dalit caste. These stories support the idea that Shakti is a phenomenon to be reckoned with—a source of creative energy for cultural transformation. (Portions in Hindi with English subtitles.)" - Films on Demand
Categories: Activism, Arranged Marriage, Asia, Education, Feminism, Foreign Language, Hinduism, Human Rights, India, Poverty, Women and Education, Women Leaders, Women's Rights
Sheryl Sandberg: Why We Have Too Few Women Leaders
TED Talks • TEDWomen 2010 • 2010 • 15 minutes
"Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg looks at why a smaller percentage of women than men reach the top of their professions -- and offers 3 powerful pieces of advice to women aiming for the C-suite." - TED.com
Categories: Discrimination, Glass Ceiling, Women Leaders, Women in the Workplace
Sheryl WuDunn: Our century's greatest injustice
TED Talks • TEDGlobal 2010 • 2010 • 19 minutes
"Sheryl WuDunn's book 'Half the Sky' investigates the oppression of women globally. Her stories shock. Only when women in developing countries have equal access to education and economic opportunity will we be using all our human resources." - TED.com
Categories: Africa, Asia, China, Discrimination, Education, Ethiopia, Gender Relations, Human Rights, Human Trafficking, India, Poverty, Women and Education, Women of Color, Women's Health, Women's Rights
TED Talks • TEDWomen 2010 • 2011 • 11 minutes
"Iranian-born artist Shirin Neshat explores the paradox of being an artist in exile: a voice for her people, but unable to go home. In her work, she explores Iran pre- and post-Islamic Revolution, tracing political and societal change through powerful images of women." - TED.com
Categories: Art, Iran, Islam, Middle East, Politics, Religion
The Silent Hunger: Anorexia and Bulimia
Films on Demand • NRS Group • 1994 • 46 minutes
Reese Library • VCT 2627 • 1995 • 46 minutes
“This program answers two important questions: What are eating disorders? and What causes eating disorders? The program specifically examines anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge eating syndrome. Seven females who have all suffered from eating disorders, the father of woman who died as a result of her disorder, and health professionals offer their insights and knowledge. These interviews are highlighted by dramatic sequences designed to encourage a greater understanding of the issues and emotions associated with eating disorders.” – GIL catalog
Categories: Body Image, Eating Disorders, Healthcare, Medicine, Mental Health, Psychology, Women's Health
Reese Library • VCT 2755 • 1996 • 56 minutes
“Discusses the changes Westernization is bringing to Indonesia, and the roles women are assuming in these changes.” – GIL catalog
Categories: Asia, Gender Roles, Indonesia, Oceania, Westernization, Women of Color
Slim Hopes: Advertising and the Obsession with Thinness
Reese Library • VCT 1940 • 1995 • 30 minutes
“Illustrated lecture which 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.”-GIL catalog
Categories: Body Image, Eating Disorders, Media, Psychology, Women in the Media, Women's Health
Reese Library • VCT 3368 • 1994 • 22 minutes
“Raises gender issues and provokes the viewer to reflect on how our society can deprive boys of wholeness. Through the formative events of a boy's life, we come to understand the ways in which men can become emotionally disconnected and alienated from their feminine side. Illustrates how boys are socialized by fear, power and shame.” – GIL catalog
Categories: Gender Identity, Gender Roles, Masculinity, Sex & Gender
Reese Library • VCT 1641 • 1992 • 29 minutes
“Twelve Kentucky women discuss their hopes, joys, and regrets and reflect on the stereotypes and myth of the Southern woman.” – GIL catalog
Categories: Southern Women, Stereotypes
Sperm Donor X: A Different Conception
Reese Library • DVD 1639 • 2010 • 56 minutes
"Director Deirdre Fishel takes an intimate, behind-the-scenes look at her own experiences and that of three other diverse women as they opt for a life they never imagined-- to try to have children solo using donor sperm. From the strangeness and humor of picking an anonymous donor to the creation of joyous families of both biological and adopted children, Sperm Donor X provides a powerful challenge to old ideas about making a family." – GIL catalog
Categories: Adoption, Biology, Conception, Feature Film, Motherhood, Parenthood
Reese Library • DVD 1638 • 2006 • 63 minutes
“Blending experimental and documentary styles, this film offers a portrait of Israeli filmmaker Revital Ohayon, murdered in a terrorist attack with her two children while on a West Bank kibbutz. Director Lynne Sachs accompanies images and symbols with a running spoken narrative of Sachs' own efforts to capture and understand Ohayon's story.” – GIL catalog
Categories: Art, Feature Film, Israel, Judaism, Middle East, Violence, War, Women of Color
Stella Young: I'm not your inspiration, thank you very much
TED Talks • TEDxSydney • 2014 • 10 minutes
"Stella Young is a comedian and journalist who happens to go about her day in a wheelchair — a fact that doesn’t, she’d like to make clear, automatically turn her into a noble inspiration to all humanity. In this very funny talk, Young breaks down society's habit of turning disabled people into "inspiration porn.'" - TED.com
Categories: Disability, Objectification
Step by Step: Building a Feminist Movement
Reese Library • VCT 3442 • 1998 • 57 minutes
“Focuses on the feminist movement as experienced by several women who were active in the movement as it developed in America through the decades following World War II.” – GIL catalog
Categories: American History, Feminism, Feminist History, Women's History
Stonewall Uprising (American Experience)
Reese Library • DVD 1842 • 2011 • 83 minutes
"Stonewall Uprising explores the dramatic event that launched a worldwide rights movement. When police raided a Mafia-run gay bar in Greenwich Village the Stonewall Inn on June 28 1969 gay men and women did something they had not done before: they fought back. As the streets of New York erupted into violent protests and street demonstrations the collective anger announced that the gay rights movement had arrived."
Categories: Feature Film, LGBTQ, LGBTQ Rights, Women's History, Women's Rights
Films on Demand • Deutsche Welle • 2004 • 27 minutes
"The producers of this program were granted unlimited access to Kabul’s Baghe Zanana, or Garden of Women—perhaps the only public place in Afghanistan where men are not welcome. Here, women can gather, dance, and remove their burqas without fear of violence or alienation. In stark contrast, a women’s prison is also visited. The courageous figures who inhabit these settings—including a resident therapist who conducts support groups for the frightened and the traumatized, and a cafeteria employee struggling to improve her family’s living conditions—demonstrate how far Afghanistan must go to overcome its repressive and war-ravaged history." - Films on Demand
Categories: Afghanistan, Arranged Marriage, Domestic Violence, Education, Incarcerated Women, Middle East, Suicide, Violence against Women, War, Women of Color, Women's Rights
Sunitha Krishnan: The fight against sex slavery
TED Talks • TEDIndia 2009 • 2009 • 13 minutes
"Sunitha Krishnan has dedicated her life to rescuing women and children from sex slavery, a multimillion-dollar global market. In this courageous talk, she tells three powerful stories, as well as her own, and calls for a more humane approach to helping these young victims rebuild their lives." - TED.com
Categories: Asia, Child Abuse, Human Rights, Human Trafficking, India, Prostitution, Rape, Sex Work, Sexual Assault, Slavery, Women of Color
Surviving West Point: Women Warriors
Films on Demand • National Geographic • 2003 • 24 minutes
"Unbending regulations, excruciating physical demands, and relentless academic requirements: this is everyday life at the United States Military Academy at West Point. Since 1802, this revered institution has accepted only the most promising of men—and, beginning with legislation signed into law in 1975, the most promising of women, as well. This episode from the classic Surviving West Point series captures the West Point experience through the eyes of its female cadets." - Films on Demand
Categories: American History, Warfare, Women in the Military, Women's History
Films on Demand • Radiotelevisione svizzera • 1994 • 43 minutes
"She is insulted at being called 'the most intelligent woman in America' because it implies that the category of intelligent women is substantially smaller than that of men. Should she feel honored to be considered an outstanding member of a spurned caste? In this program, Susan Sontag, discoverer of camp and diagnostician of the intellectual and artistic ills of late-20th-century America, tells us of the difficulties of being a woman, a writer, and a sentient human being in this place and at this time—in the process describing her view of herself and the standards she has set for herself." - Films on Demand
Categories: Art, Literature, Women and Education, Writing
Talking 9 to 5: Women and Men in the Workplace
Reese Library • DVD 1082 • 1995 • 30 minutes
“Discusses how understanding conversational gender differences in style can improve communication in the workplace.” – GIL catalog
Categories: Communication, Gender Relations, Sex & Gender, Women in the Workplace
Tavi Gevinson: A Teen Just Trying to Figure it Out
TED Talks • TEDxTeen • 2012 • 8 minutes
"Fifteen-year-old Tavi Gevinson had a hard time finding strong female, teenage role models -- so she built a space where they could find each other. At TEDxTeen, she illustrates how the conversations on sites like Rookie, her wildly popular web magazine for and by teen girls, are putting a new, unapologetically uncertain and richly complex face on modern feminism." - TED.com
Categories: Activism, Feminism, Media, Popular Culture, Social Media, Teens, Women in the Media
Reese Library • DVD 1845 • 2012 • 82 minutes
"In Tomboy, a family with two daughters, 10-year-old Laure and 6-year-old Jeanne, moves to a new suburban neighborhood during the summer holidays. With her Jean Seberg haircut and tomboy ways, Laure is immediately mistaken for a boy by the local kids, and decides to pass herself off as Mikael, a boy different enough to catch the attention of leader of the pack Lisa, who becomes smitten. At home with her parents and girlie younger sister, she is Laure: hanging out with her new pals and girlfriend, she is Mikael. Finding resourceful ways to hide her true self, Laure takes advantage of her new identity, as if the end of the summer would never reveal her unsettling secret." - GIL catalog
Categories: Coming of Age, Europe, Feature Film, France, Gender Identity, LGBTQ, Sex & Gender
Reese Library • VCT 3238 • 1987 • 52 minutes
"Toni Morrison discusses slavery and its legacy and the difficulties of writing about the painful subjects that occur in her novel Beloved." - GIL Catalog
Categories: African American/Black, American History, Literature, Race, Racism, Slavery, Women of Color, Women's History, Writing
Films on Demand • California Newsreel • 1992 • 25 minutes
Reese Library • VCT 1818 • 1994 • 29 minutes
"This program introduces one of the greatest contemporary American authors: winner of the 1993 Nobel Prize in Literature, 'a literary Moses stripping away the idols of whiteness and blackness that have prevented blacks from knowing themselves.' Readings from Beloved and Jazz show how she returns to the pain of slavery and segregation to restore wholeness to the black psyche. 'The past,' Morrison says, 'is more infinite than the future... It’s avoiding it, deceiving ourselves about it, that paralyzes growth.' - Films on Demand
Categories: African American/Black, American History, Literature, Race, Racism, Women of Color, Women's History
Films on Demand • Beyond Distribution • 1998 • 30 minutes
"In this compelling program, world-renowned author Toni Morrison candidly answers questions regarding how she became a writer, the pain of empathizing with her characters, the sensual nature of her novels, and how it felt to win the Nobel Prize. In addition, she pulls no punches discussing how she first became aware of her racial otherness, how writing for a black audience has kept her work from becoming derivative, the societal uses of racism, and how racism leads to barbarism when individuals abdicate their humanity." - Films on Demand
Categories: African American/Black, American History, Literature, Race, Racism, Violence, Women of Color, Women's History, Writing
Toni Morrison: A Writer's Work
Films on Demand • The Bill Moyers Collection • 1990 • 52 minutes
Reese Library • VCT 1613 • 1994 • 60 minutes
"Toni Morrison exists in two worlds: the visible world, bustling around her, and the world of her novels, whose characters tell about an interior reality hidden from the eyes of strangers. In her work, Nobel Prize winner Toni Morrison has transported millions of readers into the experience of being black in America and confronting the realities of race. In this program with Bill Moyers, Morrison discusses the characters in her work, the people in her life, the power of love, and how the invented world of fiction connects to life." - Films on Demand
Categories: African American/Black, American History, Immigration, Literature, Love, Motherhood, Race, Racism, Slavery, Women of Color, Women's History, Writing
TED Talks • TEDWomen 2010 • 2010 • 12 minutes
"At TEDWomen, Tony Porter makes a call to men everywhere: Don't 'act like a man.' Telling powerful stories from his own life, he shows how this mentality, drummed into so many men and boys, can lead men to disrespect, mistreat and abuse women and each other. His solution: Break free of the 'man box.'" - TED.com
Categories: Abuse, Consent, Masculinity, Rape, Rape Culture, Sex & Gender, Sexual Assault, Violence against Women
Tough Guise: Violence, Media, and the Crisis in Masculinity
Reese Library • DVD 1476 • VCT 2826 • 2002 • 84 minutes
“Presents the first program to look systematically at the relationship between the images of popular culture and the social construction of masculine identities in the US in the late 20th century. In this innovative and wide-ranging analysis, Jackson Katz argues that there is a crisis in masculinity and that some of the guises offered to men as a solution (rugged individualism, violence) come loaded with attendant dangers to women, as well as other men.” – GIL catalog
Categories: Abuse, Gender Roles, Masculinity, Men in the Media, Popular Culture, Violence, Violence against Women
Training Rules: No Drinking, No Drugs, No Lesbians
Reese Library • DVD 1846 • 2010 • 60 minutes
"Narrated by international swimming legend Diana Nyad (National Public Radio), TRAINING RULES examines how women s collegiate sports, caught in a web of homophobic practices, destroyed the dreams of many of its most talented athletes. Specifically, the documentary examines the Penn State’s women's basketball program under 26 year veteran Rene Portland." - GIL Catalog
Categories: Discrimination, LGBTQ, Women in Education, Women in Sports
Reese Library • DVD 1179 • 2004 • 105 minutes
“After the Greek victory in the Trojan War, all the Trojan warriors and princes are slain and the women and children are left to be divided among the conquerors. Beautiful Cassandra is betrothed against her will despite her vanishing sanity. Andromache discovers that her son is to be executed to end her royal bloodline. Helen desperately wields the arrogant beauty that leveled a city as she pleads for her life. In the end, it is the enduring dignity and unfaltering strength of Hecuba, widowed queen of Troy, that makes cowards of Troy's captors.” – GIL catalog
Categories: Feature Film, Greece, History, Literature, Motherhood, Mythology, War, Women and Politics, Women's History
Trouble with Working Women: An Inquiry into Inequality Between the Sexes Series
Why Can't a Woman Earn as Much as a Man? • Films on Demand • BBC • 2009 • 60 minutes
"In terms of lifetime earning power, most women earn far less than their male colleagues do. What lies at the root of the pay gap? The answer is neither simple nor definitive, as this program reveals. Research leads hosts Sophie Raworth and Justin Rowlatt - each a parent with young daughters - on a not - so - merry chase to see what the future may hold for their children. Stops along the way include a meeting regarding a class action suit brought by women for lost wages due to unfair salary practices; a group job interview that prompts discussion of a double standard regarding assertiveness in women and men; same-sex and coeducational schools, to see how gender stereotyping influences career choice; and a medical facility where a brain activity assessment is used to seek insights into potential physiological differences in how women and men process tasks. Also addressed is the question of whether so-called typical female qualities - empathy and openness, to name two - align women with work that is less valued, monetarily speaking, by the job market." - Films on Demand
Categories: Biology, Discrimination, Economics, Gender Roles, Psychology, Stereotypes, Women in the Workplace, Women's Rights
Why Can't a Woman Succeed Like a Man? • Films on Demand • BBC • 2009 • 60 minutes
"When it comes to corner-office clout, women overall have not succeeded in the workplace to the degree that men generally have. In an effort to come to grips with that assessment, this program refuses to shy away from the hard questions as it sheds light on what is seen less as a glass ceiling and more as a glass maze. The central issue is whether, practically speaking, women can, should, or even desire to 'have it all' by pursuing a career and raising a family. Drawing on hard science, social science, and pop science, the program considers the realities of gender inequality as it examines matters of sex discrimination in the workplace, business priorities and practices involving maternity leave, the effects of nature and nurture on innate competitiveness, the state of the nuclear family in an era of two-earner households, why it is assumed women should be more responsible for child-rearing than men, and whether the women’s movement has in some measure boomeranged." - Films on Demand
Categories: Biology, Discrimination, Economics, Gender Roles, Motherhood, Parenthood, Sociology, Stereotypes, Women in the Workplace, Women's Rights
Two or Three Things But Nothing for Sure
Reese Library • VCT 3608 • 1996 • 12 minutes
“Author Dorothy Allison reads excerpts from Two or three things I know for sure, Skin, and Trash.” – GIL catalog
Categories: Abuse, Feminism, LGBTQ, Literature, Poetry, Southern Women, Writing
Umoja, the Village Where Men are Forbidden
Films on Demand • Nour Films • 2008 • 52 minutes
"In the Samburu district of Kenya, women have only the rights they can seize for themselves. To break free from spousal abuse, forced marriage, genital mutilation, and the spread of HIV/AIDS—and to defend themselves against rape by local British soldiers—a group of abandoned Samburu women founded Umoja, a village off-limits to men. Two decades on, the tiny community is thriving, but in a growing climate of menace as the Samburu men seek any means to destroy Umoja and reestablish the age-old status quo. Filmed on location, this program gives a voice to town matriarch Rebecca Lolosoli and other villagers who communicate their determination to remain free while painting a realistic picture of their uphill battle to establish gender equality in the region—and to simply survive." - Films on Demand
Categories: Abuse, Activism, Africa, Arranged Marriage, Colonialism, Female Circumcision, HIV/AIDS, Kenya, Marriage, Patriarchy, Rape, Sexual Assault, United Kingdom, Women Leaders, Women of Color, Women and Politics, Women's Health, Women's Rights
Under One Sky – Arab Women in North America Talk About the Hijab
Reese Library • DVD 471 • 2003 • 44 minutes
“Presents the history of Arab womanhood, from the days of early colonial missions to the post-Gulf War era. Informed, articulate Arab women living in North America describe the ideologies behind the veil and tear away the labels imposed by both East and West.” – GIL Catalog
Categories: American History, Arab American, Canada, Islam, Religion, Stereotypes, Women of Color, Women's Rights
The Underground World of Commercial Sex
Films on Demand • ABC News • 2008 • 84 minutes
"This ABC News program featuring Diane Sawyer made contact with prostitutes—impoverished street hookers, high-end escorts, legal working women in the trade—and the johns who pay them to learn firsthand how this underground world, hidden in plain sight, functions. Topics include the expansion of escort services and massage parlors onto the Internet, legalized prostitution in Nevada at the deluxe Moonlight Bunny Ranch, and society’s tendency to target prostitutes for arrest more frequently than their customers. The relationship between drug addiction and prostitution, codependency between prostitutes and pimps, and life-threatening dangers faced by prostitutes are also considered. Some content may be objectionable." - Films on Demand
Categories: Abuse, Criminal Justice System, Human Trafficking, Law, Prostitution, Rape, Sex, Sex & Gender, Sex Education, Sex Work, Sexual Assault, Sexuality, Sociology, Substance Abuse, Women's Health
Reese Library • DVD 292 • 2002 • 90 minutes
“Eve Ensler's performances of monologues from her one-woman play, The vagina monologues, are interspersed with the artist's comments on the creation of each monologue and documentary-style footage of interviews with a variety of women.” – GIL catalog
Categories: Abuse, Activism, Feminism, Literature, Sex, Sex & Gender, Sexual Assault, Sexuality, Theater, Women's Health, Women's Rights
The Vagina Monologues - Augusta State Production
Reese Library • VCT 2995 • 2002 • 90 minutes
Categories: Abuse, Literature, Sex, Sex & Gender, Sexual Assault, Sexuality, Theater, Women's Health
Veil of Dreams: Women's Soccer and Islamic Tradition in Iran
Films on Demand • Looking Glass International • 2008 • 47 minutes
"Exploring a clash between sacred customs and contemporary athletic aspirations, this program follows an Iranian women’s soccer team daring to push traditional limits and pursue victories both on and off the field. Interviews with players and their families are combined with commentary by supporters of the sport as well as cultural leaders in the wider region who convey various opinions about its prospects. Specific topics include: what it’s like to play soccer (or football) with a chador, or headscarf; the team’s rigorous preparations for an overseas trip; the construction of sports facilities in the Middle East; perceptions of female athletes within male-dominated Iranian society; and more." - Films on Demand
Categories: Asia, Iran, Islam, Middle East, Religion, Women and Education, Women in
Sports, Women's Rights
Films on Demand • Global Communications • 1995 • 46 minutes
"The secrecy surrounding domestic violence is the focus of this program. Hosted by a policewoman and a television news anchor, it contains stories of hope for women who are currently in violent relationships, and provides valuable information on how to leave an abusive partner. Specific information is included on speaking out, having a plan, when to leave, where to go, the legal aspects, getting help for abusers, and how to protect and counsel children who live in violent homes." - Films on Demand
Categories: Abuse, Child Abuse, Domestic Violence, Law, Psychology, Social Work, Violence against Women, Women's Health
Virginia Woolf: A Room of One’s Own
Films on Demand • Bill Shepherd Productions • 1990 • 53 minutes
Reese Library • DVD 692 (2 copies) • VCT 2348 • 53 minutes
“'A woman must have money and a room of her own if she is to write fiction.' So spoke Virginia Woolf in 1929 as she discussed the problems of the writer and of women in general. Woolf’s talk represents perhaps the most persuasive of all her writings on liberty, literature, and the role of women in her society. Woolf spoke not only about writing, but about writing as a woman—speaking in an age when women were deprived of virtually every possibility of earning their own living. In this program, the actress Eileen Atkins re-creates her acclaimed one-woman stage show based on Woolf’s talk, in the original lecture hall at Girton College, Cambridge, where Woolf spoke, and amidst the background of Cambridge, with its distinguished colleges and elegant riverbanks that were the original inspiration for Woolf’s noble and exhilarating talk.” – Films of Demand
Categories: Activism, Education, Europe, Feminism, Literature, Theater, United Kingdom, Women and Education, Women's Rights, Writing
Reese Library • VCT 44 • 1995 • 76 minutes
“Battered women relate their experiences through a variety of forms of expression--poetry, journals, performance art, etc.” – GIL catalog
Categories: Abuse, Art, Domestic Violence, Literature, Poetry, Violence against Women, Writing
Voices of Power: African-American Women
Films on Demand • University of Notre Dame • 1999 • 29 minutes
"African-American women have captured the moral imagination of mainstream America through their essays, novels, poetry, and other artistic endeavors, breaching the static lines of race, gender, and class. How have their reflections so clearly articulated the hopes and philosophies of so many? In this program, writers Alice Walker and bell hooks and Ohio State University faculty Dr. Martha Wharton, of the departments of African-American studies and women’s studies, and Dr. Valerie Lee, of the departments of English and women’s studies, examine the emergence of African-American women as popular and powerful voices of social conscience." - Films on Demand
Categories: African American/Black, Literature, Poetry, Race, Racism, Sex & Gender, Southern Women, Womanism, Women of Color, Writing
Walking Through Fear: Women and Substance Abuse
Films on Demand • Ivanhoe Communications • 1991 • 28 minutes
"Increasing numbers of women are addicted to alcohol and drugs, yet only one in five people in treatment centers is a woman. Why aren’t women seeking or getting the help they need to overcome their addictions? This program investigates the problems women face when they seek such help, and four women tell what life was like before they sought help and how their lives changed after recovery." - Films on Demand
Categories: Alcoholism, Healthcare, Medicine, Psychology, Substance Abuse, Women's Health
W.A.R.: Women, Art, Revolution!
Reese Library • DVD 1730 • 2012 • 83 minutes
“An entertaining and revelatory 'secret history' of feminist art, Women Art Revolution! deftly illuminates the under-explored movement through conversations, observations, archival footage, and works of visionary artists, historians, curators, and critics. Starting from its roots in the 1960s antiwar and civil rights protests, the film details developments in women's art through the 1970s and explores how the pioneering artists created the most significant art movement of the late 20th century.”—GIL catalog
Categories: Activism, American History, Art, Feature Film, Feminism, Women and Peace, Women's History, Women's Rights
War of the Sexes
Emotion • Films on Demand • Filmoption International • 2005 • 46 minutes
Language • Films on Demand • Filmoption International • 2005 • 46 minutes
Power and Leadership • Films on Demand • Filmoption International • 2005 • 46 minutes
Sexuality and Seduction • Films on Demand • Filmoption International • 2005 • 46 minutes
Spatial Abilities • Films on Demand • Filmoption International • 2005 • 46 minutes
“Hidden weapons, erratic battle lines, and no sign of a clear victor... such is life in the gender war. This five-part series confronts age - old myths and dilemmas that perpetuate tensions between the sexes, deploying the latest scientific research into gender-based differences. Featuring leading scientists and researchers - including anthropologist Helen Fisher, sociolinguist Deborah Tannen, psychiatrist Harrison Pope, neurologist Ruben Gur, and psychologists David Geary, Vikki Stark, and Daniel Perusse - the program juxtaposes scholarly commentary from these experts with compelling group-dynamic experiments that measure male and female strengths, weaknesses, prejudices, and potential.” – Films on Demand
Categories: Anthropology, Biology, Discrimination, Gender Relations, Gender Roles, Human Development, Psychology, Relationships, Sex, Sex & Gender, Sexism, Sexuality, Women Leaders, Women in the Workplace, Women's Rights
We should all be feminists - Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
TEDx Talks • TEDx Euston • 2013 • 31 minutes
"Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie a renowned Nigerian novelist was born in Nigeria in 1977. She grew up in the university town of Nsukka, Enugu State where she attended primary and secondary schools, and briefly studied Medicine and Pharmacy. She then moved to the United States to attend college, graduating summa cum laude from Eastern Connecticut State University with a major in Communication and a minor in Political Science. She holds a Masters degree in Creative Writing from Johns Hopkins and a Masters degree in African Studies from Yale University. She was a 2005-2006 Hodder Fellow at Princeton, where she taught introductory fiction. Chimamanda is the author of Half of a Yellow Sun, which won the 2007 Orange Prize For Fiction; and Purple Hibiscus, which won the 2005 Best First Book Commonwealth Writers' Prize and the 2004 Debut Fiction Hurston/Wright Legacy Award. In 2009, her collection of short stories, The Thing around Your Neck was published. She was named one of the twenty most important fiction writers today under 40 years old by The New Yorker and was recently the guest speaker at the 2012 annual commonwealth lecture. She featured in the April 2012 edition of Time Magazine, celebrated as one of the 100 Most Influential People in the World. She currently divides her time between the United States and Nigeria." - TED.com
Categories: Africa, Feminism, Human Rights, Literature, Nigeria, Womanism, Women of Color, Women's Rights
Reese Library • VCT 2977 • 2000 • 33 minutes
“During the spring of 2000, eleven girls aged 8 to 16 from a variety of socio-economic backgrounds and two classrooms of middle and high school students were interviewed about their views on media culture and its impact on their lives. Their responses provide the central theme of the film, a half-hour examination of how the media presents girls which juxtaposes footage culled from a typical week of TV broadcasting with original interviews.” – GIL catalog
Categories: Body Image, Media, Popular Culture, Psychology, Sociology, Teens, Women in the Media
Why Thee Wed? Gay Perspectives on Same-Sex Marriage
Films on Demand • ONF NFB • 2005 • 51 minutes
"As controversy swirls around the issue of same-sex marriage, gay and lesbian couples in North America and abroad are speaking out for the right to marry. Filmed in British Columbia after the legalization of same-sex unions, this program introduces the victorious litigants, who share their views on marriage, religious and political opposition, child adoption, and, most of all, love. Interviews with their families, the lawyer who represented them, and gay rights activist Jane Rule—who takes issue with the institution of marriage—round out the program." - Films on Demand
Categories: Activism, Adoption, Canada, Christianity, Discrimination, Law, LGBTQ, Marriage, North America, Parenthood, Politics, Religion
Why Women Count Video Clip Collection: Africa, Middle East, South Asia
Films on Demand • TV/E • 2008 • 80 minutes
"Filmed in 15 countries, this collection of video segments spotlights Malalai Joya, Mukhtar Mai, and 17 other women who are making a difference in Africa, the Middle East, and South Asia." - Films on Demand
Categories: Activism, Afghanistan, Africa, Arranged Marriage, Asia, Bangladesh, Discrimination, Genocide, Ghana, Human Rights, India, Jordan, Kenya, Lebanon, Medicine, Middle East, Nepal, Nigeria, Pakistan, Rape, Rwanda, Sexism, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Uganda, Violence against Women, War, Women of Color, Women and Education, Women and Peace, Women in Politics, Women in the Media, Women's Health, Women's Rights, Zimbabwe
Why Women Count Video Clip Collection: Southeast Asia, Pacific, Caribbean, Latin America
Films on Demand • TV/E • 2008 • 56 minutes
"Filmed in 11 countries, this collection of video segments spotlights Lydia Cacho, Casimira Rodriguez, and 14 other women who are making a difference in Southeast Asia, the Pacific, the Caribbean, and Latin America." - Films on Demand
Categories: Activism, Asia, Bolivia, Brazil, Caribbean, Child Abuse, Cuba, Discrimination, Education, Fiji, Healthcare, Human Rights, Indonesia, Jamaica, Latin America, Medicine, Mexico, Motherhood, New Zealand, Pacific Islands, Philippines, Pornography, Poverty, Thailand, Trinidad and Tobago, Violence against Women, Women of Color, Women and Education, Women in Medicine, Women and Peace, Women in the Workplace, Women's Health, Women's Rights
Films on Demand • TV/E • 2008 • 82 minutes
"Filmed in 15 countries, this collection of video segments spotlights Jasmila Zbanic, Ute Bock, Françoise Gaspard, and 13 other women who are making a difference in Europe and Asia." - Films on Demand
Categories: Abuse, Activism, Adoption, Asia, Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cancer, China, Czech Republic, Economics, Education, Europe, Feminism, France, HIV/AIDS, Human Rights, Human Trafficking, Immigration, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Latvia, Lithuania, Macedonia, Modern Slavery, Poverty, Rape, Spain, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Violence against Women, War, Women of Color, Women and Education, Women in Politics, Women in the Workplace, Women's Rights
Will You Marry Me? Marriage Customs in Ethiopia, Mali, Niger, and Senegal
Films on Demand • Octapixx • 2004 • 50 minutes
"Even today, the majority of African women in both city and country still aspire to get a good husband and have many children. This program sheds light on the pros and cons of marriage customs in sub-Saharan Africa as it relates the story of an Ethiopian woman who fled her home in Harar as a teen to avoid an arranged marriage to an uncle; two happily wedded women of Mali who are wives in a polygamous marriage; the nomadic Wodaabe of Niger, a culture in which a man may have many wives, but among whom it is the bride-to-be who chooses the husband-to-be; and a Senegalese woman competing to become Miss Yongama, a contest of beauty and style—and a proven shortcut to finding a husband. (Portions in other languages with English subtitles)" - Films on Demand
Categories: Africa, Anthropology, Arranged Marriage, Body Image, Ethiopia, Foreign Language, Gender Roles, Islam, Mali, Marriage, Motherhood, Niger, Religion, Senegal, Women of Color
A Woman’s Place Is in the Boardroom: Profiting from Equality
Films on Demand • The Open University • 2009 • 27 minutes
"In 2002, the Norwegian government mandated that public companies must make their boardrooms 40 percent female—and the results have been nothing short of astonishing. With a spotlight on landmark legislation in Europe and unequivocal statistics from both sides of the Atlantic, this program demonstrates that gender diversity in the boardroom is beneficial to the bottom line. Concerns over government intervention in a free market and the redistribution of power via quota are addressed, while an experiment conducted by social psychologist Peter Collett contrasting the work approaches of two teams of business school grads—one all-male, the other male and female—offers intriguing insights into the dynamics of gender in the workplace." - Films on Demand
Categories: Europe, Law, North America, Norway, Politics, Psychology, Sociology, Spain, United Kingdom, Women and Politics, Women in the Workplace, Women's Rights
Films on Demand • Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center • 2003 • 28 minutes
"Physiological differences between women and men place women at greater risk for physical complications from alcoholism. This program from The Doctor Is In profiles several women from different backgrounds and age groups who are in recovery from that disease. Interviews with medical experts include Michelle Lauria, M.D., of Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center; Patrice Muchowski, Sc.D., of AdCare Hospital of Worcester; and Kathleen Mitchell, M.H.S., LCADC, of the National Organization on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome." - Films on Demand
Categories: Alcoholism, Education, Healthcare, Medicine, Pregnancy, Psychology, Substance Abuse, Women and Education, Women's Health
Films on Demand • C. T. V. C. • 1993 • 30 minutes
"Leila Ahmed, professor of women’s studies at Amherst, argues the case for revision of the widely-held views in the Islamic world about the role of women, using examples from history and the role played by women in the contemporary world. She explains the origin of the veil, and discusses the issue of marriage and women’s rights within marriage." - Films on Demand
Categories: Christianity, Education, Gender Roles, History, Islam, Marriage, Religion, Women and Education, Women and Religion, Women's Rights
Women and Men Unglued: Marriage and Relationships in the 21st Century
Films on Demand • ONF NFB • 2003 • 87 minutes
"Men and women of marriageable age are staying single in record numbers. The traditional family is fast becoming an anachronism. Could the 21st century be the era when the sexes go their separate ways? Through a series of filmed portraits and candid, often gritty interviews, this program looks at changing contemporary gender relations and expectations, exploring how men and women feel about issues such as dating, marriage, money, parenting, romantic love, feminism, and commitment." - Films on Demand
Categories: Dating, Feminism, Gender Identity, Gender Relations, Gender Roles, Marriage, Parenthood, Relationships, Sex, Sex & Gender, Sexuality, Sociology
Films on Demand • Jennifer Cornish Media • 2001 • 53 minutes
"Interwoven with gripping footage from recent conflicts in the Middle East, Bosnia, northern Uganda, and South Africa, this compelling 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. Funded in part by the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation and the International Development Research Centre." - Films on Demand
Categories: Abuse, Africa, Asia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Child Abuse, Europe, Genocide, Healthcare, History, Human Rights, Incarcerated Women, Israel, Medicine, Middle East, Palestine, Rape, Refugee Women, Sexual Assault, South Africa, Uganda, Violence, Violence against Women, War, Women and Education, Women and Peace, Women and Politics, Women of Color, Women's Health, Women's History, Women's Rights, World History
Reese Library • VCT 195 • 1990 • 60 minutes
“Since 1981, America's female prison population has more than doubled and is still rising. The major reason for this increase is drugs. Eighty percent of women in prison have children. This program looks at the impact on families of women doing time and explores several alternative prison programs.” – GIL catalog
Categories: Incarcerated Women, Motherhood, Parenthood, Substance Abuse, Women's Health
Reese Library • DVD 1790 (2 discs) • 2011 • 240 minutes
“Women, War & Peace is a bold new PBS mini-series challenging the conventional wisdom that war and peace are men's domain. A co-production of THIRTEEN and Fork Films, Women, War & Peace places women at the center of an urgent dialogue about conflict and security and reframes our understanding of modern warfare. Featuring narrators Matt Damon, Tilda Swinton, Geena Davis and Alfred Woodard, the series reveals how the post-Cold War proliferation of small arms has changed the landscape of war, with women becoming primary targets and suffering unprecedented casualties. Simultaneously, they are emerging as necessary partners in brokering lasting peace and as leaders in forging new international laws governing conflict. " --Publisher description.
Categories: Abuse, Rape, Sexual Assault, Sexual Harassment, Violence, Violence against Women, War, Warfare, Women in the Military, Women's Health, Women's History, Women's Rights
Films on Demand • Films for the Humanities & Sciences • 2010 • 26 minutes
"Despite the progress of the international women’s movement in exposing and correcting human rights abuses against females, in many countries women are still fighting to attain the most basic of civil liberties. This program contextualizes that struggle by comparing women’s rights in the U.S. with the status of women in China, Afghanistan, and Kenya. Hopeful signs such as rising levels of education for girls, female representation in government, and business opportunities for women are contrasted with the continuing practice of age-old antithetical abuses that have yet to be eliminated—nonconsensual marriage and severe domestic violence, to name two—and the demoralizing effect of seeing hard-won rights overturned. Some content may be objectionable." - Films on Demand
Categories: Abuse, Afghanistan, Africa, Arranged Marriage, Asia, China, Domestic Violence, Education, Feminism, Human Rights, Human Trafficking, Kenya, Middle East, Modern Slavery, Religion, Sexism, Slavery, Women of Color, Women and Education, Women in the Workplace, Women's Health, Women's Rights
Wrestling With Manhood: Boys, Bullying, and Battering
Reese Library • DVD 1347 (2 copies) • 2003 • 60 minutes
"Drawing the connection between professional wrestling and the construction of contemporary masculinity, they [Sut Jhally and Jackson Katz] show how so-called 'entertainment' is related to homophobia, sexual assault and relationship violence."--Container.
Categories: Abuse, Bullying, Domestic Violence, Homophobia, Masculinity, Media, Men in the Media, Popular Culture, Rape, Sexual Assault, Sexual Harassment, Violence, Violence against Women
Yoruba Richen: What the gay rights movement learned from the civil rights movement
TED Talks • TED 2014 • 2014 • 18 minutes
"As a member of both the African American and LGBT communities, filmmaker Yoruba Richen is fascinated with the overlaps and tensions between the gay rights and the civil rights movements. She explores how the two struggles intertwine and propel each other forward — and, in an unmissable argument, she dispels a myth about their points of conflict. A powerful reminder that we all have a stake in equality." - TED.com
Categories: Activism, African American/Black, American History, History, Human Rights, LGBTQ, Race, Racism, Women of Color
You Don’t Know Dick: Courageous Hearts of Transsexual Men
Reese Library • VCT 3404 • 1997 • 58 minutes
“Provides honest and riveting portraits of six men who once were women. Through their commentaries and the experiences of partners, friends, and family emerges an unforgettable story of self-discovery.” – GIL catalog
Categories: Coming of Age, Gender Identity, LGBTQ, Trans*
Your Truth is Your Truth: Women Speak Out on Abusive Peer Relationships
Films on Demand • Educational Media Consultants • 2001 • 32 minutes
"Like a knife, peer abuse cuts across the boundaries of age, race, culture, social class, and sexual orientation. Through intimate interviews with women who have survived severe mistreatment by romantic partners of both sexes, this program identifies the many forms peer abuse can take, the warning signs of an abusive relationship, and how to break the cycle of victimization. Creating a personal support system and rebuilding self-esteem are also discussed. Disempowering myths and stereotypes are exposed and skewered." - Films on Demand
Categories: Abuse, Alcoholism, Domestic Violence, LGBTQ, Substance Abuse, Violence against Women
Zainab Salbi: Women, Wartime, and the Dream of Peace
TED Talks • TEDGlobal 2010 • 2010 • 18 minutes
"In war we often see only the frontline stories of soldiers and combat. AT TEDGlobal 2010, Zainab Salbi tells powerful "backline" stories of women who keep everyday life going during conflicts, and calls for women to have a place at the negotiating table once fighting is over." - TED.com
Categories: Activism, War, Warfare, Women and Peace
Ziauddin Yousafzai: My daughter, Malala
TED Talks • TED 2014 • 2014 • 17 minutes
"Pakistani educator Ziauddin Yousafzai reminds the world of a simple truth that many don’t want to hear: Women and men deserve equal opportunities for education, autonomy, an independent identity. He tells stories from his own life and the life of his daughter, Malala, who was shot by the Taliban in 2012 simply for daring to go to school. 'Why is my daughter so strong?' Yousafzai asks. 'Because I didn’t clip her wings.'" - TED.com
Categories: Asia, Education, Motherhood, Pakistan, Parenthood, Patriarchy, South Asia, Women and Education, Women's Rights
