Arts & Humanities

Films

All About Looking Renowned American artist Jim Dine teaches drawing (from male and female nude models) at the famed Internationale Sommerakademie fur Bildene Kunst in Salzburg, Austria.

Archeology of Memory: Villa Grimaldi This beautifully crafted, poignant, and timely documentary explores the power of art to heal the trauma of torture. The film follows exiled Chilean musician Quique Cruz from the San Francisco Bay Area to Chile and back as he creates a multimedia installation and musical suite in an effort to heal the emotional wounds inflicted on him by the state-sponsored torture of the Pinochet regime.

The Art of Regret This brilliant and keenly observed documentary, by renowned ethnographic filmmaker Judith MacDougall, explores the digital revolution in China, where photography is known as the "art of regret."

The Ballad and the Source The tradition of unaccompanied ballad singing is very old and still cherished in Great Britain, though only a few traditional singers are still alive.

Beijing Conveys the texture and flavor of the venerable Chinese capital through a close-up look at a number of its inhabitants, both young and old, with varied and fascinating backgrounds. Their stories unfold against the backdrop of a timeless but rapidly changing metropolis.

Between Light and Shadow: Maya Women in Transition This vibrant, wide-ranging documentary examines the impact on contemporary Maya culture of changes in the lives and expectations of Maya women in Guatemala.

Carnival in Q'eros This groundbreaking documentary, by renowned filmmaker and musician John Cohen, shows the remarkable Carnival celebrations -- never before seen by outsiders -- of a remote community of Indians high in the Peruvian Andes.

Dancing with the Incas This extraordinary film documents the most popular music of the Andes -- Huayno music -- and explores the lives of three Huayno musicians in a contemporary Peru torn between the military and the Shining Path guerrillas.

Daughters of Ixchel: Maya Thread of Change This illuminating documentary explores the lives of Maya women today, portrays their ancient weaving processes, and examines the economic, political, and cultural forces that are profoundly affecting the women and their weaving.

Diya This innovative ethnographic documentary by renowned filmmaker Judith MacDougall follows the life history of an important cultural object through the everyday experiences of the people who make, sell, and use it.

The End of an Old Song Filmed in the mountains of North Carolina, this acclaimed documentary by renowned filmmaker John Cohen revisits the region where English folklorist Cecil Sharp collected British ballads in the early 1900s.

Festive Land: Carnaval in Bahia This perceptive and engaging documentary examines one of the largest and most extraordinary popular celebrations in the world, the week-long Carnaval that brings more than two million people to the streets of Salvador, the capital of Bahia, in northeastern Brazil.

Fifty Miles from Times Square A colorful portrait of life in Putnam County, New York, with its "old-time fiddlers, farmers, commuters, and hippies," where an earlier, more traditional, relaxed style of life continues.

Funny Old Guys Frank Tarloff was a man for whom there were "no more victories." This poignant and deeply affecting documentary, filled with the sparkling humor of its subjects and a perceptive eye for compelling moments of revelation, follows Frank and his friends through the last months of his life.

The Great Ceremony to Straighten the World Caught between the seduction of prosperity and the threat of cultural disintegration, the people of Bali engage in ceremonies. Through them, the Balinese attempt to maintain balance with God, nature, and one another, and also to turn the recent prosperity from the booming tourist trade into a way of invigorating their culture.

Gypsies Sing Long Ballads Scotland's Gypsies have lived outside mainstream society for more than 500 years. This remarkable documentary, by renowned filmmaker and musician John Cohen, celebrates their traditional music.

The High Lonesome Sound This classic documentary, by renowned filmmaker John Cohen, evocatively illustrates how music and religion help the rural poor of Appalachia maintain their dignity and traditions in the face of change and hardship.

In and Out of Africa This extraordinary documentary is one of the most intelligent, perceptive, and engaging films ever made on African culture and art. It explores with irony and humor issues of authenticity, taste, and racial politics in the transnational trade in African art.

Jim Dine: A Self-Portrait on the Walls This Academy-Award nominee for "Best Short Documentary" records eight days of intense work and quiet rumination as internationally renowned artist Jim Dine produces an exhibition of huge, bold charcoal drawings directly on the walls of the Ludwigsburg Kunstverein near Stuttgart, Germany.

Looking for Me This classic and universally acclaimed documentary demonstrates the importance and the delights of experiencing one's body. It provides a unique record of dance therapist Janet Adler working to develop movement awareness with normal and emotionally disturbed children and with a group of teachers.

Mas Fever: Inside Trinidad Carnival Carnival in the New World is a synthesis of European elements -- Christian traditions and the masquerade -- and African elements -- primarily music and dance. In Trinidad, Carnival is a colorful, exuberant celebration of national focus and pride.

Mi Puerto Rico This wide-ranging and much-honored documentary explores Puerto Rico's rich cultural traditions and untold history, revealing the remarkable stories of its revolutionaries and abolitionists, poets and patriots.

Monkey Dance (Director's Version) This extraordinary documentary provides an illuminating and richly discussible case study of immigrant acculturation in contemporary America.

Monkey Dance (PBS Version) This extraordinary documentary provides an illuminating and richly discussible case study of immigrant acculturation in contemporary America.

Mountain Music of Peru This classic documentary on the centuries-old music of the Andes demonstrates the importance or the region's musical heritage in preserving the cultural identity of the impoverished native peoples.

Musical Holdouts This classic, entertaining documentary on American traditional music features varied individuals and groups who have not become part of the "melting pot" of American society.

Pericles in America This musical portrait of immigrant clarinetist Pericles Halkias and the Epirot-Greek community explores the aspirations and ambivalences of Greek-Americans.

Peruvian Weaving This informative documentary examines warp pattern weaving in Peru, an ancient Andean Indian tradition handed down from woman to woman for some 5,000 years.

Photo Wallahs Renowned ethnographic filmmakers David and Judith MacDougall explore the many meanings of photography in this profound and award-winning documentary set in India.

Pomo Basketweavers: A Tribute to Three Elders This remarkable documentary provides an in-depth introduction to the history, culture, and basketweaving traditions of the Pomo Indian women of northern California.

Popol Vuh: The Creation Myth of the Maya This much-honored animated film employs authentic imagery from ancient Maya ceramics to create a riveting depiction of the Popol Vuh, the Maya creation myth and the foundation of most Native American religious, philosophical, and ethical beliefs.

Popol Vuh: The Creation Myth of the Maya (Spanish Version) This much-honored animated film employs authentic imagery from ancient Maya ceramics to create a riveting depiction of the Popol Vuh, the Maya creation myth and the foundation of most Native American religious, philosophical, and ethical beliefs. This is the Spanish-language version.

Post-Industrial Fiddle This deceptively simple but profound film explores the importance of music-making in the life of a pulp mill worker in rural Maine. His "Down East" fiddling style is homemade music, influenced largely by local traditions.

Q'eros: The Shape of Survival This classic documentary, by renowned filmmaker John Cohen, provides a multifaceted exploration of the way of life of the Q'eros Indians of Peru, who have lived in the Andes for more than 3,000 years.

Record Store As the American music industry struggles to find its place in the digital world, many music enthusiasts continue to buy and collect vinyl records, sometimes to their financial and emotional detriment. This remarkable documentary explores the various urban subcultures at an independent record store in Philadelphia, focusing on the store's owners, employees, and customers.

Roman Restaurant Rhythms This delightful and mouth-watering documentary provides a "backstage," behind-the-scenes foray into the rhythms of food preparation in four traditional restaurants in Rome.

Salsa in Japan: A Japanese and Latino Mix This remarkable documentary on multiculturalism explores the growing subculture of salsa dancing in Japan, where salsa dancing and salsa clubs serve as a source of interaction and cultural mingling between native Japanese and Latino immigrants to Japan.

Sand Painting: Sacred Art of Tibet In this beautifully photographed and fascinating documentary, Tibetan monks from the Dalai Lama's personal monastery, Namgyal, create the mandala of Kalachakra, the most sacred of all Buddhist sand paintings.

Sanpachando: St. Pacho Is for the Revelers This exceptional and engaging documentary is an important contribution to the growing body of work on the African Diaspora and Latin America. It perceptively explores the intertwined cultural, religious, political, and afro-ethnic meanings of a vibrant festival honoring St. Francis of Assisi in Quibdo, Choco, on the northwest Pacific coast of Colombia.

Sara and Maybelle A rare filmed performance of two members of the original Carter family, whose recordings helped found the country music industry. Here Sara and Maybelle demonstrate their famous guitar picking and harmony singing on "Sweet Fern" and "Solid Gone."

Sexism in Language: Thief of Honor, Shaper of Lies Designed for use in a broad range of educational settings and disciplines, this lively and provocative video analyzes the gender bias that permeates our everyday language.

Still Looking This film documents the recent work of Janet Adler, the noted movement therapist whose earlier work was profiled 20 years ago in the classic film, "Looking for Me."

Suzhou Known for centuries as the center of Chinese culture and aesthetics, this Yangzi delta city has often been called the "Venice of the East" because of its many canals and bridges. This beautifully filmed portrait of the city leads the viewer through markets and teahouses, sweet shops and bookstores, rice paddies and fish stalls, and two of Suzhou's exquisite gardens.

Taksu: Music in the Life of Bali This sensitive documentary is an American musician's unique portrait of Balinese life, art, and spirituality.

Trobriand Cricket: An Ingenious Response to Colonialism One of the world's best-known and most honored ethnographic films, this classic documentary depicts the many modifications made by Trobriand Islanders, in Papua New Guinea, to the traditional British game of cricket.

Xian This wide-ranging documentary presents a cultural history of the ancient Chinese imperial city, once the greatest capital in the world and the Eastern terminus of the famed Silk Road.