Documentary Educational Resources - By Title / # / All Films

40 Years of Silence

Wed, 10 Oct 2018 09:18:00 GMT

40 Years of Silence
Buy Now: $320.00

40 Years of Silence: An Indonesian Tragedy tells the story of one of the largest unknown mass-killings of the 20th century. In 1965-66, an estimated 500,000 to 1,000,000 people were secretly killed when General Suharto began a bloody purge of suspected communists throughout Indonesia. For decades, the Indonesian government repressed all memory of this event, and the world looked away.

Based on the research of prominent anthropologist Robert Lemelson and edited by two-time Academy Award winner Pietro Scalia, this film follows the compelling testimonies of four individuals and their families from Central Java and Bali, as they break their silence for the first time. Told in understated detail, the cumulative effect of their stories is heartbreaking, profound and ultimately redemptive.

SELECTED SCREENINGS & AWARDS

Winner, Best Asian Documentary, Endeavors Documentary Film Festival, Singapore, 2013

Nominee, Best Editing in a Documentary Film, St. Tropez International Film Festival, Nice, France, 2013

Winner, Award of Excellence, Canada International Film Awards, 2013

Winner, Best Foreign Feature, Oregon Film Awards, 2012

Winner, Award of Excellence, International Film Festival for Peace, Inspiration & Equality, Indonesia, 2012

Nominee, Most Innovative Production, History Makers Awards, 2011

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901/904

Wed, 10 Oct 2018 09:18:00 GMT

901/904
Buy Now: $320.00

In this film we accompany patrol cars 901 and 904 as they ply the streets of Pittsburgh. The diversity of situations to which the policemen are called upon to respond are striking: from a man who is furious because he can not get his twenty dollar deposit refunded on an exhaust system that does not fit his car, to an elderly white man who says he wants to shoot the black teenagers playing handball on his house wall, to a group of white teenage youths loitering in the street on a sultry summer day.

Scenes from short films such as Henry is Drunk and A Forty Dollar Misunderstanding are intercut with other material, including footage in the police station where the men talk about their experiences.The striking element in many of the scenes is the level of frustration, anger, and at times a feeling of impending violence. This is true of the policemen themselves (from "I'm not talking nice no more" to some brutal beatings), as well of the people of the city, who speak of guns and fear.

As Laura Nader points out in the film Little Injustices, the typical American ignorance of, and lack of access to, the law so often leads not to the resolution of but to the escalation of conflict. As one irritated man exclaims to the officer who seems to dismiss his complaint as though he were just a cantankerous old pest, "That's where I'd like to know the definition of breaking the law!"Viewing this film, we also understand the exhaustion that police work often entails, for the policemen often have no real solutions themselves. It is clear why policemen are so often the victims of public rage, and why they in turn may vent their own frustrations on the public.

Films in the Pittsburgh Police series

901/904

After the Game

A Forty Dollar Misunderstanding

The 4th and 5th and the Exclusionary Rule

Henry is Drunk

The Informant

Inside/Outside Station Nine

Investigation of a Hit and Run w/ Legal Discussion

Manifold Controversy

Nothing Hurt But My Pride

Three Domestics

Twenty One Dollars or Twenty One Days

Youth and the Man of Property

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6 Generations

Tue, 9 Oct 2018 15:11:00 GMT

6 Generations
Buy Now: $320.00

Ernestine De Soto is a Chumash Native American whose mother Mary Yee was the last speaker of her native Barbareño language. In 6 Generations, her family reaches back to the days the Spanish arrived in Santa Barbara and made first contact. Ernestine tells this history from the perspective of her female ancestors, making her a unique link with the past.

Famous anthropologist John Peabody Harrington, whose work focused on native peoples of California, started research with her family in 1913 and continued with three generations for nearly 50 years. This inspired Ernestine's mother to begin taking notes and, combined with mission records (which survived intact from the late 1700s), they form the heart of this story.

Because of these circumstances, her story, possible only in California, is unique in America.The impact of loss of land, language, culture and life itself is made all the more clear as this story is told in Native American voices, who describe the events as they experienced them. Ultimately, it is a story of survival and the fierce endurance of Ernestine's ancestors, particularly the women.

“This is history as autobiography, foregrounding the power of language and telling a checkered tale of cultural survival in the extreme. The time depth is simply astonishing, and the narrative is frank and true and sometimes stark. 6 Generations is a home run. I cannot recommend it highly enough.”
— David Hurst Thomas, Current Anthropology

"Using old drawings, photos, old film footage, live interviews, and dramatic readings by Ernestine of her family's story, filmmaker Paul Goldsmith has woven together an important testimony to the vibrancy of a people brought into the California missions around Santa Barbara."
— Glen Farris, Journal of California and Great Basin Anthropology

“Some films do not deserve a review so much as a rhapsody, and 6 Generations is one of these special films. There are some productions that go beyond ethnography to find the heart of a people — and show how individual anthropologists can transcend the professional limitations of their discipline and really engage fellow human beings — and 6 Generations is just such an achievement… This would be a particularly effective film to use in the classroom… Suitable for college courses in cultural anthropology, anthropology of gender, anthropology of colonialism/globalization, and Native American studies, as well as general audiences.”
— Jack David Eller, Anthropology Review Database

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Five Films on Police

Wed, 29 Aug 2018 14:53:00 GMT

Five Films on Police
Buy Now: $320.00

These films are a view of police officers as instruments for social service for all rather than just law enforcement bringing down on criminals the punishment of the law. They were made for use during group discussions where the police could share their immediate experiences with one another and with the people from hospitals in their communities. Written material supplemented the films during these discussions, which encouraged the participants to cite their own experiences. Instead of just blaming the police and making them feel guilty, this dialog created some understanding. The first four of these films were produced through the Louisiana Association for Mental Health in collaboration with its executive director, Dr. Loyd Rowland (1902-1981).

The series was co-sponsored by International Association of Chiefs of Police, with support from the National Institute for Mental Health. The fifth film was made last with the New York Police Department. George C. Stoney, producer of the projects, recalls, "I think they had a real effect on the medical professionals and the police. These group screenings brought them together and helped them recognize their common problems." The same problems are facing communities now. Perhaps these films can inspire further dialog, as they did when they were originally released.

Booked for Safekeeping (1960, 32 min) Designed to help police officers understand how to respond to situations involving people with mental illnesses. Made with New Orleans Police Dept.

The Cry for Help (1962, 33 min) Teaches police officers how to interact with suicidal individuals. Made with the Chicago Police Dept.

The Mask (1963, 33 min) A film designed to make police officers aware that alcohol can disguise or mask serious physical and mental illnesses. Made with the Cleveland Police Dept.

Under Pressure (1964, 32 min) Targeted toward police officers, this film discusses personal and emotional problems related to the job. Made with Cleveland Police Dept.

The Man in the Middle (1966, 22 min) Shows police how they can work more sensitively with the communities they serve. Made with New York City Police Dept.

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A Forty Dollar Misunderstanding

Wed, 29 Aug 2018 14:52:00 GMT

A Forty Dollar Misunderstanding
Buy Now: $340.00

Policemen intervene when a woman calls to complain that her boyfriend stole forty dollars. The argument soon escalates as the man refuses to admit that he took any money, and the woman, losing her temper, crashes a glass window and cuts her hand. The police try their best to diffuse the situation and eventually take the woman away from the scene.

This film is included on the Pittsburgh Police Short Films DVD collection.

Films in the Pittsburgh Police series

901/904

After the Game

A Forty Dollar Misunderstanding

The 4th and 5th and the Exclusionary Rule

Henry is Drunk

The Informant

Inside/Outside Station Nine

Investigation of a Hit and Run w/ Legal Discussion

Manifold Controversy

Nothing Hurt But My Pride

Three Domestics

Twenty One Dollars or Twenty One Days

Youth and the Man of Property

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Twenty-One Dollars or Twenty-One Days

Mon, 27 Aug 2018 08:58:00 GMT

Twenty-One Dollars or Twenty-One Days
Buy Now: $340.00

A man arrested for disorderly conduct and resisting arrest tells his story in night court.

This film is included on the Pittsburgh Police Short Films DVD collection.

Films in the Pittsburgh Police series

901/904

After the Game

A Forty Dollar Misunderstanding

The 4th and 5th and the Exclusionary Rule

Henry is Drunk

The Informant

Inside/Outside Station Nine

Investigation of a Hit and Run w/ Legal Discussion

Manifold Controversy

Nothing Hurt But My Pride

Three Domestics

Twenty One Dollars or Twenty One Days

Youth and the Man of Property

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The 4th, 5th, and the Exclusionary Rule

Mon, 27 Aug 2018 08:57:00 GMT

The 4th, 5th, and the Exclusionary Rule
Buy Now: $320.00

This film consists of sequences from the Pittsburgh Police footage intercut with a panel discussion moderated by Professor James Vorenberg of Harvard Law School. Community organizers, police, students and lawyers discussed the issues raised by four sequences, including the implications of the 4th and 5th Constitutional amendments, and the Exclusionary Rule of Evidence for search, seizure, and interrogation procedures. The film demonstrates the multiplicity of roles in police work, and examines the conflicts between how the police define their duties and what the public expects of them.

Films in the Pittsburgh Police series

901/904

After the Game

A Forty Dollar Misunderstanding

The 4th and 5th and the Exclusionary Rule

Henry is Drunk

The Informant

Inside/Outside Station Nine

Investigation of a Hit and Run w/ Legal Discussion

Manifold Controversy

Nothing Hurt But My Pride

Three Domestics

Twenty One Dollars or Twenty One Days

Youth and the Man of Property

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