Documentary Educational Resources - Geography / North America / United States / California / All Films

Unearthed

Wed, 28 Jun 2023 17:57:45 GMT

Archaeology is generally seen as an innocuous, innocent, and objective academic pursuit in Western culture. Archaeologists, after all, excavate into the earth to unearth the remnants of past human activities and lives. In doing so, offering objective evidence for how the world was—so that we might better situate ourselves now and into our future.

But there is more to the story. Caught up with the colonial project in the Americas, Archaeology has propagated harmful narratives and played a major role in the erasure of Native people, their loss of sovereignty, and communal traumas. That is not to say the field of Archaeology does not hold great benefit for Native Communities—there is no doubt it does. The question becomes: who is the archaeological research for, how is it done, and for what ends?

In recent decades, Native-led research, Native scholars, Native archaeologists, and their associates have begun a revolution to decolonize archaeology and the future looks bright. Unearthed offers a look into this complexity as it is unfolding today, and a deeper view into the rich material culture excavated from Cache Cave. The materials shared here are shared with the collaboration and consent of the Tejon Indian Tribe.

"Visually captivating and with tremendous heart, Unearthed succeeds in portraying how Indigenous peoples’ struggles are ongoing and increasingly intersect in positive ways with archaeology and senses of place, both to reawaken and rejuvenate venerable cultural traditions." – Edward Jolie (Oglala Lakota/Hodulgee Muscogee), University of Arizona

Selected Screenings & Awards

Royal Anthropological Institute (RAI) Film Festival, UK, 2023

Society for Visual Anthropology Film & Media Festival, USA, 2022

Santa Barbara International Film Festival, USA, 2022

Poppy Jasper International Film Festival, USA, 2022

Durango Independent Film Festival, USA, 2022

Red National International Film Festival, USA, 2022

Ashland Independent Film Festival, USA, 2022

San Diego International Film Festival, USA, 2021

Mammoth Lakes International Film Festival (Premiere), USA, 2021

Visit California to see additional products in this category.

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

Visit California to see additional products in this category.

Cheerleader

Thu, 30 Aug 2018 08:16:00 GMT

Cheerleader
Buy Now: $295.00

Cheerleader explores the quest to be a champion, the experience of being female, and the ins and outs of an All-American pastime, all through the eyes of some of the nation’s youngest cheerleaders. Cheerleading began more than a century ago in the nation’s all-male colleges, and it wasn’t until the 1920s that women became involved. Like most cheerleaders, the Tigers spend their weekends supporting the football team. Their cheers are cute, flirty, and some would even say, sexy. And while yesterday’s cheerleaders stood on the sidelines, the Tigers want center stage. They dance like Paula Abdul and backflip like Mary Lou Retton. They’re athletic, perky and polished – a winning combination in the world of competitive cheerleading. Through the Tigers’ story and the unfolding of cheerleading’s own history, Cheerleader looks at the complexity of the sport and shows how cheerleading remains a robust image in our society – one that influences how we see women and how women see themselves. Excerpts from Cheerleader are currently being featured in the International Museum of Women's online exhibit Imagining Ourselves (Sept. 15 — Oct. 1, 2007). View clips of the film here.

Visit California to see additional products in this category.

El Field

Thu, 30 Aug 2018 07:05:00 GMT

El Field
Buy Now: $320.00

International border crossing as a daily constant is an unusual life habit. Especially when Mexican urban dwellers do so to work as agricultural field laborers in the United States. In a time when immigration has taken the political center stage across the globe, El Field contributes to the discussion by providing a compelling portrait in motion of the life, work and industry of a forgotten section of the largest, busiest land transit border in the world. Shot in the Imperial Valley, California, and the Mexicali Valley, Mexico; El Field presents visual historic information that induces the audience to form their own impressions on migrant labor and the industry that employs them.

Visit California to see additional products in this category.

Exposing Homelessness

Thu, 30 Aug 2018 07:05:00 GMT

Exposing Homelessness
Buy Now: $295.00

Exposing Homelessness is a film that documents the experience of three formerly homeless women who participated in a three-month photography workshop. They were given 35mm cameras and instructed in the art of black and white photography. Drawing from their personal experiences they were asked to use photography to express their insight into the issue of homelessness so that viewers could be exposed to a more intimate and profound analysis of the problem. Diverse in age, race, class and citizenship status, the women succeed in challenging the homeless stereotype and empowering themselves in the process.

The women's technical and artistic skills develop as well as their confidence and kinship. They critique photographs while using them as a way to analyze the problem of homelessness and share their individual stories. The relationship and intimacy that grows between the women over the course of the workshop proves to be a healing and powerful experience for the women and holds a vital message for the viewer.

Visit California to see additional products in this category.

From Babylonia To Beverly Hills

Wed, 29 Aug 2018 14:53:00 GMT

From Babylonia To Beverly Hills
Buy Now: $295.00

In 1979, the Islamic Revolution in Iran brought a twenty-five-hundred-year-old history to a close for the Jews who left their homeland for America. Uncertain about their safety and fearing religious persecution in Khomeini's Islamic Theocracy, an estimated 80,000 of Iran's 100,000 Jews fled the country. This documentary tells the story of those Jews who reestablished a tight knit community in Los Angeles.

Iranian Jewish families talk about their past in Iran - how the increasingly hostile circumstances forced them to flee their own country in order to secure a better future for their children. They recall the difficulties of starting a new life in the United States. They voice their fears about their children growing up in an alien society, adopting a culture that is far removed from their own. Young Iranian adults, on the other hand, talk about the pressures of confirming to parental expectations, of remaining true to their Iranian Jewish heritage even as they try and carve their own individual identities in modern day American society.

Historical background via the use of archival footage gives a detailed overview of the original Jewish settlement in Iran and their relationship with their adopted country as well as how they fared in the 20th century.

In the American cultural imagination, Iranians are represented by scenes of hard-line religious leaders and unruly crowds crying "Down With America." Very little is known about the religious diversity of Iranians living in America. This documentary helps create a more nuanced view of the culture and religious diversity of Iranians both inside and outside the country.

Selected Screening History

Iranian Jewish Heritage Day Program, Makor, New York, 2003

Athens International Film & Video Festival, Athens, Ohio, 2004

Oakland International Film Festival, California, 2004

Documentary and Ethnographic Film Festival, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil, 2004

Visit California to see additional products in this category.

Families and Flowers

Wed, 29 Aug 2018 14:52:00 GMT

Families and Flowers
Buy Now: $295.00

The flower-growing industry in northern San Diego County is in many ways a microcosm of our rapidly changing society. Encinitas, California – the once self-proclaimed "flower capital of the world" – is facing daunting challenges. Economic growth and increased population are putting more demands on land, water and energy resources. New subdivisions continue to replace former growing-fields and greenhouses. Environmental concerns and regulations are seen by some as a threat to profitability. International competition is fierce. And capital costs and public concern may limit the potential of a biotech revolution in the flower fields. Despite the challenges facing agriculture in an exploding suburban economy, third-generation, family-owned businesses continue to thrive in San Diego County, models of adaptability and perseverance.

Visit California to see additional products in this category.

The Girl Next Door

Wed, 29 Aug 2018 13:27:00 GMT

The Girl Next Door
Buy Now: $320.00

In 1995, Oklahoma housewife Stacy Baker posed for a photograph that changed her life. Encouraged by her husband to pose nude for a contest, she was soon gracing the cover of Hustler and accepting offers to perform in X-rated films. Finding liberation through breast implants and her new career, she files for divorce and becomes "Stacy Valentine." Award-winning filmmaker Christine Fugate spent two years documenting Valentine's rise to fame in the adult film industry, as well as her quest to find real love and happiness. The camera follows the actress through her daily grind: the tedious production days, unforeseen crises on the set, industry gossip circles, and frequent trips to the plastic surgeon. Eventually, Stacy Valentine earns the title of "Best American Starlet." Unlike her persona on the big screen, Stacy allows the filmmaker to witness her vulnerable side. Stacy's self-confident ambition and fierce independence gradually give way to signs of insecurity, cynicism and loneliness. An entertaining and humanizing portrait, The Girl Next Door allows us to experience the world of pornography through the eyes of one of its hardworking employees. Of interest to Gender Studies, the Anthropology of Work, Psychology, and Women's Studies.

Visit California to see additional products in this category.

Morning With Asch

Tue, 28 Aug 2018 14:50:00 GMT

Morning With Asch
Buy Now: $320.00

In the Spring of 1994, Timothy Asch, internationally known and honored filmmaker, was dying of cancer. Educator, anthropologist, and driving force behind the Visual Anthropology Review, he is best known for his groundbraking films on the Yanomamö, made with Napoleon Chagnon, and the Indonesian films, made with Patsy Asch, James Fox, E. Douglas Lewis, and Linda Connor.

His colleague and fellow visual anthropologist, Jayasinhji Jhala, visited him at his home in Los Angeles to conduct a videotaped interview from which came this edited version. Jhala, a professor of anthropology at Temple University, makes us aware of the influence of the filmmaker on the filmed subject and vice versa. Tim took this opportunity to express his views about his life and work, revealing intimate details that give us perspective - not only about this complex individual, but also about the reality of confronting death.

Collaboration was a central theme for Tim Asch, beginning with anthropologist Napoleon Chagnon, and later continuing with the anthropologists mentioned above. He also worked with John Marshall in the late 1960s, editing Marshall's !Kung San Bushmen films shot in the 1950s. Excerpts from Asch's films, representing each of these periods, are woven into the dialogue.

For those who never knew Timothy Asch in life, this interview may offer some guidance on the way to explore the invaluable legacy of his films.

Visit California to see additional products in this category.

One Precept

Tue, 28 Aug 2018 13:51:00 GMT

One Precept
Buy Now: $295.00

Shot primarily at the Rinzai-Ji temple in Los Angeles, One Precept documents traditional Zen Buddhism in America today. In a personal, often poetic portrayal, the story introduces a Zen priest named Seiju, who discusses the principles of the practice, the growing popularity of Zen and his seventeen years as a disciple of one of its oldest living masters, Kyozan Joshu Sasaki. Detailed images of meditation, chanting, formal meal, and Koan study are combined to reveal a highly disciplined practice that has been handed down from master to student, from one culture to another, emerging as a popular form of religious expression in contemporary western society.

While this new release is of primary importance in Asian/American studies and the study of religion, it is also an example of a creative, aesthetic approach to the art and craft of filming. The style of filming is beautifully welded to the subject matter providing an interesting topic for discussion by film students. It was originally shot in 16mm black and white film and is also available in video format.

Visit California to see additional products in this category.