Documentary Educational Resources - Subject / Business & Economics / Political Economy / All Films

If It Fits

Wed, 29 Aug 2018 12:44:00 GMT

The once thriving industrial town of Haverhill, Massachusetts on the Merrimack River now resembles, in the words of one of the film's subjects, "a ghost town where you expect to see tumbleweeds come rolling down Main Street." This film examines a dying industrial town and its politicians' search for votes over such issues as municipal spending, rising taxes, the revitalization of depressed areas, and attracting new industry.

The film's central event is the 1976 Mayoral election. Election scenes are intercut with comments from Haverhill residents, members of a local foundation, political scientist Frances Fox Piven, the president of the local union, and the shoe manufacturers themselves. The oral history which surrounds the election footage is a reservoir of information about Haverhill's present condition as well as its past.

"If It Fits examines a dying industrial town and its politicians' search for votes over such issues as municipal spending, rising taxes, the revitalization of depressed areas, and attracting new industry... The oral history which surrounds the election footage is a reservoir of information about Haverhill's present condition as well as its past. A wonderful example of gently observed cinéma vérité filmmaking and skillful editing."
– David Tamés, Kino-Eye, "One Hundred Documentary Films v.2" (PDF)

SELECTED SCREENINGS & AWARDS

American Film Festival Finalist

Visit Political Economy to see additional products in this category.

The Sprouts of Capitalism in China

Tue, 28 Aug 2018 07:47:00 GMT

The Sprouts of Capitalism in China
Buy Now: $295.00

This documentary tells the fascinating story of one of China's newly rich entrepreneurs, Yang Daquan, of Pengzhou City in Sichuan.

Mr. Yang came from a rich gentry family and was given away as an infant when his family disintegrated at the beginning of the socialist era. He grew up in the countryside as a poor peasant and came to the city in the late 70's as a construction worker. After years of struggle, he now owns a construction material plant and an ice cream factory and is a major investor in the local real estate market.

The film searches for the drive behind his determination for economic success and links his personal story to the turbulent history of China in the past several decades. We are introduced to Mr. Yang's wife, who is a full partner in running the family businesses, as well as the couple's eight-year-old son, who attends an expensive private school that concentrates on teaching foreign languages. Scenes of the family reveal Mr. Yang's memories of the past and his dreams for the future.

Visit Political Economy to see additional products in this category.

Sharing Paradise

Tue, 28 Aug 2018 07:46:00 GMT

Sharing Paradise
Buy Now: $320.00

Above the water, the Indonesian island of Balobaloang looks like an ideal tropical paradise, with blue skies, coconut trees, and crystal water. Under the water, however, "fish bombing" with dynamite and cyanide is destroying the coral reef, threatening the marine habitat and the livelihoods of the island's inhabitants.

Traditionally, people who live in small islands in Indonesia have fished using sustainable fishing methods, and conserving and sharing resources. However, a high overseas demand for fish has created a new kind of economy, in which cargo ship owners export fish at the expense of island residents. Corruption and illegal fishing practices have made it impossible for traditional fishermen to receive a fair share of their paradise.

Collaborating with Balobaloang fishermen, the filmmakers confront illegal fishermen, government officials and police officers to investigate the dangerous new methods that threaten Balobaloang's sustainable way of life. Tackling the social, economic and environmental effects of illegal fishing, Sharing Paradise looks for solutions to the fishing problem and a more equitable, sustainable future for Balobaloang.

SELECTED SCREENINGS & AWARDS

Association for Asian Studies Annual Meeting, Chicago, IL, 2009

Athens Film & Video Festival, Ohio, 2009

AAA/Society for Visual Anthropology Film, Video & Multimedia Festival, 2009

Voices From the Waters Film Festival, Bangalore, India, 2009

Voices From the Waters Film Festival, Vancouver, Canada, 2009

Visit Political Economy to see additional products in this category.

Standing Silent Nation

Tue, 28 Aug 2018 07:46:00 GMT

Standing Silent Nation
Buy Now: $320.00

What does a family have to endure to create a future for itself?

When the Oglala Sioux Tribe passed an ordinance separating industrial hemp from its illegal cousin, marijuana, Alex White Plume and his family glimpsed a brighter future. Having researched hemp as a sustainable crop that would grow in the inhospitable soil of the South Dakota Badlands, the White Plumes envisioned a new economy that would impact the 85% unemployment rate on the Pine Ridge Reservation. They never dreamed they would find themselves swept up in a struggle over tribal sovereignty, economic rights, and common sense.

From the hemp fields of Pine Ridge to the US Federal Court of Appeals, the one-hour documentary Standing Silent Nation tracks one family's effort to create economic independence for themselves, their reservation, and their future generations. The hemp plant is like a new buffalo for the Lakota: a resource whose many uses from food to fuel to fiber, could enrich their sovereign nation. For three years, Alex White Plume and his family planted industrial hemp. But each year, their harvest was disrupted by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), which claims that hemp is marijuana despite the absence of marijuana's psychoactive properties.

Standing Silent Nation challenges contemporary notions of Native America, while providing a compelling and engaging story rarely covered in mainstream media.

SELECTED SCREENINGS & AWARDS

Best Native American Documentary, Indie Spirit Film Festival, 2008

Audience Award for Best Documentary, Big Muddy Film Festival, 2008

Audience Choice for Best Documentary, Sedona, 2008

UFVA Best Documentary Faculty Award, Courtney Hermann, 2008

Visit Political Economy to see additional products in this category.

Trial in East Kalimantan

Mon, 27 Aug 2018 08:57:00 GMT

Trial in East Kalimantan
Buy Now: $320.00

This film, shot in Indonesia in 1999, gives us a rare insider's look at the beginnings of democracy during a period of political unrest and economic turmoil throughout the country. On the island of Kalimantan, a Dayak village organizes a sit-in to protest the destruction of their agricultural land and the desecration of sacred funeral sites by a multinational palm oil company. During the sit-in, eleven community leaders are arrested on charges of vandalism.

We follow the fates of Petrus Dukung and Benyamin Tawwakng, the two young Dayak leaders, as they face a corrupt political and judicial system. The involvement of human rights lawyers, student groups, and other activists bring the Dayak struggle to the attention of the media. We witness the power of organized demonstrations as activists question their government and voice doubts about the court's commitment to justice.

Visit Political Economy to see additional products in this category.