A Family in History

Wed, 29 Aug 2018 14:52:00 GMT

A Family in History
Buy Now: $320.00

Digitally Remastered 2-DVD Set

Living at Risk: The Story of a Nicaraguan Family, made in 1984-85 at the height of the Contra war, brings us inside Sandinista Nicaragua five years after the revolution that overthrew the dictator Anastasio Somoza. It centers on five siblings of the privileged, well-connected Barrios family, all deeply committed to the revolution and working for it in various capacities, often at considerable risk to themselves.

The second DVD, The Barrios Family 25 Years Later, including a group of 20 short films made in 2009-10, long after the historical opportunity for large-scale social transformation in Nicaragua had passed. This collection of works carry forward the story of the Barrios family and their country, tracing their multi-generational struggle to find ways to live and work according to the ideals that inspired their youth.

This chronicle, unusual for its depth and completeness, is a case study in the opportunities and frustrations history offers to the individuals who live through it. It will be of special interest to students of Latin America, politics, history, sociology and biography.

Disc 1 - Living at Risk: The Story of a Nicaraguan Family (59 min, 1985, 4:3 fullscreen)

The film centers on five brothers and sisters who commit themselves to remaining and working with the revolutionary government in various professional capacities: medicine, community organizing, agricultural reform. This valuable documentary provides a dimension lacking in other films about Nicaragua: a sense of the fabric of everyday life, of the ways in which perpetual danger and tension are incorporated into the ongoing vital routines of doing one's job, raising one's family, going to market, finding entertainment, treating the sick, feeding the hungry. Level-headed and deeply felt, Living At Risk conveys above all an impression of quiet, believable heroism, most vividly in a dramatic sequence of a doctor delivering a vaccine to a remote village where his predecessor was recently executed by the counter-revolutionaries.

Disc 2 - The Barrios Family 25 Years Later (131 min, 2011, 16:9 anamorphic)

Made in 2009-2010, long after the historical opportunity for large-scale social transformation in Nicaragua had passed. This set of 20 short films — portraits, interviews, short documentaries — carries forward the story of the Barrios family, tracing their multi-generational struggle to find ways to live and work according to the ideals that once inspired them to put their lives at risk.

Film Festivals, Awards, Screenings

6th International Festival of Anthropology Film Festival, University of British Columbia, Canada, 2012
Film Forum, New York
Red Ribbon, American Film Festival
Vancouver Film Festival
Festival dei Popoli, Florence, Italy
Robert Flaherty Seminar
Melbourne Film Festival
Cinéma du réel, Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris
Tyneside Film Festival, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, England
Telecast by WNET, New York and other public television stations

Visit Rogers, Richard P. to see additional products in this category.

Neighbors

Tue, 28 Aug 2018 14:11:00 GMT

Neighbors
Buy Now: $295.00

When filmmaker Richard Rogers and producer Janet Mendelsohn were funded by the National Endowment for the Arts to make a film about the growing interest in neighborhood conservation, they chose Boston's South End — an ethnically and economically diverse community that, like many other American cities at the time, had found itself in the midst of the urban renewal process.

The resulting film, Neighbors: Conservation in a Changing Community examines the challenges and opportunities of neighborhood revitalization through the stories of 12 South End residents. The older, working class population is juxtaposed with the more affluent newcomers who are attracted by the prime location and historic architecture as well as the ethnic mix of the neighborhood. While documenting the differences among these residents, the film also reveals their common goals — to make their neighborhood a better place to live.

The film remains remarkably relevant for 21st century audiences.

“The issues raised by this award-winning film may be even more critical in today's urban communities than they were in 1977. Displacement isn't going away, it's accelerating as newly desirable neighborhoods are “discovered“ by young, relatively affluent newcomers. As the complex challenges continue, Neighbors bears witness to the human aspects of neighborhood change.” — Robert H. McNulty, President, Partners for Livable Communities

INCLUDED ON THE DVD:

Neighbors Revisited

Janet Mendelsohn, Susan Fanshel

color, 13 min, 2012

Producer Janet Mendelsohn and cameraman Kevin Burke return to the South End to interview several of the participants in the original film, including former congressman Mel King and two generations of the Young family. In the update, the dynamics of change in this complex community are brought into the present. With soaring property values, the South End has become one of the most desirable residential areas in Boston — while the gap between rich and poor has widened. As a companion to the original film, it will spark audiences to discuss similar issues that are impacting traditional neighborhoods across the country.

SELECTED SCREENINGS & AWARDS

Best Conservation Film of the Year, National Trust for Historic Preservation, 1978

Finalist, American Film Festival, 1978

Premier, Neighborhood Action Conference, USA 1978

Broadcast on Public and Commercial Television, 1978

Visit Rogers, Richard P. to see additional products in this category.

Documentary Educational Resources - Filmmaker / Rogers, Richard P. / All Films

A Family in History

Neighbors