Library Resources - Films
Library Resources - Films
12 Angry Men (2 hrs 57 min) Remake of the 1950 classic, about a lone jurors decision to take a stand for what is right though the remaining jurors disagree. - 1997
30 Days - DVD (4 hrs 30 min) The intelligent and innovative TV show that dares to ask: "Do we really know what it's like to see the world through our neighbors eyes?" Explore some of America's most pressing social issues by following the lives of ordinary people who agree to live well-outside their comfort zones for thirty days: Spurlock and his fiancé try to make ends meet by working minimum wage jobs, a devout Christian immerses himself in Islamic culture, a homophobic young man goes to live and work in San Francisco's largely-gay Castro District, and more. Provocative, poignant, and hilarious, 30 Days is a true original. Often unpredictable and always eye-opening! - 2006
A Place at the Table (40 min) Throughout our nation's history, individuals and groups – from Baptists fighting for religious freedom to families seeking gender equity in sports – have toppled barriers to become full participants in our democracy. These stories of everyday bravery are highlighted in the film. To help students identify with ongoing efforts to achieve equality, the film is narrated by teenagers who explain how their families struggled for and found a place at the table. Includes Teacher’s Guide.
A Question of Race: The Discovery Channel Special (2 tapes: A Question of Race – 51 min; How Biased Are You? – 26 min) Shows how prevalent bias is as real life adults are followed with hidden cameras as they interact with people of different races. - 2000
America's Civil Rights Movement (38 min) The story of the struggle and heroism of the Civil Rights Movement is captured through historic news footage, the voices of participants and biographies of those who died in the struggle. Includes Teacher’s Guide.
American History X (1 hr 59 min) Drama about the consequences of racism, starring Ed Norton and Ed Furlong as members of a white supremacist group. - 1999
Amistad (2 hrs 35 min) Based on a true story about the journey of a group of enslaved Africans who overtake their captors' ship and attempt to return to their homeland. - 1998
And the Band Played On (2 hr 20 min) Story of the discovery of the AIDS virus. From the early days in 1978 when numerous San Francisco gays began dying from unknown causes, to the identification of the HIV virus. - 1993
Bamboozled (2 hrs 15 min) A satire on race and racism within the modern media world. - 2001
Big Eden (1 hr 57 min) Country, romance story between two men who arrive home after 20 years apart. - 2002
Black and White (1 hr 38 min) Story of a friendship between a black man and a white man. - 1994
The Breakfast Club (1 hr 32 min) Comedy about five teenage students from all walks of life spending detention together. - 1985
Children of a Lesser God (1 hr 56 min) Love story between a young woman who is deaf and a rebellious teacher who believes she should learn to read lips and speak phonetically instead of using sign language which she has used her entire life. - 1986
Color Adjustment (1 hr 28 min) The film traces 40 years of race relations through the lens of prime time entertainment, scrutinizing televisions racial myths and stereotypes. - 1991
The Color Purple (2 hr 34 min) Based on the novel by Alice Walker, a powerful film set in America's rural south from 1909-1949, relating the life of Celie, a Southern black woman, touches on issues of social injustice, domestic violence, racism. - 1985
Come See the Paradise (2 hr 18 min) An Irish American man falls in love with a Japanese American woman in the 1930s, as they face the struggle to be legally married and suffer through the Japanese internment camps that rip their family apart. Starring Dennis Quaid. - 1991
The Contender (2 hrs 7 min) Thriller about nominating a woman vice president into office and the hidden agendas that erupt as a battle for power goes on. - 2001
Crash (2 hrs 2 min) A provocative, unflinching look at the complexities of racial conflict in America, CRASH is that rare cinematic event - a film that challenges audiences to question their own prejudices. Diving headlong into the diverse melting pot of post-9/11 Los Angeles, this compelling urban drama tracks the volatile intersections of a multi-ethnic cast, examining fear and bigotry from multiple perspectives as characters careen in and out of one another's lives. No one is safe in the battle zones of racial strife. And no one is immune to the simmering rage that sparks violence - and changes lives. - 2004
Cry Freedom (2 hr 37 min) Donald Woods is chief editor at the liberal newspaper Daily Dispatch in South Africa. He has written several editorials critical of the views of Steve Biko, but after having met him for the first time, he changes his views. - 1987
A Day Without a Mexican - DVD (1 hr 40 min) One day California wakes up and not a single Latino is left in the state. They have all inexplicably disappeared, chaos, tragedy, and comedy quickly ensue. - 2004
Death by Alcohol: The Sam Spady Story – DVD (30 minutes) She had everything to live for, but that came to a sudden and horrific end in the summer of 2004. - 2006
Dirty Pictures (1 hr 44 min) Based on true story, controversy erupts when an art curator showcases the sexually charged photos of Robert Mapplethorpe. - 2000
The Essential Blue-Eyed (50 min Trainer's Edition; 36 min Debriefing with Jane Elliott - both on one cassette) In a social experiment, a multiracial group of midwesterners is divided on the basis of eye color and then the blue-eyed members are subjected to a withering regime of humiliation and contempt. In just a few hours, we watch grown professionals become distracted and despondent, stumbling over the simplest commands. - 1999
Ethnic Notions (56 min) An Emmy-winning documentary that takes viewers on a disturbing voyage through American history, tracing for the first time the deep-rooted stereotypes which have fueled anti-black prejudice. - 1987
Frosh (1 hr 38 min) Documentary on freshman year at ethnically diverse Stanford University in 1993.
Seniors: Four Years in Retrospect (56 min) The filmmakers of Frosh, the widely acclaimed chronicle of one year in a racially diverse freshman residence hall, returned to Stanford three years later to see how college life had changed five of these students. - 1997
Geronimo (1 hr 55 min) Epic western about Geronimo, a warrior who was the last Indian leader to surrender to the white man. - 1994
Glory (1 hr 2 min) Story of the first black regiment to fight for the North in the Civil War. - 1989
The Great Indian Wars 1840-1890 (1 hr 36 min) History film about the wars Native Americans fought as pioneers began to take over Indian hunting grounds. - 1991
Hotel Rwanda (2 hrs 2 min) Ten years ago, as the country of Rwanda descended into madness, one man made a promise to protect the family he loved - and ended up finding the courage to save over 1200 people. Real-life hero Paul Rusesabagina, a hotel manager in Rwanda, used his courage and cunning to shelter over a thousand refugees from certain death. - 2004 
I Am Sam (2 hrs 12 min) a mentally handicapped father fighting for custody of his young daughter, starring Sean Penn. - 2002
If These Walls Could Talk (1 hr 35 min) A trilogy of stories set in the same house, but with different occupants and spanning over 40 years, deals with various women and moral crisis over unexpected pregnancies and their choice of abortion. - 1996
If These Walls Could Talk 2 (1 hr 36 min) A dramatic exploration into the lives of three separate lesbian couples in three different moments in history, starring Sharon Stone. - 2000
Jasper, Texas - DVD (1 hr 54 min) In 1998, three white men in the small town of Jasper, Texas, chained a black man to the back of their pickup truck and dragged him to his death. This film relates that story and how it affected all of the residents of the town, both black and white. - 2003
The Joy Luck Club (1 hr 19 min) Drama based on the book by Amy Tan, about four friends whose lives are filled with joy and heartbreak .- 1993
Killing Us Softy 3 – DVD (34 min plus 25 min extra interviews) Jean Kilbourne’s pioneering work helped develop and popularize the study of gender representation in advertising. Her award-winning “Killing us Softly” films have influenced millions of college and high school students across two generations and on an international scale. In this important new film, Kilbourne reviews if and how the image of women in advertising has changed over the last 20 years. - 2000
La Bamba (1 hr 43 min) Film about the life and death of 1950s rock star Ritchie Valens, a Mexican-American farm laborer who hit it big. - 1988
The Laramie Project (1 hr 36 min) Moises Kaufman and members of New York’s Tectonic Theater Project went to Laramie, Wyoming after the murder of Matthew Shepard. This is a film version of the play they wrote based on more than 200 interviews they conducted in Laramie. - 2002
The Long Walk Home (1 hr 38 min) Drama about the 1955 Montgomery, Alabama bus boycott and two women's experiences of racism. - 1991
Love! Valour! Compassion! (1 hr 48 min) Starring Jason Alexander, Movie adaptation of the Broadway hit, about the bonding experiences of eight gay NYC men. - 1997
Malcolm X (3 hr 22 min) Film about the life and times of Malcolm X. - 1992
Martin Luther King Jr. The Man and the Dream (50 min) In this one-of-a-kind look at his life and work, writer/director Tom Friedman explores how Dr. King's ideas, thoughts and causes evolved in the face of the rapidly changing climate of the Civil Rights Movement. - 1997
Mighty Times: The Legacy of Rosa Parks (40 min) Recounts the amazing story of how one woman's refusal to give up her bus seat to a white man stirred an entire community to unite against segregation. Includes viewer's guide with classroom activities and historical documents. - 2003
Mi Familia/My Family (2 hrs 8 min) Story that spans two generations of a Latino family. - 1995
Mississippi Burning (2 hr 7 min) Drama about racial unrest in the South during the 1960s when three civil rights workers disappear and the FBI intervenes. - 1988
My Left Foot (1 hr 43 min) Based on the life of Christy Brown, the Irish painter and author who was born with severe cerebral palsy, Brown was forced to communicate and work by writing and drawing with a pencil gripped in his left foot. - 1989
Not In Our Town (30 min) The inspiring documentary film about the residents of Billings, Montana who joined together when their neighbors were threatened by white supremacists. - 1995
People Like Us (2 hr 4 min) People Like Us shows how social class plays a role in the lives of all Americans, whether they live in Park Avenue penthouses, Appalachian trailer parks, bayou houseboats or suburban gated communities. The documentary travels across the country presenting stories that will resonate with viewers regardless of where they see themselves on the social spectrum. - 2001
Philadelphia (2 hrs 5 min) Philadelphia lawyer who sues his law firm when he is fired around the time he starts developing full blown AIDS. - 1994
Picture Bride (1 hr 38 min) This period romance follows the saga of a young Japanese girl who becomes a picture bride for a Hawaiian sugarcane worker following her parents deaths - Sundance Award Winner. - 1995
Pleasantville (2 hr 4 min) Film about two 90s teens who get zapped into a 1950s sitcom and show the characters the highs of love and art, as well as the lows of racism and chaos. - 1998
Rain Without Thunder (1 hr 26 min) Futuristic look at the United States if abortion were illegal. - 1995 
Schindlers List (3 hrs 17 min) Based on the true story of Oskar Schindler, member of the Nazi party who saved the lives of more than 1,100 Jews during the Holocaust. - 1993
Searching For Hope: A Video About Eating Disorders (22 min) One young woman's search for answers about her own bulimia and the eating disorders of her peers.
Skin Deep (53 min) This film chronicles the eye-opening journey of a diverse and divided group of college students as they awkwardly but honestly confront each others racial prejudices. - 1995
Stop Go Fast (12 min) Encourages participation in Oxfam-America's Fast for a World Harvest, the largest national campaign against world hunger. - 1993
Talking About Race (2 tapes, 12 and 13 min) For settings when time does not allow for a screening of the full documentary, we also offer TALKING ABOUT RACE, a package of two short videos (12 and 13 minutes) excerpted from SKIN DEEP. TALKING ABOUT RACE is structured around potential discussion topics which are outline in a 70-page facilitation guide.
Smoke Signals (1 hr 29 min) A journey of two young American Indian men and the experiences that brought them together. - 1999
The Shadow of Hate: A History of Intolerance in America (40 min) Spanning three centuries, this resource explores the history of intolerance in America and our country's ongoing struggle to live up to its ideals of liberty, equality and justice for all. Includes Teacher’s Guide.
Synergy From Others: Cultural Diversity (40 min) Defines some key dimensions of diversity and the effects of assimilation in the past, examines obstacles such as stereotyping, garbled communication, and collusion, and suggests how to institutionalize changes. - 2004
To Kill A Mockingbird (2 hrs 11 min) Drama based on the book, about a white Southern lawyer who defends a black man accused of raping a white woman. - 1962
Tom (12 min) This documentary chronicles the metamorphosis of Tom from carefree undergraduate to a college student facing the personal reality of HIV infection. - 1992
Tortilla Soup (1 hr 50 min - in English and in Spanish) A film inspired by director Ang Lees EAT DRINK MAN WOMAN, a Mexican-American master chef living in LA with his three daughters prepares a magnificent dinner each Sunday night to bring his family together - a take on family life in LA. - 2002
TransGeneration (8 part series, 300 min, 2 disc set) What is it like to be a man trapped in a woman’s body? How does a woman become a man and vice versa? A look at the lives of four college students undergoing gender transition.
The Twilight of the Golds (1 hr 32 min) Seemingly perfect family whose pregnant daughter finds out her baby may be genetically predisposed to being homosexual. - 1997
Tying the Knot - DVD (1 hr 21 min) A look at the debate over same sex marriage in the USA. The reasons behind it are illustrated with real life couples that have run afoul of current laws despite varying levels of planning. Also, the reasons against it are debunked by proponents. - 2004
Vagina Monologues (1 hr 16 min) A one-woman show that she began performing off-off-Broadway in 1996, spoke of women's bodies covering subjects often considered taboo, risqué, and threateningly empowering. - 1996
Whoopi Goldberg Live (1 hr 15 min) Whoopi Goldberg stars in her own comedy special in which she presents five unforgettable characters. - 1991
Wrestling with Manhood: Boys Bullying and Battering (1 hr) examines the enduring problems of men's violence against women and bullying in our schools. - 2002
