Sail freight comes to the 21st century!

For the past few years, filmmaker Jon Bowermaster (After The Spill) has watched a singular sailing boat being renovated in various ports along the Hudson. The original purpose of the Schooner Apollonia, a 64-foot, steel-hulled sailboat built in the 1940s was to carry and deliver up to 20,000 pounds of cargo by sail. Their team of ambitious, young adventurers, led by Captain Sam Merrett, have been working steadily to restore the dilapidated hull, overhaul its engine and sails, carve new booms and mast and return it to the water.

The Apollonia has been trawling ports from Hudson to Kingston, Beacon, Newburgh, Poughkeepsie, Piermont and Ossining, its hold stuffed with all kinds of Upstate goods headed south – and products made in Brooklyn and Manhattan returning back north – using only sustainable energy – sail power and/or vegetable oil!

Red oak logs, pumpkins, hundreds of thousands of pounds of malt headed to the boom-market of craft brewers, finely-made barrels (and whiskey), honey, hot sauce, and on and on, finding increasingly bigger markets in Red Hook, Brooklyn and the South Street Seaport as savvy shoppers get used to the boat’s once-a-month deliveries.

At a moment when global shipping is in the news every day for its Pandemic-spawned slowdown, and as people consider the carbon footprint of those overnight Amazon orders, shipping by fossil-free sail freight makes more and more sense.

39 minutes
SDH Captioned

Produced and Directed by Jon Bowermaster
Editor: Chris Rahm
Original Music: Aled Roberts
Cinematography: Devin Pickering, Chris Rahm
An Oceans 8 Films Production

In A CRIME ON THE BAYOU a Black teenager is arrested for touching a white boy's arm! The unjustly arrested Black man and his young Jewish attorney take the case to the Supreme Court to fight for the right of all Americans to a fair trial.

A CRIME ON THE BAYOU is the story of Gary Duncan, a Black teenager from Plaquemines Parish, a swampy strip of land south of New Orleans.

In 1966, Duncan tries to break up an argument between white and Black teenagers outside a newly integrated school, in the course of which he dares to gently lay a hand on a white boy's arm. That night, police burst into Duncan's trailer and arrest him for assault on a minor.

A young Jewish attorney, Richard Sobol, leaves his prestigious D.C. firm to volunteer in New Orleans. With his help, Duncan bravely stands up to a racist legal system powered by a white supremacist boss to challenge his unfair arrest. Their fight goes all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court, and their lifelong friendship is forged.

Written and directed by Nancy Buirski A CRIME ON THE BAYOU is the final film in her acclaimed trilogy profiling brave individuals who fought for justice in and around the Civil Rights era. The other films are The Loving Story and The Rape of Recy Taylor.

Directed by Nancy Buirski
Produced by Nancy Buirski, Susan Margolin, Claire L. Chandler
Executive Producers: Regina K. Scully, John Legend, Mike Jackson, Ty Stiklorius, Austin Biggers, Geralyn Dreyfous, Harlene Freezer, Jules Horowitz, Felicia Horowitz, Brenda Robinson, Mark Trustin, Jamie Wolf
Editor: Anthony Ripoli
Director of Photography: Rex Miller
Archival Producer: Hannah Shepard
Music Supervisor: Doug Bernheim
Writer: Nancy Buirski
Inspired by "Deep Delta Justice" by Matthew Van Meter
A Production of Augusta Films LLC in assocation with Get Lifted Film Co, and Artemis Rising Foundation

ENTANGLED documents how climate change has accelerated a collision between one of the world's most endangered species, North America's most valuable fishery, and a federal agency mandated to protect both.

 ENTANGLED chronicles the efforts to protect North Atlantic right whales from extinction, the impacts of those efforts on the lobster industry, and how the National Marine Fisheries Service has struggled to balance the vying interests.

There are now estimated to be about 350 right whales, making them among the planet's most endangered species. The main threat to their survival, scientists say: millions of lobster lines that stretch from New England up through Atlantic Canada, standard gear for North America's most valuable fishery. Exacerbating that threat is climate change, which has sparked a collapse in the whale's food supply in the warming waters of the Gulf of Maine, forcing them to search for food in areas where they had rarely been seen before. As a result, their population has been plummeting.

From David Abel & Andy Laub, award-winning producers of Lobster War, Sacred Cod, and Gladesmen: The Last of the Sawgrass Cowboys.

75 minutes

Directed by David Abel
Produced by David Abel, Andy Laub, Lise King
Editor: Andy Laub
Cinematography: David Abel, Giulia Campos
Sound Design/Soundtrack: Andy Laub
Animation: Emily Guo
A film by David Abel & Andy Laub

José is an excellent student with a bright future except that he is undocumented, the child of migrant farm laborers in California's Salinas Valley. EAST OF SALINAS asks, what is lost when kids like José are denied opportunities?

A story about immigration, childhood and circumstance.

EAST OF SALINAS begins with 3rd grader José telling us what he wants to be when he grows up. His parents work from sun up to sun down in the heart of California's "Steinbeck Country," the Salinas Valley. With little support available at home, José often turns to his teacher, Oscar Ramos, once a migrant farm kid himself. In fourth grade his teacher told him if he worked hard he could have a different life. Oscar won a scholarship to the University of California, Berkeley. The day he earned his degree, he bought a car and drove home to the fields. He's been teaching ever since.

José is Oscar's most gifted student. But how do you teach students like José who have no place to do their homework? How do you teach a kid who moves every few months? This is what Oscar is up against every day. Oscar not only teaches his students reading, math and science, he gives them access to a world beyond their reach.

But José was born in Mexico — and he's on the cusp of understanding the implications of that. As we watch this play out over three years, we begin to understand the cruelty of circumstance — for José and the many millions of undocumented kids like him.

EAST OF SALINAS asks, what is lost when kids like José are denied opportunities?

53 minutes

Directed by Laura Pacheco, Jackie Mow
Editor: Rachel Clark
Music: Joseph Julian Gonzalez
Director of Photography: Jackie Mow
Executive Producer for ITVS: Sally Jo Fifer
Executive Producer for LPB: Sandie Viquez Pedlow
Supervising Producer: Jen Gilomen
A Co-Production of Rock Salt Creative, LLC and Independent Television (ITVS), produced in association with Latino Public Broadcasting with major funding provided by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting

MEAT THE FUTURE follows Dr. Uma Valeti, co-founder of leading "cultivated" meat startup Upside Foods, as he and his team develop a game-changing solution to a global, unsustainable hunger for meat.

Imagine a world where real meat is produced sustainably without the need to breed, raise and slaughter animals. This is no longer science fiction, it's now within reach.

At the forefront of this urgent frontier is Mayo Clinic trained cardiologist Dr. Uma Valeti, the co-founder and CEO of Upside Foods (previously Memphis Meats), the leading start-up of the "cultivated" meat revolution. From the world's first meatball which cost $18,000 per pound to the first chicken fillet and duck a l'orange for half the cost, the film follows Valeti and his team over five years as the cost of production plummets, and consumers eye the imminent birth of this timely industry.

Narrated by Jane Goodall and featuring music by Moby, MEAT THE FUTURE explores a game-changing solution to a global, unsustainable hunger for meat and its impact on climate, animal welfare and public health.

88 minutes
SDH Captioned

Directed by Liz Marshall
Produced by Liz Marshall / LizMars Productions Inc.
Executive Producers: Moby, Janice Dawe, Chris Hegedus, Kyle Vogt
Associate Producer: Jessica Jennings
Editors: Caroline Christie, Roland Schlimme
Writer: Liz Marshall
Cinematography: John Price
Music Composed by: Igor Correia
Songs by: Moby
Narrator: Jane Goodall

FOOD FOR CHANGE tells the deep history of food cooperatives in America — the country's longest-surviving alternative economic system.

FOOD FOR CHANGE  looks at the current resurgence of food cooperatives in America and their unique historic place in the economic and political landscape. Born in the heartland, cooperatives are seen as the middle path between Wall Street and Socialism.

FOOD FOR CHANGE examines the important historical role played by food co-ops, their pioneering quest for organic foods, and their current efforts to create regional food systems, strengthen local economies and build food security.

 Profiling several food co-ops that have revived neighborhoods and communities — right in the shadows of corporate agribusinesses and supermarket chains — it's an inspiring example of community-centered economies thriving in an age of globalization.

82 minutes

Directed by Steve Alves
Produced by Home Planet Pictures
Writer/Editor: Steve Alves
Co-Producers: Robert Allen, Andrew M. Curran
Camera: Alan Dater, Rawn Fulton, David Skillicorn, Daniel Keller
Animation & Graphics: Thom Dudley
Music: Joe Podlesny

FOOD COOP looks at the workings of a highly profitable supermarket, Brooklyn's Park Slope Food Coop, which for 44 years has been a shining example of a successful alternative economic system at work.

"A curious and benevolent stroll through...this unique store."
Jérémy Gallet, aVoir aLire

"A healthy place...Exceptional...Enthusiastic."
Basta!

"A truly thrilling film."
Céline Zug, Boite à Culture

"Tells the story of Park Slope Food Co-op in Brooklyn-a 44-year-old, highly successful food co-op...The film shows viewers the whole gamut of store operations - from committees, to stocking, to produce and dairy buying, to walking customers to the subway...This film is a fascinating study of how a community has organized itself to collectively govern and manage a very complex social enterprise."
Steve Dubb, Senior Editor, Nonprofit Quarterly

"A rare, candid look into the life of Park Slope Food Co-op, and the lives of the co-op's members. The film provides a glimpse into the methods and culture employed in this exceptionally successful co-op. An intriguing resource for instructors or organizers looking to explore the nuances of collective entrepreneurship through a real-world example that has been sustained at scale for several decades."
Tom Pierson, Co-op Educator

"An amusing and enlightening food exposé...Capture[s] the essence of this unique emporium with a blend of humor and pragmatism, underlining how a sustainable business needs to have more in mind than just the bottom line in order to survive."
Jordan Mintzer, Hollywood Reporter

"This work wonderfully presents the successes and challenges that cooperative organizations face...Park Slope Food Co-op is a shining example of how people can work collectively - literally - to access quality products at affordable prices. As an educator, I appreciated that the film focused Park Slope's value-driven business: if you can tap into people's common values, you can build something really special that fulfills our collective human propensity for support and cooperation."
Keri L. Jacobs, Assistant Professor and Cooperatives Extension Economist, Department of Economics, Iowa State University

"A fabulous inside look at Park Slope, one of the most iconic food coops of the past half century. With some of the best footage of a cooperative I have seen, the filmmakers take us beyond the membership barriers to see how the coop functions on a day-to-day basis and to meet many of the personalities that make the coop so successful. Offering a vivid illustration of a cooperative economy at work, this film will be valuable both in and out of the classroom."
Craig Borowiak, Associate Professor and Chair, Political Science, Haverford College

"FOOD COOP not only highlights a successful cooperative venture, but also addresses the urgent need for access to food in urban markets...The film does a great job of showing the value of cooperation by way of example...There are shining moments in this film that teach us that cooperation can be a balancing force when the market fails to provide what consumers need."
Dr. John Park, Roy B. Davis Professor of Agricultural Cooperation, Texas A and M University

"This detailed examination of the Park Slope Food Co-op explores both the benefits and challenges associated with providing affordable high quality foods in urban neighborhoods...Particular attention is focused on the importance of the unpaid labor provided by the diverse membership that is a requirement for membership. The in-depth treatment of this unique cooperative venture will allow interested viewers to garner sufficient information to organize similar efforts that can address the problem of food deserts confronting many communities."
James Stewart, Professor Emeritus, Labor and Employment Relations, African and African American Studies, Management and Organization, Pennsylvania State University

ORCHESTRATING CHANGE tells the inspiring story of Me2/Orchestra, the only orchestra in the world created by and for people living with mental illness and those who support them.

ORCHESTRATING CHANGE tells the inspiring story of Me2/Orchestra, the only orchestra in the world created by and for people living with mental illness and those who support them. The orchestra's mission is to erase the stigmatization of people living with mental illness through the creation of beautiful music, community, compassion and understanding...one concert at a time. Most important, it is changing the lives of the musicians and audiences in ways they never imagined.

With compelling characters, striking animation, even humor, ORCHESTRATING CHANGE addresses many of the myths about mental illness by showing what living with a mental illness is really like—with both setbacks and accomplishments. The film challenges audiences to reconsider their preconceived notions about mental illness. For those living with a diagnosis, it is empowering.

The film culminates in an extraordinary concert that is a triumph — for Me2/Orchestra's conductor and co-founder, Ronald Braunstein, who lives with bipolar disorder and thought he might never conduct again, and for the musicians, their families and the audience.

85 minutes

Directed by Margie Friedman, Barbara Multer-Wellin
Produced by Margie Friedman, Barbara Multer-Wellin
Editor: Ralph Herman
Cinematography: Derek Hallquist, Jim Frances, Tim Joy, Christian Clark
Original Music: Bronwen Jones
Animation: Sarah and Catherine Satrun

THIRST FOR JUSTICE focuses on three battles for clean water — on the Navajo Reservation, in Flint Michigan, and at Standing Rock — united in the belief that Water Is Life.

Armed only with facts and their illnesses, extraordinary citizens take on industry and government, risking arrest to protect clean water. From Flint to the Navajo Nation, via Standing Rock, this is their story.

THIRST FOR JUSTICE follows Janene Yazzie as she searches for the source of contamination in her son's school's water in Sanders, Arizona. She suspects drinking uranium-contaminated water from the 1979 Church Rock dam spill caused her ovarian cancer. Armed with a geiger counter she begins investigating radioactive waste on the Navajo Nation and finds areas hotter than evacuation zones in Chernobyl.

When the epic movement for water justice ignites in Standing Rock, Janene is compelled to join. There she meets Flint water activist Nayyirah Shariff and their struggles converge. Janene travels to Flint, where she sees first hand the similarities between what's happening in this inner-city and the Navajo experience. The sacredness of water flows through the film, with the water ceremonies and teachings from water carriers, like Mary Lyons and other Water Protectors.

58 minutes

Directed by Leana Hosea
Produced by Leana Hosea
Co-Producers: Tony Infante, Fateh Ahmed
Editor: Rich Smith
Cinematography: Leana Hosea, Lauretta Prevost
Music: Anthony Bruno, Sara Kay
Executive Producers: John Carver, Tim Wadhams, Howdie Holmes, Jeremy Hosea, Maureen Vanderputt, Kandy Martin

In THE BOYS WHO SAID NO!, young Americans, barely adults, find their faith in their country shaken by the Vietnam War. Inspired by Black America’s crusade for equal rights, young Americans choose to resist the Vietnam War, and openly refuse military service, risking prison to end the horrors of war.

THE BOYS WHO SAID NO! is the first documentary film to profile the young men and women who actively opposed the military draft in order to end the Vietnam War. The film shows how their personal and collective acts of nonviolent resistance, risking arrest and imprisonment for up to 5 years, were a critical part of the antiwar movement, intensifying opposition to the war and eventually forcing an end to both conscription and the war.

Drawing on original interviews with more than thirty male and female nonviolent activists and historians, THE BOYS WHO SAID NO! explores the influence of Gandhian nonviolence and the impact of the civil rights movement on Resistance members, a connection illustrated in footage of Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. visiting and supporting Joan Baez and others jailed for blocking the Oakland Induction Center in 1967.

THE BOYS WHO SAID NO! is an overdue and definitive account of the principled and powerful nonviolent resistance to America's most problematic war. These young men risked years in prison to challenge a war of tragic human proportions. Their leadership, personal sacrifices, and example had a direct effect on ending the war, and are an important example for today's movements for social justice and peace.

95 minutes

Directed by Judith Ehrlich
Produced by Christopher Jones, Judith Ehrlich, Bill Prince
Executive Producers: Clara Bingham, Robert Estrin, Alan Gould, Robert Levering and Carolyn Leone Levering, Robert and Marie Weissbourd, Bob Zaugh
Editor: Scott Walton
Writers: Michael Chandler, Judith Ehrlich
Composer: Beth Custer
Narrator: Michael Stewart Foley

A RECKONING IN BOSTON explores what keeps the gap between rich and poor, white and Black, so glaringly wide in Boston.

Kafi Dixon dreams of starting a land cooperative for women of color who have experienced trauma and disenfranchisement in the city of Boston. By day she drives a city bus. At night she is enrolled in the Clemente Course in the Humanities, a tuition-free college-level program for those who have experienced homelessness, transitioned out of incarceration, or faced barriers to a college education. Her classmate Carl Chandler, a community elder, is the class's intellectual leader.

White suburban filmmaker James Rutenbeck documents the students' engagement with the humanities. As he looks for transformations in their lives, he's awakened to the violence, racism and gentrification that threaten their very place in the city. Troubled by his failure to bring the film together, he enlists Kafi and Carl as collaborators. Five years later the students arrive at a new place, and with their support, James does too.

84 minutes

Directed by James Rutenbeck
Produced by Carl Chandler, Kafi Dixon, James Rutenbeck
Executive Producers: Llewellyn Smith, Anne Marie Stein
Editor: James Rutenbeck
Directors of Photography: Allie Humenuk, P.H. O'Brien
Written by: James Rutenbeck
Music: Nate May
Executive Producer for Independent Lens: Lois Vossen

CRUTCH chronicles the gravity defying life of Bill Shannon, an internationally renowned artist, breakdancer and skate punk — on crutches.

Two decades of exclusive access, plus a lifetime of archival footage, depict Bill Shannon from his early years, to his rise as an award-winning dancer and cutting-edge performance artist whose work finds outlet at prestigious venues worldwide.

CRUTCH documents Bill's extraordinary journey: the history of his medical odyssey and his struggles with chronic pain, the evolution of his crutch dancing and skating, his rise to become a world-renowned performance artist, and his transformation from an angry skate punk to an international hero.

CRUTCH also dives into Bill's provocative street performances, in which he exposes the hidden world of assumptions disabled people encounter in public, on a daily basis. While the film questions his early exploitation of strangers' good Samaritan impulses, it also marvels at Bill's ability to create solutions and empower others to navigate similar challenges.

From childhood "cripple" to international provocateur, CRUTCH is an emotional story of a one-of-a-kind artist's struggle to be understood.

96 minutes

Directed by Sachi Cunningham, Vayabobo
Produced by Vayabobo, Sachi Cunningham
Writer: Vayabobo
Executive Producers: Stephen Nemeth, Michael Levin, Sarah Evans, Billy Graves, Tim Cunningham, Nancy Blachman
Co-Executive Producers: Earl Cole, Betsy Stahl
Editor: Nick Bradford
Directors of Photography: Sachi Cunningham, Vayabobo
Music: George Karpasitis, Te'Amir Sweeney
Music Supervisor: Jennifer Lanchart
A Vayabobo/Seasachi Film

DR. FEELGOOD tells the story of Dr. William Hurwitz — a preeminent pain specialist sentenced to 25 years in prison for drug trafficking — providing a window into the ethical dilemma and complexities involved in opioid painkiller prescriptions.

Dealer or Healer?

The story of Dr. William Hurwitz — a preeminent pain specialist sentenced to 25 years in prison for drug trafficking — provides a window into the ethical dilemma of opioid prescriptions. Painkillers give doctors tremendous power to relieve pain, a primary goal of any physician. But this power begets trouble when the same drugs can lead to addiction, abuse and death.

In 2004 Dr. William Hurwitz was convicted of over 50 counts of narcotics distribution and handed a 25-year prison sentence. DR. FEELGOOD traces Dr. Hurwitz's trial and eventual appeal, detailing the events that led to his arrest.

Testimonies from the witnesses in Dr. Hurwitz's case contradict one another — some revere him, while others condemn him. Taken together, their accounts reveal a profile of a compassionate yet flawed doctor. The film, in telling his story, underscores the tension between every patient's right to pain relief and the lawful need for drug control. There could not be a more critical time to spark discussion on the topic, and call for careful thought and action.

84 minutes

Directed by Eve Marson
Produced by Sara Goldblatt, p.g.a., Eve Marson, p.g.a.
Co-Producer: Kip Pastor
Executive Producers: Alison Block, Timothy Poore
Original Score: Music: Jacob Yoffee
Editors: Adam Bolt, Michael X. Flores, Andrew McAllister, Avner Shiloah
Cinematography: Jeff Bierman
Writers: David Boodell, Sara Goldblatt, Mark Monroe, Eve Marson
A Bungalow Pictures presentation in association with Diamond Docs

WHO'S NEXT? examines the effects of hate speech and bigotry on the lives of Muslim-Americans.

"An important and compelling addition to the resources available that highlight the experiences of Muslims in the US in the post 9/11 era. In following a selection of families, it allows viewers into the lives of regular people who have been impacted by Islamophobia and its structural manifestations. With only half of Americans knowing a Muslim personally, WHO'S NEXT? provides a window into the lives of our fellow Americans who happen to be Muslim as well as of those who have sought refuge here."
Meira Neggaz, Executive Director, Institute for Social Policy and Understanding

"The best and most profound movie I've seen recently...As unsettling as it is important. It is an extremely well-made documentary, uncluttered, never resorting to inflated dramatics. The drama is in the stories of the families. WHO'S NEXT? is the type of artistic expression essential to those who cherish the concept of democracy."
David Rothenberg, host, Any Saturday, WBAI

"Poignant...WHO'S NEXT? explores the current challenges faced by Muslims in the United States - along with their resilient efforts to raise and educate their children and contribute to a better society."
The Rev. Dr. Chloe Breyer, Executive Director, Interfaith Center of New York

"This important film should be part of every educational platform. It reminds us that we all have the capacity to raise up the other with dignity and respect."
Rabbi Laurie Phillips, Beineinu NYC

"This work brings alive the heroism and struggles of the Muslim community in today's world. It gives us all hope in telling the story of leaders stepping up for their families, communities and society as a whole as they face the challenges and realities of hate and Islamophobia."
Rabbi Bob Kaplan, Director, Center for Community Leadership, Jewish Community Relations Council of New York (JCRC-NY)

"An inspiring documentary, showing the resilience of Muslims in America and a call to action for all who care about preserving human rights and civil rights in our country."
Dr. Sarah Sayeed, Chair and Executive Director, Civic Engagement Commission of NYC

"With deep compassion and sharp insight, Cooperstein Charney gives us a painful view of what it is like to be Muslim in America today."
Roberta Brandes Gratz, Journalist, Author, We're Still Here Ya Bastards: How the People of New Orleans Rebuilt Their City

"An urgent, inspiring message with beautiful and moving portraits of American Muslims and non-Muslims living with mutual respect and care in a politically divisive age. WHO'S NEXT? shows the reality of Islamophobia in the US, but brings hope and humor as well. An ideal film ... viewing during the Trump presidency and for many years to come."
Emilio Spadola, Associate Professor of Anthropology, Director of Middle East and Islamic Studies, Colgate University

"Who's Next? is a moving portrayal of the unrelenting assault on the lives and livelihoods of Muslims in post-9/11 America. The film provides ... a powerful tool for helping ... to challenge manufactured narratives of an Islamic threat and to contemplate constructive ways of building bridges across racial and religious difference."
Todd Green, Associate Professor of Religion, Luther College, Author, The Fear of Islam: An Introduction to Islamophobia in the West

NATURE'S CLEANUP CREW examines the lives of the busy scavengers who live among us in our cities, recycling the mountains of waste our consumer society leaves behind.

With the help of thoughtful and passionate scientists who have come to understand and love them, we find out what makes scavengers tick. We debunk myths about them. We ask...What adaptations have they evolved to do their job? What benefits do they provide to humanity? How can we humans work with them, so that they can do their job even better?

On Broadway in Manhattan, we see the tourist crowds from the ants' point of view, as a team of young entomologists discover how important they are to keeping the streets clean. In Berlin, we discover how scavenging foxes have adapted to survive in an urban environment—something they've had to do because they have nowhere else to go. In Toronto we hunt for the elusive opossum—the shyest scavenger of all—to find out how they help to make our cities healthier. In Addis Ababa, Ethiopia we track the city's teaming population of vultures to find out how they protect people from deadly disease.

By the end, we may not all see nature's cleanup crew as beautiful creatures the way some scientists do, but we're likely to be willing to give them the respect they deserve.

54 minutes
SDH Captioned

Directed by Robin Bicknell
Produced by Robert Lang
Writer: Allen Booth
Editor: Bill Towgood
Cinematography: Derek Rogers, Russell Gienapp
Original Music: Eric Cadesky, Nick Dyer
Narrator: David Suzuki
A Kensington Communications Production in association with Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, with the participation of ZDF/ARTE

LOVE & SOLIDARITY is an exploration of nonviolence and organizing through the life and teachings of Rev. James Lawson.

LOVE & SOLIDARITY is an exploration of nonviolence and organizing through the life and teachings of Rev. James Lawson. Lawson provided crucial strategic guidance while working with Martin Luther King, Jr., in southern freedom struggles and the Memphis sanitation strike of 1968. Moving to Los Angeles in 1974, Lawson continued his nonviolence organizing in multi-racial community and worker coalitions that have helped to remake the LA labor movement.

Through interviews and historical documents, acclaimed labor and civil rights historian Michael Honey and award-winning filmmaker Errol Webber put Lawson's discourse on nonviolent direct action on the front burner of today's struggles against economic inequality, racism and violence, and for human rights, peace, and economic justice.

38 minutes

Directed by Michael Honey
Produced by Michael Honey, Errol Webber
Photography: Errol Webber
Editor: Adam Mizrahi
Assistant Editor: Paul Lovelady
Assistant Director & Research Manager: Adam Nolan
Historical Advisor: Clayborne Carson
Supported by Fetzer Institute; Center for the Study of Community & Society, University of Washington Tacoma; UW Tacoma Staff, SEIU Local 925

In A HOME CALLED NEBRASKA, people in Nebraska wholeheartedly welcome refugees and show that the newcomers enrich their communities, their economies, and their lives.

In 2020, with America's Refugee Resettlement Program hanging by a thread, A HOME CALLED NEBRASKA is the story of midwestern welcome, acceptance, and unlikely friendships during a time of national anxiety and emboldened bigotry. In 2016, the conservative state of Nebraska resettled more refugees per capita than any other state.

A HOME CALLED NEBRASKA spotlights people who escaped war, torture and persecution. It also introduces the generous Nebraskans who welcomed them, taught them, celebrated with them, and helped them find jobs and houses. Today these refugees are succeeding, and are giving back to the communities that supported them.

This heartwarming documentary by Beth and George Gage (American Outrage, Bidder 70) offers hope and an antidote to racist nationalism: communities of people in Nebraska who work to dispel fear, build bridges and change their own perceptions along the way. Here is a compelling portrait of ordinary people standing up for what is right, inspiring us to do the same.

69 minutes
Directed by Beth Gage, George Gage
Produced by Gage & Gage Productions
Story: Beth Gage
Editor:Zen Rosenthal, William Lehman
Cinematography: George Gage
Original Music: Didier Leplae
Songs: Alex Ebert
Sound Designer: John Reese

"Poignant, joyful, devastating, and searing...An ultimately hopeful film that pushes beyond sensationalistic headlines and polarizing politics to make the case that refugee resettlement is important for all of us in contemporary America. The filmmakers do not shy away from the many challenges that face newcomers, but they emphasize the creative and positive ways that refugees rebuild their lives and in doing so benefit the new communities they join. A HOME CALLED NEBRASKA is a tremendous vision of what America can be at its best, driven by the dreams and aspirations of its newest members."
Pablo S. Bose, Associate Professor of Geography, Director of Global and Regional Studies, University of Vermont, Author, Refugees in New Destinations and Small Cities: Resettlement in Vermont

"Very informative...highlight[s] a community welcoming newcomers, building bridges, creating hopeful futures, and dispelling fear while combating the hatred of racist nationalism...Highly recommended."
Larry Gleeson, HollywoodGlee

"This documentary is an important reminder that 'welcoming the stranger' can benefit everyone, across party lines and religious affiliations. Communities like these in Nebraska play a vital role in ensuring that refugees are welcomed in the United States. At the same time, the documentary shows clearly the vital role refugees play in giving back to them. The refugees featured in the documentary, like IRAP's former client Fred, who saved American lives in Afghanistan, show us what we're missing out on if we close our doors to them."
Nisha Agarwal, Deputy Executive Director, International Refugee Assistance Project

"A touching film about the current plight of refugees in the United States. Though the focus is Nebraska, it is reminiscent of the issues in several communities throughout the country."
Matthew Good, Librarian, Educators' Institute of Human Rights

"A HOME CALLED NEBRASKA is an essential introduction to refugee resettlement in the U.S., a frequently-debated, yet commonly-misunderstood phenomenon. The film sets the record straight on refugee resettlement, challenges stereotypes, and highlights the painful impacts of the Trump administration on refugees, their families, and host communities alike. It can highlight the interconnectedness of our world, and our personal and collective responsibilities in creating spaces of safety and belonging for the over 79 million people who are currently displaced from their homes worldwide."
Dr. Nicole Pettitt, Assistant Professor of English and World Languages, Youngstown State University

"A poignant and visually stunning account of the refugee journeys. The voices in the film amplify the plight of the globally displaced, most of whom remain unseen and unheard. These are the stories of America and the storied, multicolored threads that make America what it is, and what it can still be."
Khatharya Um, Associate Professor of Ethnic Studies, University of California-Berkeley, Author, From the Land of Shadows: War, Revolution and the Making of the Cambodian Diaspora

"A HOME CALLED NEBRASKA is a sympathetic and sensitive portrayal of refugee reception in Nebraska, focusing both on the personal journeys of refugees and on the agency staff and community volunteers who seek to smooth their transitions and ease their pain. The film spotlights the kinder side of the US nation, evidenced in its positive tone of welcome and in its disappointment with lowered refugee admissions and with refugee and Muslim bans. It is an excellent resource for educators and advocates who support a return to policies favoring refugee resettlement."
Louise Cainkar, Professor of Social Welfare and Justice and Sociology, Director of Peace Studies, Marquette University

"In a time of rising xenophobia, Nebraskans have become leaders in refugee resettlement, providing a warm home for thousands of people from around the world. A HOME CALLED NEBRASKA provides an engaging and inspiring exploration of the people who made this happen, the experiences of the refugees, and the many ways the resettlement program has enriched the state. This film will be a tremendous resource for communities and classrooms at all levels."
Julie Greene, Co-Director, Center for Global Migration Studies, Professor of History, University of Maryland

"Inspiring...This film is particularly relevant right now, as the country starts to look at what divides and unites us as Americans, following the elections. In the end, and deep down, we are not that different from one another, despite religion, place of birth, or political affiliation. As we look forward to rebuilding the infrastructure to help more refugees to resettle in the US, materials such as this film will be invaluable in approaching potential host communities with a realistic picture of refugee resettlement."
Erol Kekic, Director, Immigration and Refugee Program, Church World Service

RETURN TO KANDAHAR explores post-war Afghanistan, as seen through the eyes of Nelofer Pazira, star of the movie "Kandahar," as she searches for her childhood friend.

Nelofer Pazira, the star of the movie "Kandahar," returns to Afghanistan to seek out her childhood friend Dyana, whose story inspired that film. Landing in Kabul 13 years after her family left Russian-occupied Afghanistan, Nelofer unravels her past and the history of her country while searching for Dyana; the epic journey takes her to Kabul, Kandahar and Masir-e-Sharif, where Dyana's uncle last had contact with her family.

Nelofer journeys across a broken land smashed by war with the Russians, years of anarchy under the Northern Alliance, the Taliban, and now by America's "war on terror." Incisively weaving Nelofer's personal story with that of Afghanistan itself, RETURN TO KANDAHAR shows a country once again in the grip of warlords.

65 minutes
Directed by Paul Jay and Nelofer Pazira
Produced by Icebreaker Films and j films inc. in association with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
Executive Producer: David M. Ostriker
Director of Photography: Martin Duckworth

"Breathtaking...Straddling two cultures, Pazira is an inspiration, a journalist with analysis, wit and compassion. In just 60 minutes she takes us deeper into Afghanistan than all those endless hours of CNN. And with the media's eye now trained on Iraq, she reminds us that there is more truth in the aftermath than in the heat of the action."
Macleans

"RETURN TO KANDAHAR is like a road trip through a war zone...Probing and impassioned...[it] is not only essential supplemental viewing for those who've seen Kandahar, it also comes at a time of fortuitous historical coincidence. As a film that documents what happens in a country when the foreign armies leave and the world press pack up and go home, it commands our attention every bit as much as its predecessor."
Toronto Starweek Magazine

"Deeply moving"
Hollywood Reporter

"A wonderful documentary...It's about the turbulent history of the country in the last few decades and how the country became the focus of world events...It's an astonishing story of the personal and political."(Toronto) Globe and Mail

"Shocking, compelling...as suspenseful as any drama. But it is also a shocking portrait of a nation still reeling from years of war, resistance and oppression."
Ottawa Citizen

"Beautifully weaves in Afghanistan's past history and its current reality...The directors have presented the historical facts without passing judgement. Yet, there is recognition that Afghan society and individuals have suffered greatly under foreign intervention. The rise of the Taliban and the persecution of women are explored not only through the eyes of women but also the clerics...RETURN TO KANDAHAR is a poignant, thoughtful, and touching story about friendship, which transcends political, historical, and geographic separation."
Sarah Zaidi, Director, Center for Economic and Social Rights

"Breathtaking and bittersweet...Pazira's thoughtful and at times harrowing search for her own history."
The Gazette

"[Paul Jay] has a gift for telling the most difficult stories with stunning and poignant images that haunt, inspire and empower...RETURN TO KANDAHAR reveals an Afghanistan that, since the events of Sept. 11, western journalists and their audiences know little, if anything, about. The billions of dollars of promised aid from America's 'War on Terror' haven't arrived ... yet. The film is simultaneously disturbing and compelling. It is hard to look away...I urge you to watch RETURN TO KANDAHAR."
Bret Hart, Calgary Sun

"[Pazira's] search for her lost friend -- a symbol of Afghan oppression -- provid[es] this mesmerizing, quietly devastating documentary with a human backdrop that allows viewers to engage with the material in a way a straightforward news documentary never could."
Kitchener-Waterloo Record

"Earnest, articulate and angry, Pazira is a compelling commentator on Afghanistan's latest batch of miseries, which she perceives to have less to do with the Taliban than Cold War-era geopolitics...the fate of Pazira's quest makes it...heart-rending."
Eye Magazine

"Kandahar was great. RETURN TO KANDAHAR is even better...Nelofer is beautiful and fierce, just like the women in her country."
Masuda Sultan, Women for Afghan Women

"Detailing a fascinating and powerful personal story, [RETURN TO KANDAHAR] is also important in its revelations about present-day Afghanistan from the perspective of ordinary, still-suffering people rather than powerbrokers. Highly recommended."
Video Librarian

"The directors of this remarkable film reveal far more than news coverage does about how the years of war and empty promises of peaceful reconstruction have wreaked a tragic toll on the people of Afghanistan."
Linda Alkana, Department of History, California State University.

"Highly Recommended."
Educational Media Reviews Online

"An eloquent commentary on the current state of affairs for the people of Afghanistan, women in particular...Many of the problems of the return to competitive warlord control rather than a centralized government are clearly articulated in the film. Highly Recommended."
Mary Laskowski, Univ. of Illinois, Urbana for Library Journal

"Return to Kandahar enables a Western audience to access the streets of Afghanistan, thanks to Pazira's savvy and dexterity within her country."
Al Jadid Magazine

In Highland Park, Michigan an unelected, state-appointed Emergency Financial Manager with quasi-dictatorial authority schemes to privatize public water in THE WATER FRONT.

What if you lived by the largest body of fresh water in the world but could no longer afford to use it?

With a shrinking population, the post-industrial city of Highland Park, Michigan is on the verge of financial collapse. The state of Michigan has appointed an Emergency Financial Manager who sees the water plant as key to economic recovery. She has raised water rates and has implemented severe measures to collect on bills. As a result, Highland Park residents have received water bills as high as $10,000, they have had their water turned off, their homes foreclosed, and are struggling to keep water, a basic human right, from becoming privatized.

THE WATER FRONT is the story of an American city in crisis but it is not just about water. The story touches on the very essence of our democratic system and is an unnerving indication of what is in store for residents around the world facing their own water struggles. The film raises questions such as: Who determines the future of shared public resources? What are alternatives to water privatization? How will we maintain our public water systems and who can we hold accountable?

53 minutes

Directed by Liz Miller
Produced by Red Lizard Media
Cinematographer: Liz Miller
Editors: Liz Miller, Susan Shanks, Frederic Moffet and Etienne Gagnon
Original Music: John Brennan
Theme Music: Joe L. Carter
Narration: Achebe Powell

"This water issue is so profound I had no idea that we would be engaged in this horrific fight to have water acknowledged as a human right."
Maureen Taylor, Michigan Welfare Rights

"Water is not only an issue affecting poor countries. Everywhere in the world, people are facing a diversity of difficulties in accessing water. And the characters Liz Miller chose to portray in her film are particularly strong, in their interesting way of facing up the situation, reacting, gathering, getting involved and fighting together. Covering all water issues, from pricing to privatization and--above all--the human right to water, this film sends a strong message on the way public participation and action can overcome problems."
Melanie Giard, Communication Officer, World Water Council and Kostas Vassilakis, Official Secretary, Special Permanent Environment Protection Committee, Greek Parliament

"Miller's film does precisely what documentaries do best: it introduces us to a problem, sticks with it without losing focus and somehow makes us care deeply about the struggles of the people in front of the camera."
Montreal Gazette

"When Highland Park's residents stand at their kitchen sinks, they confront deindustrialization, capital flight, suburbanization, neoliberalism, and profound inequality in the period of late capitalism. Rather than exploring these issues in the abstract, Liz Miller offers thoughtful, poignant portraits of the Black women and men on the ground. As the scenes move from their living rooms, through the city's water treatment plant, and to city council meetings, THE WATER FRONT illumines how public policies influence the lives of everyday people, and, importantly, how everyday people can organize to influence public policies. Miller's imagery calls into question Americans' habits and chores: viewers are compelled to reconsider quotidian acts like bathing, flushing, washing, and watering after watching the film. THE WATER FRONT will inspire conversations and debates about public services, human rights, and community organizing."
Dr. Kelly Quinn, Assistant Professor of American Studies, Miami University

"Undoubtedly water will be one of the key issues to be fought over in the 21st century -whether you live in Highland Park, Michigan or Soweto, South Africa. To date people in Highland Park struggle to pay their highly inflated water bills in order to stay in their homes and keep their families together. THE WATER FRONT is an amazing movie that chronicles the institutional abuses of citizens in a city where fresh water resources are abundant. The threat of privatization and the commoditization of water strike a devastating blow to the working class and those least able to eke out a living. This movie should be viewed by everyone concerned about the survival of our communities and the just and equitable distribution of water resources."
Bunyan Bryant, Ph.D., Director of the Environmental Justice Initiative, University of Michigan School of Natural Resources and Environment

"Powerful and moving."
Martha Saxton, Associate Professor of History and Women's and Gender Studies, Amherst College

"Brilliant and engaging."
Professor Bruce Pietrykowski. Director of Urban and Regional Studies, University of Michigan-Dearborn

"Depicts the result when cities with single industries lose both jobs and tax base. With insufficient capital, but an intact infrastructure, Highland Park, Michigan attempts to revitalize its coffers by using city water as a marketable commodity. The film examines the controversy between city officials and residents, who perceive city services from opposite points of view, respectively, as a source of funds, and as a right. This film will generate much discussion on the nature of political participation, the interlinking roles of local and state government, and the function of publicly owned utilities."
Kate Foss-Mollan, PhD, Dept of History, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Author, Hard Water: Politics and Water Supply in Milwaukee

"Films like this are a way of putting a mirror to our society."
Elaine S. Charnov, Co-Director, Margaret Mead Video and Film Festival, in The New York Times

"The life of a documentary lies in the stories of the public. THE WATER FRONT project is a compelling case that reveals how true this is."
Center for Social Media at American University

"Arguments are rarely black and white, and Liz Miller skillfully interviews everyone involved. We are able to walk through Highland Park, go into people's homes, and visit government offices. Miller weaves images of water, hooking you with its beauty and vital necessity. She makes you weep for these people. With the world in crisis, particularly the current economic and environmental mess, this is a must see film. At fifty-three minutes, educators should use this film in the classroom to show how a real democracy can and should function. We can fight the system, we just need to learn how to do it!"
Feminist Review

"The residents of Highland Park are allowed to tell their stories for themselves, with little intrusion by the filmmakers. The social implications of this struggle are suggested rather than belabored. While the city's consultants want to run the water works like a business, the filmmakers ask if the necessities of life should be sold for a profit...This would be useful in college-level courses that deal with race and class, privatization, leadership, local government, grassroots organizing or economics."
Katherine Walker, Virginia Commonwealth University, Anthropology Review Database

"Rather than a sense of hopelessness, THE WATER FRONT delivers the message that the people of a community can retain control of their fate if they join forces in resistance to outside interests that try to gain control of a resource as precious as water."
Metro Times Detroit

"Deeply moving and incisive...The film has been out for a while now...Over time, though, it has only become more pertinent...This film is about much more than water. It gets to the essence of democracy itself, and how an essential natural resource that has no substitute is controlled...One way or another, this is a film you should see."
Metro Times Detroit