Films with: Cheatle, Lori

51 Birch Street

Documentary filmmaker Doug Block had believed his parents' 54-year marriage was a good one until, just a few months after his mother's unexpected death, his father announced that he was moving to Florida to live with his secretary from 40 years before. Doug returns to suburban Long Island for one last visit. Through conversations with family and friends and surprising diary revelations, he comes to understand that his parents were far more complex and troubled than he ever imagined.

DVD 4950

From swastika to Jim Crow

Before and during World War II Jewish scholars who escaped Nazi Germany and immigrated to the U.S. were confronted with anti-Semitism at major universities and a public distrust of foreigners. A surprising number secured teaching positions at historically African American colleges in the South. In many cases they formed lasting relationships with their students and had an important impact on the communities in which they lived. This is a story of two cultures, each sharing a burden of oppression, brought together by the tragic circumstances of war.

DVD 7015