Films with: Woodard, Alfre

12 years a slave

Based on the true story of Solomon Northup. It is 1841, and Northup, an accomplished, free citizen of New York, is kidnapped and sold into slavery. Stripped of his identity and deprived of all dignity, Northup is ultimately purchased by ruthless plantation owner Edwin Epps and must find the strength within to survive. Filled with powerful performances by an astonishing cast including Chiwetel Ejiofor, Michael Fassbener, Benedict Cumberbatch, Brad Pitt, and newcomer Lupita Nyong'o, 12 Years a Slave is both an unflinching account of slavery in American history and a celebration of the indomitable power of hope.

DVD 10279

American violet

A young, single mother of four (Beharie) is wrongly accused of selling drugs near a school and is offered a plea deal that would force her to admit to a crime she didn't commit. She challenges the laws of Texas when, instead of ruining her life with a conviction, she decides to sue the DA for racial discrimination in a case that changes her life as well as the laws of her state. Based on a true story.

DVD 7551

Annabelle

John Form has found the perfect gift for his expectant wife, Mia. He gives her a beautiful, rare vintage doll in a pure white wedding dress. But Mia's delight with Annabelle doesn't last long. On one horrific night, their home is invaded by members of a satanic cult, who violently attack the couple. Spilled blood and terror are not all they leave behind.

DVD 10858

Bopha!

Father and son clash in this movie about the anti-apartheid movement. Based on Percy Mtwa's play.

DVD 4120

Crooklyn

Director Spike Lee fashions a bold, flavorful picture of family life in a crowded but cozy Brooklyn neighborhood nicknamed "Crooklyn" by the Carmichaels, who experience one very special summer in their hometown under difficult but often wonderful circumstances.

DVD 1284

Disney's American legends

Compilation of four animated short films profiling legendary figures in American history. John Henry goes up against a machine with his hammer to help build America's railroads; Casey Jones, the brave engineer delivers the U.S. mail in record-breaking time; Johnny Appleseed plants apple trees across America to benefit the early pioneers; Paul Bunyan, the giant lumberjack, clears the land for American settlers.

DVD 4113

Eleanor Roosevelt

For more than thirty years, Eleanor Roosevelt, wife of Franklin Roosevelt, was America's most powerful woman. Drawing on interviews with her closest relatives, friends, and biographers, as well as rare home movie footage, the film reveals the hidden dimensions of one of the century's most influential women.

DVD 10199

Films of Spike Lee

Through in-depth interviews, behind the scenes footage and clips from his films, Spike Lee talks about the ideas, influences, motivations, struggles and successes behind his work. "I have been blessed with the opportunity to express the views of black people who otherwise don't have access to power and the media. I have to take advantage of that while I am still bankable." Includes filmography and weblink.

DVD 1090

Grand Canyon

"When a lawyer's car breaks down in a dangerous Los Angeles neighborhood, a tow-truck driver arrives just in time to save his life. The two men begin a deep friendship that sets off a chain of unsettling and surprising events involviing their families and friends for years to come."--Container.

DVD 2019

Have you heard from Johannesburg?

"This is the story of the first-ever international grassroots campaign to successfully use economic pressure to help bring down a government. Recognizing the apartheid regime's dependence on its financial connections to the West, citizens all over the world, from employees of Polaroid to a General Motors director, from student account-holders in Barclay's Bank to consumers who boycott Shell gas, all refuse to let business with South Africa go on as usual. Boycotts and divestment campaigns bring the anti-apartheid movement into the lives and communities of people around the world, helping everyday people understand and challenge Western economic support for apartheid. Faced with attacks at home and growing chaos in South Africa, international companies pull out in a mass exodus, causing a financial crisis in the now-isolated South Africa and making it clear that the days of the apartheid regime are numbered"--Clarity Fims website.

DVD 8581 v.6

Have you heard from Johannesburg?

"Faced with governments reluctant to take meaningful action against the apartheid regime, athletes and activists around the world hit white South Africa where it hurts: on the playing field. International boycotts against apartheid sports teams help bring the human rights crisis in South Africa to the forefront of global attention and sever white South Africans' cultural ties to the West. Knowing that fellow blacks in South Africa were denied even the most basic human rights--let alone the right to participate in international sports competitions--African nations refuse to compete with all-white South African teams, boycotting the Olympics and creating a worldwide media spectacle that forces the International Olympic committee to ban apartheid teams from future games. The Africa-led coalition leads the fight to exclude South Africa from soccer, boxing, track, cycling, judo, fencing, gymnastics, volleyball and numerous other competitions, barring South African teams from nearly all sports events by the 1970s. Only South Africa's world champion rugby team remains, and citizens in key western countries where rugby is played take to the fields to close the last door on apartheid sports. The sports campaign becomes the anti-apartheid movement's first victory and succeeds in culturally isolating the white minority in an arena of passionate importance."--Clarity Films website.

DVD 8581 v.4

King Leopold's ghost

"King Leopold's ghost is a shocking tale of the richest country in Africa, claimed by the rapacious King Leopold II of Belgium. Under his greedy reign, the Congo suffered unimaginable horrors. The epic is filled with fascinating adventurers, European, American and Congolese: a story brought to life with a treasure trove of archival materials -- letters, secret reports and photographs" -- Container.

DVD 7222

Lion king

After the murder of his father, a young lion prince flees his kingdom only to learn the true meaning of responsibility and bravery.

DVD 13304

Love & basketball

This film is divided into the quarters of a basketball game and tells the story of Quincy and Monica. It traces their lives as they run parallel and run apart -- from childhood, to high school, to college -- concluding with Quincy and Monica as adults. Both play basketball and each dreams of playing on a professional level. For Quincy, it is easier and expected since he is the son of a professional ballplayer. Monica has it harder being both a woman when there was no professional league, and as a daughter whose mother cannot understand why her daughter wants to be an athlete.

DVD 4521

Maya Angelou And Still I Rise /

"Poet, storyteller, actress, dancer, and passionate activist Maya Angelou gave people the freedom to think about their history in a way they never had before. Hers was a prolific life in which she inspired generations with lyrical modern African-American thought that pushed boundaries. This unprecedented film celebrates Dr. Angelou by weaving her words with rare and intimate archival photographs and videos that show her impact on the world. From her upbringing in the Depression-era South to her work with Malcolm X in Ghana to her inaugural speech for President Bill Clinton, the film takes us on an incredible journey through the life of a true American icon"--From container.

DVD 11946

Miss Evers' boys

In 1932, Nurse Eunice Evers is invited to work with doctors on the "Tuskegee Experiment" to study the effects of syphilis. She is faced with a terrible dilemma when she learns the patients are denied treatment that could cure them.

DVD 4685

Mumford

When a would-be psychologist, curiously named Dr. Mumford comes to the idyllic town of the same name, and offers his talent for listening and a disarming frankness, the town's quirkiest citizens scramble for a seat on his couch.

DVD 2244

Nat Turner a troublesome property /

Evaluates the authenticity of the earliest source, "The Confessions of Nat Turner", assembled by a white Virginia lawyer from jailhouse interviews. It then follows the controversy over the Nat Turner story played out through history. Alvin Poussaint and Ossie Davis recall how Nat Turner became a hero in the Black community. Religious scholar Vincent Harding and legal scholar Martha Minow reflect on America's attitudes toward terrorism. One of the most bitter race battles of the 1960s is reexamined, when William Styron published his novel, The Confessions of Nat Turner.

DVD 8994

Passion fish

A handicapped ex-soap opera star and her nurse explore the murkier aspects of men, romance, and family in the Louisiana bayou.

DVD 1245

Path appears

"A unique and essential 4.5-hour documentary series addressing the roots of gender inequality, the devastating impact of poverty and the ripple effects that follow, including: sex trafficking, teen-pregnancy, gender-based violence, child slavery and the effective solutions being forged to combat them. An edge-of-your-seat dramatic encounter which travels across the United States and to Haiti, Colombia and Kenya."--Container.

DVD 10922

Primal fear

A Chicago altar boy is accused of murdering the archbishop and a publicity hungry local attorney decides to defend him.

DVD 469

Unchained memories readings from the slave narratives /

When the Civil War ended in 1865, more than 4 million slaves were set free. By the late 1930's, 100,000 former slaves were still alive. In the midst of the Great Depression, journalists and writers traveled the country to record the memories of the last generation of African-Americans born into bondage. Over 2,000 interviews were transcribed as spoken, in the vernacular of the time, to form a unique historical record.

DVD 5499

Women, war & peace

Challenges the conventional wisdom that war and peace are men's domain and reveals the central role of women in the quest for peace and justice in modern warfare.

DVD 9103