Films with: Badgley, Christiane

Black is-- black ain't a personal journey through black identity /

American culture has stereotyped black Americans for centuries. Equally devastating, the late Marlon Riggs argued, have been the definitions of "blackness" African Americans impose upon one another which contain and reduce the black experience. In this film, Riggs meets a cross-section of African Americans grappling with the paradox of numerous, often contradictory definitions of blackness. He shows many who have felt uncomfortable and even silenced within the race because their complexion, class, sexuality, gender or speech has rendered them "not black enough," or conversely, "too black."

DVD 8988

Guangzhou Dream Factory

Immigration, globalization, Chinese factories and African dreams...This documentary weaves stories of Africans chasing alluring, yet elusive, "Made in China" dreams into a compelling critique of 21st century global capitalism. Guangzhou, a.k.a. Canton, is southern China's centuries-old trading port. Today it's a booming metropolis - the Mecca of mass consumption - attracting more than half a million African traders each year. Over time, some of these Africans have chosen to stay, and to them China looks like the new land of opportunity, a place where anything is possible. But is it? GUANGZHOU DREAM FACTORY, following a filmmaker's journey from Ghana to China and back to Africa, gives viewers a rare glimpse of African aspirations while also providing fresh, new perspectives on China and African economic development. "While the news is full of stories of boatloads of African migrants desperate to cross into Europe, Guangzhou Dream Factory gives us the stories of Africans who believe China is 'the new land of opportunity'. Visually rich, sympathetically told, this compelling film sensitively captures the hopes, disappointments, and creativity of Africans whose dreams are unfolding, for better or worse, in the Middle Kingdom". -Deborah Brautigam, Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies "Guangzhou Dream Factory offers an accessible, yet nuanced and complex, view into the dynamic lives of entrepreneurial Africans living in China. The insightful narrative and the great selection of subjects make this film a uniquely engaging portrayal of ongoing global transformations. A must-see documentary dispelling outdated stereotypes of hopeless and helpless Africans." -Roberto Castillo, The University of Hong Kong

DVD 12299

In black and white conversations with African American writers /

A collection of six interviews with prominent 20th century African American authors.

DVD 8975