Films with: Else, Jon

Cadillac desert water and the transformation of nature /

Cadillac desert relates the story of the epic quest for water and the role it has played in the vast transformation of the American West and many parts of the world.

DVD 11795

Day after Trinity [J. Robert Oppenheimer & the atomic bomb /

A documentary on the life of J. Robert Oppenheimer, focusing on his role in the development of the atomic bomb during World War II. Features archival footage and commentary from scientists and soldiers directly involved with the Manhattan Project.

DVD 1363

Have you heard from Johannesburg.

This first story in a seven part series covers almost twenty years of history. It is a story of escalating violence and repression, one nation on a collision course with the rest of the world. When the United Nations adopts the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948, South Africa marches in the opposite direction and begins to implement a series of laws segregating its people by race in every aspect of life, prompting the non-white majority led by the ANC to protest. The non-violent movement picks up supporters all over the world, starting first with a network of Gandhites in Britain, Sweden, and the United States. But Apartheid hardens in the face of this resistance. By the fateful year of 1964, Nelson Mandela is jailed for life, and the entire leadership is forced underground, imprisoned or killed. The movement is effectively shut down in South Africa as hundreds escape into exile.

DVD 8581 v.1

Have you heard from Johannesburg.

ANC Deputy President Oliver Tambo escapes into exile and embarks on what will become a 30-year journey to engage the world in the struggle to bring democracy to South Africa. With resistance inside South Africa effectively crushed by the brutal apartheid regime, the fate of the liberation struggle is now in Tambo's hands. He first finds allies in the newly independent countries of Africa, and with their collective strength behind him, he approaches the U.N. for support, insisting that the apartheid government can be forced to the negotiating table if the Security Council will sanction and isolate the regime. But the western powers refuse to act, forcing Tambo to search for new support. He successfully petitions the Soviet Union for help in building a guerilla army, a decision that lands Tambo in the vice of the Cold War and haunts his global efforts for years to come. But two individuals help to open crucial doors in the West: Olof Palme, Prime Minister of Sweden, and Bishop Trevor Huddleston, whose early support inspires Tambo to seek out strategic partnerships with faith leaders worldwide. As a new decade dawns, Tambo has financing from Sweden and support from the World Council of Churches, whose members in congregations around the world join the fight against apartheid. With powerful new allies on his side, Tambo has the beginnings of a worldwide movement.

DVD 8581 v.2

Have you heard from Johannesburg.

It is youth, both inside and outside, who next join the growing movement against apartheid. Buoyed by new support in western countries, Oliver Tambo returns to the United Nations to try to convince the world body to sanction South Africa. His efforts gain new public support as the brutal suppression of a youth uprising in the South African township of Soweto and the murder of freedom fighter Steve Biko turn South Africa from a country into a cause, a worldwide emblem of injustice. A significant victory is won when the United Nations issues a mandatory arms embargo: the first in history. But South Africa's strongest trading partners in the West still will not sanction it economically. and as Tambo heads to Zambia to minister to the ANC's growing guerrilla army, a bloodbath seems inevitable. But even as the most powerful western governments refuse to heed Tambo's calls for cultural and economic boycotts, the citizens of those western nations will help turn the tide.

DVD 8581 v.3

Sing faster.

A spirited and comical behind-the-scenes look at Richard Wagner's beloved Ring Cycle. This award-winning film takes audiences inside one of the most spectacular and ambitious operas in history - through the point of view of the stagehands.

DVD 4280

Tupac resurrection /

This documentary uses voice-overs, interviews, and actual tracks recorded by Tupac himself. The film explores his life, music, and his death from fatal gunshot wounds in 1996. Includes rare footage, home movies, private photographs, and excerpts from his personal poetry, journals, and letters. During the making of the film, MTV reached out to his fan base by requesting submissions of Tupac memorabilia to be used in the film.

DVD 3043

Who are the DeBolts? and where did they get 19 kids? /

Not only do parents Bob and Dorothy have six kids of their own, they have also opened up their hearts and their home to thirteen disadvantage and handicapped children. What results is an amazing mix of diversity. The multiethnic kids are heroes who belie the typical stereotype of being handicapped. They go to school, do chores, and "hang out" while simultaniously navigating the difficulties of their disablilties.

DVD 4307