Affirmative Action and Reaction
1996
27 min
This video is basically an episode of “Think Tank” with Ben Wattenberg.
It is a discussion between Ben Wattenberg, and University of Pennsylvania
law professor Lani Guiner, who was President Clinton’s nominee for assistant
General for civil rights (The nomination was later rescinded because she
was so controversial). This program focuses on Affirmative Action, and
how it relates to blacks, whites, women, minorities, and majorities, etc.
It is very informative, but the pace of the film is very slow.
Alice Walker
1994
35 min
The author of “The Color Purple” talks about what it is like to be
a successful, black, woman writer. She talks about growing up poor in the
south and how the civil rights movement changed her life. She talks about
different things in her life that have affected her writings. Some of her
books are discussed, and she reads excerpts from some of her work. A good
film to understand what’s behind the mind that created the book ‘The Color
Purple.”
And Still I Rise
1993
30 min
Inspired by a poem by
Maya Angelou, this powerful film explores images of Black women in the media,
focusing on the myths surrounding Black women's sexuality. Like "Color
Adjustment", in which Marlon Riggs looked at images of Black people on
television, "And Still I Rise" uses images from popular culture to reveal the
way the media misrepresents Black women's sexuality. A combination of fear and
fascination produces a stereotypical representation which in turn impacts on the
real lives of Black women. "And Still I Rise" intercuts historical and media
images with hard-hitting contemporary views of women of African heritage as they
struggle to create a new and empowered perspective.
Anywhere But Fear: Aceh Martial Law
2004
This documentary
chronicles the Martial Law imposed on Aceh, Indonesia. From May 19, 2003 to
May 19, 2004, filmmakers followed detainees and recorded life for the people
of Aceh amidst the conflict between the Free Aceh Movement and Indonesian
Military Forces. As Indonesian Military Forces sweep through villages,
members of the Free Aceh Movement are systematically imprisoned, tortured, and
murdered.
At Issue NBC 9News 9/27/02
2002
(5 min)
This segment addresses weight discrimination, especially the hiring and firing
of employees on the basis of their weight. While weight is not a protected
status under current civil rights statutes, such discrimination may be covered
by the American with Disabilities Act. This segment also features two DU Law
professors, Jacqueline St. John and Jan Laitos as well as DU staff member
Kimberly Wyatt.
Blind Justice: Women and the Law
1993
30 min
An animated movie in four parts, each showing different ways that the
law deals with women. It starts in ancient Greece, and shows the beginnings
of law. Then it moves to the sexism of tribunals and the courts. It shows
a man getting away with the murder of his wife, and then how imprisonment
changed the life of a young woman forever. It’s an interesting and sometimes
disconcerting film, from a unique perspective dealing with important matters
by cartoons.
Breasts: A Documentary
1996
50 min
What is it about breasts? Men's fascination with them. Women's obsession
with them. This documentary seeks to answer that question as 22 women from
ages 6 to 84 speak candidly about their attitudes towards breasts-their own
and others. From a breast-feeding mother to a 420 pound comedienne; from a
transsexual and a stripper-both with implants- to a 24 year old woman with a
breast reduction; from two mother/daughter teams to two women with
masectomies.
Dawn Beckhols, AIDS Awareness
1995
38 min
Dawn Beckhols starts the movie out by giving the straight facts about
AIDS. She explains what happens medically, how it can be transmitted, and
how it can be avoided. It’s very informative and eye opening even if you
already know something about AIDS. Dawn tells her personal story of how
she got AIDS including how she found out, how her family reacted, and what
her life is like now. Her personal view helps put things into perspective
for the viewer, so the point hits a little closer to home.
Dreamworlds 2: Desire, Sex, and Power in Music Video
1995
(55 min)
Dreamworlds 2 combines powerful imagery from some two hundred videos
with incisive narrative to educate viewers on the impact of sexual imagery in
music videos. Dreamworlds 2 powerfully addresses the impact of pop
culture on how young men and women see themselves (and each other) in terms of
sexuality and gender. Shocking and often disturbing,
Dreamworlds 2
allows its viewers to reflect critically on images which have such power
precisely because they have become so common. By making their gendered
messages clear, Dreamworlds 2 robs those images of their unchallenged
power.
Dying to be Perfect—The Ellen Hart Pena Story
1996
2 hours, longer with commercials (taped from TV)
This film follows the life of Ellen Hart, an athlete with bulimia who
married Frederico Pena, the Mayor of the City of Denver. She fought bulimia
for over ten years, and managed to basically keep it a secret from her
family and loved ones. It took almost losing her baby for her to realize
the destructive effect bulimia was having on her life. This movie takes
a personal lens regarding a public figure with bulimia. It is an interesting
film whose main focus is Ellen Hart Pena with a perspective on her bout
with bulimia. The film ends with a note from Tipper Gore and a television
newscast talking to Ellen Hart Pena as well as the actress who played her
in the movie.
Face Value: Perceptions of Beauty
1995
24 min
A very interesting look at perspectives of beauty, this film compares
scientific evaluations of faces to what a panel of judges think is pretty.
It looks at how American culture today perceives beauty –High cheekbones,
large eyes, smaller chin and smooth skin. Using computers, the film analyses
ideal beauty throughout the ages. A very interesting look at beauty- it
provides cross-cultural viewpoints as well as viewpoints from both cultural
and scientific standpoints.
Fighting for our Lives: Women Confronting AIDS
No date
29 min
Around 3 million women worldwide are infected with the AIDS virus.
In the US, 70% of the reported cases of women with AIDS are women of color;
many of those women are also in the low income bracket. This video shows
women from San Francisco, CA to Washington, D.C. who are working to educate
women about the AIDS virus, and working to help women who are already infected.
It profiles women of many ethnic and cultural backgrounds, with an emphasis
on African American Women.
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
1978
(96 min)
This memoir traces Maya Angelou's childhood in a small, rural community during
the 1930s. Filled with images and recollections that point to the dignity and
courage of black men and women, Angelou paints a sometimes disquieting, but
always affecting picture of the people--and the times--that touched her life.
Sent at a young age to live with her grandmother in Arkansas, Angelou learned
a great deal from this exceptional woman and the tightly knit black community
there. These very lessons carried her throughout the hardships she endured
later in life, including a tragic occurrence while visiting her mother in St.
Louis and her formative years spent in California--where an unwanted pregnancy
changed her life forever.
Image and Experience: Women Scientists in a Man’s World
No date
20 min
Rosalind Hunter-Anderson talks to a group of professional women with
backgrounds in fields like engineering and anthropology. They discuss how
the men who dominate their fields treat them, and what it is like to juggle
having a career and raising a family. The movie also shows women anthropologists
working in the field. Interesting to note there are no minority women represented
in this film.
Iron Jawed Angels
2004
Katja von Garnier's "Iron Jawed Angels" tells the remarkable and
little-known story of a group of passionate and dynamic young women, led by
Alice Paul (Hilary Swank) and her friend Lucy Burns (Frances O'Connor), who put
their lives on the line to fight for American women's right to vote.
A Legacy of Caring: Early Colorado Jewish Women, 1860-1930
2004
31 min
This video, which examines the lives and work of Jewish women in Colorado,
was created by the Rocky Mountain Jewish Historical Society at the University of
Denver.
Kate Chopin: Five Stories of an Hour
1992
26 min
This details five versions of Kate Chopin’s short story “The Story
of an Hour," about a woman’s reactions when she hears about the death of
her husband in a train crash. There is a vignette, the story of her husband,
and dramatizations. The same story repeated five times can get a little
repetitive, but these are different enough to hold the viewer’s interest.
All are based on the original story with a few minor variations.
Miss Universe in Peru
1986
32min
Subtitled/English
In 1982 the Miss Universe Pageant was held in Peru. This film compares
and contrasts the lives of Peruvian women to those of the contestants in
the pageant. The differences between the glamorous lives of the contestants
and the squalor and inequality of the Peruvian women is glaring, and not
soon forgettable. It also critiques multinational corporate interests,
and the way they turn women into commodities, not people. “Miss Universe
in Peru” is an interesting film, and though the footage is old the concepts
still hold true today.
My Feminism
1997
25 min
Just what constitutes Feminism? This film will tell you. It embodies
all aspects from sexual rights to equal pay and is put together in an entertaining
and powerful fashion. Through interviews with some of today’s familiar
feminist voices coupled with related short images the video gets
it’s point across – Feminism is alive, well, and not going anywhere.
Not for Ourselves Alone—The Story of Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan
B. Anthony (Just the preview)
Winter 1999
17 min
A short look at the suffragette movement, this movie previews a documentary
by the same name. It discusses women’s fight to get the vote, and how important
the suffragette movement is in American history. It offers biographies
of Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony, and depicts their efforts
in starting the women’s movement.
The Oprah Winfrey Show -- Baby Boomers vs. GenX:
Second Wave vs. Third Wave Feminists
(45 min)
Oprah invites women to discuss the generational differences between Baby
Boomers and women of GenX. Inciting a major backlash discussion, many GenXers
criticize second wave feminists for instilling unrealistic expectations,
making everything “too political,” and especially for “ruining men.” Baby
Boomers respond with criticism of Gen Xers including their lack of gratitude,
responsibility, ambition, and politics. This show features such notable
figures as: Naomi Wolf, Amy Richards, Jennifer Baumgardner, Rebecca Walker,
and Gloria Steinem.
Partners in Scholarship 7/2/98
1998
(10 min)
This promotional
video profiles three students and the projects that they conducted in
conjunction with DU’s Partners in Scholarship Program. Projects hail from
disciplines ranging from theater to law issues to environmental science.
Exemplifying diverse scholarship, students engaged in a variety of topics
including playwriting, gay rights, and social interactions among polar bears.
This program also explains how to get involved with DU’s Partners in
Scholarship program.
Prose, Politics, and Power: Conversations with Muslim Women Leaders
1996
?
Nine Muslim women from all over the world come together to discuss
what life is like for a woman who is both a leader and a Muslim. Their
jobs range from University Professors to Ambassadors. They talk about what
it is like to live in a world where women are asked to cover themselves
up, where women are treated as being less then men. They discuss their
religion versus their freedom, and how they choose to live their lives.
Proud Alumni
2004
Proud Alumni,
a film by Sheila Schroeder, DU Professor of Mass Communications and Journalism
Studies, explores themes of rejection and emancipation as it ties personal
discrimination to the intolerance and open bigotry of the Bush administration’s
support of the Defense of Marriage Act. The film was inspired by the
disappointment and rage she experienced when her alma mater refused to publish
her same sex wedding announcement. The title, like the film, alludes to the
filmmaker’s struggle to maintain pride in her various communities.
Push: A Women’s Western
1986
This film focuses on natural and home childbirth. Two interviews with
midwives are highlighted, and the midwives are followed to the homes of
women who have decided to give birth naturally. It discusses reasons why
women might want to have a child at home, naturally, and gives some reasons
why they may not want to. Fairly informative.
Sally Miller Gearhart: The Acquittal of Dame Rhetoric
9/23/99
1999
(60 min)
Sally Miller
Gearhart presents a special lecture at CU Denver. Professor emeritus at San
Francisco State University, Gearhart is a well known writer, scholar, speaker,
and activist. Her presentation engages and critiques her 1976 “indictment” of
the field of rhetoric as a violent masculinist paradigm. Here she seeks to
“acquit” rhetoric by critically redefining its meaning and moving from a
perspective of persuasion to one of understanding.
Sarah Nelson: Interview with Frederique Chevillot
1999
(40 min)
On September 28,
1999, current WSTU Director Frederique Chevillot conducted an interview and
dialogue with influential WSTU director Sarah Nelson. As part of WSTU’s 20th
anniversary celebration, this discussion addresses the inception of WSTU at DU.
Further, the interview consists of topics such as receiving the “call” to
women’s studies, advice and wisdom for WSTU as well as generational
differences and changes in the program throughout the years.
Science and Gender: Evelyn Fox Keller
1994
30 min
In a conversation with Bill Moyers, Evelyn Fox Keller talks about what
it is like to be a woman and a scientist. She describes starting out in
the 1950’s, and training to become a theoretical physicist. When she first
started, it was a man's world and she was the intruder. She talks about
how science is stereotyped as being a masculine discipline, and how the
language of science reflects that.
Self image and Eating Disorder: a Mirror for the Heart
1996
24 min
A look at eating disorders and some of the factors believed to cause
them. Women who have had and/or are recovering from eating disorders talk
about how it started for them, and how they got on the road to recovery.
This movie looks at an eating disorder support group that has people in
all stages of recovery. A very informative film, great for people who don't
really know anything about eating disorders.
Seneca Reflections: Celebrating 150 Years of Women’s Rights
1998
24 min
This movie looks back at the women’s rights convention of 1848 that
was held in Seneca Falls, New York. Because it was the first Women’s Rights
Convention, it is a very important event in the history of our nation.
Now there is a National Women’s Rights Park in the spot where the convention
was held. It’s very interesting to see and understand more about the history
of Women’s Rights, and this video combines a historical perspective and
a look at the modern Women’s Rights movement. It includes speakers such
as Hillary Rodham Clinton, Sarah Roesch Wagner, Karen Staser and others.
The Vagina Monologues at DU
2002
The Vagina Monologues at DU
2003
The Vagina Monologues at DU
2004
Visionary Voices
1992
22 min
Visionary Voices features a multi-racial group of
women activists, artists and healers reading excerpts from their interviews in a
book of the same name about healthy uses of power. The simplicity of the form of
this video enhances the complexity of views expressed by these remarkable women;
an inspirational work about the contribution women of color have made to the
women’s movement as well as how to teach without domination, organize without
intimidation, disagree without degradation, relate without manipulation and
practice compassion without losing focus or strength.
Winona
LaDuke's Presentation at DU
May 3, 2004
Women Facing War
2001
33 min
This video, produced by the International Committee of the Red Cross, examines
how war has affected the lives of eleven different women from around the world.
Countries documented include Afghanistan, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Colombia, Federal
Republic of Yugoslavia, Israel, Sierra Leone.
Women Like That
1991
25 min
This film is a continuation of “Women like Us.” It takes place one
year after the original film and tries to find out how the original film
affected the women’s lives and how they changed because of it. It is done
in the same perspective as the first and posses the same charm.
Women Like Us
1990
49 min
"Women like Us" portrays conversations and interviews with older British
women who are lesbians. By telling their stories they help to illustrate
and chronicle the history of lesbianism. They talk about the social constraints
of the 30’s and post war era, and how things have changed since then. This
video enables one to learn more than s\he could from reading a textbook.
Although the video was at times slow, it was also heartwarming and charming.
Women Vote 2004: The Margin of Victory
2004
40 min
Produced by Third Wave Television
Women's Solutions: Setting a National Agenda for the 21st Century
2000
120 min
This is the second part of a national teleconference on Women hosted
by the University of Minnesota. It focuses on women in higher education.
The movie highlights the 4 regional conference sites by showing what they
are doing in order to bring more women in to higher education and to make
them feel comfortable there. It also shows some panel discussions
and some interviews about the teleconference.
Women's Voices: Imagining Ourselves into the 21st Century
2000
120 min
This is the first part of a national teleconference on Women Hosted
by the University of Minnesota. Hillary Clinton gives an opening statement,
followed by a speech by Johnetta B. Cole. There is a focus on the higher
education needs of women, and how the lack of things like female role models
impact women in higher education. There is a panel discussion where things
like access to education, representation in fields of study, and the general
climate in the classroom are discussed. The panel includes grad students
as well as professors and professionals talking about their higher education
experiences and what they think needs to be done to make higher education
a better place for women.
Working with Women in War
2001
11 min
This video documents how the ongoing work of the International Committee of
the Red Cross benefits women affected by armed conflict, shown here in the
areas of emergency relief distribution, support for families with missing
relatives, protection, health care, and economic assistance.
