What's New (and Some HIGHLIGHTS) in Academic Video Online
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April 2021 Editor's Picks
Newly added from PBS (North America only)
Education | Diversity, Equity, Inclusion
- Dropout Nation A troubling and inspiring journey through the maze of an inner city high school, Dropout Nation investigates the causes, challenges, and potential solutions of a national emergency.
- Mars 2020 NASA launches its most ambitious hunt for traces of life on Mars, landing a rover in a rocky, ancient river delta. The rover will stow samples for possible return to Earth and test technology that may pave the way for human travel to Mars.
- BOSS: The Black Experience in Business From award-winning filmmaker Stanley Nelson comes a film that educates, informs, and examines more than 150 years of African American men and women who have embodied the qualities that are the heart of the American entrepreneurial spirit. (PBS)
- Finding Your Roots (Season 7) includes episodes on Glenn Close, Andy Cohen, Clint Black, Jane Lynch and more.
- Human: The World Within (Season 1) includes episodes on Birth, Defend, Fuel, Pulse, React and Sense.
Politics & Current Affairs
- The Trump Show (3 episodes) When Donald Trump became president of the most powerful nation on Earth, he brought a bold new approach, honed from a career as a reality TV star and smart-talking businessman. The results turned the political world upside down.
- A Perfect Planet (5 episodes) including Humans, Oceans, The Sun, Volcano, and Weather
- Paramedics: On the Front Line, Series 4 (9 episodes)
- KISS the Ground Directed by Josh and Rebecca Tickell. Narrated and featuring Woody Harrelson, Kiss the Ground is an inspiring and groundbreaking film that reveals the first viable solution to our climate crisis. Tribeca Film Festival, 2020 (FILM PLATFORM) (worldwide rights)
- Seeding Change 20 years ago, a young group of social entrepreneurs joined a movement to change the world through the pursuit of an alternative economic model and practice of conscious commerce. Seeding Change: The Power of Conscious Commerce is about "triple bottom line" businesses that consider the social, environmental and financial impacts of their companies and address some of today’s most challenging issues. The award-winning documentary, Seeding Change, empowers viewers to be part of the solution by voting with their dollars and supporting the brands and products that align with their values. (FILM PLATFORM) (worldwide rights)
- Bill Gates On Tackling Climate Change And The Ongoing Pandemic Response All of us face the risk that extreme weather events like the recent one in Texas will become more common and more destructive occurrences because of climate change. Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates has studied climate change for years, and he has prescriptions in his latest book, "How to Avoid a Climate Disaster." He joins Judy Woodruff to discuss. (NewsHour Productions) (worldwide rights)
- Heartland Local Food The local food debate going on at the Farmers' Market in Lawrence, Kansas is representative of the food issues facing the entire United States. This film explores what makes food sustainable, how farmers’ markets build community, and why local food matters. By highlighting stories from several Kansas farmers, this documentary explores the challenges of growing food in ethical and sustainable ways. (Ozark Firefly Pictures) (North America only)
- Tove Set from 1944 to 1956, the Swedish-language film shows how painter Tove Jansson finds worldwide success from an unexpected side project, in the midst of artistic struggles and an unconventional personal life. Jansson’s creation, The Moomins, are a family of pale, round fairy tale characters with large snouts. In all, nine books were released in the series, together with five picture books and a comic strip released between 1945 and 1993. The Moomins have since been the basis for numerous television series and films. (Juno Films) (U.S. only)
- MLK/FBI A sobering, unprecedented look into the FBI’s secret war against Martin Luther King, Jr. and the civil rights movement. Based on recently declassified files, Oscar-nominated filmmaker Sam Pollard explores the US government's surveillance and harassment of one history’s most revered leaders. (FILM PLATFORM) (U.S./Canada)
- The Powerbroker: Whitney Young's Fight for Civil Rights The Powerbroker portrays the life of Whitney Young, once called “the inside man of the black revolution.” As Executive Director of the National Urban League from 1961 to 1971, he helped thousands of people struggling against discrimination. Unique among black leaders, Young took the fight directly to the powerful white elite, gaining allies in business and government, but often arousing disdain from the very people he was trying to help. The Powerbroker chronicles the public and private trials of a man navigating a divided society in an explosive time. (Filmakers Library) (worldwide rights)
- Surge follows the record number of first-time female candidates in the historic, barrier breaking 2018 midterm elections, who ran and won due to their courageous vision of social justice, inclusivity, and female empowerment. (FILM PLATFORM) (worldwide rights)
- Black Like Me (PBS) (North America)
- The Area (Grasshopper Film) (North America)
- Bringin’ in Da Spirit (Third World Newsreel) (worldwide rights)
- How I Got Over (The Video Project) (worldwide rights)
- A Class Divided (PBS) (North America)
- A Dream Is What You Wake Up From (Third World Newsreel) (worldwide rights)
- More…
March 2021 Editor's Picks
New from Sony Pictures Classics (U.S. colleges/universities only)
We’ve added 21 titles this month including 3 Pedro Almodovar films. Other Sony Pictures Classics favorites now available.
- Run Lola Run
- All the Real Girls (Paul Schneider, Zooey Deschanel)
- Miles Ahead (Don Cheadle)
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Ernie & Joe: Crisis Cops follows two police officers with the San Antonio Texas Police Department who are diverting people away from jail and into mental health treatment, one 911 call at a time. Directed by: Jenifer McShane (Worldwide)
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Winnie A fascinating look into one of the most misunderstood and intriguingly powerful contemporary female political figures. For the first time ever, the controversial life and contribution of Winnie Madikizela Mandela are properly considered, with exclusive intimate insight from both friends and enemies. (Worldwide excluding South Africa)
The Black Church: This Is Our Story, This Is Our Song (PBS) (North America Only)
- Episode 1: Henry Louis Gates, Jr. explores the roots of African American religion beginning with the trans-Atlantic slave trade and the extraordinary ways enslaved Africans preserved and adapted their faith practices from slavery to emancipation.
- Episode 2: Discover how the Black Church expanded its reach to address social inequality and minister to those in need, from the Jim Crow South to the heroic phase of the civil rights movement and the Black Church’s role in the present.
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Misty Copeland: The first African-American female principal dancer talks about her incredible rise, the challenges of overcoming stereotypes, and her experiences performing in some of the most coveted roles of ballet. (Worldwide rights)
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Working from Home: New Reality (series): Richard Quest looks at best practices, top tech to keep you connected to the outside world, and how to take care of the mind and body as we all work from home. (Worldwide rights)
February 2021 Editor's Picks
NEW! Media Hosting Feature Enhancement
- Free for Academic Video Online subscribers, we now support the ability for you to upload a caption file (.SRT file) alongside a video file, in the Admin Portal! We know this is a vital accessibility need, and we are thankful to all the libraries who requested this enhancement. Please email Sarah Brennan with questions.
- Timon of Athens (Stratford Festival) Timon’s compulsive generosity makes him the most popular man in Athens – until his funds run out. Now, embittered by ingratitude, what will he do when his city comes under attack? This stirring production from the Stratford Festival is a heartbreaking masterpiece. (worldwide)
- Nasrin (Collective Eye) In the courts and on the streets, Nasrin has long fought for the rights of women, children, LGBTQ, religious minorities, journalists, artists, and those facing the death penalty. She was arrested in June 2018 and sentenced to 38 years in prison, plus 148 lashes. Even from prison, she has continued to challenge the authorities. Narrated by Academy Award-winner Olivia Colman and secretly filmed by women and men who risked arrest, the film features acclaimed filmmaker Jafar Panahi, Nobel Peace Prize laureate Shirin Ebadi, journalist Ann Curry, exiled women’s rights activist Mansoureh Shojaee, and Nasrin’s equally courageous husband Reza Khandan. (worldwide)
- Poet Amanda Gorman On How She Prepared For Inauguration Day (Newshour Productions) The poet who will carry on a tradition and present her new work, "The Hill We Climb" at the inauguration this week is already quite accomplished at the age of 22. Jeffrey Brown talked to Amanda Gorman to learn more, as part of our ongoing arts and culture series, "CANVAS." (worldwide)
- Herb and Dorothy (Grasshopper Film) Herb and Dorothy tells the amazing story of Herbert Vogel, a postal clerk, and Dorothy Vogel, a librarian, who managed to build one of the most important contemporary art collections in history with very modest means. (North America)
January 2021 Editor's Picks
ASIAN STUDIES | ANTHROPOLOGY | GLOBAL ISSUES
- AWARD WINNER! Mauna Kea: Temple Under Siege was inducted into the National Film Registry of the Library of Congress for 2020. One of only 25 films inducted which were “selected because of their cultural, historic or aesthetic importance to the nation’s film heritage”. (worldwide rights)
- Picture a Scientist (Women’s Studies | Science) A harrowing and timely look into the systemic discrimination against women in the fields of science. Picture a Scientist provides viewers with rare first-person accounts of the struggles undertaken by women scientists, their inner conflicts and the eventual comradery that helped them to come out with their stories. (FILM PLATFORM) (worldwide rights)
- 30+ additional Sony Pictures Classics films (U.S. colleges/universities only) including:
- Julieta Julieta lives in Madrid with her daughter Antía. They both suffer in silence over the loss of Xoan, Antía’s father and Julieta’s husband. But at times grief doesn’t bring people closer, it drives them apart. When Antía turns 18 she abandons her mother. Julieta looks for her, but all she discovers is how little she knows of her daughter. JULIETA is about the mother’s struggle to survive uncertainty. It also about fate, about guilt complexes and about that unfathomable mystery that leads us to abandon the people we love, erasing them from our lives as if they had never meant anything, as if they had never existed.
- Happy End A snapshot from the life of a bourgeois European family
- Paris Can Wait Eleanor Coppola's feature film directorial and screenwriting debut at the age of 81, stars Diane Lane as a Hollywood producer's wife who unexpectedly takes a trip through France, which reawakens her sense of self and her joie de vivre. Anne (Lane) long married to a successful but inattentive movie producer (Alec Baldwin), she finds herself taking a car trip from Cannes to Paris with a business associate of her husband (Arnaud Viard). What should be a 7-hour drive turns into a journey of discovery.
- Maria by Callas Tom Volf's film tells the life story of the legendary Greek/American opera singer completely in her own words. Told through performances, TV interviews, home movies, family photographs, private letters and unpublished memoirs—nearly all of which have never been shown to the public—the film reveals the essence of an extraordinary woman who rose from humble beginnings in New York City to become a glamorous international superstar and one of the greatest artists of all time.
- Stan & Ollie Laurel & Hardy, one of the world’s great comedy teams, set out on a variety hall tour of Britain in 1953. Diminished by age and with their golden era now behind them, they face an uncertain future. As the charm and beauty of their performances shine through, they re-connect with their adoring fans. The tour becomes a hit, but Stan & Ollie can’t quite shake the specter of Laurel and Hardy’s past.
- 165 new videos from The Economist (worldwide rights), each from 2-5 minutes in length, are ideal for classroom use and span from business and politics to health policy and environmental studies. Highlights include:
- Discovery in a Painting A marvelous exploration of Cezanne's "Still Life with Apples". (Grasshopper Film) (North America only)
- Animal Impossible Incredible facts and myths about the animal kingdom are put to the test. (BBC, series) (worldwide rights)
December 2020 Editor's Picks
LGBT Studies
Ahead of the Curve Directed by Jen Rainin, this is the incredible story of Franco Stevens, founder of the ground-breaking lesbian magazine "Curve", who became an icon of the LGBTQ+ community. (FILM PLATFORM) (Worldwide Rights)
- Frameline44, 2020
- OUTFEST, 2020
- aGLIFF, 2020 –Audience Award Best Documentary
iHUMAN A film by Tonje Hessen Schei. Are humans becoming obsolete? An in-depth look into the emergence artificial intelligence and its possible consequence. (FILM PLATFORM) (Not available in Norway, Poland, Australia, New Zealand, United Kingdom)
- IDFA, 2019
- CPH:DOX, 2020
- Hotdocs, 2020
- WINNER: Audience Award, Human IDFF
Picture a Scientist A Film by Sharon Shattuck & Ian Cheney. A harrowing and timely look into the systemic discrimination against women in the fields of science. Picture a Scientist provides viewers with rare first-person accounts of the struggles undertaken by women scientists, their inner conflicts and the eventual comradery that helped them to come out with their stories.
- Emmy Award Winner, 2020
- SXSW Special Jury award
- Tribeca Film Festival, 2020
- Tribeca Film Festival, 2020
- Best First Documentary - Critics' Choice Award, 2020
- Tribeca Film Festival, 2018
- AFI Docs Award Winner, 2018
- aGLIFF Award Winner, 2018
Policing the Police 2020 Race, policing and the struggle to hold departments accountable. In the wake of George Floyd’s killing, New Yorker writer Jelani Cobb examines prospects for reform and returns to the case of one troubled department he first visited in 2016. (PBS) (North America)
PBS Great Performances
World Music | Classical Music
- Haydn: The King of Strings Scott Yoo and Geoff Nuttall reveal how Joseph Haydn borrowed folk music from Scotland, Hungary and Austria, and created the string quartet format. With this inside look, gain a deeper appreciation for the entire genre. (PBS) (North America)
- The Schubert Generation Franz Schubert’s genius wasn’t recognized till after his death. Scott Yoo goes to today’s musical capitals to play Schubert’s masterpieces, understand his life, and learn what it takes for a young classical artist to make it today. (PBS) (North America)
- Becoming Mozart Scott invites Stewart Goodyear to play his 20th piano concerto just as Mozart would have--directing the orchestra while improvising the solos. Scott teaches Stewart to conduct, and Stewart will have to find his inspiration to become Mozart. (PBS) (North America)
CHUT…! = SHUSH…! This is a charming documentary about a public library in France and the heroes who work there. (aaa production) (Worldwide rights)
Black Studies | Social Work | Criminal Justice
Policing the Police 2020 Race, policing and the struggle to hold departments accountable. In the wake of George Floyd’s killing, New Yorker writer Jelani Cobb examines prospects for reform and returns to the case of one troubled department he first visited in 2016. (PBS) (North America)
Politics & Current Affairs
In the Face of Terror (series) How are western democracies to survive and adapt in this new age of terrorism? The stories of the ordinary people fighting for justice following acts of terror in Syria. (BBC) (Worldwide rights)
November 2020 Editor's Picks
New & Exclusive from FILM PLATFORM
- John Lewis: Good Trouble (Black Studies, Politics & Current Affairs) An intimate account of legendary U.S. Representative John Lewis’ life, legacy and more than 60 years of extraordinary activism. After Lewis petitioned Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to help integrate a segregated school in his hometown of Troy, Alabama, King sent “the boy from Troy” a round trip bus ticket to meet with him. From that meeting onward, Lewis became one of King’s closest allies. He organized Freedom Rides that left him bloodied or jailed, and stood at the front lines in the historic marches on Washington and Selma. He never lost the spirit of the “boy from Troy” and called on his fellow Americans to get into “good trouble” until his passing on July 17, 2020. (U.S. only)
- White Noise (Politics & Current Affairs, Diversity) The Atlantic's first feature documentary is the definitive inside story of the movement that has come to be known as the alt-right. With unprecedented access, White Noise tracks the rise of far-right nationalism by focusing on the lives of three of its main proponents: Mike Cernovich, a conspiracy theorist and sex blogger turned media entrepreneur; Lauren Southern, an anti-feminist, anti-immigration YouTube star; and Richard Spencer, a white-power ideologue. As white-nationalist violence surges in America and across the world, White Noise represents an urgent warning about the power of extremism, and where it's going next. (U.S. Only)
- On the Record (Women’s Studies, Black Studies) A film by Oscar nominees Kirby Dick and Amy Ziering, and first reported by The New York Times, On the Record presents the haunting story of former A&R executive Drew Dixon, whose career and personal life were upended by the alleged abuse she faced from her high-profile male bosses. The documentary follows Dixon as she grapples with her decision to become one of the first women of color, in the wake of #MeToo, to come forward to publicly accuse hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons of sexual misconduct. The film chronicles Dixon’s story, as well as those of fellow Simmons accusers Sil Lai Abrams and Sheri Sher, delving into the ways black women’s voices are too often silenced and ignored. (US/CAN only)
- Chicago 10 (Politics & Current Affairs, American Government, Film) Written and directed by Brett Morgen (The Kid Stays in the Picture), Chicago 10 presents contemporary history with a forced perspective, mixing bold and original animation with extraordinary archival footage that explores the build-up to and unraveling of the Chicago Conspiracy Trial. Set to the music of revolution, then and now, Chicago 10 is a parable of hope, courage and ultimate victory, the story of young Americans speaking out and taking a stand in the face of an oppressive and armed government.
If you missed our panel discussion with the founders of Partners in Health – subjects of the award-winning documentary, Bending the Arc (FILM PLATFORM) watch the recording. It was moderated by Tabitha Jackson, Director, The Sundance Film Festival and was an inspiration to all who attended.
Welcome Grasshopper Film to Academic Video Online (U.S. and North America Only) – Their independent, foreign and documentary films include highlights such as:
- Night School (Education) Indianapolis suffers from having one of the lowest high school graduation rates in the country. Though Greg, Melissa, and Shynika have all had their setbacks as they’ve traveled to adulthood, they are optimistic about earning their high school diplomas and changing their lives.
- Havana, From On High (Diversity) The chronic shortage of housing in Central Havana has pushed the city upwards forcing some to make their homes on building rooftops. This wondrous documentary tells the story of these remarkable and resilient rooftop dwellers - a secret village, hidden from the clamor of the streets below - who have a privileged point of view on a society in the process of major transformation.
- The Area (Black Studies) In the heart of the South Side of Chicago, an 85-acre area abutting a railyard means different things to different people. For more than 400 African American families, it is home. For Norfolk Southern railroad company, it is space to expand its train-to-truck intermodal depot.
- Angels Are Made of Light (Education, Global Studies) A stirring and beautiful documentary from Academy Award nominated director James Longley (Iraq in Fragments), Angels Are Made of Light traces the lives of young students and their teachers at a school in the old city of Kabul. Interweaving the modern history of Afghanistan with present-day portraits, the film offers an intimate and nuanced vision of a society living in the shadow of war.
- In the Absence (Global Studies) 2020 Academy Award Nominee Best Documentary Short Subject. When the passenger ferry MV Sewol sank off the coast of South Korea in 2014, over three hundred people lost their lives, most of them schoolchildren. Years later, the victims’ families and survivors are still demanding justice. This acclaimed documentary combines intimate interviews with archival footage and audio recordings for an investigation into a tragic incident which ultimately led to the impeachment and imprisonment of the country's president.
- Last Day of Freedom (Diversity, Mental Health, Criminal Justice) 2016 Academy Award nominee for Best Documentary Short Subject, this extraordinary documentary is an investigation into some of the most pressing social issues of our time - racial bias, veteran’s rights, mental health care, criminal justice - through one man's heartbreaking story.
- The Organizer (Political Science, Diversity) Before its infamous demise, ACORN had been the largest community organization in the US, a national political powerhouse for the poor that transformed lives and communities. Featuring a wealth of archival footage, this is a comprehensive portrait of the organization and its founder, Wade Rathke, as well as an exploration of that much maligned & misunderstood occupation -- community organizing.
- Unbroken Glass (Social Work, Social Theory, Psychology) According to the National Institute of Mental Health, roughly 1% of the US population is affected by schizophrenia, and, there is a proven genetic component to the illness. Some research has also pointed to a link between “acculturative stress” – the kind of stress immigrants experience adjusting to a new life – and the onset of mental illness.
Multidisciplinary Documentaries
Welcome The Video Project. Over 200 multidisciplinary documentaries promote awareness and encourage action on social and global issues.
- In Organic We Trust
- Troubled Waters: A Mississippi River Story
- Forever Wild
- The Black Fatherhood Project
- How I Got Over
- Minimalism: A Documentary about the Important Things
- Oyler: One School, One Year
- Designing Health Communities (Series)
- From Flint: Voices from a Poisoned City
- The Price of the Prize
- Ms. Scientist
- Ambassadors of the Sky
- Seeing Canada
- Becoming Albertan
- Seeing the USA
- And her newest release Breaking Loneliness
BELLINGCAT – TRUTH IN A POST-TRUTH WORLD (U.S. access) explores the promise of open source investigation, taking viewers inside the exclusive world of the “citizen investigative journalist” collective known as Bellingcat. In cases ranging from the MH17 disaster to the poisoning of a Russian spy in the United Kingdom, the Bellingcat team’s quest for truth will shed light on the fight for journalistic integrity in the era of fake news and alternative facts. (First Run Features, 2018)
- Access outside of the U.S. BELLINGCAT – TRUTH IN A POST-TRUTH WORLD (FILM PLATFORM)
Welcome Makematic. These short-form video series’ are optimized for classroom teachers and great for introductory courses.
Highlights include:
- Critical Thinking (series)
- Education (series)
- Career Counseling (series)
- Global citizenship (series)
Literature | American History | LGBT Studies
In Search of Walt Whitman (series) This engaging 3-part series tells the story of Walt Whitman’s remarkable life (1819-1892), the turbulent era in which he lived, and the timeless poetry he created. Interweaving narration and dramatic readings with captivating period music, insights from scholars, and photography filmed in key locations, this documentary brings to life Whitman’s unique character and poems. This is the most comprehensive film on Walt Whitman ever made.
September 2020 Editor’s Picks
You’re invited to our exclusive online live discussion panel with the founders of Partners in Health – subjects of the award-winning documentary, Bending the Arc (FILM PLATFORM). To be moderated by Tabitha Jackson, Director, The Sundance Film Festival, you will come away from this conversation with a deeper awareness of how socio-economic inequality results in health and medical inequities, contributing to the spread of disease among the resource-poor populations and more. Learn more here.
Black Studies | American History | BLM
- Mossville: When Great Trees Fall Mossville, LA is a shadow of its former self – a community rich in natural resources and history, founded by formerly enslaved people and free people of color – where neighbors lived in harmony. Today, surrounded by 14 petrochemical plants, Mossville is the future site of apartheid-born South African-based chemical company Sasol’s newest plant.. The community struggles to let go of their home - and at the center of it is Stacey Ryan, who refuses to leave. Having promised his dying parents to fight the sprawling chemical companies, Stacey struggles to keep his word as his power, water, and sewage are all cut off.
- The African Americans: Many Rivers to Cross (PBS, Series) Accounts the African-American experience from the roots of slavery to the presidency of Barack Obama.
- Winnersville An exploration of the disparity of the races in a southern town in the 21st century. How far have we come since the beginning of the Civil Rights movement? "Winnersville" is a devastating expose of the consequences of structural racism in the educational system of a modern southern town.
- Black and Blue A powerful mix of archival material, news clips and documentary footage chronicles impassioned community response to decades of deadly force against people of color by members of the Philadelphia police force. Community leaders, politicians, police officers, survivors of police brutality and sympathizers unravel a pattern of biased violent police behavior from the tenure of Police Commissioner Frank Rizzo to the bombing of Osage Avenue. This documentary is a testimony to long-standing tensions between police and people of color in communities throughout the United States.
- Hate Crimes in the Heartland This an award-winning documentary and community outreach project explores our national epidemic of hate crimes through the lens of Tulsa, Oklahoma. Emmy-winning producer Rachel Lyon’spowerful documentary depicts how racial animosity has defined much of American culture for more than 90 years, and asks important questions about media, race, crime, and punishment.
- Blaxploitalian This diasporic, hybrid, critical, and cosmopolitan dimension documentary uncovers the careers of a population of entertainers seldom heard from before: Black actors in Italian cinema starting from 1915 when the first black actor appeared in an Italian film. The fight for diversity and increased inclusion in the media, specifically film and television, is not limited to the U.S. or the U.K., but is a global concern.
Meow Wolf: Origin Story This documentary chronicles the jaw-dropping 10 year journey of an anarchic art collective into a multi-million dollar business. From having no access to blowing a new, profitable portal into the art world, this tumultuous journey has yielded new ways of participating in culture and entertainment for not only these artists, but for the people from all walks of life who engage in and are inspired by their work. With a mission to provide access to and inspire creativity in everyone, this company continues to experience growing pains, while continuing to reach for new impossibles.
Business
Welcome Darden School of Business (University of Virginia). 80 business videos on:
- Marketing Analytics Resource Allocation
- Design Thinking
- An Introduction to Case Teaching
- Random Walks
- Giving Voice to Values
And She Could Be Next (PBS, Series) During the 2018 midterms, women of color run for political office in record numbers. Candidates and organizers mobilize to expand the electorate, inspire voters to turn out and make history in the process.
Political Science | Music | Literature | American History
Renegade Dreamers At a time when political activism is more important than ever, the air in NYC is filled with the sounds of subversive poetry, radical songwriting and calls for social change. From poetry slams and open mics many hip young poets and songwriters are consciously following in the footsteps of Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg, Bob Dylan, and other rebels.RENEGADE DREAMERS interweaves past and present as it provides a look into an artistic/political wave that is happening today.
Watch high quality European film from Filmotor. Highlights include:
- Anthropology | Animals and Other People An exploration of the relationship between humans and animals. The Vienna animal shelter houses 1,000 animal protégés, from abandoned pets, confiscated exotic animals to wild animals that have been displaced from their habitat.
- Film | Environmental Studies Beautiful Things Work and alienation: Two things that have taken on a whole new meaning in the 21st century’s fundamentally changing and increasingly abstract networks of economics, ecology and (un)natural raw materials. Documentary science fiction from a future we already live in without knowing it.
Bullied This work traces bullying and the effects of bullying, but also the methods and programs that have proven efficacious in reducing bullying in schools. From those people who live with the scars of having been bullied, to those families who now grieve the loss of their child to suicide in the wake of brutal acts of bullying, the film examines the reasons why people bully and the fallout that occurs from that bullying.
August 2020 Editors Picks
- Diversity: The Persians: A History of Iran - series (BBC)
- Politics | Current Affairs: Putin: A Russian Spy Story - series (BBC)
- Criminal Justice: Murder 24/7 - series (BBC)
- World History | Science & Technology: Power Trip: The Story of Energy - series (PBS)
- Engineering: Inside the Factory - series (BBC)
- Foreign Film: A Dog and His Man
- Statistics: Chi Square Test of Independence - series (Easy Education)
- American History: Pride of the Buffalo Soldiers
- Literature:
- Poetry in America with Elsa New - series (PBS)
- Royal Shakespeare Company’s Twelfth Night, Macbeth, Romeo & Juliet, Troilus & Cressida, Merry Wives of Windsor, Taming of the Shrew, Measure for Measure, and As You Like It
Counseling & Therapy | Health Policy | Ethnic Studies/Race
- Bedlam Mental illness is not something most people are eager to talk about. Through intimate stories of patients, families, and medical providers, BEDLAM immerses us in America’s national crisis surrounding care of the severely mentally ill. Filmed over five years, it brings us inside one of the nation’s busiest psychiatric emergency rooms, into jails where psychiatric patients are warehoused, and to the homes – and homeless encampments – of mentally ill members of our communities. The story is told in part by director Kenneth Paul Rosenberg, MD, a psychiatrist, filmmaker, and brother of a person with schizophrenia. The filmmakers also happened to film one character who is trying to get justice for the way police handle black men who are mentally ill (like her brother, another character in the film). With complete serendipity in the filmmaking process she, Patrisse Cullors, becomes the co-founder of Black Lives Matter because of her brother’s mental illness. (FILM PLATFORM/Worldwide rights)
- What Dr. Fauci Wants You To Know About Face Masks And Staying Home As Virus Spreads (Newshour Productions/Worldwide rights)
- Resilience (FILM PLATFORM/Worldwide rights)
- Noble Sissle, Jr. (El Dorado Films/Worldwide rights)
- The Black Panthers - Vanguard of the Revolution (Firelight Media, Inc./North America only)
- Paper Tigers “Stressed brains can’t learn.” That was the nugget of neuroscience that Jim Sporleder, principal of a high school riddled with violence, drugs and truancy, took away from an educational conference in 2010. Three years later, the number of fights at Lincoln Alternative High School had gone down by 75% and the graduation rate had increased five-fold. Paper Tigers is the story of how one school made such dramatic progress. Following six students over the course of a school year, we see Lincoln’s staff try a new approach to discipline: one based on understanding and treatment rather than judgment and suspension. Using a combination of verite and revealing diary cam footage, Paper Tigers is a testament to what the latest developmental science is showing: that just one caring adult can help break the cycle of adversity in a young person’s life. (FILM PLATFORM/North America only)
June 2020 Editors Picks
Social Work
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Angelo Unwritten (Alice Stone)
- Most Likely to Succeed (FILM PLATFORM) A provocative look at the future of education.
- Unlikely (Collective Eye Films)
- Unseen Enemy (FILM PLATFORM) Examine why in the 21st century we are experiencing a rash of diseases that were once only outbreaks but have now become full - blown epidemics.
- 4 newly released COVID-19 videos:
- Coronavirus: How the World is Changing (TVF International)
- Stronger: The Battle Against COVID-19 (TVF International)
- Coronavirus: Race Against the Pandemic (TVF International)
- Coronavirus Pandemic (PBS)
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What Walaa Wants (FILM PLATFORM) Raised in the largest refugee camp in the West Bank while her mother was in prison, Walaa dreams of being a policewoman. Despite warnings that 'no women should be in the army' and that she'll bring shame on the family, she applies - and gets in. Follow Walaa from 15 to 21, in this first-ever look inside the Palestinian police academy bringing us the story about a young woman navigating formidable obstacles.
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Asian Americans (PBS Series)
Earth Science | Environmental Studies | Science
- Seven Worlds: One Planet (BBC Series)
- H2O: The Molecule that Made Us (PBS Series) Earth is alive because of liquid water and the human story is intimately connected to our relationship with it. But the growth of our civilizations has created a dangerous dependence on a precious resource that may be about to run out.
- Lady in the Van (Sony Pictures Classics*) Alan Bennett's story is based on the true story of Miss Shepherd (played by a magnificent Maggie Smith), a woman of uncertain origins who "temporarily" parked her van in Bennett's London driveway and proceeded to live there for 15 years.
- Ruben Brandt, Collector (Sony Pictures Classics*) Ruben Brandt, a famous psychotherapist, is forced to steal 13 paintings from the world's renowned museums and private collections to prevent his suffering from terrible nightmares he has as a result of subliminal messaging he received as a child. "The Collector" quickly becomes the most wanted criminal in the world.
May 2020 Editor's Picks
- Welcome Eye Steel Film (a Montreal based documentary collective) 8 of their films have been added with a handful more to come. This Canadian content has a multidisciplinary reach to support classes in: Dance, Anthropology, Health Policy, Religion, Film, Counseling & Therapy.
- Welcome Third World Newsreel. TWN fosters the creation, appreciation and dissemination of independent film and video by and about people of color and social justice issues.
- More content from FILM PLATFORM, including The Cleaners (media studies) and How to Survive a Plague (health policy).
- New videos from Sony Pictures Classics, including Aquarela (environmental science) and Maiden (women’s studies).
- David Attenborough’s Seven Worlds: One Planet, (earth science, environmental science) from BBC
- What She Said: The Art of Pauline Kael (film studies) from Juno Films
April 2020 Editor's Picks*
FILM PLATFORM Partnership Brings 500+ Documentaries to Academic Video Online!
ProQuest has partnered with renowned provider FILM PLATFORM, to bring more than 500 high-demand, thought-provoking documentaries to Academic Video Online.
FILM PLATFORM is known across the world for award-winning films curated for academic audiences. Their exclusive collection of documentary films has been carefully selected from prestigious film festivals, made by the best filmmakers from around the globe. Masterfully produced, the films create an emotional experience for the viewer, engaging them deeply and authentically in some of the most pressing issues of our time. Highlighted titles include:
- RBG
- An Inconvenient Sequel
- The Hunting Ground
- Human Flow
- How to Survive a Plague
- And the newly released HUMAN NATURE