Browse Titles - 55 results
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Awa: A Mother in West Africa
directed by Alexis Curtis (New York, NY: Filmakers Library, 2006), 50 mins
This is an intimate portrait of a single mother in Burkina Faso who supports her six children through her street-side rice business. Like so many African women, Awa has received no formal education and operates within the informal sector earning, on average, about ' a day. As Awa narrates her life story, she never...
Sample
directed by Alexis Curtis (New York, NY: Filmakers Library, 2006), 50 mins
Description
This is an intimate portrait of a single mother in Burkina Faso who supports her six children through her street-side rice business. Like so many African women, Awa has received no formal education and operates within the informal sector earning, on average, about ' a day. As Awa narrates her life story, she never pauses in her unending preparation of the rice. Her father forced her to marry his childhood friend and she bore four children before...
This is an intimate portrait of a single mother in Burkina Faso who supports her six children through her street-side rice business. Like so many African women, Awa has received no formal education and operates within the informal sector earning, on average, about ' a day. As Awa narrates her life story, she never pauses in her unending preparation of the rice. Her father forced her to marry his childhood friend and she bore four children before her husband died. Her husband's three other wives resented this new favorite and would not help her once she was widowed. Sustained by her faith in God, she began a street vending business to survive. Marrying again, this time for love, she was soon abandoned but left with two more children to feed. The film takes us through Awa's arduous 16 hour workday, interspliced with interviews of her children who are grateful for her hard work in their behalf. Here is a glimpse of some of the economic realities faced by women today in urban Africa. College Adult
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Field of Study
Women's Studies
Content Type
Documentary
Author / Creator
Alexis Curtis
Date Published / Released
2006
Publisher
Filmakers Library
Topic / Theme
Economics, Women's issues, Women's & Gender Studies
Copyright Message
Copyright © 2006. Used by permission of Filmakers Library. All rights reserved.
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Behind the Smile
produced by Alan Handel Productions (New York, NY: Filmakers Library, 1998), 48 mins
Hundreds of thousands of Thai young women leave their rural homes to work in the factories of Bangkok. They are the backbone of Thailand's economic success, yet are looked upon as almost less than human. Behind the Smile explores the lives and culture of these young women who live in crowded dormitories or shacks...
Sample
produced by Alan Handel Productions (New York, NY: Filmakers Library, 1998), 48 mins
Description
Hundreds of thousands of Thai young women leave their rural homes to work in the factories of Bangkok. They are the backbone of Thailand's economic success, yet are looked upon as almost less than human. Behind the Smile explores the lives and culture of these young women who live in crowded dormitories or shacks with few possessions, homesick for their families. Yet the money they earn is so desperately needed by their families that they must st...
Hundreds of thousands of Thai young women leave their rural homes to work in the factories of Bangkok. They are the backbone of Thailand's economic success, yet are looked upon as almost less than human. Behind the Smile explores the lives and culture of these young women who live in crowded dormitories or shacks with few possessions, homesick for their families. Yet the money they earn is so desperately needed by their families that they must stay for years in their grim servitude. Through portraits of three women, we see the human cost of the country's rapid industrialization. Amoan, at nineteen, has been working in a textile factory for five years amidst the endless dust and never ending noise. As a good Buddhist daughter, she sends all her money home and spends nothing on herself. Laiad and her husband had to leave their children in the village. They rarely see them. Willaiwon after working in the same factory for fourteen years for minimum wage has become a union organizer. A whole generation of women has disappeared from the villages, changing traditions for ever. College Adult
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Field of Study
Women's Studies
Content Type
Documentary
Contributor
Alan Handel Productions
Date Published / Released
1998
Publisher
Filmakers Library
Topic / Theme
Industry, Women's issues, Women's & Gender Studies
Copyright Message
Copyright © 1998. Used by permission of Filmakers Library. All rights reserved.
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Black and White In Colour
directed by Mira Erdevicki (New York, NY: Filmakers Library, 2000), 1 hour 1 mins
Vera Bila does everything in a big way. Her body is oversized. Her dark hair billows untidily. Her temperament is fiery. She chain smokes. She belts out songs with gusto in a hoarse, earthy voice. In fact, this singer from the Romany tradition is on her way to being a cabaret star in Europe. Surrounded by the husb...
Sample
directed by Mira Erdevicki (New York, NY: Filmakers Library, 2000), 1 hour 1 mins
Description
Vera Bila does everything in a big way. Her body is oversized. Her dark hair billows untidily. Her temperament is fiery. She chain smokes. She belts out songs with gusto in a hoarse, earthy voice. In fact, this singer from the Romany tradition is on her way to being a cabaret star in Europe. Surrounded by the husband she adores, and a loyal entourage of amateur Gypsy musicians who began as manual laborers, she tours the capitals of Europe in a ca...
Vera Bila does everything in a big way. Her body is oversized. Her dark hair billows untidily. Her temperament is fiery. She chain smokes. She belts out songs with gusto in a hoarse, earthy voice. In fact, this singer from the Romany tradition is on her way to being a cabaret star in Europe. Surrounded by the husband she adores, and a loyal entourage of amateur Gypsy musicians who began as manual laborers, she tours the capitals of Europe in a caravan that frequently breaks down. Here is a portrait of a Gypsy diva who is viewed with indifference and suspicion in her own country, even as she gains acclaim elsewhere. The age-old discrimination against Gypsies has shaped Bila's character. She must constantly battle for acceptance. 'I sing about the troubles I have. I just put everything into my songs. Sometimes when I sing I cry...' College Adult
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Field of Study
Women's Studies
Content Type
Documentary
Author / Creator
Mira Erdevicki
Date Published / Released
2000-03-25
Publisher
Filmakers Library
Topic / Theme
Concerts, Roma people, Singers, Ethnic Studies
Copyright Message
Copyright © 2000. Used by permission of Filmakers Library. All rights reserved.
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Caravan
directed by Dam Sall; produced by Jakob Hogel (New York, NY: Filmakers Library, 2007), 29 mins
Every September a group of nomad women in Niger travel by camel caravan across the stark desert, 660 miles each way. Their first stop is Fachi, an oasis where they collect dates which they bring to various market towns where the dates are sold or exchanged for millet and other goods crucial to the survival of thei...
Sample
directed by Dam Sall; produced by Jakob Hogel (New York, NY: Filmakers Library, 2007), 29 mins
Description
Every September a group of nomad women in Niger travel by camel caravan across the stark desert, 660 miles each way. Their first stop is Fachi, an oasis where they collect dates which they bring to various market towns where the dates are sold or exchanged for millet and other goods crucial to the survival of their tribe. The caravan is unique in that women organize and lead it without men. The women journey through the extremely difficult terrai...
Every September a group of nomad women in Niger travel by camel caravan across the stark desert, 660 miles each way. Their first stop is Fachi, an oasis where they collect dates which they bring to various market towns where the dates are sold or exchanged for millet and other goods crucial to the survival of their tribe. The caravan is unique in that women organize and lead it without men. The women journey through the extremely difficult terrain of one of the largest sand deserts in the Sahara. The trip takes about two weeks. The wells are two, three, or four days apart. It takes great skill to navigate in the desert so as not to miss this vital water supply. Some of the women nurse babies and carry children. The film captures the awesome quality of the desert and the strength and solidarity of the women who undertake this journey for the livelihood of their families. College Adult
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Field of Study
Women's Studies
Content Type
Documentary
Contributor
Jakob Hogel
Author / Creator
Dam Sall
Date Published / Released
2007
Publisher
Filmakers Library
Topic / Theme
Women's issues, Area Studies
Copyright Message
Copyright © 2007. Used by permission of Filmakers Library. All rights reserved.
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Chercher la vie
directed by Claudette Coulanges, 1959-; produced by Amber-Film and Team-Film (New York, NY: ArtMattan Productions, 1999), 1 hour 10 mins
Looking for Life introduces the viewer to two women, Anne-Rose and Rosemene, who each one have their own particular way of battling through life. The former makes lunches in a factory yard in Port-au-Prince and sells her meals to the factory workers; the latter is employed in the same factory as a production work...
Sample
directed by Claudette Coulanges, 1959-; produced by Amber-Film and Team-Film (New York, NY: ArtMattan Productions, 1999), 1 hour 10 mins
Description
Looking for Life introduces the viewer to two women, Anne-Rose and Rosemene, who each one have their own particular way of battling through life. The former makes lunches in a factory yard in Port-au-Prince and sells her meals to the factory workers; the latter is employed in the same factory as a production worker, making pullovers and T-shirts. Every day she buys her midday meal on credit from Anne-Rose. Through the connection between these tw...
Looking for Life introduces the viewer to two women, Anne-Rose and Rosemene, who each one have their own particular way of battling through life. The former makes lunches in a factory yard in Port-au-Prince and sells her meals to the factory workers; the latter is employed in the same factory as a production worker, making pullovers and T-shirts. Every day she buys her midday meal on credit from Anne-Rose. Through the connection between these two women the film shows part of their daily work and the constant battle for survival that they lead together with other women in Haiti. Going beyond this, however, the film demonstrates the extent to which the importation of North American goods has brought about the collapse of Haitian regional production and ruined Haiti's economy. The connection between the two topics of the film reveals the significant role that Haitian women of today play in an economy that has been bled dry.
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Field of Study
Women's Studies
Content Type
Documentary
Contributor
Amber-Film, Team-Film
Author / Creator
Claudette Coulanges, 1959-
Date Published / Released
1999
Publisher
ArtMattan Productions
Topic / Theme
Economic conditions, Globalization, Daily life, Women in workforce, Haitians
Copyright Message
Copyright © 1999 ArtMattan Productions
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Chronicle of a Savanna Marriage
directed by Stig Holmqvist; produced by Sveriges Television (New York, NY: Filmakers Library, 1998), 58 mins
For fifteen years, the filmmaker has monitored Nayiani's life, a Masai on the savanna of southern Kenya. The story begins in 1979 when Nayiani is fourteen, and has been promised in marriage to the son of her father's good friend. Nayiani undergoes circumcision, a procedure that both boys and girls go through to be...
Sample
directed by Stig Holmqvist; produced by Sveriges Television (New York, NY: Filmakers Library, 1998), 58 mins
Description
For fifteen years, the filmmaker has monitored Nayiani's life, a Masai on the savanna of southern Kenya. The story begins in 1979 when Nayiani is fourteen, and has been promised in marriage to the son of her father's good friend. Nayiani undergoes circumcision, a procedure that both boys and girls go through to be considered adults. The years immediately after he wedding prove difficult ones for Nayiami. She continuously longs to return to her fa...
For fifteen years, the filmmaker has monitored Nayiani's life, a Masai on the savanna of southern Kenya. The story begins in 1979 when Nayiani is fourteen, and has been promised in marriage to the son of her father's good friend. Nayiani undergoes circumcision, a procedure that both boys and girls go through to be considered adults. The years immediately after he wedding prove difficult ones for Nayiami. She continuously longs to return to her family. But gradually, as time passes, she grows accustomed to her new home. Eventually, her husband Lekumok brings home additional wives, since his herd of cattle is now so large that he needs and can afford additional women in his household. Nayiami welcomes the companionship and help. Even on the savanna, time does not stand still. The family feels the encroachment of the Nairobi government on different aspects of their lives. Here is a unique view of the life and culture of the Masai. College Adult
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Field of Study
Women's Studies
Content Type
Documentary
Contributor
Sveriges Television
Author / Creator
Stig Holmqvist
Date Published / Released
1998
Publisher
Filmakers Library
Topic / Theme
Anthropology, Women's issues, Women's & Gender Studies
Copyright Message
Copyright © 1998. Used by permission of Filmakers Library. All rights reserved.
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City of Dreams
directed by Gianfranco Norelli, fl. 1980-2005 and Bruno Surrentino; produced by Palio Pictures (New York, NY: Filmakers Library, 2001), 46 mins
Juarez is often called "City of Dreams" because hundreds of thousands of young women have been drawn to this frontier town from the most impoverished regions of Mexico. They aspire to a life free from poverty and free from the male-dominated traditional family and village. Since 1993 over two hundred of these youn...
Sample
directed by Gianfranco Norelli, fl. 1980-2005 and Bruno Surrentino; produced by Palio Pictures (New York, NY: Filmakers Library, 2001), 46 mins
Description
Juarez is often called "City of Dreams" because hundreds of thousands of young women have been drawn to this frontier town from the most impoverished regions of Mexico. They aspire to a life free from poverty and free from the male-dominated traditional family and village. Since 1993 over two hundred of these young women have been murdered, and the crimes barely investigated. Many of the victims were assembly-line workers in the over four hundred...
Juarez is often called "City of Dreams" because hundreds of thousands of young women have been drawn to this frontier town from the most impoverished regions of Mexico. They aspire to a life free from poverty and free from the male-dominated traditional family and village. Since 1993 over two hundred of these young women have been murdered, and the crimes barely investigated. Many of the victims were assembly-line workers in the over four hundred mostly US-owned factories. This compelling documentary focuses on the social causes at the root of the unsolved murders. The factories, known as "maquiladoras" have brought the city jobs and opportunities otherwise rare in Mexico, but also enormous social changes as a result of free trade and globalization. Mexican human rights activists consider these women casualties in a deeper gender conflict caused by rapid changes in the male/female roles. In a country dominated by machismo, the women's independence as breadwinners has fuelled resentment. Sociologists and political scientists worldwide regard Juarez as a microcosm of the emerging global economy, where capital moves freely and labor is trapped by borders. College Adult
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Field of Study
Women's Studies
Content Type
Documentary
Contributor
Palio Pictures
Author / Creator
Gianfranco Norelli, fl. 1980-2005, Bruno Surrentino
Date Published / Released
2001
Publisher
Filmakers Library
Topic / Theme
Mexico and the United States Border, Internal migration, Women's rights, Law, Sociology, Women's & Gender Studies, Mexicans, 20th Century in World History (1914--2000), 21st Century in World History (2001– )
Copyright Message
Copyright © 2001. Used by permission of Filmakers Library. All rights reserved.
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Clotheslines
directed by Roberta Cantow; produced by Roberta Cantow (New York, NY: Filmakers Library, 1988), 38 mins
With verve and humor, this film shows the love/hate relationship that women have with the task of cleaning the family's clothes. As we see the clothes flapping in the wind and hear the voices - some proud, some angry, some wistful - we realize that doing laundry calls forth deep feel- ings about one's role in life...
Sample
directed by Roberta Cantow; produced by Roberta Cantow (New York, NY: Filmakers Library, 1988), 38 mins
Description
With verve and humor, this film shows the love/hate relationship that women have with the task of cleaning the family's clothes. As we see the clothes flapping in the wind and hear the voices - some proud, some angry, some wistful - we realize that doing laundry calls forth deep feel- ings about one's role in life. Some remember when their mothers and grandmothers tackled the same chores using washtubs and washboards, or even river streams. This...
With verve and humor, this film shows the love/hate relationship that women have with the task of cleaning the family's clothes. As we see the clothes flapping in the wind and hear the voices - some proud, some angry, some wistful - we realize that doing laundry calls forth deep feel- ings about one's role in life. Some remember when their mothers and grandmothers tackled the same chores using washtubs and washboards, or even river streams. This engaging film pays homage to the commonality of women's experience. High School College Adult
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Field of Study
Women's Studies
Content Type
Documentary
Contributor
Roberta Cantow
Author / Creator
Roberta Cantow
Date Published / Released
1988
Publisher
Filmakers Library
Topic / Theme
Domestic life, Women's issues, Women's & Gender Studies
Copyright Message
Copyright © 1988. Used by permission of Filmakers Library. All rights reserved.
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Dalda 13
directed by Monika Baker, fl. 1996 (New York, NY: Filmakers Library, 1997), 23 mins
Although her powerful images of India have been seen around the world, Homai Vyarawalla's name never appears in the annals of photojournalism. Her professional identity, Dalda 13, derives from her birth in 1913, her marriage at thirteen, and the license plate on her first car which was DLD 13. In a country where w...
Sample
directed by Monika Baker, fl. 1996 (New York, NY: Filmakers Library, 1997), 23 mins
Description
Although her powerful images of India have been seen around the world, Homai Vyarawalla's name never appears in the annals of photojournalism. Her professional identity, Dalda 13, derives from her birth in 1913, her marriage at thirteen, and the license plate on her first car which was DLD 13. In a country where women were submissive, Ms. Vyarawalla was toting a large camera on her sari draped shoulder, always pushing to where the action was. Her...
Although her powerful images of India have been seen around the world, Homai Vyarawalla's name never appears in the annals of photojournalism. Her professional identity, Dalda 13, derives from her birth in 1913, her marriage at thirteen, and the license plate on her first car which was DLD 13. In a country where women were submissive, Ms. Vyarawalla was toting a large camera on her sari draped shoulder, always pushing to where the action was. Her photographs documented the death of Gandhi, the visits of international dignitaries such as Ho Chi Minh, Queen Elizabeth, and Jackie Kennedy. Never at a loss for words, she shares her impressions of the luminaries she photographed. Although her first photographs were published under her husband's name, she soon became recognized as a familiar presence on the front line of events.. She gave up her career out of frustration when security restrictions governing press photographers limited her access to "special angles." After retirement she burned all her negatives, believing no one was interested. This film, a long overdue tribute, suggests she was overlooked because she was Asian and a woman. High School College Adult
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Field of Study
Women's Studies
Content Type
Documentary
Author / Creator
Monika Baker, fl. 1996
Date Published / Released
1997
Publisher
Filmakers Library
Topic / Theme
Fine arts, Journalism, Women's & Gender Studies
Copyright Message
Copyright © 1997. Used by permission of Filmakers Library. All rights reserved.
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De Luna a Luna
directed by Diana Kuellar, fl. 2001; produced by Helena Sala Bitrià, 1982-, Making Docs (Cali, Valle del Cauca Department: Making Docs, 2015), 12 mins
De luna a luna cuenta el día a día de dos mujeres colombianas: una mujer indígena guambiana y una afrodecendiente cortera de caña. Por medio de sus historias, el documental intenta visibilizar el exceso de trabajo que recae en las mujeres que a la vez son madres, trabajadoras, campesinas, cabezas de familia y...
Sample
directed by Diana Kuellar, fl. 2001; produced by Helena Sala Bitrià, 1982-, Making Docs (Cali, Valle del Cauca Department: Making Docs, 2015), 12 mins
Description
De luna a luna cuenta el día a día de dos mujeres colombianas: una mujer indígena guambiana y una afrodecendiente cortera de caña. Por medio de sus historias, el documental intenta visibilizar el exceso de trabajo que recae en las mujeres que a la vez son madres, trabajadoras, campesinas, cabezas de familia y que no cuentan con protección social.
De lua a lua tem conta o dia a dia de duas mulheres colombianas, uma índia Guambiana e uma negra que...
De luna a luna cuenta el día a día de dos mujeres colombianas: una mujer indígena guambiana y una afrodecendiente cortera de caña. Por medio de sus historias, el documental intenta visibilizar el exceso de trabajo que recae en las mujeres que a la vez son madres, trabajadoras, campesinas, cabezas de familia y que no cuentan con protección social.
De lua a lua tem conta o dia a dia de duas mulheres colombianas, uma índia Guambiana e uma negra que trabalhar no canavial. Através de suas histórias, o filme mostra o excesso de trabalho que recai sobre as mulheres que são mães, trabalhadores, agricultoras, chefes de família e não contam com nunhuma proteção social.
De Luna a Luna shows the daily life of two Colombian women, a Guambiana Indian and an African-Colombian that works in the sugar cane plantation. Through their stories, the film depicts the overwork that falls on women who are both mothers, workers, farmers, householders and no social protection.
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Field of Study
Women's Studies
Content Type
Documentary
Contributor
Helena Sala Bitrià, 1982-, Making Docs
Author / Creator
Diana Kuellar, fl. 2001
Date Published / Released
2011, 2015
Publisher
Making Docs
Copyright Message
Copyright © 2015 by Fundación Making Docs
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