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AFRICAN STUDIES

AFRICAN STUDIES


BETWEEN JOYCE AND REMEMBRANCE

A hard-hitting look at one of the many heinous crimes that came before South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation Commission.

BETWEEN JOYCE AND REMEMBRANCE is a hard-hitting documentary about truth and reconciliation in South Africa, focusing on the family of the tortured, poisoned and murdered student activist, Siphiwo Mtimkulu.

Producer Mark Kaplan spent seven years documenting the lives of Joyce and Sikhumbuzo Mtimkulu, mother and son of the murdered young man, culminating in a meeting of the family with Siphiwo's killer, Gideon Nieuwoudt, a former colonel in the apartheid government's hated security police.

Kaplan reveals the fragility of South Africa's transition to democracy by exploring the feelings of the Mtimkulu family. The film picks up where the hearings of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission left off. It offers a deeper understanding of the difficulty of reconciling with torturers, knowing they will receive no punishment. A burial of the only physical remains of Siphiwo - a handful of his hair - is a pitiful closure. For Siphiwo's son, Sikhumbuzo, this may not be enough.

We begin to understand the magnitude of the sacrifice being attempted by this generation: to set aside the personal healing that might come from justice served now, in order to accelerate a transformation to a just society, free of recrimination, for the next generation.

Reviews
  • "Offers a deeper understanding of how truth and reconciliation matter on a personal level." World Association for Christian Communication

  • "Constructed with honesty and beautifully photographed. But it is history that makes it what it is. These extraordinary circumstances remind one how far we've come and how far we have to go." Matthew Krouse, Mail & Guardian Online

  • "This film does what the hearings of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission did not. It offers a deeper understanding of how truth and reconciliation matter on a personal level, whether reconciliation ever took place, whether it can take place...This film helps us to understand how big a sacrifice is being made by a generation, forgoing not only revenge but the satisfaction of even the most superficial punitive justice." World Association for Christian Communication

    Awards
  • Audience Award, Encounters, The South African International Documentary Film Festival
  • Opening Night Film, Ten Years of Freedom Film Festival, New York
  • Honorable Mention, Columbus International Film and Video Festival
  • INPUT, Barcelona
  • DITSHWANELO Human Rights Film Festival
  • Alex Film Festival
  • Western Psychological Association Film Festival


    • Item no. : BG01110026
    Format : DVD-R (Color)
    Duration : 68 minutes
    Audience : Grades 10-12, College, Adult
    Copyright : 2004
    StdBkNo : 1594982718
    Price : USD 250.00

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    BUSTO TOXICO

    Las sustancias químicas y el cáncer

    Mediante la combinación de técnicas narrativas y documentales, Busto Tóxico plantea estas preguntas, haciendo la propuesta de que muchos de estos cánceres son prevenibles.

    Una mujer saludable descubre una bolita en su seno, lo cual da comienzo a este documental que pone al descubierto la creciente evidencia que demuestra los vínculos entre el cáncer de mama y la exposición a las sustancias tóxicas. La obra le provocará cuestionamientos y le dará inspiración.

    Conforme la mujer recién diagnosticada se pregunta cuál podría haber sido la causa del cáncer, la película se concentra en tres focos de infección de cáncer, indagándo abiertamente acerca de la relación entre el cáncer y la exposición a las sustancias químicas en el hogar, en la comunidad y en el lugar de trabajo.

    ?Será posible que la exposición a las toxinas a una edad temprana aumente el riesgo de contraer el cáncer? ?Y qué hay de trabajar con sustancias peligrosas o vivir cerca de un tiradero de desechos tóxicos? ?Qué tan seguros son los productos que utilizamos en casa y aplicamos a nuestros cuerpos?

    Mediante la combinación de técnicas narrativas y documentales, las investigaciones científicas y los testimonios personales, Busto Tóxico plantea estas preguntas, haciendo la propuesta de que muchos de estos cánceres son prevenibles. La obra desafía al p¨²blico a indagar cómo el uso de sustancias químicas en los EE.UU. sabotea la salud de sus ciudadanos.

    Reviews
  • "In her ground-breaking film Toxic Bust Megan Siler makes a convincing argument that chemicals in the environment could be implicated in the increasing rates of breast cancer. Toxic Bust takes viewers on a virtual journey from the affluent coastal town of Cape Cod to the densely populated San Francisco Bay Area, and then to the high-tech world of Silicon Valley through the experience of women who have been diagnosed with breast cancer. These disparate communities share one thing in common: they are home to the highest rates of breast cancer anywhere in the world." -The Milky Way

  • "Toxic Bust is recommended for libraries looking for an introduction to the topic and supporting college programs in health sciences, environmental toxicology and health, women's studies and science." -Lori Widzinski, Educational Media Reviews Online

    Awards
  • CINE Golden Eagle Award
  • Planet in Focus, Toronto International Environmental Film Festival
  • Vermont International Film Festival
  • Mill Valley Film Festival
  • Hazel Wolf Environmental Film Festival


    • Item no. : PB01110359
    Format : DVD-R (Color)
    Duration : 41 minutes
    Audience : Grades 10-12, College, Adult
    Copyright : 2006
    StdBkNo : 1594586071
    Price : USD 225.00

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    BUYER BE FAIR: THE PROMISE OF PRODUCT CERTIFICATION

    Looks at the benefits of fair trade goods and product certification for people and the environment.

    Under the auspices of the WTO, globalization of world trade seems like a juggernaut that will not be stopped. But is there a way to make trade FAIR? How can retailers and consumers use their purchasing power and market choice to make the world better for people and the environment? What is the promise of product certification and labeling?

    BUYER BE FAIR looks at two major trade goods -- timber and coffee -- to find out how certification works and whether it helps the world's poor, and their lands. Can the lessons from certification of timber, by the Forest Stewardship Council, and coffee, by Fair Trade, be applied to other products?

    BUYER BE FAIR takes viewers to Mexico, the Netherlands, the UK, Sweden, the USA and Canada, where compelling stories and characters raise and answer these questions in a powerful documentary that explores new ways to make globalization work for all of us.

    Reviews
  • "It's moving, it's gorgeous, it's engaging, and the viewer feels empowered, not preached to." Frances Moore Lappé, author of "Diet for a Small Planet" and "Hope's Edge"

  • "Buyer Be Fair will have a huge impact. It's moving, it's gorgeous, it's engaging, and the viewer feels empowered, not preached to." Frances Moore Lappé, author of "Diet for a Small Planet" and "Hope's Edge"

  • "The film makes one simple point: as consumers we have the power. When we buy products with eco-labels like the Forest Stewardship Council and Fair Trade we really make a difference, for both people and nature." Barbara Bramble, National Wildlife Federation

  • "Buyer Be Fair offers an engaging look into one of the hottest topics in today's marketplace. Its straightforward approach illuminates the considerable and increasing power that is in our hands as consumers to have a direct impact on the lives (and environments) of countless people. This film helps people understand WHY to care and WHAT to do." Daniele Giovannucci, World Bank, Senior Consultant and author of "The State of Sustainable Coffee" and "Coffee Markets: New Paradigms in Global Supply and Demand"

  • "BUYER BE FAIR is an excellent introduction to how fair trade can be a win-win innovation in the marketplace. Students will enjoy the clear exposition, and teachers will find that the documentary opens many doors to classroom discussion. The documentary has two parts- one on coffee and one on lumber- that can be seen and discussed in two separate class sessions." Michael Kevane, Associate Professor of Economics, Santa Clara University

  • "Buyer Be Fair shows us that our economic decisions need not be made in a moral vacuum; that our purchases in the marketplace are a statement of the type of world we wish to live in. It carefully explains the concept of fair trade and demonstrates the power American consumers could have in transforming the global economy. A must see for every American consumer." Paul Winters, Dept. of Economics, American University

  • "As a professor of business and society courses, I am excited about Buyer Be Fair. Fair trade and product certification are two extremely important practices that can link corporations, consumers, and producers together in socially responsible ways to address challenging global issues of poverty, environmental degradation and social justice. Textbook discussions of certification and fair trade are relatively uncommon, and fail to effectively communicate their essence and potential. Buyer Be Fair provides viewers with an understanding of these practices and their importance. This film helps fair trade and product certification move from abstract concepts to real, practical mechanisms for making the world a better place." Gordon Rands, Associate Professor of Management, Western Illinois University

  • "A fair, balanced look at certifying timber and other products. It left me wanting to purchase only certified coffee in the future!... [Buyer Be Fair] portrays so well the relationship between economic and environmental sustainability." Sally D. Collins, Associate Chief, USDA/Forest Service

    Awards
  • Honorable Mention, Wild & Scenic Environmental Film Festival
  • Environmental Film Festival in the Nation's Capital
  • Council on Foundations Film & Video Festival
  • Hazel Wolf Environmental Film Festival
  • Northwest Sustainability Conference


    • Item no. : FJ02790046
    Format : DVD-R (Color)
    Duration : 57 minutes
    Audience : Grades 9-12, College, Adult
    Copyright : 2006
    StdBkNo : 1594583471
    Price : USD 250.00

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    CAN CONDOMS KILL?

    Investigates the Catholic Church's allegation in SEX AND THE HOLY CITY that condoms are unreliable and ineffective in preventing the transmission of HIV.

    It's been called mankind's biggest health disaster: about 40 million people throughout the world are thought to be living with AIDS. For two decades, condoms have been a primary weapon in the fight against AIDS transmission. In 2003 a leading cardinal in the Vatican, Alfonso Lopez Trujillo, insisted that condoms can have holes in them that leak the deadly virus. The major AIDS control agencies say this is not true - that there's no health risk from holes in condoms. The Vatican subsequently published an important document by Trujillo defending and substantiating his position, entitled "Family Values Versus Safe Sex." The Vatican's claims caused an outcry.

    In CAN CONDOMS KILL?, reporter Steve Bradshaw embarks on a worldwide hunt for the truth, analyzing the 20-page paper prepared by the Vatican - and the references cited in its extensive footnotes - and interviewing leading scientists and AIDS activists who offer their views on the cardinal's controversial claims.

    Global efforts to convince people condoms leak were first reported in Panorama's previous film Sex and the Holy City. The film revealed the tactics used by some Catholic conservatives to try to dissuade people from using condoms in the midst of the AIDS pandemic.

    In this new film, Bradshaw and his team travel to Brazil, where the Church's claims have caused a row so bitter that the Rio carnival became a protest against the Vatican's claims. While the European Union condemns the Catholic Church for "bigotry" in its approach to condoms, leading Catholic clergymen in Latin America and Africa say that condoms could actually be making the AIDS epidemic worse - and they say there's a better way of fighting the virus. The film explores HIV prevention in Uganda, where HIV rates have actually gone down, a rare occurrence in Africa. Many Catholics and policy-makers believe that it is abstinence and a return to fidelity and not condoms that are beating HIV there. Bradshaw's team also looks at the legal brothels of Nevada, where it's claimed prostitutes have a 100% success rate in using condoms against HIV.

    Through showing both sides of this controversial debate, the film takes a serious look at condom use and AIDS. It asks whether the Vatican can continue its stance against condom use while they are so widely believed to be the best recourse available in stemming the spread of AIDS.

    Review
  • "The central question of the film is appropriate and yet chilling in this day and age. [Can Condoms Kill?] is a wonderful and helpful resource to use as a classroom tool to begin to discuss the touchy topics of sex out of marriage, the power imbalance between men and women globally, religiosity, improvised communities, understanding scientific research findings and how it can be misinterpreted, as well as the overarching question of the terrible pandemic of HIV and AIDS. With numerous challenges in stemming the tide of death due to a disease that is truly devastating and destroying not only individuals lives but whole communities and countries it seems timely and appropriate to raise the question as simple as possible. That is why the film Can Condoms Kills? Is brilliant and timely." Beatriz Solís, Chicano Studies Department, California State University at Northridge & Ethnic, Gender and Women's Studies Department, California Polytechnic University, Pomona

    Award
  • Nationwide Broadcast in Britain on the BBC


    • Item no. : WN01110047
    Format : DVD-R (Color)
    Duration : 45 minutes
    Audience : College, Adult
    Copyright : 2004
    StdBkNo : 1594582882
    Price : USD 250.00

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    DEAD MUMS DON'T CRY

    By Tristan Quinn

    Grace Kodindo's heroic efforts in Chad to lower the rate of maternal mortality, one of the UN's Millennium Development Goals.

    Becoming a mother in Africa can be among the most frightening and dangerous jobs in the world. This program investigates why more than half a million women die every year in pregnancy and childbirth.

    DEAD MUMS DON'T CRY documents one woman's remarkable struggle to stop mothers in her country from dying. She's Grace Kodindo - an obstetrician in the poverty-stricken central African country of Chad. Women in Chad have a 1 in 11 chance of dying during pregnancy or in childbirth. The risk for women in the UK is 1 in 5100.

    Cutting maternal mortality by 75% by 2015 was one of the eight Millennium Development Goals set by 189 countries in 2000. Five years on, progress is far behind schedule - and this film reveals it's slowest on the goals that affect women and children.

    But DEAD MUMS DON'T CRY shows there is reason for hope. A few poor countries have succeeded in saving mothers' lives. BBC reporter Steve Bradshaw and Grace Kodindo travel to Honduras, which has cut maternal mortality far faster than some wealthier neighbors. A key reason is that influential men and women cared enough to make the issue a priority.

    Reviews
  • "An excellent introduction to the problems surrounding maternal health and childbirth in the Third World. [Dead Mums Don't Cry] is a captivating production that focuses on a real-world obstetric heroine, Dr. Grace Kodindo, and her struggles to save women's lives without the basic resources that she needs, in the country of Chad. Most importantly, by comparing Chad with Honduras, it shows how with determined efforts by government, by women's health `champions', and by external partners, these problems can be successfully overcome with only modest expenditures. Highly recommended." - L. Lewis Wall, MD, Dphil, Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Professor of Anthropology, Washington University

  • "This is by far the best film on maternal mortality I have ever seen. It really shows how families and health workers struggle to save the lives of pregnant women in developing countries. Sadly this struggle is often in vain. The portion of the film that takes place in Chad shows how the health system fails them in so many ways -- by having too few functioning facilities, that are too far from the villages; by not supplying essential drugs and supplies needed to save lives. It also shows how this failure can continue, due to lack of political will, or it can be remedied by relatively simple actions that the government can take even in a relatively poor country such as Honduras. The reaction of the courageous obstetrician from Chad, Dr.Grace Kodindo, to the improvements that have been made in Honduras, that allow physicians and other health workers to save so many more women than she can in Chad, is one of many memorable moments in the film." - Deborah Maine, Ph.D., Professor of International Health, Boston University

  • "The issues are illustrated beautifully...Dead Mums Don't Cry...is Recommended for library collections supporting public health, women's health, African studies, and political science...An important film that deserves a wide showing." - Lori Widzinski, Health Sciences Library, University at Buffalo, State University of New York, Educational Media Reviews Online

    Award
  • Finalist, Issues & Ethics Category, International Health & Medical Media Awards


    • Item no. : VU02560516
    Format : DVD-R (Color)
    Duration : 49 minutes
    Audience : Grades 10-12, College, Adult
    Copyright : 2005
    StdBkNo : 1594584494
    Price : USD 250.00

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    HEART OF THE CONGO

    Documents the work done, and difficulties faced, by international aid workers in the Congo.
    In the heart of the Congo, at the end of a war, a handful of aid workers help refugees who have lost everything. They mobilize villagers to dig wells for clean water, train health workers, and nurse children with acute malnutrition back to health. They are confronted with threats of violence from roving militias, systemic corruption, and a legacy of colonial dependency. And there are times when it is very clear that these workers exist apart from those they aim to help, benefiting from services and luxuries of the modern world that are beyond the reach of the rural Congolese.

    In spite of this the Congolese and European aid workers struggle to encourage the will of the people, and build the skills necessary, for a self-sufficient future. Heart of the Congo is a film about courage, hope, and perseverance.
    Heartwarming but unsentimental" Phillip Fradkin, author

    Reviews
  • "Most of the images we see from Congo are of death and destruction...but this unusual film shows us something else as well: the process of trying to help a community rebuild. With uncommon honesty and no sentimentality, it shows both the difficulties and the absolute necessity of creative humanitarian aid projects in a country recovering from catastrophe." -Adam Hochschild, author of King Leopold's Ghost

  • "Heart of the Congo represents the incredible challenges and hardships facing the Congolese in light of impacts of ongoing war and the legacy of a brutal colonialism. The film lays a great foundation for a further dialogue about international aid, and the necessary support for structural changes within the Congo. The Congolese know that only through courage and perseverance on a day to day basis can true progress be made." -Katie Sternfels, Grantmakers Without Borders

  • "Heart of the Congo accurately captures the real lives and the personal stories of the people working in international development in Africa, both the foreign nationals and the local people. It tells those stories in the context of the larger cultural and political realities and manages to tell a story that finds good reason for hope, endurance and perseverance in a hard situation." -Kevin Jones, The Anglican Malaria Project

  • "Tom Weidlinger asks the right question about an international aid group in the Congo, and by implication all do-gooders everywhere, and that is how to they get the recipients of their largesse to take back their destinies after they have gone? This heartwarming but unsentimental documentary suggests an answer to that tantalizing question." -Phillip Fradkin, author and former foreign correspondent of the LA Times

  • "Heart of the Congo is a clear-eyed examination of humanitarian aid in action...There are no quick fixes here, just slow, necessary steps toward a more hopeful future." -Dave Gilson, Mother Jones magazine

    Awards
  • Big Muddy Film Festival
  • Newport Beach Film Festival
  • RiverRun International Film Festival


    • Item no. : WN02790146
    Format : DVD (French, Color)
    Duration : 57 minutes
    Audience : Grades 10-12, College, Adult
    Copyright : 2004
    StdBkNo : 1594582653
    Price : USD 250.00

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    HEART OF THE CONGO: REBUILDING LIFE IN THE FACE OF WAR

    Documents the work done, and difficulties faced, by international aid workers in the Congo.

    In the heart of the Congo, at the end of a war, a handful of aid workers help refugees who have lost everything. They mobilize villagers to dig wells for clean water, train health workers, and nurse children with acute malnutrition back to health. They are confronted with threats of violence from roving militias, systemic corruption, and a legacy of colonial dependency. And there are times when it is very clear that these workers exist apart from those they aim to help, benefiting from services and luxuries of the modern world that are beyond the reach of the rural Congolese.

    In spite of this the Congolese and European aid workers struggle to encourage the will of the people, and build the skills necessary, for a self-sufficient future. Heart of the Congo is a film about courage, hope, and perseverance.
    Heartwarming but unsentimental" Phillip Fradkin, author

    Reviews
  • "A clear-eyed examination of humanitarian aid in action." -Dave Gilson, Mother Jones magazine

  • "Most of the images we see from Congo are of death and destruction...but this unusual film shows us something else as well: the process of trying to help a community rebuild. With uncommon honesty and no sentimentality, it shows both the difficulties and the absolute necessity of creative humanitarian aid projects in a country recovering from catastrophe." -Adam Hochschild, author of King Leopold's Ghost

  • "Heart of the Congo represents the incredible challenges and hardships facing the Congolese in light of impacts of ongoing war and the legacy of a brutal colonialism. The film lays a great foundation for a further dialogue about international aid, and the necessary support for structural changes within the Congo. The Congolese know that only through courage and perseverance on a day to day basis can true progress be made." -Katie Sternfels, Grantmakers Without Borders

  • "Heart of the Congo accurately captures the real lives and the personal stories of the people working in international development in Africa, both the foreign nationals and the local people. It tells those stories in the context of the larger cultural and political realities and manages to tell a story that finds good reason for hope, endurance and perseverance in a hard situation." -Kevin Jones, The Anglican Malaria Project

  • "Tom Weidlinger asks the right question about an international aid group in the Congo, and by implication all do-gooders everywhere, and that is how to they get the recipients of their largesse to take back their destinies after they have gone? This heartwarming but unsentimental documentary suggests an answer to that tantalizing question." -Phillip Fradkin, author and former foreign correspondent of the LA Times

  • "Heart of the Congo is a clear-eyed examination of humanitarian aid in action...There are no quick fixes here, just slow, necessary steps toward a more hopeful future." -Dave Gilson, Mother Jones magazine

    Awards
  • Big Muddy Film Festival
  • Newport Beach Film Festival
  • RiverRun International Film Festival


    • Item no. : HD01110147
    Format : DVD (English and French, Color)
    Duration : 57 minutes
    Audience : Grades 10-12, College, Adult
    Copyright : 2004
    StdBkNo : 1594582653
    Price : USD 250.00

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    IN SEARCH OF INTERNATIONAL JUSTICE

    Directed by Judy Jackson
    Narrated by Peter Gabriel
    Camera: Len Gilday, Bimi Shkumbim Bytqyi
    Editing: Barton Hewett, Sarah Udal
    Music: Mark Korven

    The first film about a crucial new commitment to the international rule of law: the International Criminal Court.

    This is the first film about a crucial new commitment to the International Rule of Law - so victims will no long suffer without being heard, and war criminals will be punished.

    Sixty years ago, with the Nuremberg charter, the world first said "Never Again." But these proved empty words for the victims of the Cold War years. The Superpowers couldn't agree on a universal code to punish war criminals. Tyrants ruled with impunity.

    So the voices of their victims have echoed down through the decades, refusing to be silent, even in death. Joined by relatives who are unable to move on, until they know how their loved ones died. Different languages from different places, but with the same universal theme - begging to be delivered from the torment of living somewhere between life and death. Telling us that they will be able, finally, to rest, when we find out how they died. Insisting we listen.

    It is because of these voices that International Justice has been reborn. In 2002 the International Criminal Court was established in The Hague. So far 100 countries have signed on to the Court's mandate. However, the world's remaining superpower, the United States is strongly opposed.

    The new Court is already busy. It is investigating crimes against humanity in Darfur. It has issued indictments against leaders of the Lord's Resistance Army in Northern Uganda who abduct children and force them to fight. And a militia leader from the Democratic Republic of the Congo faces charges of recruiting children as young as 8 to fight for him.

    For the first time war criminals are being forced to listen. The victims' voices now haunt them, telling them they will not be silent until justice is done.

    Reviews
  • "Unravels the politics and personalities at the forefront of a renewed search for international justice, but it is the individual stories of war victims that resonate...[and] drive the documentary, which should be required viewing for the powerful holdouts in the White House who are cutting off aid to countries that support the ICC." - Henrietta Walmark, (Toronto) Globe and Mail

  • "Manages to bring terrible events to life through carefully managed witness interviews, well chosen archival footage and a haunting, evocative musical score...a thoughtful, well researched look at a thorny, often complex subject... this is a film that really is worth looking for. If you're even remotely interested about what's going on in the world... In Search of International Justice is a keeper." - Alex Strachan, Canwest

  • "In Search of International Justice is an informative presentation of the issues surrounding the International Criminal Court. It cites a wide range of situations from Rwanda to the Sudan in which international authorities have attempted to apprehend the agents of genocide. This film is a must for courses involving current events and multilateral organizations." - Dr. Craig Eisendrath, Senior Fellow, Center for International Policy

  • "In Search of International Justice makes a compelling case for the International Criminal Court... Eye witness accounts and gripping archival footage clearly illustrate why the international community must respond to those who suffer at the hands of tyrannical leadership. Highly recommended for law, political science, and contemporary issues courses." - Douglas Reed, Educational Media Reviews Online


    • Item no. : WU02560528
    Format : DVD (Color)
    Duration : 66 minutes
    Audience : Grades 10-12, College, Adult
    Copyright : 2005
    StdBkNo : 1594585318
    Price : USD 275.00

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    LAST CHILD, THE

    The Global Race to End Polio

    Tells the behind-the-scenes story of the global campaign to eradicate polio.

    In remote villages and urban slums, an army of experts and committed volunteers is fighting what could be the final battle in an age-old war. With adequate funding and much perseverance, they may soon wipe out the last trace of an enemy that has plagued humanity for thousands of years.

    This is the war on polio.

    THE LAST CHILD tells the behind-the-scenes story of the global campaign to eradicate polio, the dreaded childhood disease that continues to cripple and kill. From the frontlines in Nigeria, India, Haiti and elsewhere, you'll witness the victories and challenges of trying to wipe out a disease worldwide for only the second time in history.

    The polio eradication campaign is the largest non-military, global enterprise ever. It involves dozens of organizations, scores of governments, thousands of health workers and millions of volunteers. In a world of AIDS, malaria and other health crises, the eradication of polio would demonstrate that humankind can triumph over the darker side of nature.

    The campaign has made remarkable progress, reducing polio cases from 350,000 a year to fewer than 1,000 in just over 15 years. Yet, as THE LAST CHILD shows, health workers face major obstacles in defeating the virus once and for all. Some communities are refusing polio immunizations. The vaccine is developing dangerous mutations. And some experts now question whether polio can ever be eradicated. But the cost of failure would be staggering. If the campaign loses steam and immunization rates drop, polio could quickly re-emerge and threaten a whole new generation of children, even in places that have long been polio-free.

    Reviews
  • "Watching The Last Child, I found myself taken back to those days in 1949 when, as a polio victim, I spent nights in an overcrowded New York hospital amid hundreds of stricken children. Some, like myself, could no longer walk; others, much worse off were in iron lungs. But this film tells a story not only of the persistent efforts of doctors and volunteers to interrupt the contagion of the virus, and of the great hope of eradicating the disease totally from the face of the earth. It shows how we are so close to this great goal, if only the last steps are taken. There is so little to do, and so little needed that the horror exists that we will be too complacent to do it. It is an engrossing and moving film and hopefully will inspire us to take this final step to reach that last child." -Francis Ford Coppola

  • "The Last Child is a riveting documentary that shatters the notion that polio is a disease of the past." -Mia Farrow

  • "The Last Child showcases the heroic efforts that have brought us within reach of the goal of eradicating polio, a vile disease preventable with a vaccine costing a few pennies. For most of us in the United States, polio is a distant memory, but this film shows the difficult obstacles that remain and why we must do whatever it takes to overcome them." -Sen. Patrick Leahy, Ranking Member, Senate Subcommittee on Foreign Operations

  • "If you doubt that heroes still walk the earth, you haven't seen The Last Child: The Global Race to End Polio. This moving record documents the heroic efforts of many millions of people worldwide who, though they may look like you and I, have very nearly triumphed over nature and eradicated one of the worst plagues of mankind. But the film also carries a warning: this is a tenacious virus; let it live and it will thrive. And we will be back where we started." -Steve Sternberg, USA Today

  • "The aspect of this remarkable film that struck me the most was not the daunting numbers nor painful stories of how many individuals, around the globe, have been touched by polio. Rather, The Last Child left me with images of the unparalleled generosity, energy, and complete sacrifice demonstrated by volunteers mobilizing to educate communities...to test individuals...and to slowly, painstakingly, house-to-house and person-to-person, eradicate an entire disease. The inherent potential and strength in this initiative is a powerful force." -Christina Counselman, Center for Global Development

  • "Eradicating polio is one of the most ambitious public health programs ever undertaken. The goal is tantalizingly close but, as The Last Child makes clear, it is a daunting task, one fraught with political, economic, cultural and logistical challenges. Yet, each glimpse into a frightened child's eyes - and there are many here - reminds us that no effort should be spared. The day the last polio-stricken child is identified will be the first day of a better world." -André Picard, The Globe and Mail

  • "An informative, eye-opening documentary about courageous and compassionate people fighting a war against a disease many believe doesn't even exist anymore. The film may get people proactive in the fight against this horrific disease." -Paul Chambers, CNNRadio

  • "Here in the U.S., we've almost forgotten the grip polio had on our nation during much of the last century. Today in the developing world, however, the disease continues to cripple and even kill thousands of children. The Last Child will help increase public awareness of the polio eradication efforts and demonstrate the need for continued public support." Ted Turner, Chairman, United Nations Foundation

  • "As The Last Child will demonstrate, the experience from this worldwide effort may hold valuable lessons for combating other diseases threatening our world." -Ellyn W. Ogden, M.P.H., Worldwide Polio Eradication Coordinator, US Agency for International Development

  • "If we do not grasp this window of opportunity to eradicate polio by 2005, decades of progress could be lost and indeed, the opportunity lost forever. This documentary will provide an excellent opportunity to share the progress of the polio eradication campaign, and the challenges still being faced." -Dr. Bruce Aylward, World Health Organization

  • "It is vitally important that efforts are made to heighten public awareness of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, particularly now as it enters its final and most critical stage. The number of polio cases has decreased worldwide by 99 percent since 1988, proving that things can be accomplished when world forces join together for a common cause." -William T. Sergeant, Chairman, International PolioPlus Committee
    Rotary International

  • "The Last Child, is an important contribution to documenting this incredible international campaign to eradicate a disease. Photographing the campaign in several countries in Asia and Africa showed me again that people can achieve positive change if they join together. If this film helps to create more discussion and commitment for efforts like this, it will have achieved its purpose." -Sebastiao Salgado, UNICEF Special Representative

  • "As a young teen, I survived a brief bout with polio, and I have seen the disease impact others close to our family. My hope is that this film brings us closer to a happy ending in the battle against polio." -Jack Nicklaus, professional golfer

  • "Scott Thigpen's courageous and substantive documentary The Last Child provides a jolting sense of immediacy regarding a disease most Americans believe to be long eradicated from this fragile world. The film seamlessly assays the myriad difficulties in combating this global problem with a refreshing lack of excess. This is advocacy cinema at its purest level, and therefore, at its most affecting. The Last Child is a precious document, and necessary viewing for those who still value humanity." -Jake Jacobson, Westwood One/CBS Radio

  • "Highly recommended for high school media centers and college and university libraries with courses in public health and the health sciences. Public libraries will also find it useful for their collections." -Ronald Saskowski Jr., Educational Media Reviews Online

    Awards
  • Finalist, Freddie Awards International Health & Medical Film Competition
  • Rome International Film Festival
  • Asheville Film Festival
  • Telly Award


    • Item no. : TN02790174
    Format : DVD (Color, Closed Captioned)
    Duration : 56 minutes
    Audience : Grades 10-12, College, Adult
    Copyright : 2004
    StdBkNo : 1594580545
    Price : USD 275.00

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    LIFE 4 - REEL TO REAL: BALANCING ACTS

    Explores the international movement for women's rights.

    In 1994, 179 government leaders attending the Cairo International Conference on Population and Development signed a groundbreaking agreement aimed at improving the lives of women worldwide. Balancing Acts -- the first in a duo of Life programs made in collaboration with women broadcasters and producers around the world to mark the 10th anniversary of that conference -- explores how women from very different cultures, often faced with extremes of inequality, are taking on the status quo. Individual stories look at how Afghani women refugees are returning to pick up the pieces of their lives in Kabul; the feisty female entrepreneurs of Nigeria known as "Mama Benz" who, despite owning an estimated 50 per cent of the country's small businesses, are denied recognition of their contribution to the economy; a teenager battling purdah to get an education in Pakistan; and the "inherited widows" who are challenging convention in Kenya. Mary Robinson, former President of Ireland and UN Commissioner for Human Rights, provides an overview of the state of women's rights worldwide - and why they are so crucial to social and economic development.

    Item no. : JB02560228
    Format : DVD-R (Color)
    Duration : 23 minutes
    Audience : Grades 7-12, College, Adult
    Copyright : 2004
    StdBkNo : 1594582106
    Price : USD 195.00

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    LIFE 4: AIMING HIGH

    Focuses on Uganda's successful economic recovery in the wake of Idi Amin's regime.

    In 1986 Uganda was bankrupt - a byword for corruption and economic mismanagement. Six years of civil war in this former British colony in East Africa had followed the ousting of former President Idi Amin and its social and state institutions were near collapse. But today Uganda's economy is widely seen as a success story and over the last ten years the number of Ugandans living in absolute poverty has been cut by half. This edition of Life looks at how Uganda has achieved this remarkable turnaround, and questions whether the country could now be on course to meet the Millennium Development Goal by 2015.

    Item no. : GB01110010
    Format : DVD-R (Color)
    Duration : 26 minutes
    Audience : Grades 7-12, College, Adult
    Copyright : 2004
    StdBkNo : 1594581746
    Price : USD 195.00

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    LIFE 4: BETWEEN WAR AND PEACE

    The United Nations Peacekeeping Mission in Liberia encourages combatants to turn in their weapons and wage peace.

    Liberia, Africa's oldest republic, was relatively calm until 1980 when William Tolbert was overthrown by Sergeant Samuel Doe after food price riots. By the late 1980s, arbitrary rule and economic collapse culminated in civil war when dissidents of Charles Taylor's National Patriotic Front overran much of the countryside and executed Doe. Over half of the population fled their homes in terror during its long and bloody civil war. After 14 years of anarchy, the international community has arrived in force in an attempt to stabilize the country. Many see this as Liberia's last chance. With more than 59,000 fighters (some of them children) demobilized in the last three months and another 15,000 waiting to follow, this Life program reports on Liberia's attempts to find a way of engaging the former fighters in rebuilding their country - to sustain the peace.

    Item no. : LF02560027
    Format : DVD-R (Color)
    Duration : 23 minutes
    Audience : Grades 7-12, College, Adult
    Copyright : 2004
    StdBkNo : 1594582122
    Price : USD 195.00

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    LIFE 4: CRISIS CONTROL

    Stemming the Spread of HIV/AIDS

    Ukraine's emerging HIV epidemic is contrasted with Africa's longstanding HIV/AIDS catastrophe.

    Worldwide, 42 million people are infected with HIV/AIDS. 90 percent of them live in Africa, Asia and Latin America. But while world attention has been focused on Africa's longstanding HIV/AIDS catastrophe, new crisis regions are emerging. Ukraine has one of the fastest growing infection rates in the world - an epidemic waiting to happen, unless urgent action is taken. Life visits the former Soviet Republic and Zambia, to find out if Eastern European countries like Ukraine can learn from Africa's experience in fighting AIDS - before it's too late.

    Review
  • "If you thought the global AIDS epidemic was under control, you'd better think again. This chilling documentary demonstrates that the spread of HIV/AIDS is worse than ever, and if medical relief efforts fail to adapt, then an already horrible situation is going to get much, much worse." -Prof. Timothy McGettigan, PhD, Dept of Sociology, Colorado State Univ-Pueblo


    • Item no. : HK02560084
    Format : DVD-R (Color)
    Duration : 26 minutes
    Audience : Grades 7-12, College, Adult
    Copyright : 2004
    StdBkNo : 1594581924
    Price : USD 195.00

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