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Social Issues in Foreign Countries (8)
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Background to Latin America1963 58 minThis feature documentary is a curious example of the mid-20th century ethnographic film and its depiction of non-Western peoples. We begin our tour of Central and South America in the Caribbean and move along to the vast agricultural and urban locales of Mexico, a socio-economic profile of the so-called “banana republics”, and the rich oil fields of Venezuela and its neighbours. Across the vast Andes mountain range and down towards the coffee industry in Colombia, we continually see the contrast between Spanish colonial architecture and the ruins of ancient Indigenous temples. The film shows the proud history of twenty republics and their growing unrest. -
Boys, Toys and the Big Blue MarbleMarquise Lepage 2007 52 minBoys living in poverty across the world tell us of their lives, amusements and sometimes their hopes. Boys, Toys and the Big Blue Marble appraises childhoods destroyed by slavery, criminality, war, sexual exploitation and human stupidity.
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Black and White in South AfricaJohn Howe & Ronald Dick 1957 29 minThis 1957 documentary short offers an analysis of South Africa's acute race problem, an issue that causes dissension not only within its borders but within the Commonwealth and beyond. In South Africa, a country of 14 million people, 4 out of 5 people are black. The film gives a dispassionate appraisal of the motivations behind the policy of apartheid and of whether the practice of segregation provides a satisfactory, long-term solution.
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Five Centuries Later ...Germán Gutiérrez 1991 53 minFive centuries after the "discovery" of America by the Europeans, the Indigenous Peoples of Guatemala and Bolivia affront difficult times. What is left of their culture? What will their future hold?
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Holding Our GroundAnne Henderson 1988 50 minFilmed in a squatter community of Labangon in Cebu, Philippines, Holding Our Ground is the inspiring story of a group of women who have organized collectively to pressure their government for land reform, to establish their own money-lending system and to create shelters for street kids. A story of grassroots organizing that can be a model in both hemispheres.
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Home AgainSudz Sutherland 2012 1 h 43 minThis feature drama tells the story of Marva, Dunston and Everton, three Jamaicans who grew up in Toronto, New York and London respectively, and are deported “home” to Jamaica. Once in Kingston, they discover that every day is a fight for survival in which family support, friendships and shelter are elusive. They each embark on a journey that pushes their endurance beyond measure and forces them to discover who they truly are. A powerful, visually stunning film, Home Again asks the question: “How would you survive?” Starring Tatyana Ali and singer-songwriter Fefe Dobson.
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REW-FFWDDenis Villeneuve 1994 30 minIn this film by Denis Villeneuve, a young photographer is on assignment in Jamaica. It's a cultural shock! First anguished, he later becomes quite fascinated by the people he meets, their neighbourhood and their music.
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The Responsibilities of FreedomIan MacNeill 1958 30 minPart four of New Nation in the West Indies appraises problems that face the people of the West Indies Federation as they take up the challenge of their new nationhood. With such problems as over-population and a disparity in the resources of the ten member island units, underdevelopment and poverty loom large on the horizon. The will to win is there, and the film strikes a note of optimism as it shows how the challenge is being met. An important development is the educational program, at all levels and in all regions, which promises to be the cornerstone on which the Federation will build.
