ITVS: Program Catalog

A - C

Four violinists in four different corners of the globe perform one of the world’s most beloved pieces: Vivaldi's "The Four Seasons."

9.11 Moments

Promoting understanding and compassion in our communities, these 34 minute-long spots capture heartfelt reactions to the September 11th tragedy.

ABC COLOMBIA

Through the eyes of children, ABC COLOMBIA explores the realities that nurture and perpetuate violence in a rural community controlled by paramilitary forces.

ABDUCTION: The Megumi Yokota Story

ABDUCTION is the true story of a 13-year-old Japanese girl kidnapped by North Korean spies in 1977, and her parents' 30-year battle to bring her home.

ABSOLUTELY SAFE

Set against a backdrop of corporate responsibility, governmental negligence, and a media that celebrates plastic surgery, ABSOLUTELY SAFE follows the lives of five women whose lives have been shattered by breast implants.

ACT OF WAR: The Overthrow of the Hawaiian Nation

The impact of the illegal overthrow of the Hawaiian sovereignty in 1893 and U.S. annexation.

AFGHANISTAN UNVEILED

Filmed by the first-ever team of women video journalists trained in Afghanistan, this uncompromising film reveals the effects of the Taliban's repressive rule and U.S.-sponsored bombing campaign on Afghan women.

AFTER THE FALL

Ten years after the fall of the Berlin Wall, AFTER THE FALL searches for traces of this monolith within the people who lived in its shadow.

AIMEE'S CROSSING

A personal portrait of juvenile offender Aimee Myers, and her family, reveals how the Illinois justice system heals and supports troubled young women.

ALCATRAZ IS NOT AN ISLAND

When a group of Native Americans reclaimed Alcatraz Island in 1969, their activism forever altered how Native Americans viewed themselves, their culture and their rights.

ALIVE IN LIMBO

Filmed over ten years, ALIVE IN LIMBO depicts the lives and dreams of Arab youth growing up in a war zone.

ALMOST HOME

Shot on location in a nursing home, ALMOST HOME tells the real stories of aging: unflinchingly honest stories of elders, children of elders, nursing assistants and one visionary nursing home director.

THE AMASONG CHORUS: Singing Out

In a small Illinois college town, a music student creates a lesbian/feminist choral group, transforming the community as she builds an award-winning ensemble.

AMERICAN ALOHA: Hula Beyond Hawaii

AMERICAN ALOHA looks beyond the misconceptions and stereotypes of the hula dance by exploring the personal stories of three master hula teachers struggling to preserve the tradition on different shores.

AN AMERICAN LOVE STORY

A true life series about a black man and a white woman who have struggled for 30 years against racial stereotypes and societal prejudice to keep their family together.

AMERICAN MADE

AMERICAN MADE confronts issues of tradition, faith, conformity and sacrifice when a Sikh American family is stranded in the desert on their way to the Grand Canyon.

THE AMISH & US

A documentary that examines the impact of the tourist industry on an Amish community in Pennsylvania.

ANATOMY OF A SPRINGROLL

One man's journey from the food-filled streets of San Francisco to Saigon, as he searches for the secret ingredient to blend the traditions of his family's culture with his adopted American life.

ANCESTORS IN THE AMERICAS: Chinese in the Frontier West

The relationships between 19th century Chinese immigrants and the people and issues they encountered in America.

AND BABY MAKES TWO

Single motherhood is no longer the exclusive province of teenagers; white middle class women in their 30s and 40s are now joining its ranks, forcing us to look anew at the nuclear family.

AND THOU SHALT HONOR...

This two-part series explores the increasing role caregiving for aging loved ones in the lives of all Americans, regardless of income, ethnic background or geographic location.

AN ANGEL IN THE VILLAGE

An Angel in the Village follows Lily Yeh's journey from young artist in China to international activist using art to transform destitute urban communities on two continents.

ANIMATED WOMEN

Four innovative animators--Faith Hubley, Joanna Priestley, Lynn Smith, and Ruth Peyser--are celebrated for their influential animation.

APPLEWISE

A portrait of one family's struggle to maintain one of only two remaining family-run apple orchards in Wise County, Virginia.

ARCHEOLOGY OF MEMORY

ARCHEOLOGY OF MEMORY: Villa Grimaldi follows exiled Chilean musician, Quique Cruz, from the Bay Area to Chile and back as he creates his masterwork.

ARUSI PERSIAN WEDDING

Iranian American filmmaker Marjan Tehrani chronicles her brother's return to Iran as he travels with his American wife to have a traditional Persian wedding and explore his lost heritage.

ASK NOT

ASK NOT is a rare and compelling exploration of the U.S. military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy.

AT HOME IN UTOPIA

A documentary about a cooperative apartment house built by immigrants, factory workers and Communists in the Bronx.

AZTEC MASSACRE

For years, historians have claimed that the Aztecs welcomed the Spanish with open arms. Now, solid evidence proves the Aztecs not only resisted the conquistadors, they sacrificed, and even engaged in cannibalism.

BABY LOVE

In provocative, humorous language, 13 to 17 year-old mothers from various economic and racial backgrounds tell their own stories of what it means to be a teenage mother.

BABY, IT'S YOU

When filmmaker Anne Makepeace "can't get pregnant the fun way," she turns the camera on herself and her idiosyncratic siblings, and the maze of contemporary fertility science.

BACKBONE OF THE WORLD: The Blackfeet

Filmed amid the beauty of the Rockies, BACKBONE OF THE WORLD recounts the tale of the Badger-Two Medicine, the last Blackfeet sacred treaty land threatened by a government call for oil exploration.

BANISHED

BANISHED tells the story of three counties that violently expelled African American families from their towns a century ago--and the descendants that return to learn a shocking history.

THE BATTLE FOR MONO LAKE

Thirty years of controversy, grassroots action, and unlikely alliances finally led to a way to protect a desert lake.

BE GOOD, MY CHILDREN

A Korean American family's pursuit of the American dream is tested by its hard-working, religious mother and her two "employment-challenged" grown children.

BE GOOD, SMILE PRETTY

As one of the 20,000 Americans who lost their fathers in Vietnam, a daughter embarks on an intense, personal journey to reclaim the memory of her father, who died in the war when she was an infant.

BE LIKE OTHERS

An intimate and unflinching look at life in Iran through the eyes of young men choosing to undergo sex change surgery, BE LIKE OTHERS explores the implications and sacrifices of those living on the fringes of an Islamic society.

BEAUTIFUL SON

Through one family's struggle to save their child, BEAUTIFUL SON explores the complex and sometimes controversial world of autism.

BEHIND THE RAINBOW

With the 2009 presidential election ahead, BEHIND THE RAINBOW is an untold account of South Africa's political problems, struggles and realities.

BELARUSIAN WALTZ

In Belarus, Europe's last dictatorship, performance artist Alexander Pushkin uses his "patriotic" art to protest his government's policies and persecution.

BEYOND THE BORDER - Más Allá de la Frontera

BEYOND THE BORDER traces the painful transition made by four sons in the Ayala family who leave their family in Mexico to seek "una vida mejor" (a better life) in Kentucky, where they fight cultural, class and language barriers.

BEYOND THE CALL

In a Mother Teresa-meets-Indiana Jones adventure, three middle-aged friends and ex-soldiers travel the world delivering humanitarian aid to the front lines of war.

BEYOND THE FIRE: Teen Experiences of War / An ITVS Interactive Project

BEYOND THE FIRE gives voice to teenage refugees of far-flung wars who now live in America, capturing the full impact of their experiences through Web-based, interactive storytelling.

BIG YELLOW MAMA

An examination of how long-held myths about crime and the death penalty result in the disproportionate execution of minorities and the poor, raising questions about the fairness of capital punishment.

BILLY STRAYHORN: LUSH LIFE

The composer of "Take the A-Train" and other Duke Ellington hits, Billy Strayhorn struggled with obscurity and prejudice as a successful gay man in the tumultuous middle of the 20th century.

BIRD BY BIRD WITH ANNIE: A Portrait of Anne Lamott

A profile of bestselling author, humorist, recovering alcoholic, born-again Christian and single mother Anne Lamott.

BLACK GOLD

Tracing one man's fight for a fair price, BLACK GOLD is an eye-opening expose of the eighty billion dollar coffee industry.

BLACK IS...BLACK AIN'T

Marlon Riggs's final film explores questions of "blackness" and black identity.

BLINK

A redemption story of a former white supremacist who renounced the world of hate when he fell in love with a woman whose parents fled Nazi Germany.

THE BLINKING MADONNA & OTHER MIRACLES

Filmmaker Beth Harrington explores myth and faith in the lives of American Catholic women.

THE BLOODY CHILD

A young Marine is found wandering the Mojave desert, a woman's body in the trunk of his car; an outsider probes the inexplicable death.

BODY AND SOUL: Diana and Kathy

Two determined women become advocates for all people with disabilities, and begin a grand experiment in living independent lives.

BODY OF CORRESPONDENCE

A lifetime of letters between pen pals falls into the hands of a collector who plans to rewrite history--prompting the writers' ghosts to intervene.

BOLINAO 52

A group of Vietnamese survivors of a tragic boat accident struggle to find peace years after the incident took place.

BOMBIES

When the United States dropped over 2 million tons of bombs on Laos from 1964 to 1973, millions failed to explode, leaving the country massively contaminated with 'bombies'--as dangerous now as when they fell.

BONTOC EULOGY

The 1904 St. Louis World's Fair included a live exhibit of tribesmen from what is now known as the Philippines; what happened to these people?

BORN IN THE U.S.A.

A critical look at the birthing industry in America, and an exploration of shifting beliefs about women, technology and the perceived ability to control natural events.

THE BOYS OF BARAKA

A group of troubled boys in inner city Baltimore leave home to complete the 7th and 8th grade at the Baraka School, an experimental program located in rural Kenya, East Africa.

BRIDGE OVER THE WADI

BRIDGE OVER THE WADI follows a group of young Arab and Jewish children for one year as their grade school attempts a bi-national and bi-lingual program.

BRINCANDO EL CHARCO: Portrait of a Puerto Rican

An experimental narrative that explores the definitions of Puerto Rican social, political, and sexual identities in the U.S. and Puerto Rico.

BROTHER OUTSIDER: The Life of Bayard Rustin

Despite his achievements as a master strategist and tireless activist in the Civil Rights Movement, Bayard Rustin was silenced and imprisoned--largely because he was an openly gay man in a homophobic era.

BROTHER TO BROTHER

Bruce Nugent, the black gay writer who co-founded the journal Fire!! with Langston Hughes and others, inspires a gay teenager through memories of the Harlem Renaissance.

BROTHERMEN

A performance-based documentary featuring five African American men who through their art transmit the historic, political and cultural realities of the African American experience.

BROWN IS THE NEW GREEN: George Lopez and the American Dream

Comedian George Lopez examines how American media and Hispanic marketing are shaping the contemporary Latino identity.

THE BUFFALO WAR

THE BUFFALO WAR examines the culture clash between Native Americans, ranchers, environmentalists and government agents currently battling over the yearly slaughter of America's last wild bison.

THE BURNING BARREL

A documentary exploring the personal costs of consumerism in the rise and fall of a small rural community.

BY INVITATION ONLY

New Orleans filmmaker Rebecca Snedeker gives an unprecedented look at the secrets and inner workings of the old-line Carnival societies and debutante balls of Mardi Gras.

CALIFORNIA AND THE AMERICAN DREAM

Exploring the dynamics of culture, community and identity in one of the world's most diverse regions, the four-part series CALIFORNIA AND THE AMERICAN DREAM reveals how the last 35 years of divergent social trends have changed the state's Hollywood dreamscape image of the past.

THE CALLING

A behind-the-scenes look at a group of young Americans--Christian, Jewish, Catholic and Muslim--preparing to become America's next generation of religious leaders.

CAN MR. SMITH GET TO WASHINGTON ANYMORE?

Follow the 2004 Missouri Democratic primary to replace retiring former House Majority Leader Dick Gephardt from inside the campaign of Jeff Smith, a 29-year-old part time political science teacher.

THE CARMELITA TROPICANA STORY

An experimental narrative which explores the bicultural and bilingual experiences of Latinos/Latinas living in New York.

CATHERINE'S STORY

Catherine is reading Kate Chopin's short story, when Chopin's fictional heroine appears in the flesh to help Catherine struggle against an abusive husband.

THE CATS OF MIRIKITANI

When 9/11 threatens eighty-year-old Jimmy Mirikitani's life on the streets of New York, the artist begins to confront his painful past and finds hope, humanity, and home.

CAUGHT IN THE CROSSFIRE - Arab Americans in Wartime

CAUGHT IN THE CROSSFIRE follows the lives of three Arab American New Yorkers after the September 11 terrorist attacks.

CAYUTAVILLE

Exploration of a rural New York community, where peace and beauty are a deception as two families make sense of the tragedies they face.

CHAHINAZ: What Rights for Women?

Through her curiosity and self-discovery, Chahinaz, a 20-year-old Algerian student, begins to wonder what life is like for women in other Muslim countries and around the world.

CHAVEZ RAVINE: A Los Angeles Story

Don Normark's haunting photographs evoke a lost Mexican-American village in the heart of downtown Los Angeles, razed in the 1950s to build Dodger Stadium.

CHIEFS

An observational documentary about the on and off-court struggles of Native American basketball players at Wyoming Indian High School.

CHILDREN OF THE AMAZON

This inspiring story of struggle and resilience reveals how we are all "children of the Amazon," breathing the same air and sharing the same fate.

CHILDREN OF THE SUN

Tracing Israel's kibbutz movement, CHILDREN OF THE SUN follows members of the Zionist elite from their birth in the 1920s and ‘30s to the crisis that weakened the movement.

CHINA

When a sick, elderly man zealously takes up martial arts, his marriage is put to the test in this surprising drama of love challenged and renewed.

CHINA 21

A portrait of a new generation raised under China's "One Child Policy."

CHINA BLUE

Jasmine left her village in a remote part of China to get a job and help her family. Now she and her teenage friends at the blue jean factory are trying to survive in a brutal work environment.

CHISHOLM '72: Unbought & Unbossed

In 1972, black congresswoman Shirley Chisholm ran for the Democratic Presidential nomination, launching a groundbreaking campaign that united an unlikely coalition of supporters from every walk of life.

CHRONICLE OF A DISAPPEARANCE

A comic drama that investigates the spiritual effect of occupation and instability on the Palestinian people.

CIRCLE OF STORIES / An ITVS Interactive Project

With Native culture bearers as guides, this web-original interactive experience explores the art, culture and legacy of the Native American oral tradition. CIRCLE OF STORIES is an Electric Shadows Project presented by ITVS Interactive.

CIRCUS SCHOOL

Take a rare look into one of China's most treasured commodities--acrobatics. CIRCUS SCHOOL reveals the rigorous physical training students must endure as they prepare for a national competition.

THE CITY (LA CIUDAD)

Evoking hope, LA CIUDAD is the narrative stories of Latin American immigrants seeking community in a large, impersonal city.

CLAIMING OPEN SPACES

City parks and the African-Americans who frequent them are the subjects of this urban documentary.

A CLASS APART

A CLASS APART brings to life the heroic struggle of Mexican Americans from Texas to dismantle the discrimination targeted against them.

COAL BUCKET OUTLAW

Built around one day in the life of a Kentucky coal truck driver, COAL BUCKET OUTLAW offers a startling glimpse into the lives of working people who haul the nation's fuel.

COLOR COORDINATED

As hip-hop music and culture continue to redefine American life, its influence exposes the high stakes of the struggle to cross or maintain the cultural divide.

COLORVISION

A multicultural series showcasing the best short films and videos illustrating cultural diversity.

COME AND TAKE IT DAY

In this drama, it's the annual "Come and Take It Day" celebration in rural Gonzales, Texas, where revenge and double-cross erupts when four urban Tejanos go after the fabled buried treasure of Gregorio Cortez.

COMING OUT UNDER FIRE

Gay and lesbian soldiers in World War II found themselves fighting two wars: one for their country; the other as targets of military policy.

COMPANERAS

COMPANERAS profiles America’s first all-female mariachi band, Mariachi Reyna de Los Angeles, founded in 1994.

CONSCIENCE AND THE CONSTITUTION

In 1944, 85 Japanese American prisoners in an American concentration camp were prosecuted as criminals when they refused the draft.

THE COOL SCHOOL

For a decade--1956 to 1966--the Ferus Gallery was the catalyst of a nascent modern art scene, grooming idealistic beatniks into competitive, often-brilliant artists.

CORRECTION

Contrasting real-life prison experiences with the training that correctional officers receive, this investigative film exposes how both officers and inmates are trapped in a deeply flawed system.

COSMOPOLITAN

Starring Carol Kane and Roshan Seth, this romantic comedy tells the story of an East Indian immigrant who turns to pop culture as he tries to reinvent his life and woo the girl next door.

COUNTING ON DEMOCRACY