#ReGENERATION: The Politics of Apathy & Activism
Ryan Gosling narrates this engrossing film about social activism, the forces that galvanized the Occupy movement, and how a new generation of young people is coming to terms with a rapidly changing world. The film skillfully weaves commentary from some of the country's leading political and social analysts with personal observations from a collective of young musicians, a tight-knit group of suburban high-school students, and a young conservative family, providing a nuanced look at the myriad challenges facing the next generation of Americans. The result is as personal as it is political, as much a portrait of the contemporary political scene as of a generation of young people finding their way in uncertain times.
Filmmaker Phillip Montgomery Running Time 80 mins Production Year 2012 Language English
PRAISE FOR THE FILM
"A well-rounded documentary. Deconstruct[s] the way that people, and especially teens, absorb information from the media."
—Common Sense Media
Rich Media, Poor Democracy
If a key indicator of the health of a democracy is the state of its journalism, the United States is in deep trouble. In Rich Media, Poor Democracy, Robert McChesney lays the blame for this state of affairs squarely at the doors of the corporate boardrooms of big media, which far from delivering on their promises of more choice and more diversity, have organized a system characterized by a lack of competition, homogenization of opinion and formulaic programming.
Through numerous examples, McChesney, and media scholar, Mark Crispin Miller, demonstrate how journalism has been compromised by the corporate bosses of conglomerates such as Disney, Sony, Viacom, News Corp, and AOL Time Warner to produce a system of news that is high on sensationalism and low on information. They suggest that unless citizen activism can reclaim the commons, this new corporate system will be characterized by a rich media and an ever impoverished, poor democracy.
Filmmakers Loretta Alper & Margo Robb Running Time 30 mins Production Year 2003 Language English
PRAISE FOR THE FILM
"[Opens] up questions of ownership and conglomeration. Would serve as a solid introduction to any course on media criticism."
—Michelle Stewart | Transformations
War Made Easy (Based on the book by Norman Solomon and narrated by Sean Penn)
This film brings to the screen Norman Solomon's insightful analysis of the strategies used by administrations, both Democratic and Republican, to promote their agendas for war from Vietnam to Iraq. By familiarizing viewers with the techniques of war propaganda, War Made Easy encourages viewers to think critically about the messages put out by today's spin doctors - messages which are designed to promote and prolong a policy of militarism under the guise of the "war on terror." Based on the book by the same title.
Filmmakers Loretta Alper & Jeremy Earp Running Time 72 mins Production Year 2007 Language English
PRAISE FOR THE FILM
"A superb visual form of investigative journalism. It chillingly exposes government officials who have used deception to send our young men and women into the hell of war, and who have condemned innocent families in the Middle East to death. But more, it investigates journalism itself, documenting the collusion of the national media with the warmakers, and thus alerting us to the betrayal of democracy.”
—Howard Zinn, Author, A People's History of the United States
Its's Not Just a Game: Power, Politics & American Sports
We've been told again and again that sports and politics don't mix, that games are just games and athletes should just "shut up and play." But according to Nation magazine sports editor Dave Zirin, this notion is just flat-out wrong. In Not Just a Game, the powerful new documentary based on his bestselling book The People's History of Sports in the United States, Zirin argues that far from providing merely escapist entertainment, American sports have long been at the center of some of the major political debates and struggles of our time.
In a fascinating tour of the good, the bad, and the ugly of American sports culture, Zirin first traces how American sports have glamorized militarism, racism, sexism, and homophobia, then excavates a largely forgotten history of rebel athletes who stood up to power and fought for social justice beyond the field of play. The result is as deeply moving as it is exhilarating: nothing less than an alternative history of political struggle in the United States as seen through the games its people have played.
Filmmakers Dave Zirin, Jeremy Earp & Chris Boulton Running Time 62 mins Production Year 2010 Language English
PRAISE FOR THE FILM
"By turns moving, maddening, touching, enlightening, hilarious, and sad. I can not think of a better way to teach my students about such a wide array of issues than having them watch this film."
—Ellen R. Hansen, Ph.D., Chair, Department of Social Sciences, Emporia State University
