Filmography - Area Studies: South Asia, Southeast Asia, Oceania

This is a selective list of video holdings in the American University Library. Filmographies are created by doing multiple keyword searches in the catalog to capture as many titles on a topic as possible. 

For complete, up-to-date holdings please search the library catalog search box on the Media Services homepage. (http://www.american.edu/library/mediaservices/) Finding Aids on the same page includes other subject oriented content.

For more information take a look at the Streaming Video Guides and Browsing Collections.

Note: "Vietnam War" and "War on Terror" (in Afghanistan) are addressed in specific filmographies on those topics. Feature films are also excluded from this list with the exception of a few that depict important historical events that aren’t well covered by documentaries (e.g. The Killing Fields).

Asian Values Devalued. 1998. 1 streaming video (39 min.). As the tiger economies of East Asia turned from boom to bust in the 1990s, the general public was amazed, yet many economists nodded their heads knowingly. This program focuses on the plights of Indonesia, Hong Kong, and Malaysia, where nepotism, cronyism, corruption, suppression, and the exploitation of cheap foreign labor brought about a financial crisis of enormous proportions. These regions grew too quickly without proper controls and economic safeguards, which has left the middle and lower classes, who are crushed by inflation and unemployment, to pay the bill. Experts agree that East Asia will survive, eventually recover, and probably surpass itself, but at a staggering cost in money and human misery. This program is an excellent expose that reveals why the bubble burst. Streaming video

The Battle for Islam. 2005. 1 streaming video (63 min.). A far-reaching exploration of Islam after 9/11, this program follows renowned scholar Ziauddin Sardar on an eye-opening journey through Morocco, Turkey, Pakistan, Malaysia, and Indonesia. Sardar interviews Muslims with widely varying political leanings-including Pakistan's President Pervez Musharraf, other government leaders, women's rights activists, and a cleric who promotes an extremely conservative form of Sharia. The program exposes the tension between pluralistic and hard-liner mentalities growing within the Muslim world, and concludes that moderation and tolerance, rather than zealotry and terror, will ensure the continued strength of the faith. A BBCW Production. Some interviews are in other languages with English subtitles. Streaming video

Coming of Age: Ethnographic Profiles from a Global Perspective. 2005. 1 streaming video (60 min.). Weaving a worldwide narrative of rites of passage, this program takes viewers into the lives of six children and adolescents, all of whom are undergoing critical stages in their transition to adulthood. Widely varying experiences from Russia, China, Malaysia, Uganda, the Dominican Republic, and Canada's Baffin Island produce a startling picture of the political, social, and economic issues that surround growing up. An Inuit boy's first hunt, a young Russian's involvement in a right-wing hate group, and an obligatory weeklong military boot camp for a 15-year-old Chinese girl-these and other stories show the differences and the unity of human development around the world. A BBCW Production. Streaming video

Islam and Pluralism. 1993. 1 streaming video (30 min.). In this program, Anwar Ibrahim, Malaysia's Minister of Finance and Deputy Prime Minister, explains his government's approach to multiculturalism within Islam. Although Malaysia is a multicultural and multireligious society, the official religion is Islam. Drawing examples from Islamic history, Anwar Ibrahim argues for a tolerant and pluralistic approach to Islam. He also explores issues of non-Muslim minorities, Islamic fundamentalism, and economic development, and its impact on Islamic values. Streaming video

The Timber Mafia: The Economics of Deforestation. 2002. 1 videodisc and 1 streaming video (45 min.). In countries such as Brazil, Cameroon, Cambodia, and the Philippines, organized timber rackets are booming, selling rare wood illegally cut from national parks and nature preserves. Such mercenary deforestation threatens countless species and has already changed global weather patterns. Often filmed covertly, this program goes inside the illegal timber traffic in Indonesia, examining the profits and attendant corruption, as well as exposing ongoing logging operations. Economics of the trade and countermeasures are discussed by key figures and experts, including the Indonesian Forestry Minister, the U.K. Environment Minister, and members of the Environmental Investigation Agency, Malaysian Timber Council, and Worldwide Fund for Nature. DVD 1152. Streaming video

Journeys into Islamic India. 2004. 1 streaming video (50 min.). Muslims arrived in India the same year they entered Spain-and by the end of the 13th century ruled nearly all of the country. This program travels across India by way of Iran, Pakistan, and Maldives to examine the rich Islamic heritage of the region. The program also observes the Muslim way of life on the subcontinent as it exists today. Sites of note include the Taj Mahal, the Golkonda Fort ruins, and the Charminar monument. Streaming video