To aid in the selection of video's for your class and research needs, we've created a large number of filmographies on many subject areas.
If you'd like help linking streaming videos to your Canvas Course Reserves or reserving DVDs for you or your students, please contact
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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).
Batak: Ancient Spirits, Modern World. 2000. 1 streaming video (50 min.). This program featuring sociocultural anthropologist James Eder-author of On the Road to Tribal Extinction-travels to the island of Palawan in the Philippines archipelago to document the Batak tribe's eco-friendly hunter/gatherer way of life. Repeatedly displaced by immigrants and increasingly driven to take part in the island's growing cash economy, the tenacious Batak struggle to maintain their cultural and spiritual identity while attempting to adapt to the modern world. Can conservationists, who approve of their sustainable methods of harvesting, help to secure the tribe's ancestral forest before it is all lost? Contains nudity. Streaming video
Bendum: in the heart of Mindanao. Ethnographic video online. 2001. 1 streaming video (29 min.). This documentary is about the homeland and daily life of an indigenous tribal community in the tropical uplands of central Mindanao in the Philippines. In this small village called Bendum, the local community has successfully struggled after decades of commercialized logging and deforestation, to gain control over their ancestral lands. Streaming video
Corazon Aquino: Restoring Democracy in the Philippines. 2005. 1 streaming video (40 min.). The assassination of Ninoy Aquino marked the beginning of the end for Ferdinand Marcos. In this program, Corazon Aquino explains how she entered into politics to continue the fight that her slain husband had begun-and in the process toppled a dictator and restored democracy in the Philippines. Discussion of key moments in her odyssey vividly evoke the time when a housewife with no political aspirations emerged as Asia's first female democratically elected president. Aquino, an exemplar of humility and faith in action, risked everything to carry out her heartfelt resolve to return power to the people. Streaming video
Crucible of empire: the Spanish-American War. 2007. 1 videodisc and 1 streaming video (120 min.). Examines the colorful characters and historic events surrounding this 100-year-old war and its relevance through the 20th century. Using reenactments, interviews with noted authors and popular historians, and more than a dozen newly arranged popular songs from the period, Crucible of empire looks at the influence of race, economics, new technologies and the news media on America's decision to go to war. DVD 5874. Streaming video
The debt of dictators. 2005. 1 videodisc (46 min.). "Exposes the irresponsible lending to brutal dictators by multinational financial institutions. Revealing the widespread impoverishment resulting from these debts, the film transports viewers to Argentina, South Africa, and the Philippines, where essential services have been sacrificed in order to repay these illegitimate loans. In each of the cases, the government pays more in servicing the foreign debts than it does on all essential social services combined... Makes a compelling case for the forgiveness of foreign loans accrued by some of history's worst dictators, debts that exacerbate the suffering of the victims of both the dictators and the institutions that profited from their rule" -- Container. DVD 3608
Keten van liefde: chain of love. 2001. 1 videodisc (50 min.). "The demand for domestic help is increasing in the West because, in many families, both parents must work for economic survival. One consequence is migration: escalating numbers of women in the Third World are leaving their own children to take care of kids in the West. Women from the Philippines are well regarded by prospective employers in the United States and Europe. The money the expatriates earn in the West is sent home to the Philippines, where local help is hired to look after their children. This money is the Philippines' largest source of income in foreign currency."--Container. DVD 2628
Philippines: Angels of the Night. 1999. 1 streaming video (45 min.). Whether it is a large family living in a shed or a bunch of street kids living in a wooden crate, prostitution is the occupation of necessity for supporting Manila's impoverished multitudes. This program tracks the lives of three girl prostitutes, ages 11 to 13, over a five-year period, during which one becomes a pimp in a slum, another turns drug addict living on the street, and the third simply vanishes, presumed dead. Efforts by family planning organizations such as UNICEF-sponsored Reach Out and the Apelo Women's Health clinic are described in detail, as well as the Roman Catholic point of view. Streaming video
Philippines: Journal The Spirit of Togetherness. 2003. 1 streaming video (28 min.). Infused with the concept of bayanihan, or spirit of togetherness,this program presents encouraging stories of teamwork and activism in the Philippines. It travels through Manila's bustling Quiapo Market, where commerce thrives in many forms-in contrast to the sprawling Payatas garbage dump outside the city, where a group of mothers have transcended scavenger subsistence, creating a community center with educational and hygienic services. Efforts to preserve the ancient and spectacular Banaue rice terraces are also presented in this astonishing visual record of resourceful, cooperative, and forward-looking accomplishments. A viewable/printable instructor's guide is available online. Streaming video
Savage acts. Who built America? 2006. 1 videodisc ([30] min.). Using political cartoons, animations, documentary film and excerpts from diaries, examines American imperialism, expansionist policies and wars at the beginning of the 20th century. Special focus on the American annexation of the Philippine Islands and racial attitudes portrayed in the World's Fairs of 1893, 1901 and 1904. DVD 7498
Sisters and daughters: betrayed the trafficking of women and girls and the fight to end it. 1995. 1 videodisc (28 min.). Sex trafficking is a global crisis of growing dimensions. Millions of women and young girls have been illegally transported from rural to urban areas and across national borders for the purpose of prostitution. This documentary explores the social and economic forces that drive this lucrative underground trade, and the devastating impact it has on women's lives. DVD 6001
The Spanish American War birth of a super power. 1997. 1 videodisc (100 min.). "As a war, it was small, nasty and suspicious. As news, it was godsend ... revealing look at the power of the press and its often problematic influence in the real world, where reporters can be as effective in spurring events as presenting them." Program looks at the [1898] war as it was "presented to people at that time through the accounts of newspapers nationwide ... [as the] forces, personalities and events of the war that secured America a place on the world stage are relived." - taken from the program's website. DVD 6023
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
Universal Newsreels Philippines' Independence Proclaimed (07/15/1946). 1946. 1 streaming video (2 min.). This Universal newsreel focuses on Philippines sovereignty. At the transfer of sovereignty for an independent republic of the Philippines on July 4, President Manuel Rojas, U.S. Ambassador Paul Vories McNutt, and General Douglas MacArthur are present. Universal Studios. Streaming video
Why Women Count: Video Clip Collection Southeast Asia, Pacific, Caribbean, Latin America. 2008. 1 videodisc and 1streaming video (56 min.). Filmed in 11 countries, this collection of video segments spotlights Lydia Cacho, Casimira Rodriguez, and 14 other women who are making a difference in Southeast Asia, the Pacific, the Caribbean, and Latin America. DVD 4629. Streaming video
A woman's place short stories. A Woman's place: Woman's place. 1995. 1 videodisc (70 min.). Six 10 minute videos by women about the status and condition of women in 6 countries. [1] In Fiji women are involved in new sea farming projects. -- [2] In South India a literacy campaign gives birth to an effective anti-liquor campaign. -- [3] In South Africa, the Women's Health Project ensures that women will have a voice in shaping the new health care system. -- [4] A new generation of Caribbean women are using drama and reggae to focus attention on domestic violence. -- [5] Thousands of Filipino women are leaving children and country behind to work as domestics in Hong Kong. -- [6] Guatemalan women widowed in the civil unrest have formed an organization, Conavigua, to conduct literacy classes and encourage political participation. DVD 7028
Yoyo man. Ethnographic video online. 1978. 1 streaming video (12 min.). "Reach for the Moon," "Loop the Loop," and many more tricks in the familiar repertoire of yoyo virtosos were created by a group of professional demonstrators, mostly Filipino, hired by the Duncan Yoyo Company during the Depression. Nemo Concepcion was among the first such demonstrators, and the originator of many tricks. This film was made when Nemo was 77, about his art, his tricks, his teaching, his reflections on his and the yoyo's Filipino origins, and his yoyo philosophy. Streaming video