Films, DVDs & Videos Released in 2004

Fall, 2004 Releases

Click here for the Spring, 2004 releases

The Clitoris

The Clitoris - A close look at that part of the female anatomy that exists purely for pleasure, and how this highly sensitive organ has long been ignored or misunderstood in the medical literature. (new September, 2004)

Daily Baghdad - An intimate chronicle of daily life in Baghdad today, one year after the war, as seen through the eyes of an extended Iraqi family. (new September, 2004)

Edward Said: The Last Interview - An extended discussion with Prof. Edward Said (1935-2003) filmed less than a year before his death. The noted literary critic and Palestinian activist delivers his final testament about his life and work as a committed intellectual. (new September, 2004)

The Future Is Not What It Used To Be - A fascinating profile of Erkki Kurenniemi, an early inventor of electronic synthesizers and microcomputers, whose career represents a surprisingly natural blend of music, film, computers, robotics, science and art. (new September, 2004)

Keeping It Real - A philosophical but often comic investigation of the desire for truly "authentic" experiences, and how the new "experience economy" packages and sells them. (new September, 2004)

Litigating Disaster - December 3, 1984. Bhopal, India. The worst chemical disaster of all time. How has Union Carbide manipulated the US and Indian legal systems for 20 years to avoid facing justice? (new October, 2004)

The Passion of María Elena - Following the hit-and-run death of her son, Maria Elena, a young woman from Mexico's Raramuri community, embarks upon an eye-opening journey from grief to unexpected spiritual resolution. (new September, 2004)

The Price of Aid - An investigation of America's food aid programs for famine-stricken nations, a multi-million dollar business, which asks both U.S. and African government officials whether such aid creates more problems than it solves. (new September, 2004)

Proteus - Animated exploration of the 19th century's fascination with the undersea world, a portrait of Ernst Haeckel, who found in the sea depths an ecstatic fusion of science and art. (new October, 2004)

Red Hook Justice - Profiles an innovative court in a Brooklyn neighborhood plagued by poverty and crime that is at the center of a legal revolution - the community justice movement. (new September, 2004)

Red Persimmons - A visually elegant paean to the cultivation and harvesting of the sweet red fruit, and the disappearance of a traditional way of life in rural Japan. (new September, 2004)

Sermons and Sacred Pictures - Profiles Reverend L.O. Taylor, a Baptist minister and inspired photographer/filmmaker who documented the fabric of black American life prior to the civil rights movement. (new September, 2004)

Silent Waters - Set in 1979 in Pakistan, when General Zia-ul-Haq took control of the country and stoked the fires of Islamic nationalism. (new October, 2004)

Still, The Children Are Here - A portrait of the Garo people of India, for whom cultivating rice is a way of life and worship, this film not only describes an indigenous culture, but the essential nature of humanity. Produced by Mira Nair. (new October, 2004)

Story of a Beautiful Country - A South African filmmaker travels in a mini-van taxi across his country with a hand-held camera. Topics range over controversial issues such as land, race, language, democracy, identity, and violence. (new September, 2004)

The Take - Unemployed Argentinian workers take over their closed factories! A compelling political film, a vision of working people forging genuine alternatives to a failed economic model - a story with universal implications. (new September, 2004)

A Visit to Ogawa Productions - Nagisa Oshima - the 'New Wave' Japanese director - visits the filmmaking collective led by Shinsuke Ogawa, to discuss the social and cinematic philosophy of one of Japan's best-known documentary film collectives. (new October, 2004)

Wall Street - On the floor and behind the scenes of the New York Stock Exchange. A revealing and candid look at the people and culture that make up the biggest marketplace in the world. (new September, 2004)

We Loved Each Other So Much - The Lebanese singer Hoda Nouhad Haddad, better known as Fairuz, is a legend in the Arab world. The stories of diverse Beirut inhabitants and of their love for her provide a moving commentary on Lebanon's tumultuous history. (new September, 2004)

With God On Our Side - A balanced chronicle of the emergence of conservative Christians as a political force, and an in-depth look at Pres. Bush's connection with evangelicals, told largely in evangelical conservatives' own words. (new December, 2004)

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Spring, 2004 Releases

Click here for the Fall, 2004 releases

The Junction

Ariel Sharon - Rare archival footage and interviews with family, colleagues, critics and historians form an essential biographical portrait of the former general and Israel's controversial Prime Minister. (new April, 2004)

Breasts - Twenty-two women, ages 6 to 84-years-old, discuss how breasts play a crucial role in the experiences of puberty, motherhood, sex, health, and aging. ** 2002 Outstanding Achievement Award, Society for the Scientific Study of Sexuality ** (new May, 2004)

Charlotte - Based on the autobiographical series "Life or Theater?" by Charlotte Salomon, a young Jewish painter from Berlin, who sought refuge in Nice during World War II. (new January, 2004)

Deadly Enemies - From early attempts to use bacteria as weapons, to the advent of gene splicing and the creation of superbugs, this is the chilling story of the development of biological weapons. (new May, 2004)

Death Squadrons - The French School - The previously untold story of how the French military trained Latin American death squads in the 60's and 70's (and even U.S. Special Forces in the early days of our Vietnam War). (new January, 2004)

Empathy - A blend of documentary and fiction drama, this wry, intriguing deconstruction of psychoanalysis raises playful and provocative questions about trust, power, and understanding. (new February, 2004)

Guns and Mothers - The contentious debate over gun control, as seen through the eyes of two mothers on opposite sides of the issue. (new May, 2004)

Hiding and Seeking - Through this complex, personal story of the effects of the Holocaust on four generations, this film becomes a plea for tolerance for non-Jews. (new February, 2004)

Inheritance - After a gold mine floods a Hungarian river with tons of cyanide, fisherman Balazs Meszaro stands alone against a multinational corporation, and exposes the environmental and human consequences of unregulated globalization. (new January, 2004)

In Rwanda We Say... - 2004 is the 10th anniversary of the Rwandan genocide, and the government is releasing 16,000 confessed killers into their communities. This film captures the fledgling steps toward reconciliation between Hutu and Tutsi. (new February, 2004)

J'y Crois - I Believe In It - A beautifully composed political documentary investigating the decentralization process in Mali. (new March, 2004)

The Junction - They had little in common in life, but Israeli soldier David Biri and Palestinian Fahmi Abou Ammouneh are linked in death, their fates tied to Netzarim Junction, a crossroads between an Israeli settlement and Palestinian refugee camp. (new January, 2004)

Knock Off - Juxtaposes the deified position logos occupy in our consumer-culture, with the lives of sweatshop workers who cannot afford the items they create. (new March, 2004)

The Knowledge of Healing - The first feature documentary dealing extensively with Tibetan medicine. (new March, 2004)

Molly & Mobarak - The unusual and telling love story of an Afghani refugee fleeing ethnic persecution, and an Australian beauty. (new January, 2004)

Moshe Dayan - An detailed personal and political portrait of the controversial Israeli general turned statesman, a one-time national hero and eventual political exile. (new April, 2004)

Our House - A groundbreaking documentary that explores what it's like to grow up with gay or lesbian parents, as Americans struggle to re-define family values.

Persons of Interest - Ashcroft calls them terrorists - they call themselves Americans. A unique and compelling film that gives voice to the human costs of the government's anti-terrorism campaign. (new March, 2004)

A Plastic Story - The remarkable history of the surprising origins and development of this now common medical field of plastic surgery. (new January, 2004)

Private Dicks - Rarely do we hear men talking honestly about their penises - until now. Surveying men from all walks of life, this film explores the naked truth about how men feel about their penises. (new April, 2004)

Resist - Chronicles the history and mission behind The Living Theatre, one of the most significant companies in the history of American theatre and the avant garde. (new April, 2004)

Sandcastles - A discussion about Buddhism and global finance featuring Tibetan teacher Dzongzar Khyentse Rinpoche, American sociologist Saskia Sassen, and Dutch economist Arnoud Boot. (new January, 2004)

Santiago Calatrava's Travels - A fascinating portrait of world famous artist, engineer, architect and urban studies scholar Santiago Calatrava, and an interdisciplinary reflection on the perception and impact of architecture. (new March, 2004)

Slaves of the Sword Series - This 3-part series investigates the lives, strengths, and limitations of 3 Israeli general/politicians, and asks: why does Israel, a democracy, continue to choose military men to lead? (new April, 2004)

3 Cm Less - The parallel stories of two very different Palestinian women who attempt to heal the rifts in their families, probing into the "invisible hunger" for love and security, amidst the Israeli/Palestinian conflict. (new February, 2004)

Yitzhak Rabin - Examines late Israeli general, statesman, and pioneer for peace in the Middle East, who was assassinated in 1995 while implementing the doomed Oslo peace accords. (new April, 2004)

You Can't Be Neutral on a Moving Train - Documents the life and times of Howard Zinn, the historian, activist and author of the best selling classic "A People's History of the United States." (new March, 2004)

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Last updated 06/01/2008