The Codes of Gender 2010 ( 6.5)

Arguing that advertising not only sells things, but also ideas about the world, media scholar Sut Jhally offers a blistering analysis of commercial culture's inability to let go of reactionary gender representations. Jhally's starting point is the breakthrough work of the late sociologist Erving Goffman, whose 1959 book The Presentation of the Self in Everyday Life prefigured the growing field of performance studies. Jhally applies Goffman's analysis of the body in print advertising to hundreds of print ads today, uncovering an astonishing pattern of regressive and destructive gender codes. By looking beyond advertising as a medium that simply sells products, and beyond analyses of gender that tend to focus on either biology or objectification, The Codes of Gender offers important insights into the social construction of masculinity and femininity, the relationship between gender and power, and the everyday performance of cultural norms.

Ram Dass: Fierce Grace 2001 ( 5.7)

Once a symbol of '60s counterculture and psychedelic drug use, Ram Dass has since become a renowned speaker and author on the topics of aging, spirituality, and overcoming the mistakes of the past. This documentary chronicles his journey from his affiliations with LSD advocate Timothy Leary to his endeavor to continue remaking himself after his stroke in 1997.

The New Sideshow 2002

This fun and exhilarating look at the new faces of the carnival sideshow reveals today's most unusual performers who have taken their acts from the circus grounds to nightclubs, rock concerts, college campuses and even Broadway. Get a backstage pass to witness their outrageous acts before live audiences, who are still shocked, surprised and entertained!

Ten in Music 2009

Composed by ten stories that focus on an eclectic variety of individuals, for whom music is a way of life. The stories are directed by ten young filmmakers and explore the lives of these 10 different musicians, discovering other places, habitats, fusions, rhythms, landscapes, and lifestyles. All of these real-life characters live IN the realm of music, but not necessarily make a living OFF music.

Banderas, the Tyrant 1993 ( 5.1)

In Santa Fe de Tierra Firme, an imaginary Latin American country, the indigenous dictator Santos Banderas rules with an iron fist. A group of rebels trying to seize power by force while some liberals try a change of government legally.

Che: Part Two 2008 ( 6.7)

After the Cuban Revolution, Che is at the height of his fame and power. Then he disappears, re-emerging incognito in Bolivia, where he organizes a small group of Cuban comrades and Bolivian recruits to start the great Latin American Revolution. Through this story, we come to understand how Che remains a symbol of idealism and heroism that lives in the hearts of people around the world.

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