About 30 new movies have been added to the collection so far this year. Be sure to browse all the way to the bottom!
- AV 294.3 BUD The Buddha : the story of Siddhartha
Tells the story of the Indian sage who attained enlightenment as he sat beneath a fig tree 2500 years ago. The Buddha never claimed to be God or God’s emissary on earth. He was a human being who, in a world of unavoidable pain and suffering, found a serenity that he taught others to find also. The film draws upon paintings and sculptures as well as scenes in India today that echo the Buddha’s world of long ago. The testimony of contemporary Buddhist, including poet W.S. Merwin and his Holiness the Dalai Lama, provide insight into the ancient narrative.
- AV 302.23 DIG Digital nation
Within a single generation, digital media and the World Wide Web have transformed virtually every aspect of modern culture, from the way we learn and work to the ways in which we socialize and even conduct war. But is the technology moving faster than we can adapt to it? And is tur 24/7 wired world causing us to lose as much as we’ve gained? This program presents an in-depth exploration of what it means to be human in a 21st century digital world.
- AV 333.822 BUR Burning the future : coal in America
Coal provides half of America’s electricy, but at what cost? Though rhetoric about ‘clean coal’ abounds, 36% of US global warming emissions comes from our coal-burning plants. This film examines the forces that have set in motion a groundswell of conflict between the coal industry and residents of West Virginia. Faced with toxic ground water, the obliteration of acres of mountains, and a government that appeases industry, ordinary citizens launch a valiant fight to arouse the nation’s help in protecting their mountains, saving their families and preserving their way of life.
- AV 338.19 FOO Food, inc. : a Robert Kenner film
Lifts the veil on our nation’s food industry, exposing how our food supply is now controlled by a handful of corporations that often put profits ahead of consumer health, the livelihood of the American farmer, the safety of workers and our own environment.
- AV 522 TEL Telescope : hunting the edge of space
Provides an overview of the history of the telescope and discusses how the technology has been used to learn about the universe.
- AV 523.1 JOU Journey to the edge of the universe
This film presents a non-stop voyage from Earth to the edge of the universe using a single, unbroken shot through the use of CGI technology. Building on images taken from the Hubble Telescope, the film explores the science and history behind the distant celestial bodies in the solar system.
- AV 536 ABS Absolute zero
Brings the history of human understanding of the concept of cold to life, with dramatic recreations of high moments in low-temperature research and the quest for ever-lower notches on the thermometer.
- AV 551.3 EXT Extreme ice
Follows the progress of photojournalist James Balog’s Extreme Ice Survey, the largest photographic story ever attempted of the cryosphere, the large mantle of ice that covers large portions of the Earth and that plays a critical role in weather.
- AV 551.46 DRA Drain the ocean : see what lies beneath our seas
Three-quarters of Earth is an alien world, lying beneath the surface of the oceans. And although it encompasses over half of the world’s species, we know more about the surface of Mars than the bottom of the ocean. If we could remove the water, what would we see? This film explores one of Earth’s last great frontiers as never before — revealing unimaginable landscapes more dramatic than anything on dry land.
- AV 575 Life
From the makers of Planet Earth, this series explores the more colorful strategies the world’s creatures employ to procreate, evade predators, and obtain nourishment.
- AV 576.8 WHA What Darwin never knew
On the 150th anniversary of the publication of “The Origin of Species”, NOVA reveals answers to the riddles that Darwin couldn’t explain. Stunning breakthroughs in a brand new science — nicknamed “evo devo” — are linking the enigma of origins to another of nature’s great mysteries, the development of an embryo.
- AV 709.2 CLO The mystery of Picasso (In French with English subtitles)
An historical document explores the mind and motivations of Picasso as he creates over 15 works before the camera.
- AV 770.92 PHO The photographers
Photographers who have worked for National Geographic reflect on their art.
- AV 775 DIG Digital Digest photography : Video segments on digital photography
Covers the basics of digital photography including the camera, f-stops, and shutter speeds, ISO selection, exposure, the rule of thirds and odds, saving, storing, and printing files, memory, batteries, flash, and more.
- AV 786.2 NOT Note by note : the making of Steinway L1037
Follows the creation of a Steinway concert grand piano from forest floor to concert hall. Each piano’s journey is complex, spanning 12 months, 12,000 parts, 450 craftsmen, and countless hours of fine-tuned labor.
- AV 811 POE Poetry Lounge : spoken word and the art of self-expression
Learn the fundamentals of writing and performing “spoken word” poetry by watching slam champions as they perform their work, share their inspiration, and describe writing techniques for this format.
- AV 844 ETR Etre et avoir (In French with English subtitles)
At the center of this intimate and touching story is Georges Lopez – a remarkably devoted teacher responsible for nurturing a dozen children ages 3-11 in all their school subjects and life’s lessons. Demonstrates how a teacher, if well trained, dedicated and sensitive to a child’s educational and emotional needs, can hugely influence a generation of children at their most critical time of development.
- AV 863 LIK Like water for chocolate (In Spanish with English subtitles)
Romantic fantasy set in the early 20th century about a young couple blocked from marrying by the demands of her cold and selfish mother. To be near his love, the young man marries her sister, and she expresses her passion for him through her cooking.
Based on the novel by Laura Esquivel
- AV 863 PAN Pan’s Labyrinth (In Spanish with English subtitles)
Set in 1944 Spain, against the backdrop of anti-Franco guerilla warfare, young Ofelia and her mother go to live with her new stepfather on a rural military outpost. Ofelia finds herself in a world of unimaginable cruelty. Soon she finds the creatures of her imagination in which she used to escape have become a reality and she must battle them to save both her mother and herself. In the terrifying fight that ensues, Ofelia soon learns that innocence has a power that evil cannot understand.
- AV 909.83 APR April 14, 2009
Correspondent Sharmeen Obaid investigates the increasing power and influence of a new branch of the Taliban in Pakistan that is helping make the country one of the Obama administration’s top foreign policy concerns. Also, a look at South Korea, a country that’s embraced the wired world more thoroughly than any other and is now potentially facing a new public health crisis: internet addiction.
- AV 937 ANC Ancient Rome : The mobile society
Featuring interviews with expert scholars and practical demonstrations of ancient tools, this video examines the marvel of Roman roads.
- AV 937 ANC Ancient Rome : the rise of apartments
Explores how the ancient Romans inhabited multistory apartments more than 2,000 years ago. These apartments provided more than just places to live — offering baths, cleaners, and restaurants, all housed in complexes that were several stories high. Visits the Roman baths still in use today in England.
- AV 951.04 NAN Nanking
In 1937 the Japanese army invaded China’s capital city, unleashing a horrific onslaught of murder and rape. Incredibly, a small group of Westerners who stayed behind saved thousands. Using interviews with Chinese survivors, archival footage and readings of the Westerners’ letters and diaries, this tragic chapter in history is brought to life.
- AV 974.71044 SAC Sacred ground
This documentary examines the controversy surrounding the plans to rebuild on the site of the World Trade Center after the tragedy of Sept. 11, 2001.
- AV F ANN Annabel Lee & other tales of mystery and imagination
Short film renditions of some of Poe’s classic horror stories.
- AV F DAN Dances with wolves
A former Union soldier is assigned to an abandoned fort within Sioux Indian territory, where he learns to love and respect his Native American neighbors and chooses to share in their hardships.
Based on the novel by Michael Blake.
- AV F GLO Glory
Two idealistic young Bostonians lead the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry, America’s first Black regiment in the Civil War.
- AV F I I, Claudius
In this BBC miniseries Derek Jacobi plays Roman Emperor Claudius, who reflects in old age on his life and his remarkable family, giving us a history lesson that’s unlike anything you learned in school.
- AV F MAS Masada
The story of the siege of 980 when zealot Jews who escaped the Roman sacking of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. took refuge in a palace on the mountain of Masada.
Based on the novel: The antagonists / by Ernest J. Gaines.
Originally released as a motion picture in 1981.
- AV F TRO Troy
In 1193 BC, Prince Paris, the son of the King of Troy, falls in love with Helen, the wife of the king of Sparta, and convinces her to follow him away from her husband Menelaus. This results in an epic war. The Greeks sail to Troy and lay siege. Achilles, the greatest warrior in all the world, is called in to fight against Troy and give Greece the upper hand. Hector, the eldest son of Priam, King of Troy, and the greatest Trojan warrior, embodies the hopes of the people of his city.