Filmed in five continents, this documentary film chronicles the struggles of people of African descent throughout the globe as they strive for basic freedoms and self-determination.

Abolic̦ão is a startling look at the racial situation of Black Brazilians in contemporary Brazil. The director asks the following question to Black Brazilians from diverse walks of life - musicians, politicians, activists, people in government -- "We are celebrating 100 years since the abolition of slavery in Brazil, what does the abolition of slavery mean to you?"

"The story of three American cities that have revitalized themselves by using architecture and planning as tools for restoring a sense of community, improving livability, and enhancing economic viability. [The film] focuses on elements common to the three cities: active public involvement in design and planning, aggressive and innovative public-private redevelopment strategies, strong public sectors willing to provide the civic infrastructure necessary to ensure livability, and the creation of vibrant urban environments strong at their hearts and reconnected to their histories and cultural identities" -- Container.

Once the industrial heart of the region of Catalonia in Spain, Barcelona could have become just another burnt-out, rust-belt European city that failed to find a role in the modern, globalized world. But what set Barcelona apart from other European cities was a visionary local government that decided to radically redevelop the city in the run-up to the 1992 Olympics -- a redevelopment that involved all of the city's population. Barcelona today is a model 21st century city, combining historic buildings with modern architecture in a fusion that has helped make it one of the most popular tourist destinations in Europe.

The story of a reluctant activist Daniel Goldstein as he struggles to save his home and community from being demolished to make way for a professional basketball arena and densest real estate development in U.S. history.

This two-disc DVD set is based on a 2007 conference in Accra and Elmina, Ghana. The first video, "The bloody Writing is for ever torn", captures the experience of holding a scholarly meeting on the abolition of the Atlantic slave trade in locations in West Africa from which 1.8 million enslaved people were exported to the Americas and the Caribbean between 1500 and 1867. The second video, "The Abolition of the Atlantic Slave Trade: Origins, Effects, and Legacies", is specifically designed for classroom use and is accompanied by a teacher's guide.
(source: Nielsen Book Data)

"Exposes how, in one community, powerful real estate interests and politicians collaborate to circumvent local laws, seize private property through eminent domain, manipulate public participation and racial politics to push forward what could become the densest development in the United States"--Container.

How can a society built entirely around the principle of inequality become democratic? India has implemented a policy of affirmative action for the members of the lower or 'untouchable' caste, who represent more than half of the population: those who meet the policy's requirements will be employed as civil servants. This film documents the results of this controversial policy, a legislative attempt to bring social and political change to India.

Scott Simon interviews a group of inspirational environmental activitists from various backgrounds who are dedicated to the greening of Chicago. Includes bonus footage, teachers' guide and resource material.

It is a timely tale of what can happen when engaged citizens fight the power for the sake of a better world. Arguably, no one did more to shape our understanding of the modern American city than Jane Jacobs, the visionary activist and writer who fought to preserve urban communities in the face of destructive development projects.

Originally shown at the 1939 World's Fair, this classic show comments on four types of cities: New England town, the unplanned industrial community, a crowded metropolis and the decentralized community.

In coastal areas around the world, battles are raging over the question of beach ownership. This program takes an in-depth look at the many sides of the struggle for California's shores, echoing similar clashes across the globe.

"In coastal areas around the world, battles are raging over the question: Whose beach is it, anyway? ... Coastal Clash takes an in-depth look at the many sides of the struggle for California's shores, echoing similar clashes across the globe"--Container.

"In 15 distinct but interconnected chapters shot in locations ranging from Russia to Istanbul to New York City, Counting fuses city symphony, personal diary, and the essay film to build a vivid contemporary portrait. The film measures street life, light, and time, noting not only surveillance and overdevelopment but resistance and its phantoms as manifested in music, animals, protests, and everyday magic."--Container.

David Wann follows the progress of the Wild Sage Cohousing Community project, where future residents participate in the design of their own neighborhood. The stated architectural goal at the Wild Sage site in Boulder is a "zero emisssions" neighborhood in which solar energy, energy efficiency, and changes in behavior eliminate the need for fossil fuels.

• Everybody lived here: multiculturalism & racially restrictive covenants
• Our friends were gone: Japanese American internment
• Largest Jewish community west of Chicago & White Flight
• The spirit in Boyle Heights cannot be broken by California planners: East L.A. interchange
• McCarthyism & a more radical neighborhood
• Edward R. Roybal's election: a voice in city hall
• 1968 student walkouts: it was about more than civil rights
• Barrio means neighborhood: stereotypes of gangs & violence
• Gentrification & community activism: comité de la esperanza
• Boyle Heights renaissance: what will the future hold?

"East LA Interchange tells the story of working-class, immigrant Boyle Heights, the oldest neighborhood in East Los Angeles. Targeted by government policies, real estate laws, and California planners, this quintessential immigrant neighborhood survived racially restrictive housing covenants, Japanese-American Internment, Federal redlining policies, lack of political representation, and the building of the largest and busiest freeway interchange system in the nation, the East L.A. Interchange. The documentary explores how the freeways -- a symbol of Los Angeles ingrained in America’s popular imagination -- impact Boyle Heights’ residents: literally, as an environmental hazard and structural blockade and figuratively, as a conversational interchange about why the future of their beloved community should matter to us all."--Publisher website.

Documentary. Uses interviews with scientists and policy makers to explore the premise that American suburbs, built on the easy availability of fossil fuels to allow economical commutes, may become untenable.

A documentary film by Academy Award nominated filmmaker William Gazecki about the life-story of futurist Jacque Fresco. Peer to Einstein and Buckminster Fuller, Jacque is a self-taught futurist and a prolific inventor. The film explores Fresco's world of the future, where scientific method, not politics rules world operations, and all human activities and efforts are directed towards achieving dynamic equilibrium between man and nature.

• Extras: 4 video modules excerpted from the film (all with optional Spanish subtitles). Introduction (4 min.)
• Development without displacement (20 min.)
• Youth leadership development (18 min.)
• Partnership challenges (14 min.).

Gaining ground, a follow-up to the award-winning documentary Holding Ground (1996), shows how one diverse Boston neighborhood has stemmed the tide against enormous odds. In the midst of the economic meltdown, Gaining Ground explores the innovative, grassroots organizing efforts of the Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative (DSNI) in Boston. DSNI was created 25 years ago when the community had been devastated by bank redlining, arson-for-profit and illegal dumping, and has become one of the preeminent models for community-based change. Over the course of two years, we watch a new generation of leaders working to prevent foreclosures and bring jobs and opportunities for young people to one of the city's most diverse and economically challenged neighborhoods.