SOUTH ASIA LANGUAGE AND AREA CENTER
5848 University Ave
Kelly 309
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS 60637
Phone: (773) 702-8635; Fax: (773) 702-1309
south-asia-outreach@uchicago.edu
Videos in the Outreach Library
The following is a list of video cassette tapes available for 2-week
loan from Outreach. Although we do not charge a loan fee, we do require
a $100.00 refundable deposit per tape. To order, please send your
name, address, and telephone number, along with a check for $100.00
(per tape) made out to "The University of Chicago." Please
return the tapes in person or by insured mail.
Note: Tapes marked with a star * are on PAL (i.e. European &
Indian) format, and cannot be played on standard NTSC (i.e. American)
video cassette players.
To search for a video using keywords:
1• Press Ctrl + F
2• Type in keyword.
For example, to find a movie about religion, type in: Islam, Hinduism, Sufism, sadhu, monk etc. If you don't find what you need, type in a broader keyword such as religion or philosophy.
3• Click ‘find next' to scroll down for that keyword among the list of available films.
4• Have fun; our selection might surprise you!
| # | A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z |
| 1942: A Love Story (1994) Format: VHS (NTSC) Language: Hindi, with English subtitles Run Time: 150 minutes. Description: 1942 A Love Story is about the love of Naren and Rajjo, in the background of the Quit India Movement of 1942. Rajjo being the daughter of a revolutionary leader is deeply affected by the political happenings around her, while Naren, the only son of a rich landlord is drawn into the struggle by his love for Rajjo. Shubhankar, played by Jackie Shroff, is responsible for bringing the passion of freedom to Kasauni, a small village in Himachal Pradesh, where the entire drama of struggle and love unfolds. Caught between their duty for the country and love for each other, the lovers fight their personal and freedom battles. Director: Vidhu Vinod Chopra. Starring: Jackie Shroff and Anil Kapoor. |
| 2000 Years of Freedom and Honor: The Cochin Jews
of India (1992) Format: VHS (NTSC) Language: English Run Time: 80 minutes Description: Explores religious, cultural, and economic life of the Cochini Jews in their native India, and follows the younger generation to a new life as Israelis. Director/Writer/Producer: Johanna Spector. (Ergo Media). |
Aag |
African Guitar |
Agantuk (The Stranger) |
| Altar of Fire (1976) Format: VHS (NTSC) Language: English Run Time: 45minutes Description: Robert Gardner, founder of the Film Study Center at Harvard and a documentarian of disappearing tribal peoples and their rituals, here records a twelve day ancient Vedic ritual. Performed by Nambudiri Brahmins in Kerala, southwest India, with roots going back to antiquity, this ceremony had long been considered extinct and has never been witnessed by outsiders before. Powerful and mysterious, the ceremony takes several months of preparation, seventeen priests, and a giant fire altar shaped like a bird, among other elaborate elements. |
|
Ajit (1996) |
| Aparajito (1956) Format: VHS (NTSC) Also available in PAL. Language: Bengali with English subtitles Run Time: 108 minutes (black&white) Description: Second film in Satyajit Ray's acclaimed trilogy about a family's struggles in rural India. Director: Satyajit Ray. |
| Arising from Flames (1993) Format: VHS (NTSC) Language: English Run Time: 60 minutes Description: A video recording of the Dalai Lama's historic 1993 speech to a Tucson, Arizona audience of 5000. The Dalai Lama discusses how to overcome anger through patience. Distributor: Mystic Fire Video |
Bandini |
| Bauls of Bengal: Luxman Baul's Movie Format: VHS (NTSC) Language: Bengali and English, with English subtitles Run Time: 50 minutes Description: Filmed in Birbhum District, Bengal. Director: Howard Alk. Producer/Narrator: Sally Grossman. |
| Bhaji on the Beach (1994) Format: VHS (NTSC) Language: English Run Time: 100 minutes Description: Bhaji on the Beach, an engaging comedy-drama by Indian director Gurinder Chadha, follows a diverse group of Indian women on an outing to Blackpool, England. Director: Gurinder Chadha. |
| *Biographies by Films Division Ministry of Information
& Broadcasting, Govt. of India: Format: PAL Language: English Acharya J.C. Bose. 39 minutes |
| The Birth of Pakistan (1990) Format: VHS (NTSC) Language: English Run Time: 20 minutes Description: Covers the years since Pakistan was established in 1947. Included: the new country's economic and political problems; the independence of Bangladesh; the rise and fall of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto; Zia's assumption of power; the war with Afghanistan; Zia's death, and the election of his daughter Benazir. Distributor: Films for the Humanities & Sciences. |
| Bittersweet: Asian-Indian Experience
in USA (1994) Format: VHS (NTSC) Language: English and Tamil, with English subtitles Run Time: 43 minutes Description: Interviews with East Indians living in the United States and with Americans of East Indian descent are intercut with fictional exchanges between members of an Indian-American family. Distributor: The Cinema Guild. |
| Blue Collar and Buddha (1987) Format: VHS (NTSC) Language: English Run Time: 57 minutes Description: Documentary about the relationship between Rockford, IL locals and refugee Laotians following a series of bombings at the Buddhist temple in 1984. Producers: Taggart Siegel & Kati Johnson. |
| * Buddha weeps in Jadugoda (Ragih Kanah Ko Bonga
Buru) (1999) Format: VHS (PAL) Language: Hindi with English subtitles. Run Time: 55 minutes Description: The life of tribals in Jadugoda, Bihar; a major Uranium mining area in India. The film studies the devastating impact of radiation on the lives of the tribals. Director: Shriprakash. Producers: Kritika and Birsa. |
Bunty aur Babli |
| Burma: In the Garden of the Crying
Buddha (1999) Format: VHS (NTSC) Language: English Run Time: 49 minutes Description: Program presents an intriguing glimpse of Burmese life. Issues include Burma's 40-year civil war, the vital role of the railway and the cinema, and rampant smuggling. Part of the Asia in Transition: Culture, Politics, and Economics series. |
| Burma: Triumph of the Spirit (1997) Format: VHS (NTSC) Language: English Run Time: 26 minutes Description: Documentary chronicling Burmese Buddhism and government rule since 1988 when pro-democracy demonstrations were crushed. From the Mystic Lands Series. Distributor: United Learning, Inc. (Includes Teacher's Guide). |
Calcutta Pride March 2004 |
| Charulata (1964) Format: VHS (NTSC) Language: Bengali with English subtitles. Run Time: 117 minutes (black & white) Description: Made in 1964, this Satyajit Ray period piece is set in a Calcutta about to enter the last decade of the 19th century. Madhabi Muherjee, who also had the leading role in Ray's The Big City (1963), portrays a bored and neglected housewife whose husband, Bhupati (Sailen Mukherjee), is spurred by his passion for his political newspaper, The Sentinel, and not by his passion for her. Director: Satyajit Ray. |
| Classical Indian Dance (1995) Format: VHS (NTSC) Language: English Run Time: 60 minutes Description: Narrated by Zia Mohyeddin and featuring various dances by Rajna Gauhar, Alarmel Valli, Durga Lal, Chitralekha Bolar, Indra Thigarajah, J. Venkatachalapati, Nahid Siddiqui and Chitra Sundaram. No explanations, so an introduction would be needed in a classroom environment. (Films for the Humanities and Sciences) |
| Common Destinies: Staying Power (1996) Format: VHS (NTSC) Language: English Distributor: ICS Inc. |
| Community (1996) Format: VHS (NTSC) Language: English Run Time: 24 minutes Description: Looks at effect of women participating in community affairs in Bangladeshi village. Director: Michael Sheridan. Distributor: Oxfam America Production, distr. Bullfrog |
Coolie |
| Dadi and Her Family: A Rural Mother-in-Law
in North India (1982) Format: VHS (NTSC) Language: English Run Time: 45 minutes Description: Focuses on a grandmother (Dadi) in a Jat farm family in Haryana. Dadi is committed to preserving her family consisting of her husband, her sons, her daughters-in-law, and her grandchildren, all sharing their incomes and expenses. During the film Dadi contrasts the behavior of daughters-in-law today with daughters-in-law in her day, organizes household work as well as celebrations, and describes the ultimate dependence of women on the men to whom they are given in marriage. Dadi and her family recognize, but cannot fully control, the constantly changing forces holding the family together as well as threatening to break up the family and to divide and separate the family property. Produced by: U. of Wisconsin-Madison. |
| Dalai and Tulku: Buddhism in Tibet (1991) Format: VHS (NTSC) Language: English Run Time: 45 minutes Description: Vol. IV of Video Outlines of Asian Religions Series |
| A Darker Side of Fair Format: DVD Run Time: 59 minutes |
| Darubrahma (2000) Format: VHS (NTSC) Language: English and Oriya, with English subtitles Run Time: 43 minutes Description: Documentary exploring how the wooden Jagannath and other gods images are chosen, sculpted and installed in the Jagannath Temple in Puri. Produced by: University of Wisconsin- Madison |
Dastak |
Daughters of Everest |
Death and Dying in Varanasi |
| The Deceivers (1988) Format: VHS (NTSC) Language: English Run Time: 112 minutes. Description: Starring Pierce Brosnan, Shashi Kapoor and Saeed Jaffrey. Brosnan plays a British East Indian official in 1825 who goes undercover as a Thuggee and soon is caught up in its alluring violence. The cinematography (a Merchant Ivory Production) and some fine performances tend to balance the incongruities (such as English being the lingua franca) and Western moralizing. Director: Nicholas Meyer. |
| Desi: South Asians in New York (2000)
Thirteen/WNET New York premiere. Format: VHS (NTSC) Language: English Run Time: 60 minutes Description: On the different South Asian communities in the 5 boroughs of New York. |
| Devi (1962) Format: VHS (NTSC) Language: English Run Time: 95 minutes. Description: Directed by Satyajit Ray, Devi is a sensual, stylized work about a wealthy man who attempts to convince his son's young wife she's an incarnate of the goddess Kali. |
Dil Chahta Hai |
Dilwale |
| Division of Hearts (1987) Format: VHS (NTSC) Language: English Run Time: 57 minutes Description: Documentary showing as ordinary people from Pakistan, India and Bangladesh recount their Partition histories and experiences. By Satti Khanna and Peter Chappell. |
|
Diya (2002) |
Dobara |
| Dragon Chow (1987) Format: VHS (NTSC) Language: English Run Time: 75 minutes (black&white) Description: Follows the adventures of a Pakistani immigrant in Hamburg. In German, Urdu and Mandarin with English subtitles. Black & white. Director: Jan Schutte. |
Dulhe Raja |
| Eye on Asia: Kathakali Shivarajan and Party (1995) Format: VHS (NTSC) Language: English Description: Bajaj Productions |
|
Families of India (1995) |
Father, Son and Holy War (1994) Format: VHS (NTSC) Language: English Run Time: 60 minutes per part, 2 parts Description: Director Anand Patwardhan Explores communalism Part 1) Trial by Fire, Part 2) Hero Pharmacy (First Run/Icarus Films) |
| * Fishers of Men (1997) Format: VHS (PAL) Language: English and Hindi, with English subtitles Run Time: 117 minutes Description: Documentary examining the relationship in Jharkand between converts to Christianity, Hindus in the community and the quest for a tribal homeland. Director: Ranjan Kamath / Padmavathi Rao. (RKO Production) |
| Four Holy Men: Renunciation
in a Hindu Village (1976) Format: VHS (NTSC) Language: English Run Time: 37 minutes Description: Examines several traditional ways in which a Hindu may renounce the world and yet retain an integral role in society. Focuses on four different types of sadhus: a traditional guru who heads a monastery, a scholar who is also the founder of a national political party, the administrator of a Ramakrishna Mission hospital and a recluse with no organizational ties. Examines why there are people who have chosen a life of renunciation and how their lives relate to the society they have renounced. (U of Wisconsin-Madison) |
| The Fourth Stage: A Hindu's
Quest for Release (1986) Format: VHS (NTSC) Language: English Run Time: 36 minutes Description: This film accompanies retired newspaper editor E.R. Seturam as he wrestles with the decision of whether or not to abandon all of his possesions and become a wandering sannysin in pursuit of spiritual enlightenment. |
| Frame Within Frame Format: VHS (NTSC) Language: English Run Time: 158 min. Description: Films Division Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, Govt. of India |
| From Raj to Riches: The
New India, an Adam Smith's Money World Special Report Format: VHS (NTSC) Language: English Description: (MetLife) |
| The Frontiers of Peace: Jainism in India
(1986) Format: VHS (NTSC) Language: English Run Time: 40 minutes Description: Explores the history and philosophy of Jainism, in particular its emphasis on non-violence, respect for all forms of life, and belief in personal salvation. (BBC and U. of Wisc-Madison) |
| Gandhi (1982) Format: VHS (NTSC) 2 Parts Language: English Run Time: 187 minutes Description: Biographical epic on the life of Mohandas K Gandhi, a proponent of peaceful revolution who led his country's fight for independence and was subsequently assassinated. Director: Richard Attenborough; starring Ben Kingsley. |
| Garam Hava (1975) Format: VHS (NTSC) Language: English Run Time: 136 minutes Description: Salim Mirza, a middle-aged Muslim shoe manufacturer, has lived in Agra for generations. During independence from British rule, when the partition of India becomes a reality, along with a vast majority of Muslims in the subcontinent, Mirza too is faced with the dilemma of either leaving his homeland, or staying to face the carnage that is about to ravage the new republic. Director: M.S. Satyu. With Balraj Bahni, Geeta Siddarth, Jalal Agha, and Farouque Shaikh. * We also have the film script, a glossary for the film script, and an analysis of this film, in combination with two other films, "Sara Akash" and "Tisri Qasam". |
| Glimpses of the Situation in Punjab after June 5
(1984) Format: VHS (NTSC) Language: English |
The Great Moghuls Part 1: Babur |
| Hayavadana Format: VHS (NTSC) Language: English Description: Written by Girish Karnad. Director: Viyaya Mehta. (NCPA Archives). |
| Hindu Ascetics (1992?) Format: VHS (NTSC) Langauge: English Run Time: 44 minutes Description: Documentary on several different types of Hindu holy men. (Film for the Humanities and Sciences) |
| Holi: A Hindu Celebration (1999) Format: VHS (NTSC) Language: English Run Time: 55 minutes Description: Role of the deities is discussed along with the significance of certain rituals as they pertain to Krishna's life. Brings the color and vitality of Holi to life. |
| I Am a Monk (1977) Format: VHS (NTSC) Language: English Run Time: 32 minutes Description: Michael, an American, has become a Buddhist monk in Thailand. He returns home for a short reunion and discovers that his parents view him as a beggar. The film explains his new way of life to the satisfaction of his parents. Includes scenes of Thailand and Buddhist temples and monasteries. (The Hartley Film Foundation) |
| I Am a Sufi, I Am a Muslim (1996) Format: VHS (NTSC) Language: English Run Time: 52 minutes Description: Introduces Sufism in India, Pakistan, Turkey and Macedonia; featuring Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan; (Films for the Humanities & Sciences) |
| Images of India: Land and People (1998) Format: VHS (NTSC) Language: English Run Time: 35 minutes Description: Somewhat simple and superficial, but useful for high school or introductory classes. (Cambridge Educational) |
| In Custody (1993) Format: VHS (NTSC) Language: Hindi/Urdu, with English subtitles Run Time: 123 minutes Description: A passionate comedy about an Indian poet who learns that his famous idol has feet of clay. Dir. Ismail Merchant. (Columbia Tristar) |
| In The Name of God (1992) Format: VHS (NTSC) Language: English Run Time: 97 minutes Description: Focuses on VHP campaign to destroy the Babri Masjid. Dir. Anand Patwardhan. (First Run/Icarus Films) |
| Indian Classical Music (1994) Format: VHS (NTSC) Language: English Run Time: 83 minutes Description: Narrated by Zia Mohyeddin and featuring musical performances by Ali Akbar Khan, Alla Rakha, Amjad Khan, Hariprasad Chaurasia and Ravi Shankar. No explanations, so an introduction would be needed in a class environment. (Films for the Humanities and Sciences) |
In Memory of Friends |
In The Beginning Was Desire |
| Islam and Feminism (1990) Format: VHS (NTSC) Language: English Run Time: 25 minutes Description: Examines inequities in Pakistan's Islamic Law. Director: Nighat Said Khan. (First Run/Icarus Films). |
| Jai Santoshi Ma (1975) Format: VHS (NTSC) Language: Hindi, with English subtitles Run Time: 141 minutes Description: Starring: Anita Guha, Ashis Kumar. Director: Vijay Sharma. |
| Jalsaghar (1958) Format: VHS (NTSC) Language: Bengali, with English subtitles Run Time: 100 minutes (Black & White) Description: Biswambhar Roy is a zamindar (feudal warlord) and the last of his kind. With the title and attitudes of feudalism, he has none of the perquisites, inheriting only debt and worthless land. But he must maintain the lifestyle of his heritage. This ostentation is most apparent in the grandest room of his mansion, the music room. Here he inports the finest musicians and dancers to perform, and invites the area's most important commoners. His wife's entreaties to control spending are ignored, and the puberty party he throws for his son bring him down to the last few sacks of family jewels. Then, struck by tragedy, he locks the music room and slips into lethargy - until a final grand soiree consumes the last of his funds. Director: Satyajit Ray. |
| Jama Masjid Street Journal (1979) Format: VHS (NTSC) Language: English Run Time: 20 minutes (Black & white) Description: Mira Nair's (SALAAM BOMBAY!) personal record of street life around the Jama Masjid, or Great Mosque, in the old city of Delhi, India. |
| Judwaa (1997) Format: VHS (NTSC) Language: English Run Time: 137 minutes Description: Comedy. Starring Salman Khan, Karishma Kapoor, Shakti Kapoor. |
Kaagaz ke Phool |
Kal Ho Naa Ho |
| Kashmir: Valley of Despair (1998) Format: VHS (NTSC) Language: English Run Time: 44 minutes Description: A mostly fair presentation of the different factions waging war in/ for Kashmir. (Films for the Humanities and Sciences) |
| Kamala and Raji: Working Women of Ahmedabad
(1990) Format: VHS (NTSC) Language: English Run Time 46 minutes Description: On SEWA (Self Employed Women's Association) Director: Michael Camerini (PDR Productions). |
Kamasutra: A Tale of Love |
Kannathil Muthamittal |
Kataragama: A God For All Seasons (1973) |
Khayal Darpan |
| Kim (1950) Format: VHS (NTSC) Language: English Run Time: 113 minutes Description: No Indian actors in speaking roles, but still a bit of swashbuckling fun. Filmed in India, with good landscape and city shots. Director: Victor Saville; starring Errol Flynn. |
| *King Master of Karachi. Format: VHS (PAL) Language: English Description: Outdoor men's dance performance. |
Koi Mil Gaya |
| Kunjban Excerpts Format: VHS (NTSC) Language: English |
| Laos : In the Shadow of the Giants (1999) Format: VHS (NTSC) Language: English Run Time: 47 minutes Description: This program considers the cultural and economic impact on Laotians and Hmong alike of initiatives designed to improve the country. The government continues to court foreign tourism despite travel dangers caused by government rebels. Part of the Asia in Transition: Culture, Politics, and Economics series. |
| *The Last Migration: Wild Elephant Capture
at Saranja Format: VHS (PAL) Language: English Description: Highlights the complicated relationship between elephants/nature and man. By Mike Pandey (Riverbank Studios). |
| Latcho Drom. (1993) Format: VHS (NTSC) Language: English Run Time: 103 minutes Description: A beautiful musical documentary of Gypsies in India, Egypt, Turkey, Romania, Hungary, Slovakia, France and Spain. Written and directed by Tony Gatlif. |
| Life and Death of a Dynasty (1991) Format: VHS (NTSC) Language: English Run Time: 90 minutes Description: About the Nehru family dynasty. Producer: Drew Associates. Benton Broadcast Project, University of Chicago. |
The Life of the Buddha |
| Living Islam:Volume 3 Struggling with
Modernity (1993) Format: VHS (NTSC) Language: English Run Time: 50 minutes Description: Tension between Islam and the West. (BBC-TV and Ambrose Video Production) |
| *The Living Tradition: A Shilpi Speaks
(1990) Format: VHS (PAL) Language: Tamil, with English subtitles Run Time: 50 minutes Description: A South Indian shilpi (temple sculptor/architect), Sri V. Ganapati Sthapati of the Research Academy of Science and Art, Mamallapuram (RASAM), speaks about the inner meaning of his craft. Interspersed with scenes of the making of stone and bronze images of deities. Some nice Carnatic music on the soundtrack. An attractive film which would need some introduction and commentary in a teaching context. |
Madhoshi |
| The Mahabharata (Parts 1, 2 and 3) (1989) Format: VHS (NTSC) Language: English Run Time: 97 minutes, 111 minutes and 110 minutes Description: Director: Peter Brook |
Maine Gandhi Ko Nahin Mara |
| Mandi Format: VHS (NTSC) Language: Hindi, no subtitles Description: (Blaze Film) |
Mangal Pandey: The Rising |
| Manifestations of Shiva (1980) Format: VHS (NTSC) Language: English Run Time: 58 minutes |
| Masala (1993) Format: VHS (NTSC) Language: English Run Time: 105 minutes Description: Director: Srinivas Krishna; with Krishna, Saeed Jaffrey, Zohra Segal, Sakina Jaffrey. |
Masoom |
| The Mekong A Turbulent River: Four Parts
(1996) Format: VHS (NTSC) Language: English Run Time: 52 minutes per part The Mekong in Tibet and China Description: Explores the lifestyle of people who live on the Mekong's banks in Tibet and China. The Mekong in Laos and Thailand Description: Run T Laotians and Thais discuss life along the Mekong's Banks. The Mekong in Cambodia Description: Documents city and village life on the Mekong's banks and its basin, the Tonle Sap. The Mekong in Vietnam Description: Village entrepreneurs working in the fishery, rice, entertainment and passenger boat businesses recount their difficulties in the aftermath of the Vietnam War. |
| The Middleman (1975) Format: VHS (NTSC) Language: English Run Time: 131 minutes (Black & white) Description: Two Naïve college graduates go in search of a job, and find a world of chaos and corruption in this dark comedy. Dir. Jana Aranya. |
The Moghul Emperors |
| Moksha Format: VHS (NTSC) Language: Bengali, with English subtitles Run Time: 83 minutes Description: Jane Balfour Films Ltd, Director: Pankaj Butalia |
Monsoon Wedding |
| Mother India (1957) Format: VHS (NTSC) Language: Hindi, with English subtitles Run Time: 175 minutes Description: A color remake of director Mehboob's own Aurat, the film stars Nargis as an old woman remembering her past and her happy married life with three sons in a rural village. Music by Naushad. |
| A Mother's Lament (Duhshomoy) (1999) Format: VHS (NTSC) Language: Bengali, with English subtitles Run Time: 28 minutes Description: Documentary recounting the tragedy of Shima Choudhury in Bangladesh. Allegedly gang raped by policemen and then sent to prison for "safe custody," Shima died under mysterious circumstances. The case is now in appeal in the high court. (Director, Producer: Yasmine Kabir.) |
Mr. & Mrs. 55 |
Mr. & Mrs. Iyer |
| Mughal-e-Azam Format: VHS (NTSC) Language: Hindi, with hard-to-read English subtitles Run Time: 175 minutes (Black & white, with one part in color) Description: Romantic depiction of the glory of Akbar and Salim; poetic courtly language; beautiful music, singing, dancing, costumes. Director: K. Asif; music by Naushad; starring Prithviraj Kapoor, Dilip Kumar, Madhubala, Durga Khote and Ajit. |
| Muktir Gaan (1971) Format: VHS (NTSC) Language: Bengali news footage, with English subtitles Description: Documentary about the Bangladeshi liberation war. Director: Leas Levin. |
| Muslims (2002) Format: VHS (NTSC) Language: English Run Time: 120 minutes Description: Documentary about what it means to be a Muslim in the 21st Century. Filmed in Egypt, Malaysia, Iran, Turkey, Nigeria and the United States. The film emphasizes Islam's kinship with Christianity and Judaism, and looks at the diverse interpretations of Islam among the Muslim people. |
| My Beautiful Laundrette (1985) Format: VHS (NTSC) Language: English Run Time: 94 minutes Description: Set within the Asian community in London, My Beautiful Laundrette is an unusual love story concerned with identity and entrepreneurial spirit during the Thatcher years. Director: Stephen Frears. |
Nazrah: Perspective |
| Nepal: Land of the Gods (1985) Format: VHS (NTSC) Language: English Run Time: 62 minutes Description: Consists of three short films (" The Tantric Universe ", " Tibetan Heritage " and " Sherpa Legend ") that examine the ancient civilizations still thriving within this Himalayan kingdom, focusing on Nepal's unique mixture of Buddhism and Hinduism. Director: Sheldon Rochlin, Mark Spera and Loren Stadlee. |
| The New Puritans: The Sikhs of Yuba
City (1985) Format: VHS (NSTC) Language: English Run Time: 27 minutes Description: Focuses on cultural and generational conflicts faced by Yuba City, California's Sikh population, the first of whom immigrated to California from Punjab, India in the early 1900s. |
| Now I Will Speak (1991) Format: VHS (NTSC) Language: English Run Time: 40 minutes Description: This film deals with rape as a tool of political oppression, child rape and custodial rape. Shot in Bihar, Kerala, Gujarat, New Delhi and Rajasthan, the film looks at the social and legal connivance to further subjugate the victim and seeks alternative ways to address the issue. A powerful, disturbing testimony of extraordinary courage, the film was awarded the North Indian Film Association's "award of excellence" for production and direction. Director: Sagari Chhabra. |
| Of Snakes and Software: India at the
Crossroads of Change (1991) Format: VHS (NTSC) Language: English Run Time: 58 minutes Description: This film takes an in-depth look at how India is mobilizing to compete in an age of increasing globalization of capital, markets, and production. It examines India's challenges in meeting its potential strength in economic and international affairs, and in sustaining the modernization begun during the Gandhi administration. From it's ancient religions, majestic landscapes and energetic role in science and commerce, India's story is told by Indians -- in their homes, on their streets, in their fields and factories, and in their schools and universities. |
Of Such Times: The Modern Indian Woman |
| One World: The Republic of India Format: VHS (NTSC) Language: English Run Time: 86 minutes Description: Economic changes since Indian independence was achieved in 1947 are discussed. India's industries were liberalized in 1991, leading to greater economic growth and foreign investment in the country. The video describes experiences of foreign companies, and how they fit into national priorities for economic development. Ward Television. |
| PAAR Format: VHS (NTSC) Language: No subtitles, poor quality. |
| Paddana: Song of the Ancestors Format: VHS (NTSC) Language: Tulu, with English subtitles Run Time: 40 minutes Description: In a house inhabited by ancestral spirits, stories are told and secrets revealed, as the past merges with the present for three generations of Indian women. Director: Anula Shetty. |
Pakeezah |
| A Passage to India (1984) Format: VHS (NTSC) Language: English Run Time: 163 minutes Description: Tensions between Indians and the colonial British come to a boil when a white female tourist accuses a young Indian Doctor of rape during a visit to caverns. A study of colonial relations and the nature of memory. Based on E. M. Forster's novel. Director: David Lean. |
| Pather Panchali (1955) Format: VHS (NTSC), Also available in PAL Language: Bengali, with English subtitles Run Time: 115 minutes (black & white) Description: Highly realistic, heartbreaking coming-of-age tale chronicles struggles of poor Indian family. Director: Satyajit Ray. |
Phi Ta Khon: Ghosts of Isan |
|
Photo Wallahs: An Encounter with Photography |
| Play With a Cobra (1988) Format: VHS (NTSC) Language: English Description: Videotape of a play written by Girish Karnad and directed by Girish Karnad and Gwendolyn Layne, performed at the University of Chicago. |
|
Puja: Expressions of Devotion (1996) |
Pyaasa |
| Queen Victoria's Empire (2001) Format: VHS (NTSC) Language: English Run Time: 218 minutes (two tapes.) Description: PBS film on the life of Queen Victoria, including an extensive section on India. |
| *Ramayan, Vol. 10 and 11 Format: VHS (PAL) Language: Hindi Description: Director, producer: Ramanand Sagar. |
| Ramnagar Format: VHS (NTSC) Language: English Run Time: 40 minutes Description: A visual documentation of a Ram Lila performed in Ramnagar. Follows the text of Linda Hess' accounts of Ram Lilas around Benaras. Director Manish Tiwary. |
| Risky Business: Biotechnology and Agriculture
(1996) Format: VHS (NTSC) Language: English Run Time: 24 minutes Description: A discussion-starter on genetically engineered plants and animals. Directors: Mark Dworkin and Melissa Young. (Bullfrog Films: A Moving Images Video Project) |
| The River (1951) Format: VHS (NTSC) Language: English Run Time: 99 minutes Description: Based on novel by Rumer Godden. Filmed in India. Somewhat cliched story of adolescent girls growing up, but enriched by Renoir's sensitive portrayal of his experience of Indian setting and culture. Director: Jean Renoir. |
| Sadhus: India's Holy Men Vol. I, II,
III Format: VHS (NTSC) Language: English Run Time: 52 minutes each Description: (Films for the Humanities and Sciences) |
| Salaam Bombay! (1988) Format: VHS (NTSC) Language: Hindi, with English subtitles Run Time: 114 minutes Description: The story of Krishna, Manju, Chillum and the other children on the streets of Bombay. Sometimes they can get a temporary job sellng tea, but mostly they have to beg for money and keep out of the way of the police. Producer, Director: Mira Nair. (Virgin) |
Salaam Namaste |
| Samsara: Death and Rebirth in Cambodia Format: VHS (NTSC) Language: English Run Time: 29 minutes Description: Documentary about the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia after the Pol Pot regime. Producer, director: Ellen Bruno. |
| Samskara Format: VHS (NTSC) Language: Hindi, with English subtitles Description: Based on the novel by U.R. Anantha Murthy. |
| Sankarabharanam Vol. I and II Format: VHS (NTSC) Language: Telugu? |
| Satya: a Prayer for the Enemy (1994) Format: VHS (NTSC) Language: English Run Time: 26 minutes Description: Personal testimonies of Tibetan Buddhist nuns regarding the Chinese invasion. Producer, director: Ellen Bruno. Distributed by Film Library. |
| Seeds of Plenty, Seeds of Sorrow: Developing
Stories I (1992) Format: VHS (NTSC) Language: English Run Time: 50 minutes Description: Film on the environment and development. By Manjira Datta, produced for the BBC. |
| Shakuntala (1986) Format: VHS (NTSC) Language: English Run Time: 84 minutes |
| Shatrang Ke Khiladi (The Chess Players)
(1977) Format: VHS (NTSC) Language: Urdu, with English subtitles Description: Set in 1856 at the court of Wajid Ali Shah in Lucknow. Based partly on a short story by Premchand and partly on conflict between Wajid and general Charles Outram. Director: Satyajit Ray; starring Sanjeev Kumar, Saeed Jaffrey, Shabana Azmi. |
SheWrite |
| Sholay Format: VHS (NTSC) Language: Hindi, with English subtitles Run Time: Description: Sholay can be said to have inaugurated the modern period of commercial Hindi cinema. Often described as India's best-known "curry" western, Sholay was patterned on American spaghetti westerns. The film narrates the story of an ex-cop Thakur Baldev Singh who hires two convicts to save a town and neighboring villagers from the menace of Gabbar Singh and his band of dacoits. The film is known both for its cinematography and for its star-studded cast. Directed by G.P. Sippy. |
Silsila |
| Slaves of Free Trade: Camp Sri Lanka Format: VHS (NTSC) Language: Sinhala, with English subtitles Run Time: 26 minutes Description: Produced by the Joint Association of Workers Council of Free Trade Zones. |
| South Asia in the Schools/Pakistan:
Living with Geography (1992) Format: VHS (NTSC) Language: English Run Time: 15 minutes Description: Still color photography of people and places in Pakistan. Script, narration and photography by Peter Gottschalk. (Univ. Wisconsin- Madison) |
| South: The Shattered Pearl (1991) Format: VHS (NTSC) Language: English Run Time: 25 minutes Description: A documentary reporting on war, human rights abuses, and women who struggle for justice in Sri Lanka. By Nirmal and Ranjani Mendis. |
| Spices (1986) Format: VHS (NTSC) Language: Hindi, with English subtitles Run Time: 98 minutes Description: Starring: Smita Patil Naseeruddin Shah. Director: Retan Mehta. (Original title: Mirch Masala) |
| Spotlight on the Ramayana Format: VHS (NTSC) Language: English Run Time: 40 minutes Description: Film provides a story Description of the Ramayana. Other segments feature live footage of several storytelling performances. Some of the parts seem to have little to do with the Ramayana and some also suffer from poor video quality. Could be useful for introductory class. Editor and Director: Stephen M. Duprey Written by Susan S. Wadley. (American Forum for Global Education) |
| Staying Power (1993) Format: VHS (NTSC) Language: English Run Time: 30 minutes |
| The Stream Within Format: VHS (NTSC) Language: English Run Time: 55 minutes Description: Ordinary women form Indian Freedom Movement. By Vacha Women's group, Bombay. |
Sulang Kirillie: The Wind Bird |
Swades |
| Swamy Format: VHS (NTSC) Language: Hindi, with English subtitles Description: Based on the novel by R.K. Narayan. |
Tere Naam |
| Teyyam: the Annual Visit of the God
Vishnumurti (1998) Format: VHS (NTSC) Language: English Run Time: 57 minutes Description: Shows one teyyam ritual for the God Vishnumurti. Erik de Maaker. |
| Thailand: King, Combat, and Ad Karaboa Format: VHS (NTSC) Language: English Run Time: 48 minutes Description: Examines Thailand's political independence, which is based on democratic and generally peaceful rule by a culturally supported monarchy. Also examines grass-roots dissent as demonstrated by the lyrics of pop music idol Ad Karabao. Part of the Asia in Transition: Culture, Politics, and Economics series. |
| Theatre Academy Pune Format: VHS (NTSC) Language: n/a Description: Ghashiram Kotwal, no sound. |
| Tibet's Holy Mountain Format: VHS (NTSC) Language: English Run Time: 52 minutes Description: (Films for the Humanities and Sciences) |
| Tibetan Buddhism (Part II) Format: VHS (NTSC) Language: English Run Time: 40 minutes Description: (U. Wisconsin-Madison) |
| Tibetan Medicine:A Buddhist Approach
to Healing (1985) Format: VHS (NTSC) Language: English Run Time: 29 minutes Description: Ama Lopsang Dolma, Tibet's foremost woman doctor, shows how medicines are made from animal, vegetable and mineral substances and how acupuncture and moxibustion are used during her daily rounds as a practicing physician. Filmed at the Tibetan Medical Center, which was established in exile by His Holiness the Dalai Lama in the Indian Himalayas and is the only remaining center of Tibetan medicine. The video explores the relationship of physical health to magnetic and other forces in the environment, showing how Tibetan medicine heals both the physical and the psychic being by treating the patient rather than disease. (Mystic Fire Video.) |
| Tisri Qasam Format: VHS (NTSC) Language: English |
Toba Tek Singh |
Transports of Delight: The Rickshaw Arts of Bangladesh |
| Treasures of the World (1999) Format: VHS (NTSC) Language: English Run Time: 3 tape set, 60 minutes per tape Description: Casts masterworks of art and nature in the starring roles of some of the most engaging stories of history: tales of mishap and madness, inspiration and intrigue, devotion and discovery. Video 1: Taj Mahal: Memorial to Love and Borobudur: Pathway to Enlightenment. Video 2: The Faberge Eggs and the Hope Diamond. Video 3: Theft of the Mona Lisa and Guernica: Testimony of War |
| Two-thousand Years of Freedom and Honor:
The Cochin Jews of India (1992) Format: VHS (NTC) Language: English Run Time: 80 minutes Description: A film by Johanna Spector. An interesting introduction to the Cochini Jews, only a few of whom are left in India, the rest having emigrated to Israel. |
|
Umrao Jaan |
| A Valley Refuses to Die Format: VHS (NTSC) Language: English Description: About Narmada Valley. |
Veer Zara |
| Visions of India. Two Parts: This Is
India and Classical Dances (1990) Format: VHS (NTSC) Language: English Description: Producer: India Broadcasting Corp. |
| Vishnupur: Rathagatra, etc. Format: VHS (NTSC) Language: English |
| The Wages of Action: Religion in a Hindu
Village Format: VHS (NTSC) Language: English Run Time: 47 minutes Description: Focuses on everyday religious practices in the village of Soyepur, near Banaras. The film observes young men praying to Lord Hanuman before a wrestling match, a grandmother offering water to a sacred tulsi plant, a Brahman priest conducting a Satyanarayan puja, low-caste ojhas exorcising spirits from the ill, and a Soyepur couple making a one-day pilgrimage to a shrine by the Ganges river. The film shows villagers describing ghosts and their placation, a brahman housewife explaining how she maintains her kitchen's ritual purity, and an itinerant holy man teaching through song the oneness of God and the inevitability of receiving the wages of one's actions. Distributed by the University of Wisconsin-Madison. |
| Walking with Buddha Format: VHS (NTSC) Language: English Run Time: 29 minutes Description: Traces development of Theravada Buddhism. Filmed in Thailand. (Films for the Humanities and Sciences) |
Wayang Kulit by The University of Chicago's Friends of the Gamelan |
| Wedding of the Goddess parts 1 &
2 (1976) Format: VHS (NTSC) Language: English Run Time: Two parts, 40 minutes each Description: This documentary provides the historical background for the annual Chittirai festival in the South Indian city of Madurai. With tales from medieval Tamil poems and paintings and sculptures from local temples, the film illustrates how the city, the main temple, the goddess Minakshi and the god Sundareshvara have evolved, and how the reenactment of the marriage of the god and goddess has become the most important annual festival of Madurai. The program shows the basic process of exchange between the temple deities and their worshippers and the importance of festivals in reestablishing cosmic order. The videotape also illustrates the ways in which kings, priests, and lay people contribute to the definitions and redefinitions of the festival's many layers of meaning. Contempory South Asia Documentary Series. (U. Wisconsin-Madison) |
| *Woh Ghar (1987) Format: VHS (PAL) Language: Hindi Run Time: 70 minutes Description: Director: Girish Karnad. |
Woh Lamhe |
| Women's Bank of Bangladesh
(1997) Format: VHS (NTSC) Language: English Run Time: 47 minutes Description: (Films for the Humanities and Sciences). (On Community) |
| A Woman's Place (1998) Format: VHS (NTSC) Language: English Run Time: 60 minutes Description: Presents 3 women, Tandaswa Ndita in South Africa, Mary Asmus in US, and Flavia Agnes in India, who deal with women's legal rights. Includes booklet and questionnaire (Maryland Public Television) |
| Women and Work in South
Asia Format: VHS (NTSC) Language: English Run Time: 33 minutes Description: Director: Doranne Jacobson; Narrator: Gretchen Heath. Includes slides, audio-visual guide and issues/ curriculum handbook. (One part of Women and Development Issues in 3 World Areas) (Upper Midwest Women's History Center) |
| Women of the Zone:Garment
Workers of Sri Lanka Format: VHS (NTSC) Language: English Run Time: 24 minutes Decription: Produced by the Labor Video Project. |
| The World of Apu (1959) Format: VHS (NTSC), also available in PAL Language: Bengali, with English subtitles Run Time: 106 minutes (black & white) Description: Sadly poetic tale of the shy Apu (Chatterjee) marrying and fathering a child. Magnificently acted; last of the director's "Apu" trilogy. Director: Satyajit Ray. |
| World Religions: Buddhism Format: VHS (NTSC) Language: English Description: (Cambridge Educational Films). |
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