New Books & Media: New Media

A Chinese-American family's search for their roots leads them to the Mississippi Delta, where they stumble upon surprising family revelations and uncover the racially complex history of the Chinese in the segregated South. FAR EAST DEEP SOUTH presents a personal and eye-opening perspective on race, immigration, and American identity. It sheds light on the history of Chinese immigrants living in the American South during the late 1800s to mid-1900s through the emotional journey of Charles Chiu and his family as they travel from California to Mississippi to find answers about his father, K.C. Lou. Along the way, they meet a diverse group of local residents and historians who help them discover how deep their roots run in America. The film also explores the interconnected relationship between the Black and Chinese communities in the Jim Crow era and the generational impact of discriminatory immigration policies, such as the Chinese Exclusion Act.

A frank discussion on fat discrimination and fat hatred and how popular culture encourages weight bias. The film offers alternative ideas and ways of thinking that embrace all body sizes.

In Tanzania, circumcised girls are worth twice as much in terms of dowry as uncircumcised girls. Many girls bleed to death during the annual circumcision season, and therefore a group of girls escape to Rhobi Samwelly's Safe House, where they are safe from their families. The main goal of Rhobi and her colleagues is to bring enlightenment, understanding and love back to the families, and together they defend the girls both at home and in the courts. The film is a story about a modern heroine and some of the bravest girls in the world - girls, who put their lives at risk to change their tough destiny.

Four mothers. Four daughters. Eight stories. The Joy Luck Club is four women in San Francisco who have played mah jong together on a weekly basis for forty some years. One of them, Suyuan, has died, and her daughter June is preparing to go to China. Auntie Lindo with daughter Waverly, Auntie Ying Ying with daughter Lena, and Auntie An Mei with daughter Rose are at the going away party. Born in China, the Joy Luck Club members came to America as young adults; their daughters are 100% American. The old days are seldom spoken about, and some things about those times have never been said aloud, but the experiences left behind color the hopes and expectations these women have for their daughters. If daughters become their mothers--no matter how much both parties desire that it not happen--daughters also become different from their mothers--despite all attempts to perpetuate the status quo

Presents the three-generation saga of the Sanchez family as told by the eldest son. From the beginnings of his father's journey from Mexico to California in the 1920s, to his brother Chucho's tragic rebellion of the 1950s, to the stark realities of modern day, the struggle to live the American dream is sometimes darkened but never diminished for Paco Sanchez and his family.

Film of the award-winning play about a struggling black family living on Chicago's South Side and the impact of an unexpected insurance bequest. Each family member sees the bequest as the means of realizing dreams and of escape from grinding frustrations.

To right the wrongs of his all-American sex education, a 36-year-old goes on a quest to uncover naked truths and hard facts - no matter how awkward it gets. He's on a mission to strip away his sexual shame by meeting with the researchers and educators who are helping us build a healthier, sexier future.

Kimonti Carter is serving life without parole in a Washington state prison based on a harsh 1990s three-strikes law, but rather than accept this condemnation, he has worked to transform inmates' lives through education. His experience brilliantly elucidates the dehumanization and trauma that accompany incarceration, but also demonstrates the possibility of redemption even among those society has called irredeemable. Gilda Sheppard's profound and revealing film represents a 12-year journey to investigate the circumstances and inequities that have landed a whole generation of African-American youth in prison.

Dissecting one of the most influential platforms of the contemporary social media landscape, TIKTOK, BOOM., directed by CODED BIAS filmmaker Shalini Kantayya, examines the algorithmic, socio-political, economic, and cultural influences and impact of the history-making app.

A recently paroled ex-convict, Dell, strikes up an unusual and unlikely friendship with a quadriplegic billionaire, Philip Lacasse, in this funny and warm-hearted buddy comedy. From worlds apart, Dell and Philip form an unlikely bond, bridging their differences and gaining invaluable wisdom in the process, giving each man a renewed sense of passion for all of life's possibilities.

An English professor, who alienates her students, has always had control over her life. That is until she is diagnosed with a devastating illness. She agrees to undergo a series of procedures that are brutal, extensive and experimental. She finds that the fine line between life and death can only be walked with wit.

Necessity traces the fight in Minnesota against the expansion of pipelines carrying highly toxic tar sands oil through Native lands and essential waterways in North America. Front line communities--Native Peoples and communities of color--suffer the most immediate and severe consequences of the climate crisis: impacts on physical and mental health as well as territorial desecration and displacement.

To right the wrongs of his all-American sex education, a 36-year-old goes on a quest to uncover naked truths and hard facts - no matter how awkward it gets. He's on a mission to strip away his sexual shame by meeting with the researchers and educators who are helping us build a healthier, sexier future.

Exposes the threats to the environment and health posed by pollution created by plastics, demonstrating how large quantities of waste plastic leaches into the drinking water supply. Examines the influence of the oil and gas industries as a source of the problem. Explores the limitations of plastics recycling. Proposes "zero waste" programs and the creation of bio-based, degradable materials as a solution