The following list, selected by the 1999-2000 Notable Video for Adults Committee, represents the best videos produced during the past two years.
An American Love Story. 5 parts (10 programs). Produced by Zohe Film Productions. Producer and Director, Jennifer Fox. Distributed by PBS Video.
In a film as complex and unpredictable as the family it chronicles, Jennifer Fox brings viewers into the lives of a multi-racial couple and their daughters.
Dear Jesse. Produced by Bang! Inc. A film by Tim Kirkman. Available on home video.
Tim Kirkman's video letter to North Carolina Senator Jesse Helms uses their parallel lives to explore homophobia, racial discrimination, and self-affirmation.
The Farm: Life Inside Angola Prison. Produced by Gabriel Films. Producers and Directors, Jonathan Stack and Liz Garbus. Distributed by A&E Home Video. Also available from other home video sources.
This Oscar-nominated documentary offers a disturbing portrait of five inmates condemned to life sentences inside Louisiana's maximum security prison.
The Farmer's Wife. A co-production of David Sutherland Productions and Frontline. Producer and Director, David Sutherland. Co-producer, Nancy Sutherland. Distributed by PBS Video.
David Sutherland's beautifully filmed Frontline documentary presents a deeply involving look at the tribulations and triumphs of a struggling Nebraska farm family.
Fast, Cheap and Out of Control. Produced by Fourth Floor Productions. Producer and Director, Errol Morris. Available on home video.
Errol Morris creates a thought-provoking exploration of four eccentric individuals and how they make sense of their world.
Forgotten Fire. Producers, Michael Chandler and Vivian Kleiman. Director, Michael Chandler. Distributed by University of California Extension Center for Media and Independent Learning.
Michael Chandler's documentary probes church burnings in a small South Carolina town, revealing the complex historical and social dimensions of racial violence.
Future Remembrance: Photography and Image Arts in Ghana. Produced by IWF (Institut fur den Wissenschaftlichen Film). A film by Tobias Wendl and Nancy du Plessis. Distributed by Documentary Educational Resources.
In this entertaining exploration of photography and image making, viewers gain insight into the role of art in everyday life.
I'll Make Me a World: A Century of African-American Art. 6 parts. Produced by Blackside, Inc., in association with WNET. Producers, Sam Pollard, Betty Ciccarelli, Tracy Heather Strain, and Denise A. Greene. Directors, Sam Pollard and Tracy Heather Strain. Distributed by PBS Video.
This historical survey of artists, musicians, dancers and authors chronicles the evolution of African American culture and consciousness in American arts.
Not For Ourselves Alone: The Story of Elizabeth Cady Stanton & Susan B. Anthony. 2 parts. Produced by Florentine Films. A film by Ken Burns and Paul Barnes. Distributed by PBS Video.
Ken Burns and Paul Barnes eloquently tell the story of pioneer feminists Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony against the backdrop of the early women's movement and the struggle for women's suffrage.
Pop. Produced by Tatge/Lasseur Productions. Producer and Director, Joel Meyerowitz. Distributed by First Run/Icarus Films.
Celebrated photographer Joel Meyerowitz's "home video" takes viewers on a compassionate and often humorous road trip with his father, who suffers from Alzheimer's.
When the Day Breaks. Direction, Animation, and Lyrics, Wendy Tilby and Amanda Forbis Producer, David Verrall. Distributed by National Film Board of Canada.
In 9 ÃÂý minutes, Wendy Tilby and Amanda Forbis offer an animated meditation on chance, death, and life.