The American Library Association (ALA) Video Round Table Notable Videos Committee has compiled its 2010 list of Notable Videos for Adults, a list of 15 outstanding programs released on video within the past two years and suitable for all libraries serving adults. Its purpose is to call attention to recent video releases that make a significant contribution to the world of video recordings.
The Notable Videos for Adults committee selected 15 outstanding titles from among 56 nominees for this year’s list of Notable Videos for Adults.
Malls R Us. 78 min. Icarus Films. DVD, 2008: $350.00. A contemplative exploration of malls and their cultural significance; includes commentary from architects, shoppers, friends and foes.
American Outrage. 56 min. First Run Features (Home Video). DVD, 2009: $24.99. Available from most distributors. Bullfrog Films (College and University Libraries , Public Performance). DVD, 2009: $295. www.firstrunfeatures.com . Documents the Shoshone Nation and Dann Sisters 40 year fight against the U.S Bureau of Land Management and mining interests for land rights in Nevada.
Trouble the Water. 96 min. Zeitgeist Films (Home Video. DVD, 2008: $29.99. www.zeitgeistfilms.com. A harrowing but uplifting perspective of Hurricane Katrina through the eyes of a young Ninth Ward New Orleans couple.
At the Death House Door. 98 min. Facets. DVD, 2008: $29.95. Available from most distributors. The case of inmate Carlos De Luna causes longtime death penalty supporter Carroll Pickett, a minister who accompanied De Luna and many others to their executions, to have a change of heart.
I.O.U.S.A. 85 min. PBS Home Video. DVD: $24.99. www.pbs.org. Two concerned citizens explore how the United States got itself into such staggering debt and how to stem the tide of mounting debt.
The World According to Monsanto. 109 min. National Film Board of Canada. DVD: $25.00. www.nfb.ca. Monsanto Corporation's domination of the world's agricultural industry.
Waltz with Bashir. 90 min. Sony Classic Video. DVD, 2008: $29.99. Available from most distributors. An Israeli soldier explores his memory of the 1982 Lebanese War using a combination of animation and narrative.
Walk to Beautiful. 86 min. Engel Entertainment. DVD, 2009: $29.99. http://www.walktobeautiful.com. Five Ethiopian women reclaim their lives when they are treated at the Addis Abba Fistula Hospital.
Operation Filmmaker. 92 min. Icarus Films. DVD, 2008: $29.98 (Home Video) www.homevideo.icarusfilms.com. $298.00 (College and Universities, Public Performance). www.icarusfilms.com. When a Hollywood film production invites an Iraqi film student to the set the documentary filmmaker observing the event becomes personally involved in the students' life.
Sita Sings the Blues. 82 min. Nina Paley. DVD, 2009: $20.00 or free download. www.questioncopyright.com. A colorfully animated musical tells of the turbulent love life of a Hindu goddess named Sita, whose story shares similarities with that of a modern day American Woman.
Unnatural Causes: Is Inequality Making Us Sick? 236 min. California Newsreel. DVD, 2008: $79.95 (Public Libraries) $295 (Academic Libraries). www.newsreel.org. Seven-part series exploring the relationship between class, race, and health in the Unites States.
Lake of Fire. 152 min. Thinkfilm. DVD, 2008: $14.98. www.image-entertainment.com. A probing look at the subject of abortion where equal time is given to all sides of the debate.
In Search of Memory. 95 min. Icarus Films. DVD, 2009: $440.00. www.icarusfilms.com. A co-biography of Nobel prizewinner Eric Kandel and his study of the science of memory.
Who Does She Think She Is? 82 min. Emerging Pictures. DVD, 2009: $149.00 (public libraries), $175 (community colleges), $249.00 (4-year colleges) www.emergingpictures.com. A telling portrait of 5 talented women artists who refuse to choose between creativity and family responsibility, self-expression and mothering.
Flow: For the Love of Water. 84 min. Oscilloscope Pictures. DVD, 2008: $23.99. Documentary investigation into the world's water crisis, including the privatization of the fresh water supply.
The Notable Videos for Adults committee includes:
- Nora Dimmock, University of Rochester (chair)
- Tom Ipri, University of Nevada, Las Vegas
- Sam Readman, Miami-Dade Public Library
- Tracy Montri, Toledo-Lucas County Public Library
- Carleton Jackson, University of Maryland Libraries
- Laura Jenemann, George Mason University
- Chet Mulawka, San Mateo County Library
- Joan Skowronski, Hillsborough County Library, Florida.