Videoteca

location_onLos Angeles, CApublicUS

The New West and the Politics of the Environment 2020
This film explores how iconic Nevada Senator Harry Reid set the foundations for a green new deal.

Andrew Jackson: Good, Evil & The Presidency 2007
A fascinating account of the presidency of Andrew Jackson, who was both one of America's great presidents and a borderline tyrant. The seventh president shook up the glossy world of Washington, DC with his "common-man" methods and ideals, but also oversaw one of the most controversial events in American history: the forced removal of Indian tribes, including the Cherokees, from their homes.

The Old Settler 2001 star_border 3.5
The Old Settler is the story of two middle-aged sisters, Elizabeth and Quilly, who share an apartment in Harlem in 1943. The sisters quarrel amiably, but they share a wounded history that becomes revealed as the tale unfolds. An earnest but unworldly young man named Husband travels up from the South to board with the sisters while he searches for his beloved Lou Bessie, who left their small town a few years back to find a new life. Husband would like to bring Lou Bessie back home, but she's enamored with the excitement of the city, and her plans are more complicated. In time, Elizabeth and Husband begin a courtship that may or may not overcome their considerable age difference, while Quilly reacts disapprovingly.

Sing! 2001
Sing! is a 2001 American short documentary film about the Los Angeles Children's Chorus, directed by Freida Lee Mock. How do squeaky-voiced 8 year olds become amazing singers? Sing! tells the story of how a community group, amid severe cutbacks in the arts, is able to develop a children's chorus that is one of the best in the country. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Short.

More Things That Aren't Here Anymore 1998
Another nostalgic look at Southern California's past, particularly things and places in and around Los Angeles which no longer exist.

Adventures from the Book of Virtues 1996 star_border 10
When young Zach and Annie face challenges, they're often unsure of what's the right thing to do. But by listening to inspiring stories from the buffalo Plato, the kids learn to make good decisions based on virtues like honesty, courage and loyalty. Drawing on classic myths, fables and tales from around the globe, this animated series teaches children positive lessons they can use in their daily lives.

Shari's Passover Surprise 1996
Trouble brews as Charlie Horse's campaign for class president leads him to invite the whole class to Shari's for Passover... a fact he conveniently forgets to pass on to Shari until the eleventh hour. Meanwhile, everyone else is getting in on the action... Dom Deluise gets an education on the Seder plate and the significance of each item it holds, and neighbor Robert Guillaume delivers a song and dance explanation of the history of Passover.

A Friend Called Lyle 1995
"Soon after being diagnosed with breast cancer, 39 year old Lyle Matthews asked her friend, filmmaker Bob Markee, to record her struggle with the disease. His powerful, heartfelt video diary chronicles the last few months of Lyle's life and explores her fear, anger and frustration at her illness and her ultimate surrender into death. "A Friend Called Lyle begins as an intimate account of one woman's battle with breast cancer, and ultimately becomes an extraordinary portrait of the dying process. Lyle's honesty inspires and moves us and encourages viewers to emphasize with her struggle to accept the inevitability of her own mortality. Perhaps for this reason, the program received an unprecedented number of viewer comments after its initial 1995 broadcast by PBS station KCET in Los Angeles."--1995 Peabody Awards entry form.

Roosters 1993 star_border 4
Gallo Morales is the proud patriach returning home after a seven-year stint for manslaughter. Seeking to re-establish his legendary status as a champion breeder, he comes back for the rooster bred by his father. But it is Hector, his son who inherits the prize-winning bird and neither are about to give in. The fall-out from their conflict has consequences for the whole family, especially for Angela, the sensitive 14-year-old daughter unable to cope with the brutal world that surrounds her and her own emerging womanhood, despite the best efforts of Juana, her strong but long-suffering mother.

Get Your Kicks on Route 66 1989
Short documentary about the great American '50s highway

Reflections of A Native Son 1989
a vivid look at the teenage subculture of South Bronx.

Tribe 1989
a cross between impressionist documentary, music video and live-action photo-essay

Imagining America 1989 star_border 5
An anthology film consisting of four shorts with the central theme being life in the United States.

A Raisin in the Sun 1989 star_border 8
A substantial insurance payment could mean either financial salvation or personal ruin for a poor black family.

I Never Sang for My Father 1988
A man who wants to move on with his life by moving to California and marry his girlfriend, finds it difficult as he still lives in the towering shadow of his aging father.

Walking on Air 1987
A young paraplegic wants to escape the bonds of gravity by going into outer space.

The Hoboken Chicken Emergency 1984 star_border 5
Arthur is asked to pick up a bird for Thanksgiving dinner, so he brings home a 266-pound chicken named Henrietta. The family welcome her with open arms, but the neighbors are not so sure and then Henrietta escapes.

Working 1982 star_border 4.3
This musical adaptation of the Studs Terkel book examines the average worker's viewpoint--showing that he or she is anything but average. Based on a series of interviews with real working people--construction workers, waitresses, firemen, secretaries, and cleaning women, Working is both an exploration of the individuals' occupations and a lament for lost hopes and dreams.

Rosemary Clooney With Love 1982

The Making of the Wizard of Oz 1979
The time was 1938. The place, Hollywood. This is the story of one of the 456 films made that year, how it was made, and why it has endured.

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Blue Sky Metropolis 2019
Four-part documentary miniseries showcasing a century of aerospace in Southern California and exploring the intersection of aerospace and Southern California from multiple perspectives.

Lost LA 2016
Much of Los Angeles's past is lost to history, but through the region's archives, we can uncover the inspiring dreams and bitter realities that built the modern-day metropolis.

Sid the Science Kid 2008 star_border 6.4
Sid the Science Kid is a half-hour PBS Kids series that debuted on September 1, 2008. Sid is an "inquisitive youngster" who uses comedy to tackle questions kids have about basic scientific principles and why things work the way they do.

American Family 2002
The head of the household, Jess Gonzalez (Edward James Olmos), is your average father who is forced to fight everyday troubles, following the death of his loving wife Berta (Sônia Braga). Their beloved daughter Nina (Constance Marie) has recently graduated from law school and decides to work for Legal Services on behalf of immigrant rights, although Jess does not agree with her decision. The rest of the Gonzalez family just tries to go with the flow, but they find their own problems down the road.

The Charlie Horse Music Pizza 1998 star_border 10
The Charlie Horse Music Pizza is a children's television show that was shown on PBS in the United States from January to May 1998. Re-runs aired until late 1999, with infrequent airings throughout 2000. It is a spin-off of the series Lamb Chop's Play-Along and was hosted by Shari Lewis, whose strong belief in the benefits of music education for children led to the creation of the series. The show takes place around a pizzeria on the beach. Alongside the original cast of Lamb Chop, Hush Puppy, Charlie Horse, and Shari, Charlie Horse Music Pizza introduced four new characters – Take-Out, a big anthropomorphized orangutan who makes deliveries on roller skates; Fingers, a giant purple raccoon that lives in the dumpster behind the pizzeria; Cookie the soft-hearted, opera-loving cook; and Junior, who works at the pizzeria part-time, and plays musical instruments, such as the tuba for his high school marching band. The series was put on hiatus after the May 30 episode aired due to Lewis' treatment in a local hospital. It was then cancelled when she died on August 2.

The Great War and the Shaping of the 20th Century 1996 star_border 8.3
The Great War and the Shaping of the 20th Century is a 1996 documentary series that aired on PBS. It chronicles World War I over eight episodes. It was narrated by Dame Judi Dench in the UK and Salome Jens in the United States. The series won two Primetime Emmy Awards: one for Jeremy Irons for Outstanding Voice-Over Performance, the other for Outstanding Informational Series. In 1997, it was given a Peabody Award.

Adventures from the Book of Virtues 1996 star_border 9
Growing up can be confusing! When Zach and Annie face difficulties in their lives, they go to special place called Plato’s Peak. There, Plato—a talking buffalo!—and his friends are always willing to lend a helping hand.

The Puzzle Place 1995 star_border 10
The Puzzle Place is an American children's television series produced by KCET in Los Angeles, California and Lancit Media in New York City, New York. It premiered on the Public Broadcasting Service on January 16, 1995, and ran for about four years, airing its final episode on December 4, 1998. Reruns were continued until March 31, 2000. The show followed a multi-ethnic group of kids from different parts of the United States who hung out at "the Puzzle Place", which is a teen hangout themed around jigsaw puzzle pieces. In each episode the characters were confronted with an everyday conflict usually encountered in childhood and even early teenagerdom, such as making moral decisions, sharing, racism, sexism, etc.

American Cinema 1994 star_border 8
13 episode series created by PBS to commemorate 100 years of movie-going.

Storytime 1992
Kino's Storytime, also known as Storytime, is a children's reading television series aired on Public Broadcasting Service Public television from June 6, 1994 to September 16, 1997. On each episode, adults and young people, often celebrities, read quality children's books aloud to children in the audience and viewers at home.

The Astronomers 1991
This series explores the lives and work of noted modern-day astronomers, taking the viewer into the farthest reaches of outer space in search of black holes, quasars, dark matter, gravity waves, stars and evidence of planets outside our solar system. Intriguing celestial phenomena are examined from the perspectives of the experts: the men and women that are uncovering the secrets of the cosmos. Further, the series focuses not only on professional achievements, but on the scientists' personal lives as well.

Trying Times 1987 star_border 6.5
This half-hour sitcom anthology series that aired on PBS from 1987 to 1989 is about people struggling with the daily routines of life.

Cosmos: A Personal Voyage 1980 star_border 8.6
Carl Sagan covers a wide range of scientific subjects, including the origin of life and a perspective of our place in the universe.

The Jacques Cousteau Odyssey 1979 star_border 8.4
The Jacques Cousteau Odyssey includes all 12 episodes of the 1978 television series featuring the research adventures of Cousteau, a celebrated documentarian and public conscience of mankind's stewardship of our oceans. Alongside his son Philippe Cousteau, Jacques's adventures begin with an ambitious expedition (on Cousteau's famous Calypso ship and a seaplane called the Catalina) following the course of the Nile River from Central Africa to the Mediterranean.

The Body in Question 1978 star_border 10
The Body in Question is a landmark British medical documentary series of 13 shows made for the BBC. It was a groundbreaking show, being the first to ever televise an autopsy (in the final show on 29 Jan 1979). Dr Jonathan Miller considers the functioning of the body as a subject of private experience. He explores our attitudes towards our bodies, our ignorance of them, and our inability to read our body's signals. The first episode starts with vox populi asking where various organs in the body are located. By the final episode we are left in no doubt. Taking as his starting point the experience of pain, Dr Miller analyses the elaborate social process of "falling ill", considers the physical foundations of "disease" and looks at the types of individuals humankind has historically attributed with the power of healing. The series was nominated for two 1979 BAFTAs: Best Factual Television Series and Most Original Programme/Series.

Earth Focus Release date not available
An examination of the environment and environmental change, which is forcing all living creatures to adapt in order to survive.