Videoteca

location_onWashington, D.C.publicUS

Berga: Soldiers of Another War 2003
During the Battle of the Bulge in the winter of 1944, thousands of American GIs were captured by German forces. Berga: Soldiers of Another War, the final work in the distinguished career of four-time Academy Award-winning documentary filmmaker Charles Guggenheim, is the untold story of 350 American POWs caught in the tragedy of the Holocaust. In blatant violation of the Geneva Convention, the Jewish American soldiers in the 106th Infantry Division, together with those who had "Jewish-sounding" names or who "looked" Jewish, were shipped off to the slave-labor camp at Berga am Elster, a satellite camp of the infamous Buchenwald.

A Place in the Land 1998 star_border 6.3
"A Place in the Land" is the story of George Perkins Marsh, Frederick Billings and Laurance S. Rockefeller, three seminal figures in the history of the conservation movement in America. Though they were born generations apart and lived very different lives, the three were connected by a common vision and a common place. Marsh, Billings and Rockefeller occupied the same home and surrounding land in Woodstock, Vermont-a place that instilled in each of them a determination to preserve America's natural resources and to teach their fellow man to live in harmony with nature. Today, their legacy and the land in Woodstock that inspired them are preserved at the Billings Farm & Museum, a museum of Vermont's rural past and a working dairy farm, and the Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park-the first National Park in America dedicated to teaching the concept of land stewardship.

The Shadow of Hate: A History of Intolerance in America 1995 star_border 6.3
The film expresses the history of oppression, discrimination, violence and hate in America. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Short.

D-Day Remembered 1994
An award-winning documentary of the invasion of Normandy in World War II, using rare archival films and pictures from British, American, and German archives. The narrator provides the overall continuity, but the voices of over 50 participants who were involved in the staging of the invasion in Britain or were on the beaches of France bring the images to life.

A Time for Justice 1994 star_border 6
A short history of civil rights movements in the US. Winner of the Oscar for Best Documentary, Short Subject

Island of Hope, Island of Tears 1989
The story of Ellis Island and the American immigration experience. This film is a tribute to the 18 million men, women and children who made the torturous journey from the Old to the New World between 1890 and 1920, in the single largest migration in human history. The film radically tells the immigrants' stories as they braved the unknown, from the time they left their homelands, their journey across the ocean, to the moment the doors of Ellis Island opened, revealing the great promise of America.

The Johnstown Flood 1989 star_border 6.8
On May 30, 1889 the South Fork Dam, which maintained a pleasure lake for wealthy Pittsburgh industrialists and their families, failed due to very heavy rains and poor maintenance by the dam's owners. The burst dam sent a wall of water and debris, 40 feet high and half a mile wide, 14 miles downstream to the bustling industrial city of Johnstown, Pennsylvania. More than 2000 people lost their lives in the disaster. This documentary tells the story, and tells us that the disaster was easily avoidable.

High Schools 1984 star_border 5
High Schools is a 1984 American documentary film produced and directed by Charles Guggenheim. It is based on Ernest L. Boyer's book, High School, and was filmed on location in seven American high schools. The film was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature.

A Place to Be 1979
A documentary about the design/construction of the National Gallery of Art's East Building in Washington, D.C.

HR 6161: An Act of Congress 1979
This documentary provides an example of a piece of legislation being enacted by the U.S. Congress by describing how HR 6161 - a bill amending the Clean Air Act - goes through the processes of conception, committee amendment and final passage.

National Gallery Builds 1978
This film highlights the East Building's architectural conception and construction, beginning with the challenge initially faced by architect I. M. Pei. Documentation of construction includes footage of the works of art commissioned for the building.

The People and the Police 1971
Documents the early, turbulent years of OEO'S experiment in police-community relations in Washington, DC R.1: Police and citizens express their attitudes toward each other. A citizens committee is appointed by the D.C. government, but dissension ensues over control of the program. Project director, Robert Shallow addresses the group; community leader Marion Barry urges citizen control, A pilot precinct is finally selected. R. 2: Police engage in training sessions, and community leaders struggle to replace the committee with elected representatives. A citizens' board is elected and the white project leader is replaced by a black official, Fred Lander. R. 3: Dissension between OEO and the community continues, but several programs including citizen riders, an emergency center, local police recruiting and an escort service, get underway. The board continues to struggle, and the program is refunded. At the films close, a small boy expresses his bitterness towards the police

Monument to the Dream 1967 star_border 7.8
Documents the evolution of the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial Arch from concept drawings, to fabrication of its stainless steel sections, to assembly and completion. Innovative structural techniques and brilliant design show why this avant-garde monument is among the greatest civil engineering achievements of the twentieth century. Oscar Nominee: Best Documentary Short

Children Without 1965 star_border 5
Children Without is a 1964 American short documentary film directed by Charles Guggenheim, about a young girl and her brother growing up in the housing projects of Detroit. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Short. Preserved by the Academy Film Archive in 2016.

Nine from Little Rock 1964 star_border 6
The Arkansas school integration crisis and the changes wrought in subsequent years. This film profiles the lives of the nine African-American students who integrated Central High in Little Rock, Arkansas, during the fall of 1957. The film documents the perspective of Jefferson Thomas and his fellow students seven years after their historic achievement. Central to this story is their quiet but brave entrance into Little Rock High, escorted by armed troops under the intense pressure of the on looking crowd. We learn first hand their impressions of the past and present and their hopes for the future. Their selfless heroism broke the integration crisis and pioneered a new era. This film went on to win an Academy Award® for Best Documentary Short in 1964.

The Fisherman and His Soul 1961
Set in Brazil, this drama is based on a short story by Oscar Wilde about a fisherman who meets and falls in love with a mermaid, giving up his soul in the process.