Mirra Bank
The story about the magic of baseball for people in a troubled place. The tiny state of Manipur, in strife torn northeast India defies civil war, drugs and gun traffic through love of baseball. It is a far away story that brings us to the heart of the Great American Game.
Once crowned "The Princess of Black Poetry," the prolific and political Nikki Giovanni has become one of America's most popular poets. The film highlights the life and work of a poet whose verse appeals to everyone interested in poetry and modern American life. This lyrical and visually provocative film details the poet's coming-of-age against the background of her times: the Civil Rights struggle, Vietnam, and the Women's Movement. In this dynamic portrait, selected readings by Giovanni reveal the values and personal history which have deeply influenced her poetry. Spirit to Spirit unveils the sly wit and sharp insights of Giovanni's multi-layered work, making it a delightful introduction to this talented poet and incisive social commentator.
This film is made up of three segments that share no plot but have a general thematic relationship. In the first segment, Virginia and her three children are left by her shiftless husband and she is courted by an old beau who is now married. In the second, a divorced woman reacts to some unexpected revelations from her aged father. In the third, childless, middle-aged social worker is swept into an affair with cab driver Dennis, and finds herself pregnant.
This film documents the coal miners' strike against the Brookside Mine of the Eastover Mining Company in Harlan County, Kentucky in June, 1973. Eastovers refusal to sign a contract (when the miners joined with the United Mine Workers of America) led to the strike, which lasted more than a year and included violent battles between gun-toting company thugs/scabs and the picketing miners and their supportive women-folk. Director Barbara Kopple puts the strike into perspective by giving us some background on the historical plight of the miners and some history of the UMWA.
The landmark documentary about the tragically ill-fated Rolling Stones free concert at Altamont Speedway on December 6, 1969. Only four months earlier, Woodstock defined the Love Generation; now it lay in ruins on a desolate racetrack six miles outside of San Francisco.
A short 1977 documentary about the origins of our current folk art tradition.
A '70s short about 8-year-old Willie, who wants to dance more than anything. Aired as an episode of "NBC Special Treat."
