The Couple in the Cage

The Couple in the Cage

1993 · 31 min · ★ 7.0 · Documentary, Drama

A witty satire about cultural stereotyping. In a series of 1992 performances, Coco Fusco and performance co-creator Guillermo Gómez-Peña decked themselves out in primitive costumes and appeared before the public as "undiscovered AmerIndians" locked in a golden cage - an exercise in faux anthropology based on racist images of natives. Presented eight times in four different countries, these simple performances evoked various responses, the most startling being the huge numbers of people who didn't find the idea of "natives" locked in a cage objectionable. This provocative video, directed and produced by Coco Fusco and Paula Heredia, suggests that the "primitive" is nothing more than a construction of the West, and uses comic fiction to address historical truths and tragedies.

Directed by Paula Heredia · Written by Paula Heredia

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Italian Lessons

Italian Lessons · 1998

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MovieComedyDrama

Italian Lessons is the touching, humorous story of Caterina, a beautiful young widow who teaches Italian to Peter, a high school student who uses the "language of love" simply to score with girls. Peter's passion for life re-ignites feelings Caterina has not experienced since her husband's death and soon she and the boy are drawn into a strange and special relationship. When a suitor from Italy arrives to propose marriage to Caterina, it becomes apparent that only Peter can release his teacher's heart and make her free to love again.

Dawn: A Charleston Legend

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MovieDocumentary

In 1968, Gordon Langley Hall claimed he was a woman misdiagnosed as male at birth because of a genital defect. To correct this, Gordon underwent one of the first sex reassignment surgeries in the United States. Her subsequent marriage to a black auto mechanic and the mysterious birth of their daughter Natasha sent Charleston, SC society into a fury and cast serious doubts on the truth behind Dawn’s story.

Modulations

Modulations · 1998

MovieDocumentaryMusic

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Banking on Bitcoin

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Banking on Bitcoin

MovieDocumentaryHistory

Not since the invention of the Internet has there been such a disruptive technology as Bitcoin. Bitcoin's early pioneers sought to blur the lines of sovereignty and the financial status quo. After years of underground development Bitcoin grabbed the attention of a curious public, and the ire of the regulators the technology had subverted. After landmark arrests of prominent cyber criminals Bitcoin faces its most severe adversary yet, the very banks it was built to destroy.

Alive Day Memories: Home from Iraq

Alive Day Memories: Home from Iraq · 2007

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MovieDocumentary

In a war that has left more than 25,000 wounded, ALIVE DAY MEMORIES: HOME FROM IRAQ looks at a new generation of veterans. Executive Producer James Gandolfini interviews ten Soldiers and Marines who reveal their feelings on their future, their severe disabilities and their devotion to America. The documentary surveys the physical and emotional cost of war through memories of their "alive day," the day they narrowly escaped death in Iraq.

The Vagina Monologues

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MovieComedyDocumentary

This controversial work, created and performed by Eve Ensler, debuted off-off-Broadway in 1996 and soon rode a wave of national acclaim. Now, the intimacy of Ensler's original show has been lovingly brought to the screen. Capturing her unique performance, the film also follows Ensler as she explores the creative impetus behind the monologues and conducts a series of new interviews as inspiring as those that brought about the original work

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MovieDocumentary

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Addiction

Addiction · 2007

MovieDocumentary

Assembled by some of the nation's top documentary filmmakers, this centerpiece film in HBO's 'Addiction' campaign features insights from experts on trends and treatments in the ongoing battle against drug and alcohol abuse. This documentary consists of nine segments that focus on case studies and cutting-edge treatments that challenge traditional beliefs about addiction.

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MovieDocumentary

Explores how Mexico has been shaped by U.S. policies, migrant caravans, drug traffickers and corruption.

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Skydancer · 2011

MovieDocumentary

For more than 120 years, Mohawk ironworkers have raised America’s modern cityscapes. They are called 'sky walkers' because they walk fearlessly atop steel beams just a foot wide, high above the city. In this nuanced portrait of modern Native Americans' double lives, Jerry McDonald Thundercloud and his colleague Sky shuttle between the hard-drinking Brooklyn lodging houses they call home during the week and their rural reservation, a grueling drive six hours north, where a family weekend awaits. While the men are away working, their wives often struggle to keep their children away from the illegal temptations of an economically deprived area.

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The Picture Taker · 2022

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MovieDocumentaryHistory

From his Memphis studio, Ernest Withers’ nearly 2 million images were a treasured record of Black history but his legacy was complicated by decades of secret FBI service revealed only after his death. Was he a friend of the civil rights community, or enemy—or both?

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Imelda Is Not Alone

MovieDocumentary

A citizen's movement dares to defend women who are persecuted by the total ban on abortion in El Salvador. A young woman, Imelda Cortez, arrives at the emergency room bleeding after giving birth in a latrine. She is handcuffed to her hospital bed and faces 20 years in prison, accused in first instance of having an abortion. This is her story.

Slavery and the Law

Slavery and the Law · 2011

Slavery and the Law

MovieDocumentaryHistory

Follows a group of Brooklyn youth as they work to create a wall mural that commemorates the shift from enslavement to the Civil Rights Movement. The youth seen in the film are participants in the Youth and Congregations in Partnership (YCP), and Gender-Responsive Re-Entry Assistance Support Program (GRASP), under the office of the Kings County District Attorney. The history of slaves is discussed by distinguished professors and historians, beginning with the development of Colonial America and the slave trade. As the title suggests, the legal system is introduced in the film as the youth and professors explore the laws imposed on slaves.

RX: Early Detection - A Cancer Journey with Sandra Lee

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MovieDocumentary

A woman’s life becomes dramatically altered when her routine medical check-up delivers a cancer diagnosis.

The Paris Review...: Early Chapters

The Paris Review...: Early Chapters · 2001

The Paris Review...: Early Chapters

In the summer of '53, an expatriated trio of young Americans founded the international literary quarterly, The Paris Review. Guided by George Plimpton, we roam the streets and cafés of Paris, glimpse the expatriate literati world of the 50s and 60s, and step into the bustling New York offices of the Review, meeting people, past and present, who remain central to this singular literary endeavor.

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