Asian Studies

PROFESSOR, THE: TAI CHI'S JOURNEY WEST

Director: Barry Strugatz

The Professor: Tai Chi's Journey West is a feature documentary about Tai Chi and one of its greatest masters, Cheng Man-Ching, a man who brought Tai Chi and Chinese culture to the West during the swinging, turbulent 60's. Though Cheng is an important transformational figure, his teachings have been overlooked. This documentary film tells the story of his remarkable life and features Tai Chi as a martial art and a spiritual practice.

DVD / 2016 / 67 minutes

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IT'S ME - REVEALING THE HOMOSEXUAL COMMUNITY

The Supreme Court of the United States has ruled to legalize same-sex marriage nationwide on 26th June 2015, marking a new milestone for homosexuality rights. Whereas in China, the ways homosexuals are treated may have improved after the removal of homosexuality from the list of psychiatric disorders in 2001, their lives continue to be filled with numerous difficulties. By gathering stories from 9 different cities and interviewing over a dozen homosexuals as well as their family members, the programme thoroughly reveals the truest sides of the homosexual community in China.

Episode 1 Why Me
It has been a constant debate whether homosexuality is born or made, and most homosexuals tend to feel the same frustration at first ¡V why am I different? Yue Jianbo regards a childhood experience as the cause of his homosexuality, while Tao Tao realized his interest in the same sex only after he was married and has children. In this episode, they share what they have been through from the fear and denial of discovery to self-recognition.

Episode 2 Surround Me
"Coming out of the closet" is a figure of speech describing homosexuals' self-disclosure of their sexual orientation. In China, many homosexuals are still hesitated to come out. Li Peng chose to lie to his family because he is afraid of letting them down. Xiao Tao, on the other hand, told his mother the truth out of no choice and was relieved by her acceptance. Let Xiao Tao's mother tell you how she coped with the news.

Episode 3 Marry Me
Many traditional families in China think marriage is essential and parental involvement is needed to expedite the process. Under such pressure, Zhang Xiaoyu and Yue Jianbo who compromised and married the opposite sex both have their marriages ended miserably. Lily used "marriage of convenience" to satisfy her parents' request. On the contrary, Xiao Tao and his boyfriend, Xiao Xin have the blessings from their families to get married in the United States.

Episode 4 Save Me
How can the voices of the homosexuals be heard when ignorance and discrimination are all around? The ones featured in this episode have found their own ways to fight for their own rights. Liu Shi is an AIDS patient, but it did not stop him from flying all the way to Cleveland to join the Gay Games 2014. Yan Zi won the lawsuit against the clinic that performed "gay conversion therapy" on him, and the verdict marked another important step in proving homosexuality is not mental illness.

DVD / 2015 / 120 minutes

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JOURNEY TO NORTH KOREA 2015, THE

North Korea celebrated the 70th anniversary of the ruling Workers' Party with a military parade in Pyongyang's Kim Il-sung Square On 10th October 2015. It appeared to be the largest military parade the country has ever thrown. International media were also invited to cover the celebration. In the programme, the crew arrives at Pyongyang to witness this country-wide celebration with extravagant military parade and performances.

Pyongyang University of Science and Technology, the only North Korean university that is jointly operated with parties outside the country uses English as its medium of instruction. Only the most outstanding students will be admitted into this university and all its faculty members are foreign educators who came to teach voluntarily without compensation. In a visit to this modern university with a heavy political atmosphere, our crew takes the opportunity to explore its teaching and learning environment as well as its influence to the future of the country.

To learn more about the food crisis that has been troubling North Korea for two decades, our crew initiates a tour to Jangchon cooperative farm to take a look at the latest developments of the country's agriculture. Meanwhile, the crew also goes to Mansugyo Meat and Fish Shop to get a better picture of the food rationing system of North Korea as well as the unreasonable price of the non-rationed food.

Just like its leader Kim Jong-un who has demonstrated improved level of confidence and motivation in his speech at the military parade, North Korea itself is indeed also showing numerous changes and improvements in these years. The crew's journey to North Korea this year captures not only the latest differences seen in the country compared to the past, but also the little known facts behind all its portrayed magnificence and unity.

DVD / 2015 / 80 minutes

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NUCLEAR NATION II

Director: Atsushi Funahashi

Nuclear Nation II follows a new group of people exiled from Futaba, the region occupied by the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. Since the 1960s, Futaba had been promised prosperity with tax breaks and major subsidies to make up for the presence of the plant... until the townspeople lost their homeland on March 11, 2011.
The film portrays their lives as refugees in an abandoned high school, and in temporary housing. The political fallout from the nuclear disaster results in conflict between residents, and the mayor is forced to resign. Many decide to move back to Fukushima prefecture, just outside the evacuation zone. The town finds itself divided by the arbitrariness of evacuation, radiation levels, and compensation guidelines from the plant's operator. And then, the Japanese government announces a plan to turn Futaba into an official, literal wasteland.

Is it possible to truly compensate the townspeople for what they have lost? Through their agonies and frustrations, the film questions the real cost of nuclear energy and unbridled capitalism. But perhaps more important, this film gives a fully textured, all-access account of governmental bureaucracy's attempt and ultimate incapacity to adequately deal with displaced peoples. This is a problem we continue to face: Hurricane Katrina uprooted over a million people in the Gulf Coast region, more than a million migrants and refugees entered Europe in 2015, and over 11 million unauthorized immigrants seek home in the United States. There are over 60 million refugees worldwide.

Teachers and students looking to understand the depth of challenges facing the fair and efficient administration of human rights in times of crisis will be pleased to find Nuclear Nation II.

DVD (Japanese with English subtitles) / 2015 / 114 minutes

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OKINAWA: THE AFTERBURN

Director: John Junkerman

Okinawa: The Afterburn is the first documentary to provide a comprehensive look at the battle and the ensuing 70-year occupation of Okinawa by the United States military.

On April 1, 1945, American troops landed on Okinawa, beginning a battle that lasted 12 weeks and claimed the lives of some 240,000 people. The film depicts the Battle through the eyes of Japanese and American soldiers who fought each other on the same battlefields, along with Okinawa civilians who were swept up in the fighting, with carefully selected footage from the U.S. National Archives.

The film also conveys the complex postwar fate of Okinawa, an island that has had to live side-by-side with an extensive array of US bases, and the related crimes, accidents, and pollution they have caused, while coexisting, on a personal level, with the occupying soldiers.

In Okinawa, the legacy of the war translates into a deeply rooted aversion to military force. This has been expressed in recent years by the island-wide rejection of the plan to build a new US base at Henoko, a source of controversy to this day. Okinawa: The Afterburn explores the roots of this resistance and Okinawa's vision for the future.

THE FILM IS DIVIDED INTO FOUR PARTS:

PART 1: The Battle of Okinawa depicts the ferocious battle through the testimony of Japanese and American soldiers who faced off in the conflict.

PART 2: Occupation reveals how military occupation policies were implemented.

PART 3: The Afterburn confronts the history of sexual violence that has accompanied the American military presence on Okinawa.

PART 4: To the Future explores the Japanese government's decision to build a new base in Henoko.

DVD (English and Japanese with English subtitles) / 2015 / 121 minutes

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FADING OF THE IRON CURTAIN - REVEALING THE RASON SPECIAL CITY OF NORTH KOREA

In the extreme northeast of North Korea, there is a rarely mentioned city called Rason. With its advantageous geographical location near the borders of China and Russia, Rason Special City was among the first to become North Korea's special economic zone in 1991. Domestic economic reforms and foreign investment projects are in full swing in this special area.

Aquatic products processing activity contributed much to the domestic economic development of Rason Special City. Workers of Suchobong Aquatic Products Company worked extremely hard to process the aquatic products to be ready for export in return for an annual foreign earning of USD 1 million for North Korea.

Rason Special City welcomes foreign investment. Among the foreign investors, Russia had leased a pier on Rajin Port for 49 years, while China had constructed a highway connecting Wonjeong Customs and Rajin Port. China also sent experts and modern equipment to Rason Special City to teach the local farmers how to improve farming methods and increase yields.

Since Kim Jong-un became the leader of North Korea, he had been trying to show a new and modern image of the country to the world. Though the diplomatic relations are still tense, Rason Special City is conducting economic reforms at its own pace. Following the entertaining and fashionable music performed by Moranbong Band, an all-female westernised band set up by Kim Jong-un, the programme reveals the current situation in this experimenting economic zone.

DVD / 2014 / 60 minutes

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INCREDIBLE INDIA

Following the rapid development of India in recent years, it is predicted to be the third largest economy in the world by 2024. Meanwhile in this particular country, the extreme contrast between the poor and rich is distinctively shown from the side-by-side existence of slums and modern cosmopolitan buildings. In the programme, host Lu Chen visits Mumbai, the most significant microcosm of India's development to discover the boundless energy of this mysterious ancient land.

Being the first country in Asia to own a train, railway remains the most important mean of transportation in India today. The history of rail transport has also played an important role in shaping the Indian cultures. However, with the population density continues to surpass the carrying capacity, the terrifying scene of train surfing is still very common here. Let Lu Chen show you some of its truest facts through a train ride around Mumbai.

Despite the fact that Mumbai is showing the charms of a vibrant metropolis, half of its citizens are actually residing in slums. Among the 2000 slums that spread all over the city, Dharavi, Asia's largest slum is definitely the one that most known in the world. Apart from serving as a shelter for a million residents there, Dharavi is also a hub of small-scale industries initiated by the poor. Inside its seemingly disorganized exteriors, there is in fact a well arranged environment for the poor to work for their lives. Lu Chen walks through the streets and lanes of Dharavi to learn more about this slum and its inseparable connection with the urbanization of Mumbai.

What's more, Lu Chen visits the sites of two iconic traditional industries in Mumbai, Dabbawala and open air laundromat before she drops by some residences to get a sense of the living condition of the locals. Here you will discover the energetic sides of this incredible nation.

DVD / 2014 / 30 minutes

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STORM MAKERS, THE

Director: Guillaume Suon

Hundreds of thousands of Cambodians work abroad, and over a third have been sold as slaves. Most are young women, held prisoner and forced to work in horrific conditions, sometimes as prostitutes. Featuring brutally candid testimony, The Storm Makers is a chilling expose of Cambodia's human trafficking underworld and an eye-opening look at the complex cycle of poverty, despair and greed that fuels this modern slave trade.

At the age of 16, Aya was sold to work as a maid in Malaysia. She was exploited, beaten and eventually ran away, only to be captured and raped. When she returns to Cambodia with an infant son, just as poor as when she left, her mother greets her not with joy, but with anger that her daughter has come back with yet another mouth to feed instead of money. "I should have died over there," says Aya in a singsong, childlike voice that masks the horrors she endured.

Pou Houy, 52, is a successful trafficker who runs a recruitment agency in Phnom Penh and claims to have sold more than 500 girls. Shockingly outspoken and expressing no remorse, he sees himself as a smart businessman and good Christian.

Pou Houy's enterprise relies on local recruiters who bring him candidates from their rural communities. One of these is Ming Dy, who sold her own daughter and continues to supply Houy with new recruits from her village. In one wrenching scene, Ming Dy's husband cannot bring himself to speak to his daughter when she calls from a new job abroad, where she earns a dollar a day. "I told my wife not to sell young people from the village," he says. "Buddha condemns those who sell people like animals."

As Amnesty International, the United Nations, other NGOs, and governments argue over the best way to protect vulnerable migrants, The Storm Makers shows the real consequences for individuals, their families and communities.

DVD (Khmer with English Subtitles) / 2014 / 66 minutes

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TOKYO FIANCEE

Director: Stefan Liberski

Based on Amelie Nothomb's bestselling novel, Tokyo Fiancee is an entertaining romantic comedy that will appeal to fans of Jean-Pierre Jeunet's Amelie and Sofia Coppola's Lost in Translation.

The young, pixie-like Amelie is in love with all things Japanese, which prompts her to buy a one-way ticket to Tokyo in order to completely immerse herself in Japanese culture. She offers to work as a French tutor, and soon finds herself enjoying a passionate relationship with her only student, the charming Rinri. As the two explore the joys (and awkwardness) of their first real romance and the colorful city around them, many cultural barriers fall...but some still remain.

This utterly charming romantic comedy played in the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival and seduced audiences in Europe with its whimsical style and its playful look at misunderstandings, complications and the problems that arise from cultural stereotypes. Pauline Etienne, as Amelie, is winsome and wonderful as the enthusiastic young woman on a cross-cultural adventure of the heart.

DVD (English, French and Japanese, with English subtitles) / 2014 / 100 minutes

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ALGORITHMS

Director: Ian McDonald

In India, a group of boys dream of becoming Chess Masters, driven by a man with a vision. But this is no ordinary chess and these are no ordinary players. Algorithms is a documentary on the thriving but little known world of Blind Chess in India.

Filmed over three years, Algorithms travels with three talented boys and a totally blind player turned pioneer as they compete in national and world championships, and visits them in their home milieu where they reveal their struggles, anxieties and hopes.

Charudatta Jadhav discovered chess soon after he went blind as a teen. Convinced of the game's power, he has dedicated his life to develop chess for the blind. Darpan Inani is the most talented and highest ranked totally blind player in India. This idiosyncratic and highly intelligent teenager possesses a wisdom that belies his young age. Sai Krishna is an ambitious rising star of blind chess in India. He is fun-loving, gregarious and makes friends easily, but there is a toughness to Sai's character. Anant Kumar Nayak, a promising new talent, is a gentle boy with an endearing if slightly eccentric personality. With a strong sense of moral duty and responsibility, the totally blind Anant struggles to balance chess and school.

This observational documentary moves through the algorithms of the blind chess world, challenging the viewer with a tactile and thoughtful exploration of foresight, sight and vision.

DVD (English, Hindi, Tamil, Odiya with English subtitles) / 2012 / 96 minutes

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CULTURAL HERITAGE - HUMAN LANDSCAPE 01: STANDING BY THE YELLOW RIVER

The Yellow River is the birthplace of Chinese culture. It is 5464km in length, covering an area of 795 000 km squares. Since a long time ago, many groups have settled by the River, and various cultural patterns have been developed along this cradle of Chinese civilization. The 100 thousand Salars living in the Xunhua Salar Autonomy County located in the east of Qinghai Plateau is a living example. Their hamlets and trails are all blessed with the nourishment of the River.

The Yellow River is not tame. People in the past held that it was impossible to build a bridge over it. However, the Salars can cross the River with the help of a sheepskin raft, a traditional transport which can carry passengers and goods up to ten tons, depending on the size of the raft. The Salars play an instrument called Kouxuan. This hoof-shaped instrument, made of copper or silver, is only as big as a paper clip. Its tone is plaintive and delicate.

The tenth of the twelfth month in the Hijri calendar (Islamic calendar) marks Corban Festival, or Slaughtering Festival. This traditional Islamic festival is the most important festival for the Salars. As preparation, people have to clean their houses to show respect. On the festival day, adult Muslims have to wash themselves, light incense and dress properly, with men attending a Mosque service early in the morning. Families slaughter cattle, sheep or camels to make food; sweet, cakes, noodles etc. are also prepared and shared among friends and neighbours. As an immigrant group integrating themselves into Chinese culture along the Yellow River, the Salars are striving to preserve their own culture so that it will not disappear. To extend their once rich and colourful culture, they make all the endeavours to retain their identity and live with the River.

DVD / 2012 / 30 minutes

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11 FLOWERS

Director: Wang Xiaoshuai

One of China's foremost Sixth Generation directors, Wang Xiaoshuai (Beijing Bicycle, Shanghai Dreams) tells a striking, autobiographical coming-of-age tale set in the final days of China's Cultural Revolution in his new film 11 Flowers.

Eleven-year-old Wang Han lives with his family in a remote village in Guizhou province. Life is tough, but they make the most of what little they have. When Wang is selected to lead his school through their daily gymnastic regimen, his teacher recommends that he wear a clean, new shirt in honor of this important position a request that forces his family to make a great sacrifice. But one afternoon, soon after Wang is given the precious shirt, he encounters a desperate, wounded man, who takes it from him. The man is on the run, wanted by the authorities for murder. In no time the fates of Wang and the fugitive are intertwined.

Beautifully performed by a troupe of child actors, and vividly creating a sense of time and place, 11 Flowers is a delicate and moving film about growing up in a time of great upheaval.

DVD (Mandarin, Shanghainese with English Subtitles) / 2011 / 115 minutes

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CULTURAL HERITAGE - THE RAILROAD 05: THE WORLD'S HIGHEST RAILWAY

Located on the Tibetan Plateau, southwest China, Tibet has an area of 122,000 sq km. It stands 4000m above sea level, and therefore is regarded as the ridge of the roof of the world. In early 20th century, Dr Sun Yat Sen proposed to build a railway to Lasa. But the dream to have a railway to Tibet was not realized until a century later, when the Qingzang Railway commenced service in 2006. The railway is the world's highest and longest railway built on a plateau. 965 km of the total route is built 4000m above sea level, with the peak located at Tanggula Mountain, 5072m above sea level. The Qingzang Railway is the world's longest plateau railway which runs through a permafrost area. In this episode, we are going to take the railway to Tibet to understand its culture.

The Qingzang Railway begins in Qinghai Province, where Qinghai Lake is located. The water has existed since more than 200 million years ago, and has become an inland lake due to vigourous orogeny. In the past thirty years, the change of environment has brought about a decrease in the surface area of the lake. Its annual average loss equals the size of West Lake in Hangzhou. If we do not start preserving it, it can only live in our memory in the future.

After Ge'ermu Station, the train has to climb Tanggula Mountain, 5000m above sea level. Since ordinary engines cannot provide enough power in such an alpine and anoxic region, they have to be replaced with an American engine NJ2, which is a 4000hp engine installed with electronic diesel injection system designed to work under such adverse conditions.

Having passed Tanggula Mountain, the train soon reaches Naqu, 4500m above sea level. Naqu is one of the highest towns in China. It is regarded as the ridge of the ridge of the world. In Biru County, Naqu, there is a unique sky burial site, the Skeleton Wall, in Damuer Temple. In most sky burial practices, none of the body parts should be preserved; the whole body was offered to vultures. But Damuer Temple began to keep the skull since about 130 years ago to build a skeleton wall. While the reasons behind the practice are unknown, a sky burial master once commented that using skulls to build could remind the living that no matter who we were, after we died, we were nothing.

Visiting Lasa for pilgrimage is the dream of many Tibetan people. Some of them perform kneeling prostrations every two or three steps while they go - this can take them several months or several years to reach Lasa. In the next episode, our presenter Rannes Man is going to visit the sacred land of Tibet, Lasa, to look for the treasure there.

DVD / 2011 / 30 minutes

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DUCH: MASTER OF THE FORGES OF HELL

Director: Rithy Pan

From Rithy Pahn, director of S21: The Khmer Rouge Killing Machine, comes his searing followup. Between 1975 and 1979, the Khmer Rouge was responsible for the deaths of nearly 2 million people - a quarter of the Cambodia population. Kaing Guek Eav, known as Duch, directed both the M13 and S21 centers where tens of thousands of people were tortured and executed. He is the first Khmer Rouge leader to be brought before an international criminal justice court, where he was found guilty and sentenced to 35 years in prison. Panh films an incredible, horrifying in-depth interview with Duch, who candidly talks about his ascension in the Khmer Rouge party, and his involvement in the mass murder of his fellow Cambodians. As The Hollywood Reporter said, Panh's film is "likely one of the most elaborate discussions with someone responsible for mass genocide."

DVD (Khmer and French with English subtitles) / 2011 / 103 minutes

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MASTER QI AND THE MONKEY KING

Director: Alan Govenar

This film explores the life and work of the preeminent master of Chinese Opera living in the United States. Qi Shu Fang was a household name in China due to her feature role in one of the Cultural Revolution Opera films, and travelled the world to show off her mastery of the art. The film explores why Qi, her husband and a whole troupe of Chinese Opera performers have moved to the United States to transplant their art to a foreign culture.

DVD (Chinese with English subtitles) / 2011 / 81 minutes

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DESIGN CITIES: BANGKOK

The blue sky and tropical beaches of Thailand offer a haven from the daily hustle and bustle. This leisurely and serene approach to life finds its way into Thai design. Only those who know how to appreciate life can design things that help the user enjoy life. Bangkok designers embrace nature in the way they live, and from there they find their creative ideas. A thriving tourist industry not only creates demand for high quality design for interior and furniture, it also opens a window to the West for designers to absorb their influence. While teeming with young design talents, the city also has a rich traditional culture. Applying superb craftsmanship of their grandfathers' and the readily available natural resources to contemporary design creates a chemistry that launches the young design brand of Bangkok. Its designers' pioneering use of material, organic and synthetic, has inspired the Material Connexion to establish its first Asian Material Library in Bangkok. This heralded its rise in the world of design.

DVD (Cantonese, With English Subtitles) / 2010 / 30 minutes

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DESIGN CITIES: KYOTO

Old architecture or traditional crafts are not necessarily sticks in the mud. Kyoto designers who kept abreast of the times while staying close to their tradition are true heirs to its history and cultural heritage. They are convinced that traditional design and craftsmanship is valuable not only for its deep cultural root, but also for its enduring quality. Meticulously crafted Japanese lacquer artifacts and furniture have withstood the test of time; while the art of painting on kimono is artfully applied to the modern day jeans. The result is a seamless weaving together of two cultures. Trained in the architectural discipline of the west, a Kyoto's architect apprenticed under a traditional builder to look for inspiration from ancient Japanese construction techniques. Examples of such dialogues between the ancient and the modern can be seen everywhere in the city. It's determination to stay true to its cultural heritage while refining and developing its traditional skills has given the city's design the edge of being unique, allowing it to successfully eschewed the homogenizing effect of globalization.

DVD (Cantonese, With English Subtitles) / 2010 / 30 minutes

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DESIGN CITIES: SHENZHEN

How young is Shenzhen? The average age of the workers in the creative industries is in the twenties. The government has been promoting "Building the City on Culture" for five years. It has been designated a City of Design by UNESCO for one year. What does youth have? Spontaneity and audacity, two qualities its young designers have plenty of. As an immigrant city, like Hong Kong in the early days, Shenzhen has attracted many creative young talents to take up roots there because they can see a future. The future is going international, making a name for oneself, becoming someone like Ou Ning, Hei Yi Yang, Bi Xue Feng, and many other top graphic designers in China. Urbanus, a Chinese architect firm, will be joined by Rem Koolhaas's OMA, a top international architect firm, in developing "Shenzhen Creative Center". Big projects and small ideas abound in this young vibrant city that is rearing to go.

DVD (Cantonese, With English Subtitles) / 2010 / 30 minutes

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UNDESIRED

By Walter Astrada

In India, all women must confront the cultural pressure to bear a son. The consequences of this preference is a disregard for the lives of women and girls. From birth until death they face a constant threat of violence.

India is a diverse country, separated by class and ethnicity. But all women confront the cultural pressure to bear a son. This preference cuts through every social divide, from geography to economy.

This preference originates from the belief that men make money while women, because of their expensive dowry costs, are a financial burden. As a result, there is a near constant disregard for the lives of women and girls. From birth until old age, women face a constant threat of violence and too frequently, death.

The numbers are staggering. Since 1980, an estimated 40 million women are 'missing,' by way of abortion, neglect or murder. 7,000 female fetuses are aborted every day according to the U.N., aborted solely because they are girls. One dowry death is reported every 77 minutes. Countless others are never known.

The government has tried to intervene. Dowry and sex selective abortions are illegal. Yet both practices still thrive, in large part because of deep-rooted cultural prejudices.

Today, eighty percent of Indian states are now facing a shortage of women. To compensate for this differential, young, unknowing women are bought from surrounding countries like Bangladesh and sold to young bachelors. Not knowing a word of the language, these trafficked women now face the same kinds of violence as other Indian women.

DVD / 2010 / 12 minutes

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KOREAN ARTS & LIFESTYLE 1: THE DYNAMIC CULTURE OF CONTEMPORARY KOREA

The Dynamic Culture of Contemporary Korea (Volume 1) introduces various aspects of Korea's contemporary culture. It reveals the dynamism of Korean culture with scenes of samulnori, a form of traditional percussion music, Nanta, a high-energy non-verbal stage performance, and the frenzied "street cheering" during the 2002 World Cup. There are also highlights of the hallyu (Korean wave) phenomenon, which has led to the spread of Korean pop culture throughout Asia and beyond.

DVD (Arabic, Chinese, English, Russian, Spanish) / 2005 / 40 minutes

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KOREAN ARTS & LIFESTYLE 2: THE CLOTHES, FOODS AND HOUSES OF KOREA

The Clothes, Foods and Houses of Korea (Volume 2) is a general overview of the Korean ways of living. This includes a description of a traditional Korean house, hanok, and its noteworthy characteristics: ondol, underfloor heating system, maru, traditional wooden floor, and jeongwon, a Korean-style garden. In addition, it explains about the dietary practices of Koreans, like kimchi and soy-bean uses.

DVD (Arabic, Chinese, English, Russian, Spanish) / 2005 / 40 minutes

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KOREAN ARTS & LIFESTYLE 3: THE LIFE OF KOREANS

The Life of Koreans (Volume 3) provides information about the world of Korea's traditional customs and rituals, including, dol, a first-year birthday celebration, as well as practices related to the rite of passage, wedding, funeral, and memorial services in Korea.

DVD (Arabic, Chinese, English, Russian, Spanish) / 2005 / 40 minutes

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KOREAN ARTS & LIFESTYLE 4: THE BEAUTY OF TRADITIONAL KOREAN ARTS

The Beauty of Traditional Korean Arts (Volume 4) explores various genres of traditional Korean art, including traditional fine arts, such as calligraphy, pottery, and landscape painting; traditional music forms like pansori and minyo, and musical instruments gayagum and geomungo; and Korean dance, such as salpuri (exorcist) and buchaechum (fan dance).

DVD (Arabic, Chinese, English, Russian, Spanish) / 2005 / 40 minutes

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S21: THE KHMER ROUGE KILLING MACHINE

Director: Rithy Pahn

In 1975-79, almost two million Cambodians lost their lives to murder and famine when the Khmer Rouge forced the urban population into the countryside to fulfill their ideal of an agrarian utopia.

The notorious detention center code-named 'S21' was the schoolhouse-turned prison where 17,000 men, women and children were tortured and killed, their "crimes" meticulously documented to justify their execution.

In this award-winning documentary and astonishing historical document, survivor Vann Nath confronts his captors, some of whom were as young as 12 years old when they committed their atrocities.

DVD (Khmer, With English Subtitles) / 2003 / 101 minutes

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KING OF MASKS, THE

Director: Tian-Ming Wu

In 1930s China, aging street performer Wang (Zhu Xu) yearns for a male heir to whom he can pass on the secrets of his renowned act. Though he refuses an offer to join the opera, he heeds the advice of female-impersonating opera star Liang (Zhang Zhigang) to find an heir. Wang soon buys an 8-year-old orphan named Doggie (Zhou Renying). When his new heir reveals a desperate secret, Wang must choose between following the strictures of society and the fatherly love he feels for his new protege.

DVD (Mandarin with English Subtitles) / 1999 / 101 minutes

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JAPAN: THE LAND AND ITS PEOPLE - JAPANESE SOCIETY

How social issues affect daily life in Japan.

DVD / 1989 / (Grades 9-Adult) / 30 minutes

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JAPAN: THE LAND AND ITS PEOPLE - THE TASTE OF JAPAN

This program about Japanese food and drink explores the bounty of the sea and mountains in Japan as a source for their nutrition.

DVD / 1989 / (Grades 9-Adult) / 30 minutes

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