Videos for Wednesday November 26th

I couldn't choose just one. So you choose at least one of the following nine (9) videos. Most of these are about 30 minutes; a few are longer, and one is 10 minutes (but hey, you'll have time for another one too!). At the end of this list, you'll see a film "Miss India Georgia" which although it’s not specifically about African American women, does I believe raise interesting questions about cultural construction of race/gender/ and "America"/citizenship, certainly topics germane to the class (and the Ain't I A Beauty Queen reading).

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PS: The response question will be emailed to you next week. Have a great Thanksgiving holiday.

Lockin' up [videorecording] / Nyame na oye Productions; produced, directed & edited by T. Nicole Atkinson.

New York, NY: Women Make Movies, c1997.

1 videocassette (29 min.): sd., col. with b&w sequences; 1/2 in.

UMCP HBK Nonprint Media Srvs: Desk – VHS Videocassette - TT972 - .L63 1997

Narrator, T. Nicole Atkinson.

By letting her hair coil into dreadlocks, Jamaican-born filmmaker T. Nicole Atkinson challenges society's and her own conflicted notions of beauty. This film surveys the origins and cultural significance of dreadlocks, including the stereotypes which reflect the racism inherent in Western standards of beauty.

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Nappy [videorecording] / Howard University and Peazey Head Productions presents; written and directed by Lydia Ann Douglas.

New York, NY: Women Make Movies, c1997.

1 videocassette (28 min.): sd., b&w; 1/2 in.

UMCP HBK Nonprint Media Srvs: Desk – VHS Videocassette - TT972 - .N36 1997

Director of photography, editor, Lydia Ann Douglas; music, Synia and Jeff McQuillian.

Ten African American women discuss the reasons why they chose to stop straightening their hair and go natural. The video also touches on the consequences of their decisions and on the importance and significance of hairstyles in African American culture.

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Hair piece a film for nappy-headed people videorecording: / produced by Ayoka Chenzira; written by Ayoka Chenzira; animation, Ayoka Chenzira.

New York: Women Make Movies, 1985.

1 videocassette (10 min.): sd., col.; 1/2 in.

UMCP HBK Nonprint Media Srvs: Desk – VHS Videocassette - TT972 - .H35 1985

Still photographer, Ann Chapman; editors, Joseph Burton, Ayoka Chenzira; narrator, Carol-Jean Lewis.

An animated satire on Black consciousness from the perspective of hair styling.

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Black, bold & beautiful [videorecording] : Black  women's hair / director, Nadine Valcin ; producers, Jennifer Kawaja, Julia Sereny ; a Sienna Films  production in co-production with the National Film  Board of Canada and in association with CBC Newsworld.

New York, N.Y.: Distributed by Women Make Movies, c1999.

1 videocassette (40 min.): sd., col. with b&w sequences; 1/2 in.

UMCP HBK Nonprint Media Srvs: Desk – VHS Videocassette - TT972 - .B63 1999

 Originally produced as a motion picture in 1998. Directors of photography, Carolyn Wong, Basil C. Young,  Rion Gonzales ; editors, David New, Ricardo Acosta;  narrator, Jemeni ; music, Rohan Staton.

Explores the importance of various hairstyles of Afro-American women and how these styles define the personal identity of each woman.

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Middle passage-n-roots [videorecording] / Jezebel Filmworks in association with the National Black Programming Consortium; director/producer/writer, Ada M. Babino. [Los Angeles, Calif.] : Urban Media Entertainment;

New York, NY: Carousel Film & Video, c1995.

1 videocassette (30 min.): sd., col. with b&w sequences; 1/2 in.

UMCP HBK Nonprint Media Srvs: Desk – VHS Videocassette - TT972 - .M53 1995

Nahisha T. Pettit, Antoni Sullivan.  Director of photography, Marcus Smith; music, Jon A.  Ware, Sr.

Examines attitudes about hair and its connection to self-image and self-worth. Afros, processed, corn rows, braids and dreds are all explored and explained.

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 Black women on [videorecording]: the light, dark thang / senior producer, Celeste Crenshaw; written & directed by Celeste Crenshaw, Paula Caffey; Black Women On Productions, Inc.

New York, NY: Distributed by Women Make Movies, c1999.

1 videocassette (52 min.): sd., col.; 1/2 in.

UMCP HBK Nonprint Media Srvs: Desk - VHS Videocassette - E185.625 - .B59 1999

 Originally produced as a motion picture in 1998.

Cinematographer, Marcus Smith; editor, Joaquin Martinez; narrator, Camille McCurty Ali.

African American women, representing a variety of hues, speak candidly about the longstanding "caste system" that permeates black society and share personal stories about how being too light or too dark has profoundly influenced their life and relationships.

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 Perfect image? [videorecording] / produced by Sankofa Film & Video Ltd.; written and directed by Maureen Blackwood.

New York, NY: Women Make Movies, 1988.

1 videocassette (31 min.): sd., col.; 1/2 in.

UMCP HBK Nonprint Media Srvs: Desk – VHS Videocassette - E185.86 - .P467 1988

Amanda Symonds, Irma Inniss. Music, Julian Nofr.

Film examines stereotypical images of black women and explores women's own ideas of self worth. Using two actresses who constantly change their personae, the film poses questions about how black women see themselves and each other and the pitfalls that await those who internalize the search for the "perfect image".

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Two dollars and a dream videorecording / produced and directed by Stanley Nelson.

New York: Filmakers Library, c1987.

1 videocassette (52 min.): sd., col. & b&w; 1/2 in.

UMCP HBK Nonprint Media Srvs: Desk – VHS Videocassette - HD9970.5.C672 - T86 1987

Cameramen, Leroy Patton ... [et al.]; editor, Stanley Nelson; narrator, Jill Nelson.

Uses historical stills and interviews to outline the life of Madame C.J. Walker, her family, and the success of the hair preparation company she founded, makers of products for Black women starting in the 1900's, and related controversies surrounding her business.

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Miss India Georgia [videorecording] / produced and directed by Daniel Friedman & Sharon Grimberg; produced in collaboration with Georgia Public Broadcasting; NAATA.

Hohokus, NJ: Urban Life Productions, 1997.

1 videocassette (56 min.): sd., col.; 1/2 in.

UMCP HBK Nonprint Media Srvs Desk - VHS Videocassette HQ1220.U5 M57 1997

Camera, John Godwin, Sharon Grimberg.

This documentary video follows four contestants in the Miss India Georgia pageant. It tells the story of their experiences as first generation Indian Americans. These young women disclose the complexity of their feelings about growing up in the United States as children of immigrant parents.