Outreach

UT CREEES Video Collection

The following video cassettes are available for four-week checkout at no charge for K-12 teachers. For information on borrowing these materials please fill out the lending agreement (PDF, 114K) and contact the CREEES Outreach Coordinator: Allegra Azulay, (512) 471-7782.

In addition, many videos are available through the Audio-Visual Library in UGL. The Department of Slavic Languages and Literature also maintains a library of movies and videos. Contact them at 471-3607 to inquire about checking them out.

Titles Available on VHS

1917: Revolution in Russia, National Geographic, 28 minutes. National Geographic documentary on the history of the Soviet Revolution using primary sources such as archival footage, posters, and still photographs.
Afghan Women: Faces of Change, Documentary, 16 minutes, 1974. The words of the women and the rhythm of their lives in the seclusion of family compounds suggests both the satisfying and the limiting aspects of a woman's role in a rural Afghan community. Filmed in the Balkh Province, an area inhabited by Tajik and other Central Asian peoples. The town of Aq Kupruk is approximately 320 miles northwest of Kabul.
America, The Soviets and Nuclear Arms: Looking to the Future, United States, Documentary, 1989, (22 min.) Explores and develops four possible scenarios for ending the threat of nuclear war, giving pros and cons for each of the four positions.
The Atomic Café, United States, Documentary, 88 minutes, 1982. Atomic Cafe is a review of the atomic age and the beliefs held by Americans at the time.
Battle of Russia, Documentary, b/w, 83 minutes, 1943. Part of Frank Capra’s award-winning “Why We Fight” war series. Chilling footage of the infamous Eastern Front and the ultimate Nazi defeat on the frozen steppes.
The Birth of Light, Color and Volume: Reconstruction of the Performance 1923/1999. A film of the stage performance "The Birth of Light, Color and Volume," exploring shape, sound, and light. Originally conceived by director Mikhail Matyushin and performed in 1922-1923, this performance was staged in 1999.
Black Cat, White Cat, (Serbo-Croatian) feature film, 129 minutes, 1999, Emir Kusturica. The slapstick adventures of small-time gypsies in a Yugoslav village on the Danube River whose two rival families get caught up in dizzying confusion of slick deals, arranged marriages and uncertain death. (VHS in Serbo-Croatian only).
Bosnia: Peace without Honor, BBC documentary, 40 minutes, 1998. This BBC program explores the Bosnian conflict through the 1992-1995 efforts of America’s Cyrus Vance and Britain’s David Owen to negotiate a lasting peace.
Bye Bye Babushka, Russia, documentary, 75 minutes, 1997. Director Rebecca Feig introduces us to a film full of wonderfully weathered faces, "babushkas" born in the wake of the Russian Revolution. A prize-winning documentary account of daily life in the former Soviet Union. At once a rich social and historical record and an emotionally moving story, the film focuses on five elderly women whose lives have coincided with the rise and fall of the U.S.S.R. In Russian with English subtitles.
Central Asia: Kirgyzstan and Uzbekistan, Central Asia, documentary, 50 minutes, 1995. Traveler Ian Wright’s adventure through Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan, includes many cultural experiences, such as a traditional wedding.
Conversations with Gorbachev: A Discussion with Stephen Cohen. Films for the Humanities Sciences, 1995, 90 minutes.
The Danube
Disgraced Monuments, Russia, documentary, 48 minutes, 1993. Following the collapse of Communism in the Soviet Union, many of the public monuments of Lenin, Stalin, and other government leaders were demolished or stored in the "Temporary Museum of Totalitarian Art" in a Moscow park. Featuring rare archival footage and interviews with sculptors, art historians, and museum directors, this video examines how monuments connect us with the past, how they are destroyed and new ones raised at times of social cataclysm.
Dream on Fire: The Land that Jack London Loved, 39 minutes, 1993. This video was created to introduce middle school, high school and college students to the land that Jack London loved and referred to in his books. It is also intended to help teachers instill in their students a love of literature and respect for the value of nature. The video includes scenes of Jack London, his family, and ranch he nurtured and loved so much. It also explains what caused London's controversial and untimely death.
Families of Russia, Russia, documentary, 30 minutes. Part of an acclaimed series which explores the lives of children of other countries. This video features Nicolai, age 10, whose family owns a farm, and Anya, age 7, lives in the industrial city of Nizhny Novgorod. With accompanying Teacher’s Guide.
Farewell Bosnia, Bosnia, documentary, 19 minutes. FAREWELL BOSNIA presents the war in human terms, focusing on two teenage students, Alma and Biba, who separately left their homes and families in Bosnia. With the help of a relief project, the two young women came to the United States to continue their schooling. They movingly reflect on what it was like to live in the midst of a war that has claimed 300,000 lives and displaced more than 2 million people.
From Czar to Stalin, Russia, Historical Feature film, 93 minutes, 1987, Raphael Nussbaum. The turbulent downfall of Czar Nicholas II and Communism take over, in historical format.
Gender Montage: Paradigms in Post-Soviet Space, Eastern European/ Eurasian, Documentary, series of nine tapes, 2000-2003

Genghis Blues, (USA) Documentary/Feature Film, 1999, 90 minutes. Film is about Tuvan throat-singers and a blind blues musician. Sundance award-winner and Oscar-nominated.
Growing Old in Russia, Russia, documentary, 50 minutes. Growing Old in Russia is a documentary concerning the lives of the senior citizens in the Baikal region of Russia.
Heaven and Earth: The Upper Daugava
Herdsmen, Central Asia, documentary, 88 minutes, 2001. This documentary tracks a Kazak family in Xinjiang, China’s western most province, with two cameras, over the course of a year from spring to winter.
The Hermitage, Dorset Video, 1993. 10 videos examining masterpieces of the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, each video approximately 30 minutes. Titles are:

Highlands and the Highlanders
In Search of History The Romanov's (History Channel)
The Inner Circle, (USA) Feature Film, 1991, 122 minutes. The story of Stalin’s projectionist.
Inside Afghanistan, Documentary, 56:10 minutes
Introduction to Latvia, Latvia, documentary, 12:20 minutes, 1993. Three Latvian students, one from each region: Latgale, Vidzeme, and Kurzeme, give a brief history and description of Latvia and their native lands. On tape with Kurzme-the Dreamer, Origin of Balts and The Station at Skrunda.
Islam: Empire of Faith, Documentary on 2 videos, PBS Home video, 2000, 163 minutes. Narrated by Ben Kingsley.
Kandahar: Afghanistan Documentary
Kirghiz of Afghanistan, Afghanistan, Documentary, 51:39, 1975.Until recently, Kirghiz tribesmen lived in a remote corner of Afghanistan, since the film was made, the Kirghiz have fled to Pakistan, where they were airlifted to Turkey, thousands of miles to the west.
Kosovo of Blood and History, Yugoslavia, Documentary 41 minutes, 1999 (2 copies)
Krakow
A Light in the Darkness
Memory, Poland, documentary, 55 minutes, 1992, narrated in English. An exclusive interview with Simon Wiesenthal, the famed Nazi hunter, founder of the Jewish Documentary Center in Vienna.
Mikhail Gorbachev, Talking w/ David Frost
Moscow and Leningrad, Russia, documentary, 50 minutes
Moscow Exhibition and Performances I-IV, Russia, documentary, 2.5 hours
Naim and Jabar: Faces of Change, Afghanistan Documentary, 50 minutes. The hopes, fears, and aspirations of adolescence are expressed in the close friendship of two Afghan boys. As their acceptance of the filmmakers leads them to express their feelings more and more openly.
The New Russia, Russia, geographical documentaries, entire 5 part series

Oleg Kuhik

Peter and the Wolf, United States, 53 minutes, 1993. Bizarre version of the beloved musical fairytale by Prokofiev mixes inspired puppetry with live action. Narrated by a puppet of Sting. The music and story will enchant children, and there are enough humorous “in jokes” that adults will enjoy it, too. VHS.
Philby, Burgess and Maclean: The Spies in Whitehall
Point of Order! United States, Documentary, 97 minutes, 1963 footage; 1998. Point of Order is compiled from TV footage of the 1954 Army-McCarthy hearings, in which the Army accused Senator McCarthy of improperly pressuring the Army for special privileges for Private David Schine, formerly of McCarthy's investigative staff. McCarthy accused the Army of holding Schine hostage to keep him from searching for Communists in the Army. These hearings resulted in McCarthy's eventual censure for conduct unbecoming a senator.
Prague ’68: Summer of Tanks, the Lost Film of the Soviet Invasion of Czechoslovakia (1968) B & W, 37 minutes, Czech with English Subtitles.
The Prince is Back. Marina Goldovskaya. VHS, 59 minutes, 2004, English subtitles. The Prince is Back is the story of one man’s uncompromising fight to achieve his dream against all odds. The documentary chronicles Russian Prince Eugene Meshersky’s struggle to resurrect his life while restoring his castle to its former glory in a tiny village outside of Moscow. Through the eyes of his tenant, his friends and his neighbors we get a rare account of what life is like for Russian people tucked away from the media’s eye. The castle’s ruins are a metaphor for the House of Russia, it’s shattered dreams, ongoing struggle, and commitment to a better future. Ultimately, however, the story is a universal one about human resilience.
Post Soviet Russia: Promises Differed, Russia, documentary, 55 minutes
Que Viva Mexico! Russia, Feature film, 85 minutes, 1931. Sergei Eisenstein Grigory Alexandrov. Based on the Theodore Dreiser novel An American Tragedy and nearing the conclusion of his failed sojourn in Hollywood, legendary Soviet filmmaker Sergei Eisenstein secured financing for this documentary about Mexico from avowed Socialist Upton Sinclair.
Rasputin: Russia, 104 minutes, 1977, Elem Klimov. Grigory Rasputin, the wandering Siberian monk whose messianic influence upon Russia’s monarchy led its people, like lambs to the slaughter, blind and headlong into World War I...setting the stage for revolution.
Red Files: Secrets of the Russian Archives Revealed. 2 VHS tapes, both 120 minutes. 5 episodes: Red Files, Secret Victories of the KGB, Soviet Sport Wars, Secret Soviet Moon Mission, Soviet Propaganda Machine.
The Rise and Fall of Mikhail Gorbachev, 60-minute film by PBS Home Video
Russia: Then and Now. VHS, 90 minutes, National Geographic. Documentary contrasting life before and after the Soviet breakup.
Russian Avant-Garde, Russian, documentary
Russian Avant Garde: A Romance with the Revolution, Russia, documentary, 55 minutes
The Secret KGB JFK Assassination Files. United States, TV Documentary, 89 minutes, 1998. This program examines and exposes the theories posited by the KGB about one of the most momentous events of the Cold War, the assassination of John F. Kennedy. Included are recently exposed film and document evidences as well as many interviews with the KGB's own JFK experts.
The Secret KGB UFO Files. United States, documentary, 100 minutes, 1998, two VHS tapes. For five decades, American agencies have stockpiled information on UFOs. So did their counterparts behind the iron curtain. Soldiers, scientists and spies all paint a disturbing picture of the KGB's secret campaign. Amazing film footage smuggled out of Russia.
Secret Soviet Set, Russia, documentaries

Sex in the Soviet Union, The Koppel Report, documentary, 1990, 60 minutes. The Soviets are accustomed to living in a puritanical society which has never taught sex education or produced adequate amounts of birth control devices. Ted Koppel takes a fascinating look at a society grappling with old morals and remarkable new freedom.
Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors
The Shaman’s Message, Central Asia, Documentary, 30 minutes, 1992. Four programs on one cassette: The Spirit of Shaminism, Healing and Shaminism, A Kinship with Nature, Twentieth Century Shaminism.
Soviets: Russia, documentaries

Stereotypes, Russia, documentary, 25 minutes. The first U.S./Soviet animated co-production - blends full- cell animation and live action in a witty parody of the superpowers' traditional views of one another.
Thirteen Days, United States, Feature film, 147 minutes, 2000, Roger Donaldson. The film is set during the two-week Cuban missile crisis in October of 1962, and it centers on how President John F. Kennedy, Attorney General Robert Kennedy, and others handled the explosive situation.
This is Warsaw, Poland, documentary, 30 minutes, 1990, Polish language
Top Gun Over Moscow. VHS, 60 minutes, 1996. Meet the rugged pilots of the Russian Air Force-and take a close-up look at the heart-stopping maneuvers that still fill Western flyers with awe.
US Department of State: The Most Interesting Work…In The World. Department of State recruitment video outlining the interesting opportunities available.
Valeri Chaklov
Vlasov: General for Two Devils, Germany, documentary, 59 minutes, 1995. Patriot or traitor? General Andrei Vlasov remains on of WWII’s most controversial figures. A brilliant Soviet commander, General Vlasov was captured by the German Wehrmacht in July, 1942, and quickly became central to the campaign by junior German officers to launch a Russian Liberation Army against Stalin’s regime. VHS. English commentary and subtitles.
The Volga, Russia, documentary, 45 minutes
War and Peace, Russia, Feature film, 3 hours, 25 minutes, 1956, King Vidor. Spruced up adaptation of Leo Tolstoy's epic novel about the life of a Russian family during the War of 1812. The historical and personal events are seen mostly through the eyes of Natasha, who is 16 years old at the start of the movie.
War Victims Project Video (Silent)
Whole Notes. United States, Documentaries, VHS. Whole Notes explores the colorful stories behind some of the most famous and best-loved classical music works, and looks at the life of the composers who created these masterpieces. Each program in this entertaining and educational series provides the viewer with a deeper understanding of the music.

Yanks For Stalin (History Channel)
Yugoslavia: Before the Fall, Films for the Humanities Sciences, 1994, 29 minutes. Examines Yugoslavia before the death of Tito-the first president of the republic of Yugoslavia-and looks at the history and people of this short-lived federation of Serbs, Croats, Bosnians, Montenegrins, Macedonians, and Slovenians. Provides an ideal introduction to the cultural and political conditions that preceded the devastation now rending the Balkans.

Titles Available on DVD

Dmitri Shostakovich: Sonata for Viola, Russia, documentary, 75 minutes, 1981/2005, Semyon Aranovich and Alexander Sokurov. Banned by the Soviet Union for 25 years, this film was hidden and only recently released. It has been fully restored, and provides a rare and privileged insight into the life and work of Dmitri Shostakovich, considered by many to be the greatest composer of the 20th century. DVD, in Russian with English subtitles.
The Fall of Communism, 1990, 80-minute film produced by ABCNews. DVD. The Fall of Communism vividly depicts one of the most dramatic and important series of events in modern world history. One by one, Communist nations traded their traditional political beliefs for a more democratic future.
Igla: Soviet Union, feature film, 81 minutes, 1988, Rashid Nugmanov. Famous as the acting debut of popular (and tragic) rock star Victor Tsoi. The hero tries to save his girlfriend from drug addiction, but runs into trouble with the local mafia. (DVD in Russian only).
Masters of Russian Animation: Volume 2, DVD, 1997, 125 minutes. Collection of 12 animated short features, award winners from 1969-1978. Russian with English subtitles.
The Silk Road, documentary, episodes 1-12, 3 DVDs, 200+minutes. Covers historic and geographic elements of the many cities and lands along the ancient Silk Road.
Spain, Gypsies, Documentary (DVD), 30 minutes
The Stars’ Caravan: The Power of Cinema in a Changing Land. DVD, 60 minutes, English subtitles, 2000. A story of a lone projectionist, who has continued to deliver the wonder of cinema to the Kyrgyz people after the fall of the Soviet Union.
Unearthing Evil: Archaeology in the Cause of Justice, Films for the Humanities & Sciences, 2005, 28 minutes. This program looks at forensic archaeologist Richard Wright and his team’s findings at the Ukrainian village of Serniki, as well as his investigations into 29 mass graves in Bosnia.
Testimony