Selected DVD's & Videos for Young Adults

videos and dvds

 The Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA), a division of the American Library Association (ALA), has chosen ten videos for its "Selected DVDs and Videos for Young Adults" 2001 list. The annual list recognizes DVDs and videos for technical merit, content, use with and interest to youth ages 12-18.

The DVDs and videos were screened, discussed, and selected by the Selected DVDs and Videos for Yong Adults Committee during the ALA Mid-Winter meeting in Washington, D.C. Adding an extra dimension and insightful comments to the process were teens from local schools.

The titles selected for the list include a variety of film techniques and styles--from documentaries to animation to personal stories and film parodies. Three of the selections deal directly with teens and their body image. "Killing Us Softly 3" (Media Education Foundation) revisits advertising's view of women and the unrealistic expectations it places on girls, while "The Mirror Lied" (Filmakers Library) explores how one young African American woman copes with the ideals of feminine beauty imposed by white society, and "Slender Existence" (Filmakers Library) documents the filmmaker's ten year struggle with anorexia nervosa.

Two videos explore our violent society and its effects on teens from two different aspects: "Teen Files: The Truth about Violence" (AIMS Multimedia) follows several young people who see violence as a necessity in their daily lives as they learn the reasons behind their own violent tendencies and learn to feel empathy for others; and "Invisible Revolution: A Youth Subculture of Hate" (Filmakers Library) profiles the clash between racist and anti-racist youth.

"Daring to Resist" (Women Make Movies) document the stories of three women who recall their lives as teenagers in occupied Holland, Hungary and Poland when they refuse to remain passive as the Nazis rounded up local Jewish populations. Another strong, personal story is related in "DUI: Dead in 5 Seconds" (Turner and Associates) which graphically depicts the lifelong consequences of driving drunk for two teens and their families.

On the lighter side, "Village of Idiots" (National Film Board of Canada) is a hilarious story based on a Jewish folk tale about a lovable fool who leaves his village on a circuitous quest for "greener grass," and "George Lucas in Love" ( mediatrip.com) is a rollicking parody of both "Shakespeare in Love" and the Star Wars trilogy.

Finally, "Everest: The Death Zone" (WGBH Educational Foundation) contains not only out- standing footage of the climb itself, but a scientific examination of the physiology of high altitude climbers.

Members of the 2001 Selected DVDs and Videos for Young Adults Committee included:
The YALSA Selected DVD's & Videos for Young Adults 2001 Committee members are: Chair, Sheila B. Anderson, Allen County (IN) Public Library; Administrative Assistant, Ranae Pierce, Salt Lake City (UT) Public Library; Kevin S. Payne, Cuyahoga County (OH) Public Library; E.M. Roublow, Los Angeles (CA) Public Library; James C. Scholtz, Yankton (SD) Community Library; Tricia A. Segal, For Vancouver (WA) Regional Library; Aletheia Turner, Plymouth (MN) Community Library; Leigh D. Barnett, Episcopal School of Dallas (TX); Josephine Caisse, Bend (OR) Public Library, Edith E.H. Cummings, Allen County (IN) Public Library; Sarah I. Flowers, Morgan Hill (CA) Public Library; Susan L. Hill, Broward County (FL) Division of Libraries; Robyn M. Lupa, Jefferson County (CO) Public Library.