For immediate release | January 19, 2016

2016 list of Notable Videos for Adults released

BOSTON - The American Library Association (ALA) Video Round Table Notable Videos for Adults Committee has compiled its 2016 list of Notable Videos for Adults, a list of 15 outstanding films released on video within the past two years and suitable for all libraries serving adults. Its purpose is to call attention to recent video releases that make a significant contribution to the world of video. The list is compiled for use by librarians and the general adult populace.

The Notable Videos for Adults Committee selected 15 outstanding titles from among 48 nominees for this year’s list of Notable Videos for Adults. The availability of closed captions (CC) and/or subtitles for the deaf and hard-of-hearing (SDH) is preferred; inclusion and exclusion of same is indicated below.

· Alive Inside

(2014) 78 minutes. City Drive Films. DVD: $19.99. Available from various distributors. No CC or SDH.

Social worker Dan Cohen starts a campaign to provide nursing home patients access to music that reawakens their joy in life.

· Call Me Lucky

(2015) 105 minutes. MPI. DVD: $24.99. Available from various distributors. Subtitles, no CC or SDH.

Stand-up comedian Barry Crimmins advocates for victims of internet child pornography.

· E-Team

(2014) 89 minutes. Ro*Co Films. DVD: $295 colleges/$95 K-12 & public libraries. Available from http://www.rocoeducational.com. No CC or SDH.

Human Rights Watch emergency team members travel to international hot zones to investigate abuses firsthand.

· Freedom Summer

(2014) 120 minutes. PBS. DVD: $24.99. Available from various distributors. Includes SDH.

Organizers and student civil rights workers register voters in 1964 Mississippi and confront racism and resistance.

· God Loves Uganda

(2013) 83 minutes. First Run Features. DVD: $24.99. Available from various distributors. Includes SDH.

The punitive homophobic government policies of Uganda are linked to the anti-gay theology of United States evangelist missionaries.

· Great Invisible

(2014) 92 minutes. Ro*Co Films. DVD: $295 colleges/$95 K-12 & public libraries. Available from http://www.rocoeducational.com.  Subtitles, no CC or SDH. [Scheduled to be available from Midwest Tape and various distributors in March 2016, $19.99.]

The high price of our dependence upon fossil fuel is made visible in this examination of the BP Deepwater oil spill.

· India’s Daughter

(2015) 62 minutes. Women Make Movies. DVD: $395 colleges/$89 K-12 & public libraries. Available from http://www.wmm.com. Subtitles, no CC or SDH.

India questions its traditional gender roles following the brutal rape of a young medical student.

· Kill Team

(2015) 79 minutes. Bullfrog Films. DVD: $350.99. Available from http://www.bullfrogfilms.com/ and various distributors. Includes SDH.

A whistleblower reports on war crimes committed by members of his platoon in Afghanistan.

· Missing Picture

(2013) 96 minutes. Strand Releasing. DVD: $27.99. Available from various distributors. Includes SDH.

Atrocities of Cambodian labor camps under the Khmer Rouge are reimagined with archival footage and clay figurines.

· Punk Singer

(2013) 82 minutes. MPI. DVD: $24.99. Available from various distributors. Includes SDH.

Kathleen Hanna, lead singer of Bikini Kill and LeTigre, co-creates the riot grrrl movement and influences a third wave of feminism.

· Salt of the Earth

(2015) 110 minutes. Sony. DVD: $29.99. Available from various distributors. Includes SDH.

Photographer Sebastian Salgado travels the globe documenting humanity, inhumanity, and nature.

· The Square

(2013) 109 minutes. City Drive. DVD: $17.99. Available from various distributors. Subtitles, no CC or SDH.

Activists in Cairo Egypt's Tahrir Square experience victories and defeats as they advocate for democracy and freedom over the course of two years.

· Watchers of the Sky

(2014) 121 minutes. Music Box Pictures. DVD: $29.99. Available from various distributors. Includes SDH.

United Nations workers continue the life mission of Raphael Lemkin, a pioneer in the field of human rights and international law.

· Web: Connecting Is Just the Beginning

(2013) 84 minutes. Sundial Pictures. DVD: $350. Available from http://sundial-pictures.com. Subtitles, no CC or SDH.

After receiving laptops, villagers in rural Peru and a filmmaker teach each other about interconnectivity.

· Whole Gritty City

(2014) 89 minutes. Band Room Productions. DVD: $295. Available from http://alexanderstreet.com/. No CC or SDH.

New Orleans marching bands give student musicians purpose as they face challenges of adolescence.

The Notable Videos for Adults Committee members are: Wendy Highby, University Libraries, University of Northern Colorado (Chair); Cecilia Cygnar, Niles Public Library District, Illinois; Linda Frederiksen, Washington State University, Vancouver Library; Maura Lynch, Guilderland Public Library, Albany; Sandra Macke, Catalog Librarian, Portland, Oregon; Jeffrey Pearson, Askwith Media Library, University of Michigan Ann Arbor; Junior Tidal, Ursula C. Schwerin Library, New York City College of Technology, CUNY; and Lorraine Wochna, Alden Library, Ohio University.

Contact:

Wendy Highby

Chair

VRT Notable Videos for Adults Committee

Notable.docs@gmail.com