YALSA announces Selected DVDs and Videos for Young Adults 2001

Contact: Nichole Gilbert


312-280-4387


ngilbert@ala.org

ALA News Release


For Immediate Release


February 2001

YALSA announces Selected DVDs and Videos for Young Adults 2001

The Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA), a division of the American Library Association (ALA), has chosen 10 videos for its "Selected DVDs and Videos for Young Adults" 2001 list. The annual list recognizes DVDs and videos for technical merit, content and use of and interest to youth ages 12 to 18.

  • "Daring to Resist," VHS 57:18 min.1999 $295 Women Make Movies Interviews with three women who, as teens, each resisted the Holocaust in her own way. Surviving film footage and photos of each teen activist brings to life the tension and danger of the era.
  • "DUI: Dead in 5 Seconds," VHS 18 min. 2000 $14.98 Turner and Associates The lifelong consequences of a bad decision are driven home by this powerful story of grief. Interviews with a family whose son was killed by a drunk driver and with the man who was convicted of the crime help bring out themes of grief, forgiveness and dealing with the aftermath of a tragedy.
  • "Everest: The Death Zone," VHS & DVD 59 min. 1999 $19.95 (VHS) $16.95 (DVD) WGBH Educational Foundation Three climbers take on the "Death Zone"--Mount Everest at 27,000 feet. As the three make the ascent, scientists measure the physical and mental effects high altitude has on the human body. Jodie Foster narrates this stunningly photographed documentary.
  • "George Lucas in Love," VHS & DVD 9 min. 1999 $7.99 (VHS) $14.99 (DVD) Media.com This award-winning short film takes a humorous stab at writer's block through the eyes of a young George Lucas struggling to complete his student film at USC Film School. In the fashion of "Shakespeare in Love," the parody reveals that the "true" inspiration for his Star Wars saga was found in the world of everyday people surrounding him.
  • "Invisible Revolution: A Youth Subculture of Hate," VHS 55 min. 2000 $295 Filmaker's Library A chilling documentary which profiles the youth element in the white supremacy movement, and a group of anti-racist skinheads, punk rockers and mainstream kids who call themselves the Anti Racist Action (ARA). These groups are often indistinguishable as they battle one another in this hard-hitting, strong language film.
  • "Killing Us Softly 3: Advertising's Image of Women," VHS 34 min. 2000 $150 Media Education Foundation Through the use of sample advertisements and commercials, activist Jeanne Kilbourne shows how females are subtly--and not so subtly--portrayed as sexual objects, and the devastating effects this stereotype has on both sexes and their relationship to one another.
  • "The Mirror Lied," VHS 27 min. 2000 $295 Filmaker's Library A 15-year-old African American woman struggles to accept her appearance in the face of the ideals of feminine beauty imposed by white society. She envies the flowing hair of white girls as her efforts to tame her own unruly locks are documented by her filmmaker sister.
  • "Slender Existence," VHS 32 min. 2000 $295 Filmaker's Library In this moving story, student filmmaker Laura Murray explores that happened to her and her family during the year she nearly died of anorexia.
  • "The Truth about Violence," VHS 57 min. 2000 $149.99 AIMS Multimedia Part of the "Teen Files" series, this documentary explores violence and its consequences through the eyes of eight Los Angeles teens--all of whom have histories of violent behavior toward themselves or others. Their month-long journey enables the teens to discover the reasons behind their violent tendencies and gives them the strength to overcome them.
  • "Village of Idiots," VHS 13 min. 1999 $129.95 National Film Board of Canada A unique animation technique is used to tell a humorous Jewish folktale about a "wise fool" who leaves home seeking "greener pastures" and finds them--literally--in his own back yard.

Members of the 2001 Selected DVDs and Videos for Young Adults Committee are: Chair, Sheila B. Anderson, Allen County (Ind.) Public Library; Administrative Assistant, Ranae Pierce, Salt Lake City Public Library; Kevin S. Payne, Cuyahoga County (Ohio) Public Library; E.M. Roublow, Los Angeles Public Library; James C. Scholtz, Yankton (S.D.) Community Library; Tricia A. Segal, Fort Vancouver (Wash.) Regional Library; Aletheia Turner, Plymouth (Minn.) Community Library; Leigh D. Barnett, Episcopal School of Dallas; Josephine Caisse, Bend (Ore.) Public Library, Edith E.H. Cummings, Allen County (Ind.) Public Library; Sarah I. Flowers, Morgan Hill (Calif.) Public Library; Susan L. Hill, Broward County (Fla.) Division of Libraries; Robyn M. Lupa, Jefferson County (Colo.) Public Library.