Sandra Itkoff Movies

The story of V. Gene Robinson, who became the first openly gay bishop in the Episcopal Church when he was elected bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of New Hampshire in 2003. The documentary accompanies him to President Barack Obama's 2009 inauguration, small-town churches, and a 2008 Anglican gathering in London. ~ Jeff Gemmill, Rovi

Israeli documentarian Yoav Shamir's Checkpoint was a cinéma vérité-style exploration of the daily intractable confrontations between Israeli soldiers and Palestinian citizens at several border checkpoints. For Defamation, Shamir adopts a completely different filmmaking style. Defamation, which explores anti-Semitism, is a more personal "essay film," in the style of Michael Moore or Nick Broomfield. (The filmmaker has described it as "a personal journey.") Shamir dispenses with subjectivity, appearing on camera to ask pointed questions, and explaining his point-of-view in a wry voice-over. Claiming that, having lived in Israel all his life, he's never experienced anti-Semitism (though he points out he's read a lot about it in Israeli newspapers), Shamir travels to America to discover what the phenomenon is all about. He goes to New York, where he looks into alleged incidents of anti-Semitism that turn out to be relatively minor. He also meets Abe Foxman, who heads up the Anti-Defamation League.

After spending some time traveling the world with Foxman, the filmmaker worries that while the ADL's purported purpose is to fight discrimination and bigotry, in practice, the group appears to be using the fear of anti-Semitism to bolster uncritical support for the state of Israel. Shamir contrasts Foxman's access to power with the struggles of embattled, controversial academic Norman Finkelstein, author of The Holocaust Industry, and, like Foxman, the son of Holocaust victims. The filmmaker also travels with a group of Israeli high school students on their traditional class trip to Auschwitz. Shamir suggests that there's a danger in exposing the youngsters to this traumatic experience of the most hateful anti-Semitism just before they enter their mandatory military service. Shamir was granted unfettered access to Foxman and the ADL, and the organization later issued a statement criticizing Shamir and the film. ~ Josh Ralske, Rovi

Cadillac Desert: Water and the Transformation of Nature - An American Nile is part of an award-winning documentary series that depicts the use and misuse of water in the American West. Based on Marc Reisner's book, Cadillac Desert, the episode takes an in-depth look at the damming of the Colorado River and how it became the most "controlled, litigated, domesticated, regulated, and over-allocated river in the history of the world." The 60-minute program, which aired originally on PBS, is narrated by Alfre Woodard and includes modern shots of the river as well as archival footage. The other three volumes in the series are: Cadillac Desert: Water and the Transformation of Nature - Mulholland's Dream, Cadillac Desert: Water and the Transformation of Nature - The Mercy of Nature, and Cadillac Desert: Water and the Transformation of Nature - Last Oasis.

~ Kathleen Wildasin, Rovi

Cadillac Desert: Water and the Transformation of Nature - Last Oasis is part four of a four-volume award-winning documentary series that depicts the use and misuse of water in the American West. Based on Sandra Postel's book, Last Oasis, the episode takes an in-depth look at how America's large dams became prototypes for projects in developing countries. The Three Gorges Dam in China and the Sardar Sarovar Project on India's Narmada River are featured. The 60-minute program, which aired originally on PBS, is narrated by Alfre Woodard. The other three volumes in the series include: Cadillac Desert: Water and the Transformation of Nature - Mulholland's Dream, Cadillac Desert: Water and the Transformation of Nature - An American Nile, and Cadillac Desert: Water and the Transformation of Nature - The Mercy of Nature. ~ Kathleen Wildasin, Rovi