• Why Poverty? Park Avenue: Money, Power, and the American Dream

    A film by Alex Gibney 2012

    On New York’s Park Avenue, number 740 in Manhattan is home to the highest concentration of billionaires in the US. Just four miles away, in the South Bronx, that same avenue runs through the country’s poorest congressional district, where upward mobility seems increasingly out of reach.

  • Why Poverty? Poor Us: An Animated History of Poverty

    A film by Ben Lewis 2012

    Viewers travel on a dreamlike animated journey through the history of poverty—from the conditions of early hunter-gatherers to today’s financial meltdown—to examine attitudes, drivers, and solutions.

  • Why Poverty? Solar Mamas

    A film by Mona Eldaief & Jehane Noujaim 2012

    The Barefoot College in India teaches middle-aged women from poor communities to become solar engineers. Rafea Anadi risks everything to take the course, which will teach her how to bring solar power home to her Bedouin community in Jordan.

  • Why Poverty? Stealing Africa

    A film by Christoffer Guldbransen 2012

    Featuring interviews with heads of state, corporate insiders, and officials from major global financial institutions, this film investigates reports of widespread criminality by well-known multinational companies operating in Africa.

  • Why Poverty? Welcome to the World

    A film by Brian Hill 2012

    We often hear that what happens within 24 hours of a child’s birth dictates that child’s chances of survival and ability to thrive in the long term. Documenting births in Sierra Leone, Cambodia, and the United States, this film puts that idea to the test.

  • Red Hook Summer. This image is unavailable under the 4.0 Creative Commons license.

    Red Hook Summer Opens in a new tab

    A film by Spike Lee 2012

    Flik Royale’s summer vacation is upended when he’s sent from suburban Atlanta to stay with his preacher grandfather in the projects of Brooklyn.

  • This image is unavailable under the 4.0 Creative Commons license.

    Raça Opens in a new tab

    A film by Joel Zito Araújo and Megan Mylan 2012

    Three black Brazilians — the country’s only black senator, a pop star, and a granddaughter of slaves — create a vibrant portrait of a people fighting for racial equality in a country where half the population is of African descent.

  • One Day  on Earth. This image is unavailable under the 4.0 Creative Commons license.

    One Day on Earth Opens in a new tab

    A film by Kyle Ruddick 2012

    Shot by volunteer filmmakers in every country of the world over the 24 hours of October 10, 2010, this documentary is a mesmerizing portrait of the wonders and perils of our planet.

  • Half The Sky. This image is unavailable under the 4.0 Creative Commons license.

    Half the Sky Opens in a new tab

    A film by Maro Chermayeff, Jamie Gordon, and Mikaela Beardsley 2012

    Shot in 10 countries, this four-hour series follows journalist Nicholas Kristof and celebrity advocates as they meet with women and girls who are living under some of the most difficult circumstances imaginable — and bravely fighting to change them.

  • Poster frame for Free Angela. This image is unavailable under the 4.0 Creative Commons license.

    Free Angela and All Political Prisoners Opens in a new tab

    A film by Shola Lynch 2012

    After 40 years, Angela Davis speaks frankly about the actions that catapulted her from a 26-year-old UCLA professor to a ’70s revolutionary icon, branded her as a terrorist, and spurred a worldwide fight for her freedom.

  • This film explores how prejudice, silense, and stigma allowed HIV to spread deep into the black community. This image is not available under the 4.0 Creative Commons license.

    Endgame: AIDS in Black America Opens in a new tab

    A film by Renata Simone 2012

    A groundbreaking exploration of one of the United States’ most urgent, preventable health crises.

  • Poster frame for Elena. This image is unavailable under the 4.0 Creative Commons license.

    Elena Opens in a new tab

    A film by Petra Costa 2012

    Elena, a young woman who lived under the military dictatorship in Brazil, which caused the exile of many artists, moves to New York to become an actress but is lost to suicide. Years later, her younger sister struggles to come to terms with Elena’s absence. Impressionistic images of water create a dreamlike mood.