Media Edge

"30th Annual August Peace Event" (31 minutes)

The August Peace Event is held annually in memory of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki by the US on August 6th and 9th in 1945, the first and only use of atomic weapons in war. At this year's event (on August 7) John Burroughs spoke on “Challenging the Nuclear Giants to Disarm." Burroughs is a member of the international legal team representing the Marshall Islands in the International Court of Justice, developing legal cases against the nuclear-armed states for their failure to disarm as required by the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty and international law.

"The Secret US Prisons You've Never Heard of Before" (15 minutes)

Investigative journalist Will Potter is the only reporter who has been inside a Communications Management Unit, or CMU, within a US prison. These units were opened secretly, and radically alter how prisoners are treated - even preventing them from hugging their children. In his August 2015 TED Talks presentation, Potter shows us who is imprisoned here, and how the government is trying to keep them hidden. “The message was clear,” he says. “Don’t talk about this place.”

"Second Chance Citizens" (7 minutes)

What if you committed an offense and served your time in prison - now what? Unfortunately, there are enormous challenges to re-entry. One of the hardest is finding a job. The vast majority of employers won’t even let a a person with a criminal record apply. Parole requires a steady residence, but affordable housing requires background checks. There's a catch-22 at every turn. It’s no wonder that approximately two thirds of prisoners are projected to be rearrested within the first three years of release. This vicious cycle makes our community less safe, greatly affects children of incarcerated parents, and gives a life sentence to men and women who’s sentence is already over. "Second Chance Citizens" illustrates that this doesn’t have to be the case. It’s a success story of a man who re-enters society and supports his family due to an employer giving him a chance. This story can be re-created. This can happen all over America. Do you believe in second chances?

"Reclaiming Their Voice: The Native American Vote in New Mexico" (41.5 minutes)

This 2009 documentary -- directed by EMMY-winning filmmaker, Dorothy Fadiman -- documents ways in which Native Americans have been disenfranchised over centuries, in particular in voting representation. It chronicles the Laguna Pueblo tribe of New Mexico in their 2004 groundbreaking voter registration drive and the challenges they faced once Laguna voters arrived at the polls. The film also shows the Sacred Alliance for Grassroots Equality's (SAGE) fight to preserve parts of the sacred Petroglyph National Monument. 

The film is narrated by Peter Coyote and features interviews with members of the local Laguna community, including New Mexico House Representative, W. Ken Martinez. Robin H. Levin, the Community Librarian of the Fort Washakie School in Wyoming, said of the film: "Emotions run deep when viewing this insightful political documentary. The story blends sincere efforts to achieve political clout with unfortunate results that, somehow, do not shut down the hopes of Native voters in New Mexico." In 2010, the film won the “Best New Mexico Film Award” at the first Duke City Doc Festival, which later became the Albuquerque International Film Festival.

"Peak Moment" (21 minutes)

When new regulations required Salt Spring Island's meat producers to take their animals off-island for processing, local production plummeted nearly in half. In response, the Salt Spring Agricultural Alliance obtained grants to create a local meat processing facility for this important local food product. Chair Anne Macey gives a tour of the facility before it was put into use — from animal holding pens to humane harvesting, processing, meat cutting and packaging. This small local operation is a far cry from the enormous inhumane confined animal feedlot operations where most meat is processed. (No animals or meat products are portrayed in this program.)