Roses in December
directed by Bernard Stone and Ana Carrigan (New York, NY: First Run Features, 1982), 53:34 mins
On December 2, 1980 lay missioner Jean Donovan and three American nuns were brutally murdered by members of El Salvador’s security force. This “sensitive, marvelously constructed film” (Catholic New York) chronicles Jean’s life, from her affluent childhood in Connecticut, to her decision to volunteer with the Maryknolls in El Salvador, to her tragic death. An award-winning classic for the ages, Roses in December is both an eloquent memorial to the commitment of this courageous young woman and a powerful indictment of U.S. foreign policy in Central America.
The Assassination of John Lennon
in Infamous Assassinations, 4 (London, England: British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), 2007), 26:06 mins
On 8 December 1980, outside the Dakota Building, the 40-year-old Beatle was shot dead by Mark David Chapman, a young stalker who alleged that he was Lennon’s ‘double’. What were the psychological factors which drove Chapman to murder?
Rosa Parks: The Path to Freedom
produced by Kingberry Productions and WDIV-TV (New York, NY: Filmakers Library, 1996), 25:18 mins
It has been almost 60 years since the fateful day that Mrs. Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on the bus, yet the chain of events that she set in motion has changed the world forever. In honor of this anniversary, Kingberry Productions (which produced The Freedom Train) has compiled a biography of this dynamic but quiet woman, whose demand for her civil rights led to the social changes of the sixties. This documentary contains an overview of the events that took place in Montgomery, Alabama: Mrs. Parks' arrest, the bus boycott and the segregation laws that were finally overturned. It also tells the story of the Rosa Parks that few people know -- the former seamstress whose life continues to be committed to social justice for all people.
