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Documentary series focusing on great American artists and personalities.

When Dr. Haing S. Ngor was forced into labor camps by the Khmer Rouge, little did he know he would escape years of torture and recreate his experiences in a film that would win him an Academy Award®. "The Killing Fields of Dr. Haing S. Ngor" tells the dramatic story about arguably the most recognizable survivor of the Cambodian genocide, a man who became a worldwide ambassador for justice in his homeland, only to be murdered in a Los Angeles Chinatown alley - a case still muddled with conspiracy theories. Through an inspired blend of original animation and rare archival material - anchored by Ngor's richly layered autobiography - the years encapsulating the Khmer Rouge's tyrannical rule over Cambodia are experienced though a politically charged transnational journey of loss and reconciliation.

What happens when religiously conservative Christian parents have children who "become homosexual?" FAMILY FUNDAMENTALS is filmmaker Arthur Dong's personal attempt to answer that explosive question.

It was the swinging 30s. The big bands of the 40s. It was San Francisco night life Baghdad by the Bay. And the crowds were packing the nation's premiere all-Chinese nightclub, Forbidden City. Like the Cotton Club of Harlem which featured America's finest African American entertainers, Forbidden City gained an international reputation with its unique showcase of Chinese American performers in eye-popping all-American extravaganzas. Part That's Entertainment and part PBS, Forbidden City, U.S.A. captures this little-known chapter of entertainment history and takes it center stage.

Hollywood Chinese is a captivating look at cinema history through the lens of the Chinese American experience. Directed by triple Sundance award-winning filmmaker, Arthur Dong, this documentary is a voyage through a century of cinematic delights, intrigues and treasures. It weaves together a wondrous portrait of actors, directors, writers, and movie icons who have defined American feature films, from the silent era to the current new wave of Asian American cinema. At once entertaining and enlightening, Hollywood Chinese reveals long-untold stories behind the Asian faces that have graced the silver screen, and weaves a rich and complicated tapestry, one marked by unforgettable performances and groundbreaking films, but also by a tangled history of race and representation.

A veteran film critic explores the legacy of Cannes Film Festival regular Pierre Rissient.

Sewing Woman chronicles the bittersweet journey of one woman's determination to survive: from an arranged marriage in old China to working class comforts in modern America. Produced over 18 years ago, this classic film continues to screen widely and is now treasured by a new generation of film goers it is considered by many cinema enthusiasts as an early prototype for the personal-diary genre made popular today with the recent handi-cam video explosion. Sewing Woman is based on a series of oral histories and the life story of the filmmaker's mother, Zem Ping Dong, an immigrant who has worked in San Francisco garment factories for over 30 years. With a candid first-person monologue spoken by veteran actress Lisa Lu, Sewing Woman reveals an inner strength which guides a journey through oppressive Chinese customs, U.S. immigration policies, family separation, and the conflicts of assimilation in America. Sewing Woman's story is interwoven with rare footage shot in rural villages of China and in factories of San Francisco Chinatown, treasured home movies, and intimate family photographs.

The story is about a foot-binding of Chinese women named Lotus, a traditional woman with bound feet who must decide whether or not to bind her daughter Joy's feet. Her strict, but loving Mother-in-law insists that Joy's feet be bound in order to guarantee her a secure future. Lotus, for the first time in her life does not blindly obey. She is further influenced by her good friend, Coral, a colorful performer with a traveling Cantonese opera troupe who openly challenges the outlawed custom. In the end, Lotus makes a decision which will change her daughter's life forever.

A historical account of military policy regarding homosexuals during World War II. The documentary includes interviews with several gay WWII veterans.

Winner of both the Directors and Filmmakers Trophy awards at the Sundance Film Festival, "Licensed to Kill" goes behind the media headlines of recent high-profile anti-gay murders to investigate their causes. Attacked by gay bashers in 1977, filmmaker Arthur Dong probes the hearts and minds of murderers convicted of killing gay men he faces them in one-on-one cell block interviews and asks them directly: "Why did you do it?" Probing on-camera interviews with seven convicted killers behind bars propel the narrative drive of "Licensed To Kill." These inmates include a wide range of distinct profiles: a young man who claims he justifiably killed as protection from his victim's sexual advances - a defense known as "homosexual panic"; a self-loathing, religious gay man who killed because of his own homosexual tendencies; a victim of child abuse who feared losing his manhood; an army sergeant angry over the gays in the military debate; and a self-described homeboy looking for easy prey.

Public is based as a poem written by filmmaker Arthur Dong in 1969 and marks his debut as an artist whose work continues to delve into the politics and human tragedy of social injustice. Public explores a child's reactions to social mores and violence to skewer the hypocrisy of oppressive norms.

"Living Music for Golden Mountains" is a touching portrait of Leo Lew, an immigrant who toiled as a laundry worker but kept spiritually alive through his love of music.

A tribute to director William Wyler consisting of interviews and excerpts from his many classic films.

Presents a biography of Nobel Prize winning author Isaac Bashevis Singer as he converses with friends in a popular cafeteria, responds to post-lecture questions, and addresses people in his study.

The modern dance choreographers Alwin Nikolais and Murray Louis jointly and individually led many companies. The two developed the Nikolais/Louis dance technique together. In 1999 the dance companies representing their work were phased out

Surely one of the most profound and outrageous influences on the times following World War I, was the group of a dozen or so taste-makers who lunched together at New York City's Algonquin Hotel.

In the summer of 1931, three young idealists, Harold Clurman, Cheryl Crawford and Lee Strasberg, were inspired by a passionate dream of transforming the American theater.

Documentary about acclaimed screenwriter Waldo Salt.

Danny Kaye was a great American entertainer with an enormous creative range, encompassing dance, popular song, classical music, complicated verse, impersonation and improvisation, which melded together into an utterly unique style.

Even in her eighties, the legendary Lena Horne has a quality of timelessness about her. Elegant and wise, she personifies both the glamour of Hollywood and the reality of a lifetime spent battling racial and social injustice.

Television and radio pioneer Jack Paar has been called the most imitated personality in broadcasting. He virtually created the late-night talk show format as the host of The Tonight Show, one of televisions longest running programs.

Playwright Arthur Miller, director Volker Schlöndorff and actor Dustin Hoffman are seen creating the Roxbury Productions and Punch Productions teleplay Mort d'un commis-voyageur (1985).

Using film clips and photos, the art and history of vaudeville (1890-1930s) is illustrated.

About the musician, poet and composer Lou Reed. The rebel who made rock and roll into avant garde.

Isamu Noguchi was a sculptor, designer, architect, and craftsman. Throughout his life he struggled to see, alter, and recreate his natural surroundings.