S2.E8 ∙ Making Africa Laugh

A group of artists are making sure people do not forget the ideals the June forth crackdown was meant to crush.

People have several needs. Food and water. Safety and security. Shelter. Taking a whole-systems approach, green-builders Sean Sands and Pete Matheson strive to integrate these considerations into the homes they build, low-cost dwellings that utilize both natural and waste-stream/reclaimed materials, homes that are designed for efficiency, simplicity and sustainability. Drawing inspiration from the seminal local-eating and local food tome 'The 100 Mile Diet,' a blueprint for '100 Mile Housing' begins to take shape, an approach to housing and lifestyles change that advocates local solutions and local empowerment for those interested not just in experimental building, but in building lives and communities that can be sustained in perpetuity.

Human existence is oblivious to Nature. We don't live in fear of natural disaster. The rhythm of life is fast and self absorbed in the human world. When nature stretches and moves, we call it a Catastrophe. Our very survival is threatened. Earthquakes, hurricanes, volcanoes, monsoons, forest fires, Tsunamis, Tornadoes and other events in nature result in dire circumstances for human populations. Nature steps on centers of human population like people step on ant hills...by accident...but the damage is already done. Ants regroup and rebuild immediately as a unit...heroic in their efforts. Do humans have that level of heroism in the face of an environmental catastrophe? Who exemplify this level of non-judgmental selfless heroism? There are heroes. This movie is a short story of hope.

The Cantinera is a story of a woman who was forced by her mother to drink with men in Latin bars when she was thirteen years old. Twenty three years later, she is still drinking thirty beers a night, five nights a week, but longs for sobriety and a second chance.

This video is a documentary on the current state of the Pit River in Northern California. It shows how the new flows are affecting the fish and the angling experience on the river. After the FERC re licensing process CalTrout helped achieve higher flows which seem to be better for the fish but make the river a harder for anglers to get around.

DEMOKARASI is a journey at the heart of the 2010 electoral race in Burundi, a little East African country, struggling to get out of 16 years of civil war. DEMOKARASI is the story of Alexis Sinduhije, a former journalist who founded is own political party in 2008. Trough is fight for democracy in his country, we live the 2010 elections as he did. Alexis Sinduhije will experience hope, as well as the harsh reality of international community and acts of intimidation by the government. After an assassination attempt and strong pressure against all opposition party leaders, what will he choose? To stay or to go into exile? DEMOKARASI is a thought about the long march to democracy, this never-ending march full of obstacles... and small victories.