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We invite you to explore the world through the medium of cinema. First Run's collection of award-winning films was honored in 2001 with a major retrospective at the Museum of Modern Art in New York; in 2009 we will celebrate our 30th anniversary since being founded by a group of independent filmmakers in 1979.

The films below, a sampling of our collection of nearly 300 titles, are available on DVD for private home use, though educational rights may be obtained by contacting us.

 

A Touch of Greatness
In an era when Dick, Jane, and discipline ruled America’s schools, Albert Cullum allowed Shakespeare, Sophocles, and Shaw to reign in his fifth grade public school classroom.

The UP Series
Starting in 1964 with Seven UP, renowned director Michael Apted has been following the lives of a group of children from all over England, going back to film them every seven years and examining the progression of their lives.

The Devil's Miner
An astonishing portrait of two brothers,14-year-old Basilio and 12-year-old Bernardino, working deep inside the silver mines of Cerro Rico, Bolivia, where it is an ancient belief that the Devil determines the fate of those who enter.

Mongolian Ping Pong
A ping pong ball, found floating in a stream, becomes the source of wonderment for three young boys who live in the magnificent and remote grasslands of Mongolia.

Praying with Lior
Now playing in theaters, this extraordinary, award-winning film documents the life of 12-year-old Lior Liebling, a rabbi’s son with Down syndrome and an obsessive love of prayer, in the months leading up to his Bar Mitzvah.

Howard Zinn: You Can't Be Neutral on a Moving Train
The life and times of the historian, activist and author of the best selling classic A People’s History of the United States. Features rare archival materials plus interviews with Howard Zinn, his colleagues and friends. Visit www.ZinnEdProject.org for more resources to bring Zinn’s work to the classroom.
HRW Collection

Thomas Jefferson: A View From the Mountain
From director Martin Doblmeier (Bonhoeffer, The Power of Forgiveness), a story that tears at the heart of America. This critically acclaimed film examines the life of Thomas Jefferson and his personal and public dilemma about race and slavery.

The Dancer
Watch the gifted Katja Bjorner in this fascinating film as she endures years of intensive training at the Royal Swedish Ballet School and then becomes an international ballet star.

Senator Obama Goes to Africa
Part personal odyssey and part chronicle of diplomacy in action, this timely documentary follows Senator Barack Obama as he takes an emotional journey to Kisumu, Kenya - land of his ancestry.

Dreaming

Into the Fire: American Women in the Spanish Civil War
In this enthralling documentary, 16 brave and idealistic nurses, writers and journalists who volunteered to help fight the Fascists in the Spanish Civil War, share stories of courage and commitment.

 

Linnea in Monet's Garden
A Film by Lena Anderson & Christina Bjork. From the pages of the best-selling book comes the charming animated tale of a little girl's love of the paintings of French Impressionist Claude Monet.

For the Bible Tells Me So
This provocative, entertaining documentary brilliantly reconciles homosexuality and Biblical scripture, and in the process reveals that religious anti-gay bias is based almost solely upon an often malicious misinterpretation of the Bible.

Tales of Hans Christian Andersen: The Emperor's New Clothes and Nightingale
Two films by Michael Sporn based on Hans Christian Andersen classics: The Emperor's New Clothes, featuring the voice of Regis Philbin, and Nightingale, the story of a bird who teaches a foolish emperor a lesson.
Tales of Hans Christian Andersen: The Red Shoes and The Little Match Girl
Two films by Michael Sporn based on Hans Christian Andersen classics: The Red Shoes, featuring the voice of Ossie Davis, and The Little Match Girl, featuring the voice of Academy Award winner F. Murray Abraham.
Dreaming

Shakespeare's Women & Claire Bloom
The legendary actress introduces us to Shakespeare through the roles that she played including Juliet, Portia, Rosalind, Lady Anne and Gertrude.

A Model for Matisse
A warm and richly painted portrait of the little known relationship between Henri Matisse, and the woman who inspired him to create what he proclaimed the masterpiece of his life's work: The Chapel of the Rosary in the French village of Vence.

Dreaming

War Game
Based on the best -selling book by Michael Foreman, War Game is the award-winning animated story of three English boys who leave their idyllic country lives to fight in the trenches of World War One. Featuring the voice of Kate Winslet, among others..

The Films of Michael Sporn Vol. 1
Enjoy two wonderful films on this DVD from the celebrated animation studios of Michael Sporn. Volume 1 (40 Minutes) includes the award-winning, true-life stories Whitewash and Champagne, with voices by Ruby Dee and Linda Lavin.

The Films of Michael Sporn Vol. 2
Two more films from the celebrated animation studios of Michael Sporn. Volume 2 features the voices of James Earl Jones and Danny Glover in the Lewis Carroll tale The Hunting of the Snark and the Creole folk tale The Talking Eggs.

Dreaming

Where is the World Going, Mr. Stiglitz?
Simply and eloquently, Nobel Prize winning economist Joseph Stiglitz explains, in clear and concise language that experts and non-experts alike can understand, how the world’s economy works.

With God On Our Side
What makes George W. Bush tick? While much of the world is confounded by his righteous rhetoric and his boundless certainty, Bush's story makes perfect sense to one group: America's conservative evangelicals... also known as the Religious Right.

The Global Lens Collection
Each year the Global Film Initiative tours a selection of films from the developing world across the United States, and in 2004 First Run partnered with GFI to make these titles available on DVD. Our Global Lens Collection currently includes 24 films from 16 countries.