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More than 60 years after the end of World War II, Germans and Jews still struggle with the legacies of war. This compelling film offers a new way for people to look at the complexities of the past as the filmmaker tries to reconcile her dual identity as the daughter of a German father and a Jewish mother. Through intimate interviews with both her Jewish relatives in America and her German Lutheran relatives abroad, she discovers a rich family tapestry spanning three continents, shaped by war, courage, prejudice, and fear.
The filmmaker's story and the moral dilemma from which she must free herself compel viewers to see beyond the politics of war and the climate of hate by honoring and learning from the past in order to contribute to a more compassionate future.
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"Heidi Schmidt Emberling's exploration of identity and the power of labels in her documentary, Tangled Roots, will be of interest to anyone willing to tackle the tough issues of history's legacies, repair and reconciliation, and the power of family ties. Her memories, her pictures and the voices of her German-Christian and American-Jewish family members provide a unique entry point for the most important questions people can ask about who they are and how they see "the other."" Jack Weinstein Director, SF Bay Area Facing History and Ourselves
"Tangled Roots is both an intimate portrayal of a singular story and a window into two larger themes, namely, the hybridity of Jewish existence and post-WWII relations between Jews and Germans. The film's pivots around the painful effort to break the silence and tabooization Germans imposed on themselves after the war, as well as the equally painful effort to overcome the demonization of Germany and Germans that infuses much of post-Holocaust American Judaism with a sense of difference. It is really a courageous act of charting territory that has far too long been left uncharted." Michael Zank, Asst. Prof. of Religion Boston University
"This is an outstanding film, attempting to bring the filmmaker's dual identity into a unity. There is compassion and respect in the search, and yet the questions raised are most probing. It is an excellent springboard for discussion." Rabbi Gerald Raiskin Peninsula Temple Sholom
"Tangled Roots is a moving film about bi-cultural identity and the challenge of integrating a legacy of historical trauma...a useful contribution to the post-Holocaust German/Jewish dialogue." Armand Volkas, Psychotherapist Director, Healing The Wounds of History
Heidi Emberling Heidi Schmidt Emberling is a filmmaker, freelance editor, and educator living in the Bay Area. She received an Emmy nomination for editing San Francisco: Birth of a City, the first documentary in a 12-part series about the history of San Francisco for KRON-TV, San Francisco's NBC affiliate. Other projects include editing seven short documentaries for Green Means, an environmental series for KQED-TV, San Francisco's PBS affiliate. She also produced and directed two short magazine style television pieces; Forgotten Children, about Guatemalan street kids, and Mystery Disease, about Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. In addition to her documentary work, she also edits for corporate video, news, and cable channels including HGTV (The Home and Garden Channel). She also edited for Lucasfilm's Industrial Light & Magic in both features and commercials. She has a Master's degree in Journalism from the University of California at Berkeley's Graduate School of Journalism, a Master's degree in Education from San Francisco State University, and a B.A. in Language Studies from UC Santa Cruz.
Tales from Arab Detroit
What does it mean to be Arab American? TALES FROM ARAB DETROIT is an intimate community portrait. A visiting Egyptian storyteller/bard provokes an inquiry into issues of Arab heritage and tradition in a quintessential American immigrant community. American born children-- a "7-11 girl", hiphop dancer and rapper among them-- reconcile social and cultural differences with Arab immigrant parents. Through music, poetry and the ironies of everyday life, young people face up to racial discrimination and other socio-political challenges that are simultaneously similar and different than those of youth in other ethnic communities.
Subject: Urban Studies & Environment
Still Doing It
Still Doing It explores the lives of older women. Partnered, single, straight, gay, black and white, these women, age 67-87, express with honesty and humor how they feel about sex in later years.
Subject: Women's Studies/Men's Studies
A documentary that uncovers the plight of unaccompanied immigrant minors entering the United States.
A Hard Straight
A gang member, a mother, and a small-time dealer. They served their sentences, they're on parole. Now they're about to discover that walking out the prison gates is just the beginning.
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Tales from Arab Detroit
What does it mean to be Arab American? TALES FROM ARAB DETROIT is an intimate community portrait. A visiting Egyptian storyteller/bard provokes an inquiry into issues of Arab heritage and tradition in a quintessential American immigrant community. American born children-- a "7-11 girl", hiphop dancer and rapper among them-- reconcile social and cultural differences with Arab immigrant parents. Through music, poetry and the ironies of everyday life, young people face up to racial discrimination and other socio-political challenges that are simultaneously similar and different than those of youth in other ethnic communities.
Subject: Urban Studies & Environment
Straightlaced - How Gender's Got Us All Tied Up
With a fearless look at a highly charged subject, Straightlaced unearths how popular pressures around gender and sexuality are confining American teens.
Subject: Women's Studies/Men's Studies
Still Doing It
Still Doing It explores the lives of older women. Partnered, single, straight, gay, black and white, these women, age 67-87, express with honesty and humor how they feel about sex in later years.
Subject: Women's Studies/Men's Studies
