Paper Tiger

2001 Fenced OutTRT:29:30
Fenced Out documents the fight for the Christopher St. pier, a long-established hangout and safe haven for New York City’s youth of color and lower-income, homeless, lesbian, gay bisexual, transgender, questioning and two-spirited youth. In the summer of 2000, development for a state park began “fencing out” the kids, with support from residents of nearby waterfront properties. “You are lowering the property value,” notes one police officer bluntly. The video examines the clash between the groups that claim ownership of the pier, from the perspective of the youths who feel it is the only place where they belong. The documentary includes interviews with “pierets” about how important the pier is in their lives, and with LGBTQ activists about the history of the piers and their connection to the gay liberation movement of the 60’s. It explores how the struggle to save the pier connects to a larger historical and social movement, and develops a plan of action to save them. Produced by Paper Tiger Television in collaboration with New Neutral Zone and FIERCE.

2003 Restating the UnionTRT:29:30
While well-rehearsed, well-choreographed, and written better than most Hollywood movies, George Bush''s 2003 State of the Union Address somehow dropped the ball in the fact-checking department. Paper Tiger''s "Restating the Union Address" attempts to correct the record. Featuring pop-ups correcting George''s most obvious blunders, it also includes interviews with scores of anti-war demonstrators in Manhattan, Washington D.C. and the Bronx. It is rounded out with a counter military recruitment segment. All-in-all a fabulous 28 minutes to counter war hysteria. Restating the Union also features a segment from the PTTV/Impact Coalition/Bronx Defenders production "War and the Economy" where High School students from the Bronx, Manhattan and Brooklyn look at how the threat of war with Iraq would economically impact the communities of New York.

1991 Luis R. Beltran Tunes in to Bolivian Miners' RadioTRT:29:30
South American scholar Luis Beltran describes the creation and activities of the radical Bolivian miners' radio station poised in the Andes Mountains. For twenty years this radio station has been the voice of miners, peasants and working people. Beltran cites this example as a model for people empowering themselves and fighting for their right to access communications resources. Truly inspiring! Produced in collaboration with Paper Tiger Columbus.

1993 Call It What It Is: PTTV West Looks at Domestic Violence and the MediaTRT:29:30
By establishing a relationship between personal experiences with domestic violence and the media's coverage of this issue, this tape challenges the viewer to examine the social forces which contribute to violence against women and children in the home. This video explores the number of ways the media's representation of domestic violence stories tend to isolate and obscure the seriousness of a social epidemic which causes more injury to women than all accidents, rapes and muggings combined.

1983 Richie Perez Watches "Fort Apache: The Bronx"TRT:29:30
In this show NYC activist Ritchie Pérez gives an in-depth look at the campaign to counteract the negative depictions of Puerto Rican and Blacks in the film Fort Apache: The Bronx. The campaign challenged the right of filmmakers to use racist and stereotypical images and to exploit the poverty conditions in the ghetto. Fort Apache: the Bronx dealt with real issues in the Puerto Rican and Black community such as poverty, police brutality, housing abandonment and decaying communities but failed to show the root causes and instead blamed the problems on the community. The campaign as described by Pérez proved that it is possible to have a unified, collective action against media racism. A clear description of the media’s power to amplify and perpetuate harmful stereotypes is followed by an overview of the movie industry, and how the increasing media conglomeration is connected to banks and to the cable industry. Pérez gives an overview of the tactics that were used in the campaign, including boycotts, breaking media blackouts to get media attention, garnering a broad cross section of multi-cultural support, targeting key players and most importantly creating the context in which media needs to be judged by individuals in the public for racism, sexism and classism. This show is an ideal primer for activists looking to directly confront the media and provides a historical context for current media reform work.

1985 Joan Does DynastyTRT:29:30
Hampshire College professor and stand-up theorist Joan Braderman takes on power and desire in TV's campiest series. "Joan Does Dynasty," a classic in feminist media deconstruction, is a hilarious look at the materialistic 80's in the context of the ordinary working person's life. Superimposing herself over portions of "Dynasty" and into the bedrooms, office suites and maids' quarters of the super rich, Braderman asks, "Why do Joan Does Dynasty100 million people in 78 countries welcome this department store of dressed-to-kill aliens into their homes every week?" Co-Director Manual Delanda. Screened at the Whitney Museum of American Art (2007) and New Museum of Contemporary Art in NYC (2008).