Archive

Inlaws and Outlaws

Aired April 1st, 2008 at 10:00 p.m.

What happens when you ask everyone you know—gay, straight, married and single—what they know about marriage and love? Inlaws & Outlaws begins with their answers, unclassified by their sexual orientation or marriage status, and leans in closer to learn how each of these ordinary people found their own path to happily ever after—with more than a few surprises along the way.

There's the story of two Mormon women, secretly college sweethearts until one follows the path her parents have chosen for her and marries—with her beloved serving as her bridesmaid. There's the ex-Marine who has no idea what a happy relationship looks like until he stumbles across his future partner one night at a bar. And there's the nice girl from Brooklyn who somehow always picks the guys who don't treat her right—until she finds and marries a fellow almost too good to be true.

Honest, irreverent and compelling, Inlaws & Outlaws takes one of our time’s most divisive topics and turns it into the feel-good movie that’s as charming as it is irresistible.

Two Rivers

Aired April 8th, 2008 at 10:00 p.m.

Over ten years ago, Glen Schmekel went for a walk on his property in Twisp, Washington. Deep in thought, he began to ponder the history of his town. The original inhabitants, the Methow Indians, had been rejected by the white population, sent out of their own land, and prohibited from fishing and harvesting. Schmekel sought a way to connect with them and make peace. Soon after, he coincidentally made contact with two Native American leaders, who agreed to meet with the purpose of finding common ground. The rest is history. The story of this unlikely friendship unfolds as the Native Americans begin to disclose the pain and hurt caused by their racial differences. They vent frustration about racism against them, the intolerance of American policies, and feelings of helplessness. Two Rivers captures their road to discovery and understanding of each other using touching interviews, songs, memoirs, and letters. It underlines that, with the willingness to listen, giant strides are made toward the goal of reconciliation.

Everett DuPen, Sculptor

Aired April 15th, 2008 at 10:00 p.m.

"B.J. Bullert's brief but engrossing portrait of recently deceased sculptor Everett DuPen covers an impressive amount of ground in its 30 minutes of running time. An unvarnished look at the artist's life in his own words and those of his colleagues and family, the film also touches on the fascinating subject of reputation—which DuPen had—and renown, which he did not. University of Washington sociologists Gladys and Kurt Lang comment on the many factors which ensure the fame of certain artists' work, while contributing to the obscurity of others. The underlying message of the film is that DuPen did not achieve in life the recognition his work merited, and with this carefully crafted tribute, Dr. Bullert is doing her best to set the record straight."
--Seattle artist Gary Faigin, 2/28/07

In the Shadow of the Chief: The Baldwin and Cooper Story

Aired April 22nd, 2008 at 10:00 p.m.

A small British Columbia town, a daunting mountain face and two young climbers come together to create a legacy of adventure and spirit. Set in picturesque Squamish, In the Shadow of the Chief follows the mountaineers Jim Baldwin and Ed Cooper as they climb the "unclimbable" mountain face, the Stawamus Chief. Looking past the climb itself, we see the roots of a bustling climbing destination grow and a community that comes together to watch in awe as they cheer “their boys” on the ascent that made history.

Miss Chinatown USA

Aired May 6th, 2008 at 10:30 p.m.

After being crowned Miss Chinese Seattle in 2005, Seattle Sea Gal cheerleader and UW college student Katie Au moves on to compete for the title of Miss Chinatown, USA. Director Kathy Huang captures Chinese-American culture and hectic pageant life as the cameras follow Au to San Francisco, where Au struggles to find her place among the other Chinese-American girls who, unlike her, have embraced the Chinese culture. Au allows the cameras a glimpse into her life as she conquers a cultural tug-of-war common to Chinese-American households, and wrestles with self-image issues common to the pageant life. Officially selected for the Reel Women International and Tribeca Film Festivals, this film confronts issues of acculturation and multiculturalism alongside the universal challenges of coming of age.

My Friends Behind Barbed Wire

Aired May 13th, 2008 at 11:00 p.m.

In the spring of 1942, Japanese Americans in Seattle were uprooted from their homes and incarcerated first at Camp Harmony at the Western Washington Fairgrounds in Puyallup, and then in Minidoka, Idaho. Brooks Andrews, son of the white pastor of the Seattle Japanese Baptist Church, had a unique perspective on this horrific event. My Friends Behind Barbed Wire reflects on the role Brooks' father played as he moved his family from Seattle to Minidoka.

Island Roots

Aired May 13th, 2008 at 11:15 p.m.

Upon immigrating to the United States in the mid 1920s, Filipino Americans struggled to make a living in a new land, working summers at Alaskan canneries and winters in Bainbridge Island's strawberry fields, which were largely owned by Japanese Americans. When Japanese Americans were interned during World War II, the Filipinos became stewards of the land, harvesting crops and even paying taxes, ensuring the Japanese American residents of Bainbridge Island had a home to return to.

On a Wing and a Prayer: An American Muslim Learns to Fly

Aired May 20th, 2008 at 10:00 p.m.

Monem Salam has always dreamed of flying airplanes. Unfortunately, as an American Muslim in a high-security, post-9/11 world, the odds are against him—Monem faces FBI investigation, opposition from his family, and the dreaded "no-fly list" when he announces that he's seeking a pilot's license. Much to his wife Iman's chagrin, he enrolls in flight school anyway, and together they face the demands of his pursuit of a pilot's license while holding down a full-time job, raising a family, and being Muslim, all in the Northwest college town of Bellingham, WA.

Finding Thea

Aired May 27th, 2008 at 10:00 p.m.

Washington State’s inceptive year found Norwegian immigrant Thea Christiansen Foss at the helm of Tacoma’s port trade. She became the model pioneering woman—and the model for TV's Tugboat Annie—by forging a soon-to-be burgeoning tugboat industry from the humble beginnings of a single rowboat and a prophetic eye for maritime travel. Thea and her husband, Andrew, built a Northwest legacy, including their tugboat fleet, one of the largest and most innovative on the West coast, and the publicly-owned Thea Foss Waterway along Tacoma’s waterfront. Voted “Best Local Film” in the 2006 Tacoma Film Festival, Finding Thea gathers photographs, journal entries and historical artifacts into a strong tale of an equally strong woman.