Subject: So. Studies/Sciences: Geography/Cultures

Asian Studies Series

A series of documentaries that offers in-depth studies on the geography, history, culture and people of various Asian countries; also informative perspectives on significant contemporary issues are addressed. Programs available on 19 DVDs, Digital Streaming Files or Videos; also in a 19-Disc Set. For pricing call in US: 800.876.2447/Intl. 603.434.9262 or e-mail

List of Titles

Afghanistan: Back to the Warlords

"Recommended. This documentary presents the realities of the current leadership in Afghanistan, and prompts the question, has anything really changed in the way of governance in this long warlord dominated country?" -EMRO Review
As the United States continues its efforts to bring peace to Afghanistan, this Click for more

Azerbaijan: All the President's Oil

"Highly Recommended. This excellent documentary examines the corruption of this oil-rich country and prompts the question, has anything really changed in the way of governance? Here we learn that despite its estimated $80 billion in oil reserves, Azerbaijan is presently a poorer state than it was under Soviet rule." Click for more

Bhutan: Gross National Happiness (Modernization)

"Recommended The videography in this program captures the beauty of Bhutan, a country that has been slow to change to new technologies. Life here is based upon the concepts of being happy and preserving the environment. The people have not wanted to change to modern ways. The young Royals who oversee the country Click for more

Chechnya: Blood and Belonging

"Recommended. With both sides accusing the other of atrocities, there seems little hope for compromise or a peaceful resolution to the ongoing violence in Chechnya. This program provides a good overview of the situation there. The camera crew for this documentary was smuggled across the border to avoid an escort Click for more

East Timor 1: A License to Kill

Jakarta's astonishing announcement that they would at last consider independence for East Timor is proving to be little more than a change in tactics by the real powers in East Timor, the Indonesian military. Here we establish the link between these militias - benignly known as "village police" - and the Indonesian Click for more

East Timor 2: Balibo 5 Mystery (Journalism Dangers)

Twenty-five years after five journalists were killed while witnessing a covert Indonesian invasion of East Timor, Shirley Shackleton, the widow of one of the reporters, unravels the truth behind the mystery of their deaths. Produced to present the truth, and to insure that their lives were not lost in vain, this program Click for more

India: Tibetan Prayers

"Highly Recommended. Filmed entirely on location, in the Kangra Valley, in the mountainous state of Himachal Pradesh in northern India, this documentary skillfully captures life in exile for refugees from Tibet, revealing day-to-day routines and activities without pushing any agenda on viewers. Here we see a vibrant Click for more

India, the U.S. and the World Bank

"Highly Recommended! Tigers, like many wild creatures, are in trouble of extinction. Tiger population has dropped from around 100,000 at the turn of the 20th century to only a few thousand today; for example, India's latest tiger census indicates there only around 1,400 left in its country. Activist actors Harrison Click for more

Japan: Ainu People of Hokkaido

"Recommended. This program takes us to the Ainu Museum in Shiraoi where an Ainu performer plays the mukkuri (tension jaw harp) and we are introduced to Ainu costumes, fabric, dances, language, and the animistic religious beliefs of the Ainu people. Scholarly debates concerning the origin and history of the Ainu Click for more

Japan: Concrete Jungle

"Recommended. The question raised in this documentary is: are Japan's enormous public works' programs good for Japan and its economy or are they wasteful and even dangerous? The excellent footage of some of the projects is interspersed with interviews of economists and other public figures, along with scenes of Click for more

Japan: Sumo Basho

Best Film Gold Award -Houston Intl. Film Festival
"Highly Recommended. An excellent documentary that examines the art, nobility and religious ceremony associated with Sumo wrestling." -CAITC Review
"Highly Recommended. You'll be impressed with this documentary Click for more

Kashmir: Valley of Tears

"'Letter from Kashmir: Between the Mountains' - India and Pakistan are caught in a dangerous struggle over Kashmir. But what do its people want?" -The New Yorker Magazine
Kashmir remains one of the world's most difficult problems; continuing unrest here could lead to a major conflict between India and Pakistan. Click for more

Mongolia: Icy Winds of Change

Life on the Mongolian steppe is as tough as the nation's notorious founding father, Genghis Khan, but extreme weather is now making life tougher than ever. In this classic documentary we learn how for centuries the horsemen of Mongolia have roamed freely over the vast grasslands following the pasture for their animals. Click for more

Papua New Guinea 1: Rapid Deforestation

Still drowning in the economic wake of the Asian economic crisis, Papua New Guinea is fast-tracking logging deals that threaten to choke the region in smog. The bureaucrats in Port Moresby have sold logging rights without consulting vast numbers of landowners, which could have disastrous results. And environmentalists Click for more

Papua New Guinea 2: After the Gold Rush

For 16 years millions of tons of extract waste were pumped directly in to the Ok Tedi River system in Papua New Guinea, causing serious environmental damage. For BHP, the gold and copper mine project became a public relations disaster. BHP insists that it learned only recently of the scale of environmental damage caused Click for more

Tajikistan: Another Afghanistan?

This classic documentary introduces viewers to the smallest nation by area in Central Asia, Tajikistan, which too is one of the poorest countries in the world. Emerging from generations of colonial domination by Russia, the question must be asked, is this republic leaning towards becoming another Afghanistan? The last Click for more

An Introduction to Turkmenistan

Turkmenistan is located in Central Asia and is bordered by Afghanistan, Iran, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and the Caspian Sea. Although over 80% of the country is covered by the Karakum Desert, it contains the world's third largest reserves of natural gas, giving it the potential to become another Kuwait; however, its massive Click for more

Uzbekistan: Islamic Repression

"Highly Recommended. The worldwide campaign against terrorism has heated up in Uzbekistan. Critics, including worldwide human rights monitoring groups, charge that its government has cracked down unnecessarily hard on fundamental Islamic sects under the guise of insuring public safety. The producers utilize captivating Click for more

West Papua (Indonesia): Lost Tribes of New Guinea

"Highly Recommended. This captivating documentary offers viewers a rare opportunity to view three remote tribes and their distinct ceremonies and rituals." -Educational Media Review
This fascinating documentary takes us to West Papua (formerly Irian Jaya), which is the western or Indonesian half of New Click for more