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HoustonPBS Monthly Highlights

HoustonPBS Asian-Pacific American Heritage Programming

American Experience: Victory in the Pacific

May 2 at 9 p.m.
“Take no prisoners. Fight to the bitter end.” Those were everyday words to combat troops on both sides at the end of World War II in the Pacific. And they led to an unprecedented orgy of slaughter. In this provocative, thorough examination of the final months of the war, this film looks at the escalation of bloodletting from the vantage point of both the Japanese and the Americans. As the film will show, most of the Emperor’s inner circle was determined to continue the war even after losses in the Philippines in February 1945 cut off Japan’s supply lines. And though he was warned that the country, brought to its knees by the conflict, might erupt in a Communist revolution, Emperor Hirohito believed that one last decisive battle could reverse Japan’s fortunes. The Americans, for their part, were startled by the intensity and determination of the Japanese defenders in the South Pacific. From the U.S. capture of the Mariana Islands, through the firebombing of Tokyo, and the dropping of the atomic bomb, this program chronicles the dreadful and unprecedented loss of life and the decisions made by leaders on both sides that finally ended the war.

Sugihara: Conspiracy of Kindness

May 5 at 9 p.m.
The history of World War II tells many tales of extraordinary courage. One of the most compelling and inspirational is that of Chiune Sugihara. In the face of the Nazi onslaught, this modest diplomat saved thousands of lives, using his authority to rescue fleeing Jewish refugees. This remarkable documentary chronicles the life of Sugihara and the little-known relationship between the Japanese and Jews in the 1930s and 40s.

The Living Tree

May 5 at 10:30 p.m.
The Living Tree is a collection of reconstructed stories about filmmaker Flora Moon’s Chinese and Chinese-American family and the historical events that have had significant impact on their lives. The stories explore Imperial China, the Opium Wars, the Cultural Revolution, and Cold War America.

Nature: Holy Cow

May 8 at 8 p.m.
Where did the cow come from? And what is it about cows that makes them the most successful and influential domestic animal on earth? This is the story of how people have changed the cow and how the cow has changed people.

Independent Lens: Imelda

May 10 at 10:30 p.m.
How has the former first lady of the Philippines managed to court, coddle, use, and abuse power for nearly four decades? News clips, propaganda films, home movies, vérité footage, and interviews with Imelda Marcos, her friends, and her enemies reveal her methods.

Globe Trekker: New Zealand

May 12 at 9 p.m.
Ian Wright discovers that New Zealand is a land of wonderful landscapes, ancient Maori culture and extreme sports. He arrives in Auckland and gets to know the city in true Kiwi style—”rack jumping” down 13 stories of a skyscraper. Ian travels through the city by scooter, samples possum in a Chinese restaurant, and takes in the nightlife. Heading north to the diving spot of Matauri Bay, Ian hitches a ride on an old house truck to the final resting spot of the Rainbow Warrior, the Greenpeace ship blown up by the French in 1985. The Maori community in Raffaty invites Ian to undergo the pofori ceremony to determine if he’s friend or foe. He next arrives in Rotura, where he experiences “zorb,” or rolling through the countryside in a giant, transparent sphere. Ian works on an emu farm near Wellington, visits Queenstown for more extreme sports, and ends his visit with a hike to the top of Fox Glacier.

Dances of Life

May 12 at 10 p.m.
This performance documentary reveals the cultural history and diversity of the Pacific Islands—a vibrant and complex region encompassing 25,000 islands spread over 10 million square miles of ocean in which 30 million people speak hundreds of different languages and dialects—through their “dance stories,” which for nearly 50,000 years have been an expression of Pacific Islanders’ origins, their journeys, their struggles, and their very existence. The program views dance through the eyes of the people who practice it as an art form and as a way of life. Keisha Castle-Hughes, the young star of Whale Rider, narrates.

Time of Fear

May 16 at 10 p.m.
During World War II, more than 110,000 Japanese-Americans were forced into relocation camps across the United States. This film traces the lives of the 16,000 men, women and children who were sent to two camps in southeast Arkansas, which was one of the poorest and most racially segregated places in America at that time. Through interviews with the Japanese internees and the local citizens, the program explores how the influx of outsiders overwhelmed and exposed racial tensions within the tiny, southern communities.

Independent Lens: Vietnam—The Next Generation

May 17 at 10:30 p.m.
Eight young Vietnamese, some born in the final days of the Vietnam War, others in the war’s tragic aftermath, are entrepreneurs and street kids, farmers and students, artists and engineers. Together they embody the hopes, dreams and frustrations of a new Vietnam. Through their stories, this groundbreaking program takes an in-depth look at modern-day Vietnam, where communism and capitalism are going head-to-head.

Globe Trekker: Hawaii

May 19 at 9 p.m.
Megan McCormick begins her journey on Kauai, one of the least explored Hawaiian islands. She takes part in a hula ceremony, lends a hand with the harvest, and kayaks down the Wailua River to the rainforest. Megan’s next stop is Oahu, where she takes a surfing lesson, visits the Honolulu fish market, and attends a ceremony commemorating the Pearl Harbor attack. She flies to Maui and drives to the Haleakala Crater, where she witnesses a stunning sunrise before heading into the crater’s desolate landscape. From there she’s off to Hawaii, the “Big Island,” where she goes hula pipi, rounding up cattle with the paniolas, or cowboys. Megan finds some peace after a long day at the nearby Buddhist bed and breakfast before hiking to Halimaumau, an active crater. There she sees the spectacular work of Pelli, the fire goddess and legendary creator of the islands.

Independent Lens: Cosmopolitan

May 19 at 10 p.m.
When his wife and daughter abandon him, East Indian immigrant Gopal (Roshan Seth) reinvents himself as an all-American bachelor. With women’s magazines as his guide, he pursues Mrs. Shaw (Carol Kane), the divorcee next door. But he finds there’s more to love than the pages of Cosmo would suggest.

Nature: Condition Black

May 22 at 7 p.m.
Examine the dangerous weather system that swept through Hawaii on January 28, 1998. Surfers from around the world came to the state’s famous North Shore with hopes of riding some of the largest waves ever recorded. However, the Coast Guard deemed the storm so hazardous, all access to the water was officially denied.

Nature: Violent Hawaii

May 22 at 8 p.m.
Hawaii’s breathtaking beauty was forged in fire, created by the awesome power of volcanoes on land and in the sea, by earthquakes and tsunamis, natural wonders that continue to shape the islands today. This spectacular film features volcanic eruptions, rivers of molten lava, monster waves, humpback whales, and, perhaps most surprising of all, snow.

Taiwan: Images from an Island

May 25 at 9:30 p.m.
Take a journey to Taiwan, an island of 23 million people with a democratically elected government. This program takes a look at the current political situation and its tenuous relations with its neighbor, China. It also visits one of the island’s greatest contributions to our health care system—traditional acupuncture and herbal medicine. Taiwan: Images of an Island also explores Taiwan’s tea industry and its impact on our tea drinking habits and visits the largest buddhist relief organization in the world, The Tzu chi foundation.

Wet Sand: Voices from LA 10 Years Later

May 25 at 10 p.m.
Ten years after her documentary “Sa-I-Gu” (April 29) told the anguished story of Korean Americans during the 1992 Los Angeles Civil Unrest, Dai Sil Kim-Gibson returns to Los Angeles and finds that racism and poverty remain unsolved in the inner city, if not worse. Urban wars continue among recent immigrants and African Americans in evolving racial and economic conflicts, often pitted against each other by the insulated mainstream. Wet Sand also highlights the resiliency of the communities struggling to prevent “the fire next time” and fighting for the “unrealized hope, America.”

Daughters of Everest

May 26 at 10 p.m.
Daughters of Everest brings a unique flavor to a familiar story: the attempt to climb Mount Everest. In 2000, the first-ever expedition of Sherpa women to climb Everest was organized. This captivating documentary gives a close-up account of the expedition. To the Sherpa people, the ethnic group legendary for their unmatched skill in mountaineering, the mountain is a holy place. Mount Everest is Chomolongma, “Mother Goddess of the Universe.” Ironically, Sherpa women have long been discouraged from climbing the powerful and daunting Everest, relegated instead to more traditional roles as homemakers or into support roles in the prestigious climbing industry of Nepal. The documentary follows the five diverse, charismatic women chosen for this historic expedition. Told from a woman’s perspective rarely seen on Everest or off, Daughters of Everest is both a dramatic, inspiring Everest story and an absorbing portrait of the Sherpa community.

An Untold Triumph

May 30 at 10 p.m.
Winner of the Audience Award for Best Documentary at the 2002 Hawaii International Film Festival, this film documents and honors the 7,000 men of the 1st and 2nd Filipino Infantry Regiments of the U.S. Army who fought in World War II. Even though they endured a racist prewar climate and weren’t even considered U.S. citizens, Filipinos in America rallied to join the American war effort after the fateful bombing of Pearl Harbor. On January 2, 1942, President Roosevelt signed an executive order allowing Filipinos to join the U.S. Army and form a volunteer all-Filipino unit. These troops proved to be skilled fighters and an indispensable force in freeing the Philippines from the Japanese and, ultimately, in the winning of World War II. An Untold Triumph imparts personal accounts of the men’s contributions and sacrifices during the war. Lou Diamond Phillips narrates.

Find out more about Asian Pacific Heritage Month Programming at the NAATA Website.