KUED Programs

Baffled by his dad's reluctance to change his traditional soul food diet in the face of a health crisis, filmmaker Byron Hurt sets out to learn more about this culinary tradition and it's relevance to black cultural identity. The African American love affair with soul food is deep-rooted, complex, and in some tragic cases, deadly. This film puts this culinary tradition under the microscope to examine both its benefits and consequences. Hurt looks at the socioeconomics of predominantly black neighborhoods, where it can be difficult to find healthy options and wonders if soul food has become an addiction in his community.

This documentary investigates one of America's most shameful and best kept secrets: the epidemic of rape within the U.S. military. The film paints a startling picture of the extent of the problem -- today, a female soldier in combat zones is more likely to be raped by a fellow soldier than killed by enemy fire. The Department of Defense estimates there were a staggering 22,800 violent sex crimes in the military in 2011. Among all active-duty female soldiers, 20 percent are sexually assaulted. Female soldiers aged 18 to 21 accounted for more than half of the victims.

Two strangers -- an elderly American man and a young Chinese woman -- pursue a marriage brokered by the internet, but they get more than they bargained for when she moves across the Pacific to start a new life with him in America.

Tucked away on the eastern edge of New Orleans, a community of Vietnamese refugees has thrived for 30 years in a neighborhood they call Versailles. This film recounts the residents successful fight against the opening of a toxic government-imposed landfill after Hurricane Katrina struck and transformed their neighborhood.

Border Patrol agents, Native Americans, smugglers, ranchers, retirees and samaritans form a constellation of people engaged with the Arizona/Mexico border on a daily basis -- policing it, inhabiting it, crossing it, working it, making it safer or simply feeling its consequences. But at the center of it all is the migrant. "The Undocumented" tells the story of the migrants who die while trying to cross an unforgiving desert in search of a better life.

President Mohamed Nasheed of the Maldives is a man with a bigger problem than any other world leader has ever faced -- the literal survival of his country and everyone in it. After bringing democracy to the Maldives, he must now ensure that his tiny country doesn't disappear under rising sea levels. That means capturing the attention of global superpowers, forging alliances, persuading the skeptical, and learning the ropes of international political horse-trading. Despite the size of his country and his political challenges at home, Mohamed Nasheed has become one of the leading international voices for urgent action on climate change.

When a Kuwaiti psychologist launches a comic series with 99 superheroes based on the 99 virtues of Allah, he runs up against suspicion from Muslims and the harsh realities of the global marketplace.

This program traces the evolution and legacy of Wonder Woman. From the birth of the comic book superheroine in the 1940s to the blockbusters of today, this film looks at how popular representations of powerful women often reflect society's anxieties about women's liberation.

The House I Live In": As America remains embroiled in overseas conflicts, a less visible war is taking place at home, costing countless lives, destroying families and inflicting untold damage on future generations of Americans. For over 40 years, the War on Drugs has accounted for 45 million arrests, made America the world's largest jailer and damaged poor communities at home and abroad. Yet for all that, drugs are cheaper, purer and more available today than ever before. This program captures heart-wrenching stories at all levels of America's drug war -- from the dealer to the grieving mother; the narcotics officer to the senator; and the inmate to the federal judge. "As I Am": This short film floats through South Memphis resident Chris Dean's landscape, revealing the lives that have shaped his world. Poetic and powerful imagery combines with the young philosopher's trenchant observations about life.