Actively Radical TV — Sydney community television's progressive current affairs producers tackle the hard issues from the activist's point of view. CTS Sydney (UHF 31), every Sunday, 4-7pm.
Access News — Melbourne community TV, Channel 31, has excellent coverage of industrial, environmental and community actions throughout Victoria. Access News broadcasts focus on community news every Monday, 7pm; environmental news Tuesdays, 7.30pm; and trade union news Thursdays, 8pm. Phone (03) 9525 3551 to contact the producers or make a donation.
Great Crimes and Trials of the Twentieth Century: The Rosenbergs — Set the video! An account of the one the most shameful frame-ups in history. Desperate to explain how the Soviet Union developed atomic weapons, the US government charged Julius and Ethel Rosenberg with stealing the technology and passing it on to Moscow. Despite worldwide appeals and flimsy evidence, the Rosenbergs were executed. ABC TV, Friday, July 5, 2.15am.
Richard Leakey: Africa's Wildlife Warrior — The story of the controversial palaeontologist's foray into Kenyan politics. It tells how Leakey turned Kenya's Wildlife Service into one of the most effective conservation organisations in the world, saving Kenya's elephants from extinction. He has now turned his attention to eradicating corruption and tyranny. Is Leakey a colonialist, as the regime charges, or a genuine democrat? SBS, Friday, July 5, 8.30pm.
Survival on the Reef — An exploration of the Great Barrier Reef and the survival strategies of marine creatures. ABC TV, Saturday, July 6, 12.30pm.
Australian Biography: Veronica Brady — A profile of the progressive WA nun. She has spoken out about the Vatican's stance on abortion, homosexuality and contraception, and in the 1980s was a strong supporter of the movement against US intervention in Central America. SBS, Saturday, July 6, 4.30pm.
Freedom on my Mind — Second part of the documentary about the civil rights movement in the US, specifically the fight to register black voters in Mississippi in the early 1960s. SBS, Sunday, July 7, 10.30am.
It Was a Wonderful Life — Narrated by Jodie Foster, this powerful film follows the triumphs and hardships of six educated and articulate women, now homeless after divorce, illness or unemployment. The US is exposed as a society unable to deal with the growing number of "used to haves". SBS, Monday, July 8, 12.30am.
The Best of Kam Yan — Every night this week, ABC will re-screen these programs which introduce viewers to the many and varied communities where indigenous Australians live. Begins Monday, July 8, 6pm.
Ochres — The dance production by the renowned Bangarra Dance Theatre, recorded in the sunken garden of the University of WA during the 1996 Festival of Perth. ABC TV, Wednesday, July 10, 8.30pm.
My Life as I Live it — Narrated by Essie Coffey, this film updates her earlier film, My Life as an Aboriginal, to explore changes in the lives of Aboriginal people since. ABC TV, Thursday, July 11, 9.30pm.
In Conversation with Edward Said — Tariq Ali interviews the radical Palestinian intellectual about history, culture and the politics of Palestine. SBS, Saturday, July 13, 2.30pm.
From Sand to Celluloid — Six short films from indigenous Australian film makers allow stories to be told that racist Australia has tried to smother. SBS, Sunday, July 14, 8.30pm.
The Gluckman Files — Pathologist Jonathon Gluckman, long-time servant of the apartheid regime, spilled the beans on the extent of deaths in custody after the "reforming" government of F.W. de Klerk ignored his findings. SBS, Sunday, July 14, 11.45pm.
Half the Sky — In 1949, Mao Zedong said: "Women can do whatever men do, they are half the sky". This documentary investigates the truth of Mao's dictum in contemporary China. SBS, Wednesday, July 17, 8.30pm.