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 Thursday, 7pm.
Access News — Melbourne community TV, Channel 31, has excellent coverage of industrial, environmental and community actions throughout Victoria. Access News broadcasts every Monday, Thursday and Friday at 8pm. Phone (03) 9525 3551 to contact the producers or make a donation.
The Clever Country — Set the video! Cartoonist Bruce Petty's documentary takes us on an entertaining journey through our brains in search of the answer to the question "What is cleverness?". Scheduled to immediately follow parliamentary question time, it is a particularly apt question. ABC TV, Friday, September 20, 2am.
Dancing in the Street: Crossroads — In the early '60s, Chicago blues was embraced by British youth. It was later re-exported to the US in the form of the Rolling Stones, the Animals featuring Eric Clapton, and Them with Ireland's Van Morrison. The original blues greats, however, continued to die of poverty and neglect while record companies and promoters cleaned up on these young wannabes. This "white boys' blues" mutated further to become heavy metal. ABC TV, Friday, September 20, 9.30pm.
Rhodes — The story of the arch-imperialist reactionary of southern Africa, one of the architects of racial oppression in South Africa and Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe). This first of a nine-part drama epic was filmed on location in South Africa. Whether this series proves a revealing account of the politics of the time or a rosy apologetic rewriting of history, we'll have to wait and see. ABC TV, Sunday, September 22, 8.30pm.
Stalin — The Soviet peoples' finest moment was their defeat of the invading Nazi forces during the second world war. The Soviet people and the Red Army won in spite of Stalin, this documentary contends. SBS, Monday, September 23, 7.30pm.
Cuban Excludables — The story of thousands of Cuban detainees who are being held indefinitely in prisons throughout the US, many of them without any charges against them and no legal redress. SBS, Tuesday, September 24, 8.30pm.
A New World — This program is about the Survival organisation, which is campaigning for the rights of tribal people worldwide, including the Indians in the Amazon area in Brazil, the Australian Aborigines and the indigenous people of Indonesia. SBS, Wednesday, September 25, 7.30pm.
Let Her Die — This disturbing documentary reveals how hundreds of babies in India are poisoned, strangled or suffocated by their families — rich and poor — simply because they are female. The program also looks at the frightening increase in use of the ultrasound procedure to identify the sex of the foetus, resulting in 3000 abortions daily. SBS, Wednesday, September 25, 8.30pm.
Red Flag over Tibet — A documentary on the culture and history of Tibet, examining the Chinese view of the country, and looking at why the survival of the Tibetan people and culture has become an international issue. SBS, Thursday, September 26, 8.30pm.
Black Gold, Kindred Spirits — This film traces the relatively unknown history of the Wonthaggi State Coal Mine. It is the story of a small and isolated community which, by fighting for better conditions, made an important contribution to the well-being of all workers. It is also a reminder that if these gains are not defended, they can be taken away. ABC TV, Thursday, September 26, 9.30pm.