BEATING THE ODDS: Inside Three Urban Charter Schools
Narrated by Sarah Jones
An inside look at three high-performing urban charter schools in the Boston area that serve mostly low-income, Black and Latino students, many of whom are several grade levels behind academically when they enroll. These schools set records for achievement and send the vast majority of their students on to college. Through interviews with students, teachers, and school leaders, as well as scenes depicting daily life inside the classroom and at school-wide events, BEATING THE ODDS presents an engaging examination of what makes these schools successful.
Currently under review for broadcast consideration by public television.
58 minutes • DVD

Award-winning independent documentary filmmaker Robbie Leppzer is available to speak on college campuses with a selected retrospective of his documentary films.

• Watch Interview with Robbie Leppzer on DEMOCRACY NOW!
• Download Leppzer Speaking Presentation Flyer (PDF)

       "After the screening, Leppzer skillfully elicited an usually lively and prolonged discussion. In a perceptive way, he built on the students’ knowledge and differing opinions to arrive at insights about media, democracy, and social change. His presentation was so successful that it remained a topic of conversation for the next several weeks."
       —Carlos Fontes, Ph.D., Professor of Communications,
           Worcester State College

AN ACT OF CONSCIENCE
Official Selection, Sundance Film Festival
Nationally Broadcast on Cinemax, Sundance Channel, Free Speech TV
and Link TV.

Narrated by actor Martin Sheen, this feature-length documentary chronicles the story of a family in western Massachusetts whose home was seized by federal marshals and IRS agents after they publicly refused to pay federal taxes as a protest against war and military spending. World Premiere, Sundance Film Festival.
90 minutes • DVD

"AN ACT OF CONSCIENCE is one of the most deeply moving films I’ve seen in years. Seeing this movie lifts your spirits, exhilarates, and offers hope."

        Studs Terkel
        Author of WORKING and "THE GOOD WAR"

THE PEACE PATRIOTS
Nationally Broadcast on Free Speech TV. Excerpts Nationally Broadcast on DEMOCRACY NOW! with Amy Goodman on LinkTV and Free Speech TV.

Narrated by actress and Air America Radio host, Janeane Garofalo, this feature-length documentary is an intimate portrait of American dissenters reflecting on their personal participation as engaged citizens in a time of war. The 78-minute film follows a diverse group of individuals, ranging in age from 13 to 74, including middle and high school students, college students, teachers, clergy, and war veterans from Korea, Vietnam and the Persian Gulf, as they take part in vigils, marches, theater performances, and civil disobedience sit-ins to protest the U.S.war in Iraq. Nationally broadcast on Free Speech TV.
78 minutes • DVD

Featuring contemporary music by Grammy Award winner Steve Earle, Pete Seeger, Ani DiFranco, Billy Bragg, Jonatha Brooke, Stephan Smith, Saul Williams, DJ Spooky, and original music by John Sheldon.

“In a time of sadness, thinking of the dead and maimed on both sides, THE PEACE PATRIOTS gives us hope and inspiration. I hope it will be shown widely.”
        —Howard Zinn, Author of A PEOPLE'S HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES

       

COLUMBUS DIDN’T DISCOVER US
A moving testimony about the impact of the Columbus legacy on the lives of indigenous people from North, South, and Central America. Nationally broadcast on Free Speech TV.
24 minutes • DVD

Browse our  video collection of social issue and multicultural video documentaries available for purchase by educational institutions, community organizations, and individuals. Topics include: Contemporary Social Movements, The Americas, Indigenous People, The Vietnam War, Multicultural Arts, and Substance Abuse.

Many of Robbie Leppzer’s documentaries have been filmed in Western Massachusetts, while others feature people from Western Massachusetts engaged in projects around the world. To view our documentary titles related to Western Mass, click here.