Turning Tide Productions • Video Documentaries by Robbie Leppzer

Award-winning video documentaries about contemporary social issues,
grassroots activism, and multicultural perspectives produced by Turning Tide Productions.
Directed by nationally acclaimed independent filmmaker Robbie Leppzer.

"A filmmaker unafraid to go against the tide."
—Rhonda Stewart, THE BOSTON GLOBE

"Filmmaker Robbie Leppzer is remarkably sensitive regarding the nuances of his subject matter and protagonists. The result is filmmaking that is both compelling and thought provoking."
—Geoff Gilmore, Director, Sundance Film Festival

Click on title for full page description.

BEATING THE ODDS: Inside Five Urban Charter Schools
Narrated by Sarah Jones
• Just Released!
• Watch Excerpt Of The Film On-Line

An inside look at five 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. Viewable in 18 chapters which range in length from 3 to 19 minutes.
111 minutes • DVD

THE PEACE PATRIOTS
• Watch Excerpts Of The Film On-Line
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.
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

“As a documentary filmmaker, Robbie Leppzer defies the censorship masterminded by the mass media to let the voices of students of all ages, combat veterans, teachers, clergy and all the outraged speak for themselves. THE PEACE PATRIOTS humanizes political activism by focusing on the eloquence of everyday people. This film has helped to awaken and empower our students."
     —Shane Boeder, Ph.D., Professor of Foreign Languages, Marian College

“THE PEACE PATRIOTS is a powerful portrayal of activism. As a college professor who is interested in exposing students to nonviolent means of action against injustice, I have found this film to be very uplifting. I highly recommend it as a teaching tool. "
     —Abbie Jenks, Professor of Psychology and Peace Studies, Greenfield          Community College

Award-winning independent documentary filmmaker Robbie Leppzer is available for college speaking and screening presentations with a selected retrospective of his documentary films chronicling grassroots social change movements over the last three decades.

• 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

	SEABROOK 1977 • 30th Anniversary Digitally Re-Mastered Version • Watch Excerpts Of The Film On-Line In April 1977, the small coastal town of Seabrook, New Hampshire became an international symbol in the battle over atomic energy. Concerned about the dangers of potential radioactive accidents, over 2,000 members of the Clamshell Alliance, a coalition of environmental groups, attempted to block construction of a nuclear power plant in Seabrook. 1,414 people were arrested in that civil disobedience protest and jailed en masse in National Guard armories for two weeks. SEABROOK 1977 tells the story of this seminal event of 1970's environmental activism. 80 minutes • DVD "SEABROOK 1977 is an invaluable historical document." —Howard Zinn, author of A PEOPLE’S HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES
	AN ACT OF CONSCIENCE • Watch Excerpts Of The Film On-Line 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. When a young couple buys the contested home at action from the U.S. government for $5,400, they become involved in a political and moral battle much larger than what they originally bargained for. World Premiere, Sundance Film Festival. Nationally broadcast on Cinemax, Sundance Channel, and Free Speech TV. 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 "This brilliant documentary puts a human face on political protest through extraordinary acts by ordinary people. Never romaticized, AN ACT OF CONSCIENCEshows the human costs and dilemmas of living by one's convictions." —Marty Haas, Professor of HIstory, Adelphi University
	HEALING THE WOUNDS OF WAR A film about conflict transformation and the work of the Karuna Center For Peacebuilding, a U.S.-based organization, which brought together Serb and Muslim teachers seeking to rebuild and reunite their devastated communities in the aftermath of the war in Bosnia. 40 minutes • DVD “Dialog is so very important. We will never be able to move forward if we aren’t able to sit at the same table and listen to each other’s needs, wishes, and hopes.” —Senka Jakupovic, Bosnian Teacher
	VOICES FOR PEACE Featuring Nobel Peace prize laureates Mairead Maguire and Adolfo Perez Esquivel, grassroots peace activists speak out in New York City and Washington, DC soon after the September 11 attacks. They raise critical questions about U.S. foreign and military policy, the impact of war on innocent civilians, the erosion of civil liberties in the U.S., and the root causes of violence in the world. An effective discussion catalyst to widen the scope of debate about U.S. responses to terrorism. Nationally broadcast on Free Speech TV. 25 minutes • DVD "VOICES FOR PEACE is an inspirational boost, letting those who oppose war know they are not alone." —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. Broadcast on Public Television. Award of Merit, Latin American Studies Association. 24 minutes • DVD
	Browse our entire video collection of social issue and multicultural video documentaries available for purchase by educational institutions, libraries and community organizations. • DOWNLOAD CATALOG (PDF Format) • REQUEST A CATALOG (Send us your postal address and we will mail you a printed color catalog.) Special Note: Our catalog currently only features short descriptions of each title. For complete descriptions, click on titles in our Video Collection section.
	Turning Tide Productions offers an array of digital video services including videography, editing, and DVD authoring of conferences and other educational events.

Photo Credits: All website photos by Robbie Leppzer, unless otherwise noted.

Intro Page Photo Credits: Richard Bancroft (upper right), Sara Elinoff (lower right).

Home Page Photo Credits: Diane Greene Lent (VOICES FOR PEACE cover), Richard Bancroft (catalog cover), Sara Elinoff (Leppzer photos).

FAIR USE NOTICE For Press Articles Contained on this Website.