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, 10pm and Saturday, 7pm.
Access News — Melbourne community TV, Channel 31, has excellent coverage of industrial, environmental and community actions throughout Victoria. Access News broadcasts every Monday at 8pm. Phone (03) 9525 3551 to contact the producers or make a donation.
CATv — Subverting the one-way media via CATv's regular Sydney program. CTS Sydney, every Thursday, 10.30pm, CTS UHF 31. Phone Karina at (02) 9557 3223 or John at 9569 4963. Visit the web page at National Indigenous Documentary Series: Shifting Shelter — This program introduces four young survivors of assimilation in northern NSW. It offers an insight into the lives of Australia's indigenous youth. ABC-TV, Thursday, October 16, 8.30pm.
Movie: Friends (1993) — Three South African women — one black, one Afrikaans and one English — share a friendship despite the pressures of apartheid. SBS, Friday, October 17, 12.45am.
Australian Biography: Zelda D'Aprano — Robin Hughes interviews Zelda D'Aprano, union activist and feminist, who talks about her childhood, family and early marriage, her work in the unions, her membership of the Communist Party and eventual disillusionment with its ideals. SBS, Sunday, October 19, 7pm.
Stories My Country Told Me — Eqbal Ahmad, professor of international relations in Middle Eastern studies at Hampshire College in Massachusetts, was born in India and active in the Algerian independence struggle and the anti-Vietnam War movement in the US. In this program, he travels over 1600 km along the Grand Trunk Road from Calcutta to Lahore, a journey he last undertook when he was 13 years old as a refugee when India was partitioned. SBS, Sunday, October 19, 7pm.
Malcolm X: Make it Plain — The conclusion of the three-part portrait of Malcolm X. SBS, Sunday, October 19, 11.30pm.
The Struggle for Russia — Part two of a documentary exploring Boris Yeltsin's presidency. SBS, Monday, October 20, 12.15am.
Cracks in the Mask — A century ago, the Torres Strait Islands were the subject of the Cambridge Anthropological Expedition, which resulted in a drastic depletion of their cultural artefacts. In a quest to reclaim the past, Ephraim Bani travels from the islands to the museums of Europe where his heritage lies. SBS, Tuesday, October 21, 8.30pm.
The Big House: From the Inside and Going Straight — It is 10 years since David Goldie's hard-hitting film about Australia's prisons, Out of Sight, Out of Mind, was screened. In these two sequels, Goldie tracks down prisoners he spoke to in the original film and attempts to discover the impact of imprisonment on their lives. ABC-TV, Tuesday, October 21, 8.30pm, and Wednesday, October 22, 8.30pm.
Being There: Antarctica — The BBC's Being There series brought together the world's top wildlife camera-people to film the habitat dearest to them. Their only brief was that their films give the viewer the feeling of being there. ABC-TV, Wednesday, October 22, 8pm.
National Indigenous Documentary Series: Night Patrol — The Night Patrol is an all-women group which keeps the peace in Yuendumu, outback NT. A close look at how an Aboriginal community controls its own affairs. ABC-TV, Thursday, October 23, 8.30pm.