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. Ph 9565 5522.
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. Ph 9525 3551 to contact the producers or make a donation.
Artists Up Front — Stephen Baamba Albert is an actor and musician from the West Kimberley region who performed the demanding lead role in Jimmy Chi's Corrugation Road, after two years playing the lead in Bran Nue Dae. This program reveals the influences of his upbringing, together with a profound commitment to national reconciliation, which underpin his comic and magnetic stage presence. SBS, Saturday, May 30, 4pm.
You, Me, Jerusalem — In a unique collaboration of Palestinian and Israeli film-makers, this documentary presents the complexities of Jerusalem from both perspectives by focusing on an emergency clinic in West Jerusalem. The ambulance service is on a 24-hour call to all parts of the divided city, and amongst those who are on constant alert are an Arab doctor and a Jewish paramedic. SBS, Sunday, May 31, 11.30pm.
Apartheid Did Not Die — When this documentary about the record of the ANC in government was screened in South Africa on May 21, it caused a furore. John Pilger returns to South Africa after 30 years to discover that, while the open race discrimination of apartheid is being dismantled, the economic system that thrived from that racism is being reinforced as the ANC encourages the formation of a black capitalist class. ABC-TV, Tuesday, June 2, 8.30pm.
Mabo: Life of an Island Man — On June 3, 1992, the High Court upheld Eddie Mabo's claim that Murray Islanders held native title to their land. This film is about Mabo, whose name lives in the ruling that has affected Australian politics ever since. ABC-TV, Tuesday, June 2, 11.05pm.
A Healthy Baby Girl — In 1971, the US Food and Drug Administration banned the use of the synthetic hormone DES (diethylstilboestrol). From the 1940s, pharmaceutical companies marketed the drug to pregnant women to prevent miscarriage. In 1952, a study found that DES, in addition to being ineffective, was carcinogenic to offspring. Yet the drug was prescribed for another 19 years. What happened to the 9 million DES babies? SBS, Wednesday, June 3, 8pm.
Emir Ltd: Qatar — In Qatar, the immense riches that the ruling class has reaped from its oil have resulted in a huge change in lifestyle in the last 20-30 years. The older generation remembers the Bedouin way of life and mourns its passing. The younger generation — well clothed, well schooled and well fed — are looking back to the "traditional" way of life — camel breeding, horse racing, fishing and falconry — as a means of passing their ample leisure time. Meanwhile, tens of thousands of poorly paid guest workers from Asia do the dirty work. SBS, Thursday, June 4, 7.30pm.