-- A new Australian film of likely interest to libertarians is "Rabbit-Proof Fence." Per the E!Online description: "Snatched from their family by the Australian government and forced to integrate into white society, three young Aboriginal sisters decide they'll do anything to get back home--even if it means hoofing it 1,500 miles, through rocky terrain and desert without a map. Based on a true story and set in 1931, 'Fence' not only reveals a dark point in Aussie history, but tells a tale of strength and courage that appeals to everyone." "Rabbit-Proof Fence" has just been released in the U.S. You can learn more about this film and see on online trailer here.

-- The International Society for Individual Liberty has an excellent Flash "movie" introduction to libertarian ideas. You can see it here.

-- I haven't yet seen the Fox series "Firefly," but by the description generously provided by Ron Krieger, it certainly sounds interesting: "The Fox network is running a fiercely libertarian sci-fi space western series called 'Firefly,' Fridays at 8 p.m. EST. The story line, such as it is, has a broken-down itinerant tramp-steamer spaceship wandering the galaxy on off-the-books commercial runs, harboring fugitives from the evil interworld government, smuggling goods and defying authority on all planets. Not exactly Star Trek -- the federation government is the villain in this one, and the crew of rebels includes a preacher, prostitute, soldier of fortune, and an antihero captain just out to make a legal or illegal buck. It's a real hoot, created by Joss Whedon (Toy Story, Alien, Buffy the Vampire Slayer) -- more in the tradition of 'Have Gun Will Travel' than 'The Prisoner,' but definitely on the side of liberty, individualism, and unfettered free trade."

-- Court TV has produced another made-for-TV film of libertarian interest: "The Interrogation of Michael Crowe" is the true story of a 14-year old boy who was coerced into giving a false murder confession, and of his parents' heroic effort to clear him of the crime. Court TV has an excellent web page about this film and about the rights of the accused with respect to interrogation, including a movie trailer.

-- A humorous video clip on teaching your kids about taxes, by libertarian comedian Tim Slagle, is currently available to watch in Real Video here.

-- "Crime Strike," a program that focuses on citizen self-defense against crime, often including stories of individuals using private firearms to deter criminals, also takes an explicit pro- second amendment political posture. "Crime Strike" airs on different channels in different areas; you can find out if/when it airs in your area here.

-- Ethics professor Tibor Machan has written an excellent essay on the interplay between fictionalized glorification of police brutality and the actual stuff. You can read it here.

-- A researcher for an unnamed director emailed me this week asking if I knew who currently holds the film rights to "The Fountainhead." It was previously reported in Variety that "The Fountainhead" was "in development" for Oliver Stone. Apparently, another director also has an interest in remaking it...

-- Per The Hollywood Reporter, "CBS is developing a two-hour movie based on the life of Harriet Tubman, the abolitionist whose Underground Railroad helped about 300 slaves escape to freedom before the Civil War. Angela Bassett has signed on as star and executive producer."

-- "Ararat," a new film regarding the Turkish government's massacre of an estimated million Armenians in 1915, has been completed and is now being screened at the Sao Paulo 26th International Film Festival. You can see more about this film here.

-- Libertarian film students: Want up to $10,000 in tuition assistance? You have just three months left to apply for a "Film & Fiction Scholarship" from the Institute for Humane Studies. Get more information on this generous program here.

-- The upcoming Walden Media film "Rebels" is now expected to be released in 2003. The film will relate the story of Ethan Allen and the Green Mountain Boys, who first fought New York state to establish their own state of Vermont, and then joined the American Revolution to drive out the British.

-- FreeNation.TV, an investigative reality program, is seeking stories of heroic civil disobedience against bad laws to feature in future editions of its show. Know of someone whose story should be told? Get more information here.

-- Another friend in the industry? In a Film Force interview, TV star John Adams, of USA Network's "The Dead Zone," was asked to name his favorite book. His answer: Ayn Rand's "The Fountainhead." More on Adams here.

-- A recently released film of likely interest to libertarians is "Das Experiment," a German film based on the now famous "Stanford Experiment" conducted in 1971 at Stanford University, in which students were asked to role-play as prisoners and prison guards. Despite the relatively innocent university setting, the students empowered to be "guards" soon became so sadistic and abusive that the experiment was cut short, thus providing what is now considered a classic example of the potential for even limited power to tend toward abuse. This German telling of the story is receiving generally favorable reviews. More on this film here (cool website!).

-- The organization "Jews for the Preservation of Firearms Ownership" is producing a documentary that explores the historically well-established relationship between genocide and gun control. Entitled "Innocents Betrayed," this documentary is expected to be released in 2003. More on this here.

-- FX has announced a new political reality TV series called "American Candidate." The show will be a two-year production culminating in the selection of a "people's candidate" to run for president of the U.S. in 2004. To land a slot on the show, applicants will have to fill out questionnaires, provide videotapes in which they explain why they would make a great president and put together a group of 50 supporters from their community who will serve as sponsors. The process is expected to get under way in January 2003, with the first of a minimum 13 episodes likely to air starting in January 2004. Needless to say, whoever wins will get tremendous free advertising. A possible opportunity for Libertarians? More on this here.

-- Readers interested in discussing libertarian themes in popular culture (including art, music, cartoons, movies, TV, etc.) may want to check out the Yahoo "Libertarian Culture" discussion group. More on this here.

-- Thinking of buying an expensive new television? Maybe you should wait. U.S. lawmakers are working on an effort that would render standard televisions and VCRs obsolete within five years by requiring broadcasters to switch to digital, copy-protected signals. Digitalconsumer.org, a consumer group, has blasted the proposal, saying it would hurt innovation and curtail the "fair use" rights of consumers to make limited copies of programming for personal use. "This bill draft would give an unelected, unaccountable federal bureaucracy the authority to dictate the use of and regulate the devices in a consumer's family room." More on this here.

-- One of the more popular features of this newsletter has been the recommendation of libertarian film bargains on Ebay. These recommendations are now available online and include some fabulous and cheap selections. See them here.

-- Two new films of possible interest are premiering soon. First, "Phone Booth" is a direct dial call for more personal responsibility. Says director Joel Schumacher, "I know in the United States we've fallen into the civilization of 'victimology' where people are not responsible for what they've done... My [hero] is someone who's just fed up with it and he's now decided to follow people and make them accountable...for the lies they've told, make them accountable for the way they've treated other people (and) the choices that they've made." Of course, he accomplishes this by threatening to blow people's heads off, but at least his heart is in the right place. "Phone Booth" is due for release on 11/15/02. Second, anti-war activists may be interested in "The Four Feathers," about a young military officer who refuses to fight in a war he sees as unjustified. Taken to be a coward, his friends reject him, only to learn later how wrong they were. "The Four Feathers" is due for release on 9/20/02.

-- On 12/18/02, New Line Cinema will release "The Two Towers," the sequel to the Academy Award winning film "The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring," which won "Best Libertarian Film" in 2001. You can see the trailer to the upcoming film here.

-- According to the Internet Movie Database, the expected release date for the Stephen Elliott film "The Husband I Bought," based on Ayn Rand's novella, is now 2003. More on this film here.

-- Attention libertarian film students: the Institute for Humane Studies is offering scholarships of up to $10,000 to support the study of filmmaking or creative writing. Applications are being taken here.

-- The upcoming Christian Bale film "Equilibrium," which posits a future totalitarian world in which the population has been forcibly drugged as a means of keeping peace, is now scheduled for release on 12/6/02.

-- "Stossel in the Classroom," the organization that promotes John Stossel's libertarian documentaries in schools, reports that there are now 6,500 Stossel in the Classroom Teaching Kits currently being used by more than 3,500 High School Teachers, Media Specialists, Guidance Counselors, Community College Instructors, College and University Professors, Home Schoolers, Elementary Schools, Middle Schools, Public Libraries, Businesses, and other Educational Organizations. Currently, 4% of all public and private schools with a grade 7 or higher have at least one SITC Teaching Kit. Want to help SITC continue its success? You can learn more about "Stossel in the Classroom" and/or make a donation here.

-- PBS is airing its long-awaited "Liberty's Kids" series, an educational cartoon about the American Revolution. (You can learn more about this program here.). As always with PBS programs, it's up to local affiliates to decide if and when to air them. To see if and when this program will be broadcast in your area, check out your local PBS schedule here.

-- According to Nielsen Media Research, an amazing 5.2 million households tuned in to watch John Stossel's wonderful anti- "War on Drugs" special last week. Why not send a quick message of support to ABC, thanking them for John Stossel's work? You can do so here. (Select the option "John Stossel Reporting).

-- This week Cinemax will air "Liberty Stands Still," one of the most anti-libertarian films of the year (a tough title to capture, given the release this year of the morally appalling pitch for national health care, "John Q"). "Liberty Stands Still" (8/9) features Wesley Snipes as a father who lost his daughter in a high school shooting, and who responds by seeking revenge on the gun manufacturer. He chains the gun manufacturer's wife to a hot dog stand full of explosives, and while threatening her life, editorializes on the evils of private gun ownership. Happily, the film has received generally negative reviews; as one reviewer put it, "[Writer/director Kari Skogland] isn't just preaching to the choir, she's preaching to other preachers, and it rapidly becomes very, very tiresome."

-- Scary legislation on the way: The "Peer to Peer Piracy Prevention Act," sponsored by Hollywood-area Representative Howard Berman (D-Calif.) and Rep. Howard Coble (R-N.C.), would allow copyright owners, such as the film and recording industries, to secretly hack into users' computers and unleash new technologies to thwart unauthorized trading of movies or music. More on this diabolical plan here.

-- The current web special at Laissez-Faire Books is a three video set of Milton Friedman interviews for $30, half off the list price. More on this here.

-- The L.A. Times reports that the relatively libertarian "Freedom Newspaper" chain, which owns the influential "Orange County Register" as well as eight television stations, may be sold, possibly ending its libertarian editorial stance. More on this here.

-- It was recently brought to my attention that the film "An American Story," about a 1946 armed rebellion against corrupt local government and which I reviewed in "Miss Liberty's Guide to Film and Video," was based on "The Battle of Athens, TN," the anniversary of which is now being honored. More on this rebellion here. Two copies of "An American Story" are currently available on Ebay: here and here.

-- The film version of "Lord of the Rings," which won "Best Libertarian Film of 2001," will be released on home video on 8/6/02. You can read my review of it here. Or see film award comments on it here.

-- The current undisputed king of prime time TV in Spain is "Cuentame como paso" (Tell Me How it Happened), a series about a family living under the dictatorship of General Francisco Franco in the 1960s and 1970s. The show tells what middle-class life was like in the midst of rampant police brutality and authoritarian rule. More on this here.

-- Director Francis Ford Coppola ("The Godfather") is lining up some major talent to participate in his upcoming film "Megalopolis," possibly including Russel Crowe, Robert De Niro, Nicholas Cage, and Paul Newman. "Megalopolis," reportedly similar to Ayn Rand's novel "The Fountainhead," concerns the conflict between a real estate entrepreneur, who wants to construct a building out of a new and cheap advanced plastic compound, and the well-liked New York mayor who is out to stop him. More on this here.

-- John Grisham's novel "The Runaway Jury," is being brought to the big screen by Warner Brothers. In the novel, a jury deciding a landmark anti- Big Tobacco case is manipulated by evil powers-that-be; in the film, the jury will be deciding a landmark case against a gun manufacturer. Of course, when the world is full of business interests despised by the Left, it's hard to know which to portray as evil first. Anyway, an early draft of the screenplay has the CEO of the gun manufacturing business breaking down on the stand, no doubt riddled with guilt, and his breakdown is followed by "a preachy finale." One can only imagine. The good news is that the screenplay is reportedly not impressive in artistic respects, so maybe the film will bomb like the anti- Big Tobacco film "The Insider." More on this here.

-- In an interview with IGN.com Insider, David Dozoretz, master visual effects artist responsible for many of the good things seen in "Star Wars: Episode II," "Moulin Rouge," "Forest Gump," etc. was asked which are his favorite novels. His answer: "Atlas Shrugged and Catcher in the Rye." Dozoretz also mentions objectivism in the interview. Another friend in the industry? More on Dozoretz here.

-- A year after its initial publication, the companion guide to this newsletter, "Miss Liberty's Guide to Film and Video," is still ranked in the top third for sales at Amazon.com. Thanks for the purchases! Haven't yet ordered your copy? You can do so here. Note: According to Amazon's new policy, if you buy more than $49 worth of goods, shipping is free.

-- A half-hour Objectivist television news show called "FreeNation TV" is currently in development. The show will be "an investigative reality program that focuses exclusively on government wrongdoing at all levels. We will follow the stories of brave individuals that have chosen to challenge unjust laws, taxes, and regulations through televised civil disobedience. We will also expose government waste, abuse of power and unjust laws in segments created in-house and those submitted by our viewers." I watched the online demo, about a man who smokes pot in open violation of the law, and was impressed; the show has a compelling David and Goliath character. You can learn more about FreeNation TV, watch the online demo, and/or offer support/sponsorship here.

-- The Stossel in the Classroom program, which promotes ABC journalist John Stossel's libertarian-themed documentaries to teachers, continues to receive rave reviews. You can read the reviews, donate to the program, or purchase video kits here.

-- The Libertarian Party News reports that LP member and film student Tom Sime is hoping to make a documentary about the LP. The documentary will feature events from state conventions, discussions with elected LP officials, and person-on-the-street interviews. Sime, an Art History and History of Film major at Northern Virginia Community College, is seeking publicity, funds, and legal advice for the film. For more information or to make a contribution toward production of the film, email tomsime@hotmail.com.

-- "Miss Liberty's Guide to Film and Video," the companion guide to this newsletter has recently been reviewed by Sunni Maravillosa of "Doing Freedom!" magazine. "Miss Liberty's Guide to Film and Video" is available at Amazon.com, Laissez-Faire Books, and Advocates for Self-Government. You can read the review here.

-- A film from India, described by one reviewer as "hands down, the second-best three and-a-half-hour musical about taxation--ever (second to '1776')," has just been released in theaters nationwide. "Lagaan: Once Upon a Time in India" is about an unjust land tax levied on Indian peasants, and was nominated for the "Best Foreign Language Film" Academy Award. You can find reviews of it here.

-- "Ender's Game," a book I have not read but which I am told has an individualist message, is being considered for adaptation to the big screen. More on this here.

-- A few weeks ago, PBS aired the documentary series "Commanding Heights: The Battle for the World Economy." This series--which tells the story of the victory of market forces over socialism, and includes interviews with, among others, Milton Friedman, Gary Becker, Hernando de Soto, P.J. O'Rourke, and Sam Peltzman--received very favorable reviews. Laissez-Faire Books is now selling this series in a 3 VHS video set for $40. More on this here.

-- Update on the Atlas Shrugged Movie Project: As mentioned previously, TNT dropped plans for an Atlas Shrugged TV Miniseries, but producer Al Ruddy is still attempting to arrange production of an Atlas Shrugged movie. Meanwhile, according to a comprehensive article on the subject posted at the Atlas Society web site, John Aglialoro, who holds the film rights to the novel, is "looking at all the options in terms of how to structure the story as well as the project. After half a dozen scripts that tried to tell the whole story, it may be time to consider spinning out the core plot of the strike, which conveys Rand's essential message, and not trying to include all the subsidiary plot-lines, relationships, and consequences of the strike." You can see this interesting article, which also details the demise of the TNT miniseries, here.

-- Stanford University's Hoover Institution produces a weekly television show called "Uncommon Knowledge," which often features libertarian economists and thinkers. Upcoming shows cover such issues as choice in schools and property rights. You can learn more about this program and find which PBS affiliates in your area carry it here.

-- Attention teachers! The outstanding libertarian documentary "John Stossel Goes to Washington" is now available as a teaching tool complete with video, teacher's guide, student study guide, and supplemental teaching materials. In this documentary, ABC News journalist John Stossel (formerly a consumer reporter) does a "consumer report" on government, examining government services, taxes, rules etc. to see if they really benefit Americans. "John Stossel Goes to Washington" won "Best Libertarian Documentary" in 2001. You can learn more about the teacher's edition of this video here.

-- Bad news on the "Atlas Shrugged" miniseries project: the deal with TNT is off. In announcing the unwinding of the deal, however, a spokesperson at Ruddy Morgan Productions also said that the company hasn't given up on Atlas. The script has been rewritten as feature motion picture and is currently being circulated in Hollywood with the hope of attracting leading players. Let's hope that some bankable talent is interested, "in the name of the best within us." You can see more about the Atlas movie/miniseries project here.

-- "A beautiful mind did not conceive of the plot for Denzel Washington's latest movie, John Q. The aforementioned John Q. (Archibald) is a father whose son falls ill with a mysterious heart disease, and who takes an emergency room hostage to demand a heart transplant upon discovering that neither his insurance nor the hospital will pay for the procedure. You may be wondering why John Q. didn't take other steps... The movie makes an effort to imply that the health-care system made him do it." So writes Robert Goldberg in his interesting commentary on "John Q.", a morally appalling cinematic pitch for national health care. You can read Goldberg's full commentary here.

-- Next weekend, PBS will air the documentary "Bringing Down a Dictator." "This program traces the opposition to Serbian leader Slobodan Milosevic throughout the year 2000, including the dramatic nonviolent revolt that drove him from power and installed the newly elected president Vojislav Kostunica in October 2000." As always with PBS programs, it's up to local affiliates to decide if and when to air them. To see if and when this program will be broadcast in your area, check out your local PBS schedule here.

-- Court TV premiered its first original movie last week, "Guilt by Association." This film is the story of "Susan Walker," a widowed mother of two, who becomes an unwitting victim of the country's War on Drugs. In particular, when Walker's boyfriend is arrested for selling pot, she too is arrested, as the law holds anyone "knowledgeable" of drug dealings fully responsible even if they weren't otherwise involved. Under the country's stringent Mandatory Minimum Sentence law, Walker is sent to prison for 20 years. While incarcerated, she struggles to gain her freedom and reunite her family before their lives are totally shattered.

This film is a frontal assault on mandatory minimum sentencing for drug crimes and is pretty unsympathetic to the War on Drugs generally. Also in the plus column, the heroes here are the members of FAMM (Families Against Mandatory Minimums), whose energetic efforts on Walker's behalf result in her release. The premiere of this film was viewed by one million households, Court TV's highest-rated night of programming so far this year.

-- On April 3rd, PBS will air the first installment of its series "Commanding Heights: The Battle for the World Economy," based on the Daniel Yergin and Joseph Stanislaw book "Commanding Heights: The Battle Between Government and the Marketplace that is Remaking the Modern World." This series will tell the story of the victory of market forces over socialism, and includes interviews with, among others, Milton Friedman, Gary Becker, Hernando de Soto, P.J. O'Rourke, and Sam Peltzman. (You can learn more about this program here.)

-- The Libertarian Party news reports that The American Liberty Foundation ran a provocative anti- gun control ad on CNN In February, marking the first time that a non-campaign, explicitly libertarian ad appeared on national television. The stated mission of The American Liberty Foundation is "to create and broadcast television ads which teach people about individual liberty, personal responsibility, and small, constitutional limited government." For more on the American Liberty Foundation and its ads, see here.

-- As mentioned previously, PBS is producing an animated series about the American Revolution, called "Liberty's Kids." Just announced is the addition of two more celebrity voices to the cast--Sylvester Stallone and Michael York. The series is set to premiere on Labor Day.

-- Enjoy John Stossel's weekly "Give Me A Break" segments on 20/20? You can receive advance information on the content of each week's segment in a free email reminder from John Stossel. (Unfortunately, the specific content of his weekly "Give Me A Break" segment is not available in time for this newsletter and is only available through his email reminder.) Stossel is the best presenter of libertarian ideas on television. You can sign up for his emails here.

-- Network TV executives are reportedly pushing the idea that government bureaucrats will make interesting watching and are ready for primetime in such shows as "The Agency," "First Monday," "Emma Brody," and "West Wing." New York Post television columnist Adam Buckman says, "The interest in the federal government is just part of television's continuing search for TV-show environments besides hospitals and police precincts." More on this here.

-- C-SPAN's "American Writers" series will air its segment on Ayn Rand on May 12 and May 17. Mark your calendars! More on this.

-- The Christian Bale film "Equilibrium" is expected to be released in about a month. "Equilibrium" posits a future totalitarian world in which the population has been drugged. Emotions, it seems, were determined to be the root evil of various human problems, so government has forcibly administered drugs that erase emotional sensation. Enter one of the enforcers of this regime, played by Bale, who begins to see how pointless life is in this new state of things. After some reawakening of his own emotions, he determines to free the world from this oppressive regime. More here.

-- Variety reports that director Frank Darabont (The Green Mile) has replaced Mel Gibson as the director of the upcoming Castle Rock Entertainment remake of "Fahrenheit 451." Based on a Ray Bradbury novel, the film will be about a future world in which books are banned by the State. More here.

-- The Warner Brothers remake of "Logan's Run" is now expected to go into production in 2003. Writer/director Skip Woods is currently writing the screenplay. More here.

-- Advocates for Self-Government reports that actor Wil Wheaton, formerly Wesley Crusher of "Star Trek," is a libertarian. Says Crusher, "I'm a geek and a libertarian, so I'm really on my own. There aren't very many people [in Hollywood] who are aware of these kinds of issuesÉI am particularly concerned right now with the political climate in this country. Everyone, or at least the vast majority of people, seems to be all too willing to give away the basic rights that separate America from so many other countries. It really bothers me, for example, that the Justice Department wants to do warrantless searches, and it really bothers me that they want to be able to go to my ISP and monitor my e-mail and monitor my traffic in real time across a cable modem. Stuff like that really makes me angry."

-- Adding to its widespread critical accolades, the fantasy epic "The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring" won best-picture honors and two other prizes at the first American Film Institute Awards.

-- Lawmakers are blasting a decision by NBC to begin showing hard-liquor ads on television. NBC will be the first major national network to do so since a "voluntary" television ban was established in 1948. Congressmen are considering making the previously "voluntary" ban a federal law, confirming once again that "voluntary" has little meaning to legislators.

-- Russia's embattled TV6 station, the only national network outside Kremlin control, has been closed for allegedly failing to comply with state financial regulations. The station has been critical of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

-- The Libertarian Party News reports that Hollywood movie producer Aaron Russo will run for governor of Nevada on the Libertarian ticket. Among other films, Russo produced "The Rose" (1979) and "Trading Places" (1983).