Last Chance for Eden is a documentary about nine men and women discussing the issues of racism and sexism in the workplace. They examine the impact of society’s stereotypes on their lives in the workplace, in their personal relationships and within their families and in their communities. In the course of their dialogue, they also explore the differences and similarities between racism and sexism – an area that has seldom been researched, but has heatedly become a very important issue needing to be understood and dealt with. (2002, 90 minutes)
Last Chance for Eden 2 is about nine women and men who spend a weekend together in Ukiah, California confronting the issues of sexism on their lives and relationships.
As each of the participants shares what it was like in their families of origin, what becomes apparent is how much their lives were affected by their parents’ attitudes and behaviors. Many talked about what it was like growing up in an abusive family and the scars that later haunted them as they struggled with how to reckon with those experiences in their adult relationships.
In small groups, the women discuss their experiences around safety, sexism, and sexual harassment in the workplace as well as the role that the media plays in perpetuating sexism and male privilege.
What make this film unique is also the discussion by the men about their fears of losing control and having to deal with their emotions. Each relates the role that fathers and mothers played in shaping their attitudes about women, staying in control, and not becoming too emotional. They also talk about how those attitudes and behaviors affected their relationships with their partners and daughters.
This film will bring you to tears and to the profound realization of how deeply rooted sexism and violence have permeated our workplaces, communities and families. A must see film for those who want to create a different world for our sons and daughters. (2002, 90 minutes)
Last Chance for Eden 3: For those of you who have viewed Last Chance for Eden Parts 1 & 2, this film is a perfect follow-up to the whole series. It is focused on the biographies of each of the cast members – as they struggled to understand what had happened to them in their families and eventually, their journey towards finding a healthy life as an adult. (2002, 90 minutes)
Last Chance for Eden: Film Guide The intention of the Film Guide for Last Chance for Eden is to give the viewer an opportunity to test his or her facilitation skills and to deepen the awareness of self in relation to the world. There are two discs in the package, the first is a series of questions, based on the film, to challenge viewers to reexamine their thinking (and possible assumptions) about the material they are viewing. The second disk is the film itself, divided up into segments so that viewers can watch the film and look specifically for the ways a conversation on racism or sexism can be derailed by discomfort, by anguish, by fear, by the contexts that we all bring into the room and how we can move through all of those sensations to continue the necessary conversation at hand. (2002, 85 minutes)
Racism Conversation Flash Cards: So often we long to begin a conversation with someone who is different from ourselves, but hold back because we are fearful we might be rejected or say something inappropriate. Lee Mun Wah has collected over four hundred questions that people of color and EuroAmericans have always wanted to ask each other. A truly wonderful and educational opportunity for classrooms and groups who want to start a conversation on diversity, but don’t know where to begin or what to ask.