In her most comprehensive documentary to date, lesbian filmmaking icon Barbara Hammer offers radical sexual politics in a surprise package of humor as she re-traces lesbian history to create an irreverent, compelling and empowering film. Hammer presents an extraordinary array of archival footage -- from popular films to newsreels, sex ed films, stag reels, medical and educational films, antique erotica -- and then playfully manipulates it to openly place lesbians everywhere throughout history.

History Lessons explores lesbian images from the beginning of film until 1969 (The Stonewall uprising). Focusing on these pre-liberation images, the film exposes not only popular lesbian representations and mis-representations in popular culture and entertainment but also the negative images used in the medical, scientific and legal establishments.

In her familiar experimental style, replete with ironic humor, Hammer recontexualizes lesbian images that portrayed lesbian behavior as "illicit" and lesbians as mannish, neurotic, and cold outsiders. She juxtaposes and morphs dramatic vignettes, commercials, and archival footage from narrative, medical, educational and adult entertainment films.

English: Violeta is a Cuban prostitute who tells her tempestuous life story to a young male journalist. Her first lover was a revolutionary killed by government soldiers. She fled to New York, where she had an affair with a famous American actor. After he gets her pregnant and dumps her, she sells her story to the tabloids in revenge. The revenge escalates - he has his friends rape her, and she slashes his face, putting an end to his career. Back in Cuba, the older Violeta relies on foreign customers to make ends meet.

Spanish: Violeta, una bella prostituta cubana, decide relatarle su tormentosa vida a un joven reportero. Su primer amor, un joven revolucionario, fue asesinado por el gobierno y ella decide dejar la isla y escapar a Nueba York donde conoce a un famoso actor y se convierte en su amante. Cuando Violeta queda en estado su amante la abandona y empieza una guerra sin cuartada que termina destruyendo a los dos protagonistas. Violeta es una historia de amor y odio como ninguna!

United Kingdom released, PAL/Region 0 DVD: it WILL NOT play on standard US DVD player. You need multi-region PAL/NTSC DVD player to view it in USA/Canada: LANGUAGES: Spanish ( Dolby Digital 2.0 ), English ( Subtitles ), WIDESCREEN (1.85:1), SPECIAL FEATURES: Interactive Menu, Scene Access, SYNOPSIS: A man finds that friendship and understanding can span many boundaries -- age, politics, and gender preference among them -- in this comedy-drama from Cuba. David (Vladimir Cruz) is a student and ardent Communist whose personal life is in something of a slump; his girlfriend recently left him to marry another man after he took her to a hotel in hopes of seducing her, and she announced that she couldn't believe anyone could make love in such an ugly room. One day, David stops by the park and gets some ice cream, where he meets Diego (Jorge Perrugoria); as if his flamboyant manner wasn't announcement enough, David is convinced that Diego must be a homosexual because he's eating strawberry ice cream, even though it's one of the rare days when chocolate is available. David is less than impressed with Diego's open criticism of Castro's regime (especially the government's persecution of gays), but he accepts an invitation to visit Diego's apartment; while David realizes that Diego has seduction on his mind, this is outweighed by the knowledge that Diego's flat houses such forbidden pleasures as Time Magazine, American record albums, and Johnny Walker Red scotch. David's friend Miguel (Francisco Gatorno) is convinced that Diego is a dangerous dissident and urges David to spy on him and pass along his findings to the government. But the more time David spends with Diego, the more he finds that he's intrigued by this very different man, and that he enjoys spending time with him; David also finds he likes Nancy (Mirta Ibarra), Diego's sexy neighbor. Helmed by legendary Cuban direc

Contigo en la distancia (Tomas Gutierrez Alea), El espejo de dos lunas (Carlos Garcia Agraz), Ladron de sabado (Jose Luis Garcia Agraz)