Leslie Asako Gladsjø
Directing
Known For

Inspired by the music and subjects featured in the series “Godfather of Harlem,” this documentary series brings alive the dramatic true story of Harlem and its music during the 1960s, and connects that history to our present moment.
By Whatever Means Necessary: The Times of Godfather of Harlem

This new installment of the landmark 1987 documentary series Eyes on the Prize illuminates the bold stories of people and communities who continue to work for equity and racial justice in the years since the birth of the American Civil Rights movement.
Eyes on the Prize III: We Who Believe in Freedom Cannot Rest 1977-2015
The influential life and powerful messages of Vietnamese Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh are explored in this biographical documentary. For more than 50 years, this amazing social activist has preached self-awareness and compassion for all living beings. Follow him as he travels through France and the United States—including a stop at the Vietnam War Memorial in Washington, D.C.—spreading peace by teaching mindfulness and forgiveness.
Peace Is Every Step

A look at the last five decades of African American history since the major civil rights victories through the eyes of Henry Louis Gates, Jr., exploring the tremendous gains and persistent challenges of these years.
Black America Since MLK: And Still I Rise

The 1988 European tour of Survival Research Laboratories, with shows in Amsterdam and Copenhagen. SRL ferrets out and gleefully satirizes assorted icons of cultural pride in two of Europes more allegedly libertarian democracies.
The Will To Provoke: An Account Of Fantastic Schemes For Initiating Social Improvements

Video accompaniment to the book of the same name released by RE/SEARCH magazine, featuring interviews with Survival Research Lab's Mark Pauline, Joe Coleman, Karen Finley, Boyd Rice, and Frank Discussion. "Five Fabulously Funny Interviews with Fiendishly Flamboyant Pranksters discussing diabolical (and sometimes illegal) deeds. Dazzling deceptions and put-ons from some of the most outrageous artists living today."
Pranks!

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Black America since MLK: And still I rise

A fast-moving and comprehensive documentation of three Survival Research Laboratories performances 1989-1990. Includes "Illusions of Shameless Abundance ...", ArtSpace Computer-Controlled Installation, "A Carnival of Misplaced Devotion ...", plus details of the 1989 bomb hoax incident.
The Pleasures of Uninhibited Excess
In 1979, inmates at a maximum-security prison in Virginia came together to record an album of original music, rediscovered decades later and used in the Oscar-winning film “Moonlight,” attesting to the power of the creative spirit even within prison walls.
Edge of Daybreak
Two Shows from Survival Research Laboratories: San Francisco, CA 1994 and Graz, Austria 1992. The Doom show was SRL's biggest show ever and the War Zone event resulted in a nation-wide defense alert in Austria.
A Calculated Forecast Of Ultimate Doom / The Deliberate Evolution Of A War Zone

A graphic depiction of the many ways that women modify their bodies, through piercing, tattooing, branding and cuttings. This is a documentary about self determination and sexuality, beauty and the use of the body as a tool for self discovery.
Stigmata: The Transfigured Body

A Machine Performance by: Survival Research Laboratories, staged May 28, 1989 in SF at 4th & Perry St.
Illusions of Shameless Abundance

"The Calling: A Medical School Journey," a new documentary directed by Asako Gladsjo, follows the intellectual and emotional journey of a group of students at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in the Bronx. Captured through verité scenes and personal video diaries, the film offers a rare inside look at America’s health care system through the eyes of these aspiring practitioners as they learn what it takes to become a doctor in one of the country’s most underserved communities.