Victress Hitchcock

In Tibet, the word for woman translates as "lower rebirth." In a remote eastern region of the country, the Tsoknyi Nangchen nuns defy this definition. Devoted to the ancient practices of Tibetan Buddhism - once primarily a male domain - over 3,000 nuns have attained elevated status. Director Victress Hitchcock honors them in this moving documentary, which follows the journey of a small group of Western women to remote mountain hermitages to meet these nuns.

A young Native American man on his way to visit his uncle learns about his Navajo heritage by attending tribal gatherings, traditional ceremonies and listening to old folktales.

A portrait of Paul Joe Vest and requiem for people living and dying with AIDS he composed setting poems of Walt Whitman to music.

A documentary about the Friends of the Western Buddhist Order in London.

In 1994 there was a shooting in Boulder, Colorado involving two 16 year old boys. "Tragic Consequences" looks deeply into what led up to the shooting, the context of gun violence in America and the tragic effect one shooting can have on not just the victim and perpetrator, but on witnesses, family, friends and the community at large.

A portrait of three generations of wonderfully eccentric Italian American women living in a small town near Boulder.

The first childbirth for children film ever made which launched a sibling preparation movement across the US.

The story of the Yuma Crossing, the place where centuries of travelers crossed the Colorado River as told in a series of reenacted vignettes by colorful characters from the Quechan tribe, the conquistadores, Father Kino, Olive Oatman and others up until the first bridge was built in the 1920's.

A film made by Victress Hitchcock and Ava Hamilton in 1989 on the Wind River Reservation for Wyoming Public Television.

WHEN THE IRON BIRD FLIES takes us on an up-close and personal journey, exploring the complex interactions between contemporary Tibetan Buddhism and western culture. The film goes in-depth to portray the experiences and insights of both teachers and practitioners in the US and around the world. Along the way, it illuminates the wide ranging dialogs taking place between Buddhist teachings and science, psychology, gender theory and the arts. The film creates a vivid and entertaining portrait of the world of Tibetan Buddhism, as it is manifesting in the West and asks the vital question - 'In these increasingly chaotic modern times, can these age old teachings help us to find genuine happiness and create a saner, more compassionate 21st century world?'

A compelling look at the choices that lead to incarceration and the reality of being locked up in Pelican Bay State Prison.