Actively Radical TV — Sydney community television's progressive current affairs producers tackle the hard issues from the activist's point of view. CTS Sydney (UHF 31), every Thursday, 7pm.
Access News — Melbourne community TV, Channel 31, has excellent coverage of industrial, environmental and community actions throughout Victoria. Access News broadcasts every Monday, Thursday and Friday at 8pm. Phone (03) 9525 3551 to contact the producers or make a donation.
African Portraits — A positive portrayal of talented young Africans from different countries and representing diverse art forms. The first episode features Doug E Tee and Didier Awadi of the rap group Positive Black Soul from Dakar, Senegal. SBS, Friday, September 13, 7.30pm.
Seamus Heaney — As Seamus Heaney's latest book, The Spirit Level, is published in Australia, this program provides a rare opportunity to see and hear Heaney — normally diffident about appearing on television — talking about his work. SBS, Saturday, September 14, 2.30pm.
Stalin: The Great Terror — Details Stalin's regime from 1932 to 1940 as well as investigating Stalin's private life. This series uses documents from the state archives that have only recently come to light. SBS, Monday, September 16, 7.30pm.
Movie: Totally F...cked Up — Greg Araki's unstinting portrayal of the lives of six gay/lesbian young people struggling with their identities in the homophobic '90s. SBS, Monday, September 16, 9.30pm.
A New World — The return of the Navajo to their traditional way of life in Arizona. SBS, Wednesday, September 18, 7.30pm.
Saltwater People — An exploration of the deep link between five coastal and island-living Aboriginal communities on the east coast of Australia, and the sea. From those who are seeking Mabo-type claims to their original land to those who are intent on maintaining their culture, from those who lost everything during white invasion to those whose lives have changed little. SBS, Wednesday, September 18, 8.30pm.
Quantum: Vaccination — Protection at What Price? — Are vaccines as safe and effective as medical authorities claim? This program tackles the controversial topic of mass vaccination of children. ABC TV, Thursday, September 19, 8pm.
Coming Out Under Fire — First-person testimonies from nine gay and lesbian US veterans of World War II who recount how they joined the patriotic fight against fascism in the 1940s, only to be rounded up in witch-hunts and stigmatised as "sex perverts" by the country they were serving. SBS, Thursday, September 19, 8.30pm.
Escape from Tibet — A group of Tibetans risk their lives to escape Chinese-occupied Tibet. This documentary examines the history of China's systematic denial of the Tibetan people's right to self-determination. ABC TV, Thursday, September 19, 9.30pm.