Offers audiences a unique window into a bygone era when a thrilling new invention, the motion picture camera, first captures a nation on film.
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βMarilyn vs. Marilynβ tells the story of a little-known period of Marilynβs life β the years she spent in New York, trying to became a βseriousββ actress, taking lessons with Lee Strasberg and setting up a production company with her photographer and trusted friend, Milton Green. Based on hitherto unpublished β and magical - photos from the Greene archives, the film focuses on the photographic image of a woman who remains one of the greatest legends in the history of cinemaβ¦ and an enduring enigma.
As notions of civil rights transformed across the world, so was the screen landscape reformed by the ascension of grassroots film movements seeking to challenge the mainstream. Some aspired to push form to its limit; others worked to destabilise what they saw as a homogenous industry, or to provoke questions around gender, sexuality, migration and race.
Anne Frank's world famous diary came to an abrupt end shortly before she and her family were discovered hiding from the Nazis in a secret annex at the top of Otto Frank's office building, on August 4, 1944. While her diary tells the story of Anne's life, the story of her death reveals the atrocities encountered by millions of Jews during the Holocaust. In a solemn remembrance of the horrors that Anne Frank and these millions of others suffered during the dark days of World War II, National Geographic Channel (NGC) takes viewers inside the concentration camps in a two-hour special. In keeping with NGC's tradition of unparalleled storytelling, Anne Frank's Holocaust incorporates new findings and rarely seen photographs to reintroduce the story of the massacre of Jews in one of the most comprehensive documentaries on the subject to date.
From Italian set designer to Brazilian stage director, Gianni Ratto, born in Italy in 1916 and based in Brazil since 1954, retraces the geographical path of his life, accompanied by his daughter, passing through Genoa, Milan, Florence, SΓ£o Paulo, and Rio de Janeiro, visiting places and people who marked his journey. At each encounter, Gianni speaks of his work and reveals the ideas of someone who not only executes but also thinks about theater from a humanist perspective.
Famous French director Tavernier tells us about his fantastic voyage through the cinema of his country.
Anatomy of a Lost Sound traces the life of an incendiary sound, the space it conjured: a paramilitary youth camp, one of many metastasizing across Central and Eastern Europe, and the enigmatic figure most indelibly marked by it, Zulfikar VeritiΔ. This hybrid work offers a brief biography of the sound and the figures who fueled its ascent and spread.
An on-the-scene documentary following the events of September 11, 2001 from an insider's view, through the lens of two French filmmakers who simply set out to make a movie about a rookie NYC fireman and ended up filming the tragic event that changed our lives forever.
The story of magic on TV, the challenges of performing illusions in front of the television cameras, the performers who inspired some of the most successful modern magicians and the celebrity magic fans.
This short documentary depicts the search, discovery and authentication of the only known Norse settlement in North America - Vinland the Good. Mentioned in Icelandic manuscripts and speculated about for over two centuries, Vinland is known as "the place where the wild grapes grow" and was thought to be on the eastern coast between Virginia and Newfoundland. In 1960 a curious group of house mounds was uncovered at l'Anse aux Meadows in northern Newfoundland by Drs. Helge Ingstad and Anne Stine Ingstad of Norway. Added to the United Nations World Heritage List, l'Anse aux Meadows is considered one of the most important archaeological sites in the world.
The story of Florida gymnast Daiana Casella, who, along with her family and teacher, overcame the obstacles that Down syndrome could put in her way. In addition to her training and preparation for future competitions, Daiana works as an artistic gymnastics teacher for a large number of children with whom she maintains a very special relationship. During the making of the film, Daiana is training for the Berlin 2023 Special Olympics, an event that will conclude her athletic career at the Olympic and world levels.
Montreal β one of the few remaining affordable cities in North America β is now in the midst of an unprecedented housing crisis. An intimate portrait of socio-political resistance, this multilayered film explores the human impact of real estate speculation on the cities of tomorrow.
A documentary that explores the myth behind the truth. Different people around the globe reinterpret the legend of Che Guevara at will: from the rebel living in Hong Kong fighting Chinese domination, to the German neonazi preaching revolution and the Castro-hating Cuban. Their testimonies prove that the Argentinian revolutionary's historical impact reverberates still. But like with all legends, each sees what he will, in often contradictory perspectives.
Misunderstood by the French, Emmanuel Macronβs dissolution of the National Assembly on June 9, 2024, led to an unprecedented political deadlock. This documentary examines whether he miscalculated, why he took such a risk, and whether this signals a deeper institutional crisis in the Fifth Republic.
Voices in Wartime is a 2004 documentary that explores the human experience of war through poetry. Combining interviews with soldiers, journalists, and historians, it reveals how war affects individuals and societies across time and place. The film features poets from around the world β from Homer and Wilfred Owen to Shoda Shinoe and modern writers in Iraq and Nigeria β showing how poetry expresses the pain, trauma, and truth of conflict. By linking verse with real-life accounts, Voices in Wartime highlights how poetry helps us understand the emotional and moral impact of war.
Travel back to Victorian Britain and wander the cobbled streets of Haworth to the sites that inspired the great BrontΓ« sistersβ classic novels.
September 23, 2022 marks the 52nd anniversary of the death of Bourvil (1917-1970). Radio, sketches, boulevard theater, operetta, cinema, songs whimsical or tender, Bourvil is present in all areas of popular culture. Carried by the voice of ValΓ©rie Lemercier, this portrait of the artist allows us to rediscover his most beautiful songs, from Les Crayons to La Tendresse, and the highlights of his filmography, from the cult scenes of La TraversΓ©e de Paris, Le Corniaud and La Grande Vadrouille to Le Cercle rouge. We also rediscover the richness of his career as a singer and actor, with some little known nuggets. The testimony of Bourvil's two sons, unpublished family films and numerous archives tell the story of the all too brief life of this endearing man.
From May 10, 1940, France is living one of the worst tragedies of it history. In a few weeks, the country folds, and then collapsed in facing the attack of the Nazi Germany. On June 1940, each day is a tragedy. For the first time, thanks to historic revelations, and to numerous never seen before images and documents and reenacted situations of the time, this film recounts the incredible stories of those men and women trapped in the torment of this great chaos.
A look behind the lens of Christopher Nolan's space epic.
Tells the history and importance of The National Film Registry, a roll call of American cinema treasures that reflects the diversity of film, and indeed the American experience itself.
The history of cinematic sound, told by legendary sound designers and visionary filmmakers.
A documentary on the making of the three Godfather films, with interviews and recollections from the film makers and cast. This feature also includes the original screen tests of some of the actors for "The Godfather" film, and some candid moments on the set of "The Godfather: Part III."
A compilation of over 30 years of private home movie footage shot by Lithuanian-American avant-garde director Jonas Mekas, assembled by Mekas "purely by chance", without concern for chronological order.
Cameramen and women discuss the craft and art of cinematography and of the "DP" (the director of photography), illustrating their points with clips from 100 films, from Birth of a Nation to Do the Right Thing. Themes: the DP tells people where to look; changes in movies (the arrival of sound, color, and wide screens) required creative responses from DPs; and, these artisans constantly invent new equipment and try new things, with wonderful results. The narration takes us through the identifiable studio styles of the 30s, the emergence of noir, the New York look, and the impact of Europeans. Citizen Kane, The Conformist, and Gordon Willis get special attention.
Stars of "The Walking Dead," Andrew Lincoln and Danai Gurira, walk down memory lane and visit iconic locations where pivotal moments between their characters, Rick and Michonne, were filmed.
A documentary about the making of David Fincher's 2008 film THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON. Virtually every element in the evolution of the Fincher's film is documented here, from the project's attachment to numerous other directors during the 1990s, to its shoot in 2006 and 2007 in New Orleans, to its complex, CGI-intensive postproduction process.
The Making-of James Cameron's Avatar. It shows interesting parts of the work on the set.
Learn the incredible behind-the-scenes story of how the original Star Wars movie was brought to the big screen in this fascinating documentary hosted by C-3PO and R2-D2 which includes interviews with George Lucas and appearances by Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford and Carrie Fisher.
The most comprehensive retrospective of the '80s action film genre ever made.
BBC Arena's documentary on the Dames of British Theatre and film featuring Maggie Smith, Eileen Atkins, Judi Dench and Joan Plowright on screen together for the first time as they reminisce over a long summer weekend in a house Joan once shared with Sir Laurence Olivier.
Journey into the extraordinary world of "The Witcher" β from casting the roles to Jaskier's catchy song β in this behind-the-scenes look at the series.
Documentary about the art of film editing. Clips are shown from many groundbreaking films with innovative editing styles.
The story of the gold-plated statuette that became the film industry's most coveted prize, AND THE OSCAR GOES TO... traces the history of the Academy itself, which began in 1927 when Louis B. Mayer, then head of MGM, led other prominent members of the industry in forming this professional honorary organization. Two years later the Academy began bestowing awards, which were nicknamed "Oscar," and quickly came to represent the pinnacle of cinematic achievement.
With mesmerizing footage and time lapses of animators at work, this behind-the-scenes special captures the artistry of a unique tale years in the making.
The story lives forever in this feature-length documentary that charts the making of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.
An intimate documentary delving into Rian Johnson's process as he comes in as a director new to the Star Wars universe.
In 1997, Louis Theroux made a documentary about the world of male porn performers in Los Angeles. 15 years later, he returns to find a business struggling with the deluge of free porn on the internet. Louis revisits some of the original programme's contributors as well as meeting the latest crop of porn performers dreaming of porn stardom.
The story of three men with a shared dream: James Bond franchise producers Albert R. Broccoli and Harry Saltzman, and Bond creator and author Ian Fleming. Itβs the thrilling and inspiring narrative behind the longest running film franchise in cinema history, which began in 1962.