Social & External
The people behind it
Zdeněk Oliverius
Commentary (voice)
Documenting the rebuilding of Potsdam one year after the war under Soviet supervision.
Documentary short about the Leipzig Tradefair in 1946.
A film about Dresden - before, during, and after the war.
HISTORY brings you an all-encompassing documentary event cantered around the 25th anniversary of the LA Riots, the most destructive riot in American history that left 53 people dead and caused over a billion dollars in damage.
One journalist described it as a chance "to see justice catch up with evil." On November 20, 1945, the twenty-two surviving representatives of the Nazi elite stood before an international military tribunal at the Palace of Justice in Nuremberg, Germany; they were charged with the systematic murder of millions of people. The ensuing trial pitted U.S. chief prosecutor and Supreme Court judge Robert Jackson against Hermann Göring, the former head of the Nazi air force, whom Adolf Hitler had once named to be his successor. Jackson hoped that the trial would make a statement that crimes against humanity would never again go unpunished. Proving the guilt of the defendants, however, was more difficult than Jackson anticipated. This American Experience production draws upon rare archival material and eyewitness accounts to recreate the dramatic tribunal that defines trial procedure for state criminals to this day.
The economic and cultural improvements of the Soviet Occupied Sector are documented with scenes from the years 1945 to 1950. The film deals with the land reform, the founding of the Socialist Unity Party, the expropriation of war criminals, the founding of the GDR and the first Five Year Plan in July 1950. Special attention is dedicated to the setup of the steel industry. All this is shown in contrast to the new Federal Republic of Germany, where unemployment, slums and the West Berlin airlift prevail. The Cold War of those years is reflected in the film as well as a part of the development of post-war Germany.
Pinky Thompson grew up in Hawaii during a time when one was punished for being Native Hawaiian. After almost losing his life in the battlefields of Normandy in World War II, Pinky brought his fierce energy to the arena of social service whre he championed a health care system, created invaluable educational programs and strengthened the pride of Native Hawaiians. Pinky fostered new methods of policy collaboration and community testimony. He elevated a new generation of Hawaiian leaders to represent the vibrant cultural identity and value system of the Hawaiian people.
When France rumbles, the strategy and control of public order become a crucial political issue. Between protecting institutions and guaranteeing the right to demonstrate: the right balance is subtle. At the beginning of the Yellow Vests movement, at the end of 2018, the principles of "French-style" policing were shattered. The ransacking of the Arc Triomphe, the hundreds of injuries among the demonstrators and the forces of order mark the minds. How did it come to this? In order to understand, the film questions the so-called "legitimate" force and confronts them with the images of these confrontations.
Driven to maintain social order, policing in the United States has exploded in scope and scale over hundreds of years. Now, American policing embodies one word: power.
The silent film To Regain by Work is a remarkable filmed colour portrait of the Netherlands just after World War II. Immediately after the liberation of Deventer in April 1945, Alex Roosdorp and his wife Marie Roosdorp-van den Berg began filming the devastation around them: wrecked towns, destroyed infrastructure and flooded landscapes. Roosdorp and his wife travelled hundreds of kilometres by bike to record everything. They filmed extensively in the region around Deventer, but the film also includes footage of Arnhem, Scheveningen, Walcheren and the Wieringermeer polder. The couple had an eye for the small ways in which everyday life continued in the liberated Netherlands.
During World War II there were nearly 2,500 Allied prisoners held in Sandakan POW camp in British North Borneo. Along with the ravages of war and the struggle to survive abject conditions, only six of these POW's were found alive when the war finally ended. In the years that followed, the horror stories of human depravity and the atrocities committed by the Japanese at Sandakan POW camp would come to light, considered by many as one of the most devastating chapters of the Pacific War.
Demonstration of shoplifting methods. With the Cooperation and Assistance of Berkeley, California Police Department and Berkeley Police Reserve; Addison H. Fording, Chief of Police; J.F. Hink & Son Department Store, L.W. Hink, President. Technical Assistance: Wm. P. Beall, Lieutenant; E.A. Skells, Sergeant, Berkeley Police DepartmentGeorge Jelten, Director of Visual Merchandising, J.F. Hink and Son. Director of Photography: John L. Siegle. Sound: Walter D. Porep. Narration: John E. Pedersen.
Documentary film about the construction of the city of Brno, damaged by air raids during the war.
A Finnish Prostitute and four Gangsters expose how the Drug Squad Police Chief commits crimes, rather than solves them. Is this corruption of an individual or a system?
Documentary about the Bohemian-Moravian Highlands and its post-war construction.
When Allied forces liberated the Nazi concentration camps in 1944-45, their terrible discoveries were recorded by army and newsreel cameramen, revealing for the first time the full horror of what had happened. Making use of British, Soviet and American footage, the Ministry of Information’s Sidney Bernstein (later founder of Granada Television) aimed to create a documentary that would provide lasting, undeniable evidence of the Nazis’ unspeakable crimes. He commissioned a wealth of British talent, including editor Stewart McAllister, writer and future cabinet minister Richard Crossman – and, as treatment advisor, his friend Alfred Hitchcock. Yet, despite initial support from the British and US Governments, the film was shelved, and only now, 70 years on, has it been restored and completed by Imperial War Museums under its original title "German Concentration Camps Factual Survey".
Through deeply personal interviews with her siblings and an examination of the photographs, letters, and belongings left behind, Mariska assembles a new portrait of her mother Jayne Mansfield, an extraordinary and complex woman.
The most comprehensive retrospective of the '80s action film genre ever made.
In an intimate and joyful story of love in the face of loss, celebrated poets Andrea Gibson and Megan Falley find strength—and unexpected hilarity—in what might be their final year together.
Follow the evolution of the 'Halloween' movies over the past twenty-five years. It examines why the films are so popular and revisits many of the original locations used in the films - seeing the effects on the local community. For the first time, cast, crew, critics and fans join together in the ultimate 'Halloween' retrospective.
Performance artist Marina Abramovic prepares for a major retrospective of her work at the Museum of Modern Art in New York.
Alex Gibney explores the charged issue of pedophilia in the Catholic Church, following a trail from the first known protest against clerical sexual abuse in the United States and all way to the Vatican.
A string of threatening emails escalates into a revenge plot involving a newly married US marshal and his ex-girlfriend.
An impressionistic portrait of the iconic actor Harry Dean Stanton comprised of intimate moments, film clips from some of his 250 films and his renditions of American folk songs.
A documentary examining the decade of the 1970s as a turning point in American cinema. Some of today's best filmmakers interview the influential directors of that time.
A detailing of the rise to prominence and global sporting superstardom of six supremely talented young Manchester United football players (David Beckham, Nicky Butt, Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes, Phil and Gary Neville). The film covers the period 1992-1999, culminating in Manchester United's European Cup triumph.
A documentary about the life and films of director John Ford.
This revealing documentary honors the legendary Sidney Poitier—iconic actor, filmmaker, and civil rights activist. Featuring interviews with Denzel Washington, Spike Lee, Halle Berry, and more.
The life and career of an actor, artist, and icon. His own journey through his own camera.
A tribute to Chadwick Boseman, celebrating his life and legacy.
Oprah Winfrey talks with the exonerated men once known as the Central Park Five, plus the cast and producers who tell their story in "When They See Us."
Just two years away from turning 30, participants in Michael Apted's documentary series are facing serious questions of identity and purpose, wondering whether they've found their place in the world.
Ranjit, a farmer in India, takes on the fight of his life when he demands justice for his 13-year-old daughter, the victim of a brutal gang rape. His decision to support his daughter is virtually unheard of, and his journey unprecedented.
Director Michael Apted revisits the same group of British-born adults after a 7 year wait. The subjects are interviewed as to the changes that have occurred in their lives during the last seven years.
The extraordinary story of how Hollywood changed World War II – and how World War II changed Hollywood, through the interwoven experiences of five legendary filmmakers who went to war to serve their country and bring the truth to the American people: John Ford, William Wyler, John Huston, Frank Capra, and George Stevens. Based on Mark Harris’ best-selling book, “Five Came Back: A Story of Hollywood and the Second World War.”