With the intention to represent all points of view, this documentary tackles the eight years of the "Algerian war" or "War of Liberation" head-on through the accounts of those who experienced it. 25 witnesses, civilians and soldiers of both camps, deliver their perceptions of the conflict and help to explain the multiple facets of this war.
Musa, who is only a thirteen-year-old shoe shiner, undergoes destiny through his adventure of waging war during the war time. Will he manage to bring peace among the troops who keep on fighting for nothing?
This documentary focuses on multitalented musician and composer Joel Forrester in an exploration of his diverse musical talents and influences. Forrester recounts previously unknown aspects of the life of Thelonious Monk and the Jazz Baroness, Pannonica Rothschild. The film also explores bebop's origins in the Harlem jazz club Minton's, Forrester's work as a composer of African American church music, as an improv accompanist for silent movies, and as a teacher of jazz musical forms. Forrester's story plays out like a jazz tune: a strong theme runs through a series of improvisational changes, solo riffs, and ensemble resolutions to weave the fabric of a bebop life.
Set in post-independent India, this film narrates the story of a naive villager who has warped ideas about an atrocious communal group called Razzakars and wishes to join it until he realises what they are capable of.
Bring Us Your Women is an international anthology dedicated to women and the pursuit of divinity and freedom. The project seeks to tell existing and re-imagined stories of historic and mythical individuals, each presenting a message of humanity that transcends gender and religion.
"Stevie Wonder: Songs in the Key of Life — An All-Star GRAMMY Salute" will feature some of today's top artists covering songs by the legendary GRAMMY winner, as well as other archival material. In addition, various presenters will help highlight the historical impact of Wonder's songs on music and our culture. In the 56-year history of the GRAMMY Awards, Wonder is the only artist to have received Album of the Year honors in three out of four consecutive years with Innervisions, Fulfillingness' First Finale, and the seminal Songs in the Key of Life. With a catalog that is one of the richest treasure troves in American music, his songs are still revered and influential today and his longevity as one of America's — and the world's — most respected and beloved artists is well earned.
The story about the founders of the famous "Yugoslav Basketball School" and the first gold medal at the Championships in Ljubljana in 1970, is based on real events and is dedicated to personalities who have contributed to the emergence and development of basketball in their country.
It's 1348. The plague has brutally hit Florence. A group of then young people, seven women and three men, rebel against the feeling of death that is about to swallow them. They flee the city and find refuge in an abandoned villa in the Tuscan hills. Here, between moral doubts and the tasks needed to survive, they kill time by telling each other stories until they will decide to return. The stories are varied - tragic, bizarre, funny or erotic - but common and central to all of them is the female presence.
The crusades come to life in Egyptian artist Wael Shawky’s beautiful Cabaret Crusades. Inspired by the writings of Lebanese writer Amin Maalouf, Shawky’s film trilogy explores the horrors of the medieval holy wars in the Middle-East – from an Arab perspective. With a cast made up entirely of puppets, the third part, The Secrets of Karbala (2014), centres on the period between the 7th and 12th centuries, covering the crusades as well as a dispute between two Islamic sects. Beautifully made of handblown Murano glass, the puppets have amazing expressive power, making the scenes full of violence, repression and torture all the more awe-inspiring.
Russia, 1917, WWI. This is the story of the 1st Russian Women's Battalion of Death, formed as part of an ill-conceived propaganda ploy by the Russian Provisional Government in late May of 1917.
The film sheds a fresh look at the passionate duel between Marlene Dietrich and Greta Garbo. Beneath the popular battle, behind the polished legend, we discover the intimate portrait of two women, with their own scars and flaws.
Huo An, the commander of the Protection Squad of the Western Regions, was framed by evil forces and becomes enslaved. On the other hand, a Roman general escapes to China after rescuing the Prince. The heroic duo meet in the Western Desert and a thrilling story unfolds.
The movie is about the great historical figure Vasil Levski. It follows three different plot lines: the relationship with his mother, Gina, the relationship with his loved one, Ana, and the plans for freeing Bulgaria from the Ottoman Empire. The movie starts in 1846 and follows Vasil Levski's whole life until his hanging in 1873.
"The First Major Case" is a historical drama based on the first major anti-corruption case in the People's Republic of China. Set in 1951, the story follows counter-espionage officer Chen Huaibang, who uncovers the shocking corruption of Liu Qingshan, a former revolutionary hero turned corrupt official. Despite their past, Chen stays true to justice, bringing Liu and his accomplice Zhang Zishan to trial. The film highlights Chen's battle of wits with Liu, Zhang, and the enemy spy known as "Qingmang."
Michael Wood tells the extraordinary story of an ordinary woman in a time of revolution. Born during the reign of Henry VIII, Mary Arden is the daughter of a Warwickshire farmer, but she marries into a new life in the rising Tudor middle class in Stratford-upon-Avon. There she has eight children, three of whom die young. Her husband becomes mayor, but is bankrupted by his shady business dealings. Faced with financial ruin, religious persecution and power politics, the family is the glue that keeps them together until they are rescued by Mary's successful eldest son - William Shakespeare!
La Belle Vie: The Good Life takes a look into a filmmaker's journey to discover her Haitian roots by examining the complexities of the Haitian society but also chronicles her voyage to find hope in this nation on the brink of a new Haiti.