Alan Curtis and his renowned Il Complesso Barocco ensemble present Vivaldi's groundbreaking opera about the mythical hero Hercules and his quest to retrieve the sword of Antiope, queen of the Amazons. Mary-Ellen Nesi stars as the ferocious warrior queen, and Zachary Stains is the beleaguered Hercules, trying to appease the gods for killing his own children in a fit of rage. Laura Cherici, Luca Dordolo and Randall Scotting co-star.
Documentary, Historical Documentaries, Biographical Documentaries - This thought-provoking biographical program illuminates the fascinating life of Qin Shi Huangdi, "The First Magnificent Emperor of Qin," a man considered both influential and controversial in Chinese history. The ancient emperor's long list of accomplishments includes planning the construction of China's first Great Wall, building the world's largest burial site guarded by the famous Terracotta Army and amassing the most expansive empire of his time.
Move over, King Tut: There's a new pharaoh on the scene. A team of top archaeologists and forensics experts revisits the story of Hatshepsut, the woman who snatched the throne dressed as a man and declared herself ruler. Despite her long and prosperous reign, her record was all but eradicated from Egyptian history in a mystery that has long puzzled scholars. But with the latest research effort captured in this program, history is about to change.
Documentary - The Reckoning: Remembering the Dutch Resistance is the international award-winning documentary that captures the compelling story and eyewitness account of six survivors in war-torn Netherlands during World War II. - Diet Eman
When the fight against a supposed subversive threat seems not to be enough to ensure national unity, the Argentine military dictatorship rekindles the extinguished fire of an old border dispute with Chile in order to make the nation close ranks around the criminal regime: the chronicle of an internal political conflict that was about to turn into a bloody war.
The film dramatizes November 11, 1919- a crucial date in the battle for Latvian independence. A year after the end of the official hostilities of WWI, a renegade German general and troops remain outside the Latvian capital. Latvian riflemen, most of them inexperienced volunteers, somehow managed to defeat a larger, better-armed force of German and Russian mercenaries.
Italy, XIII century. The story of friendship between two young people who dedicated their lives to God and others: St. Francis and St. Clare of Assisi. Children of the bourgeoisie and the nobility, respectively, gave up their lives accommodated by a life of sacrifice, humility and proselytizing ...
Documentary about the effects of Britain's withdrawal from India in 1947 which triggered one of the biggest migrations in history. 15 million were displaced and more than a million lost their lives. The story is told through the testimony of people who lived together for centuries, but were forced out of their homes as one of the largest and most ethnically diverse nations in the world was divided. Dramatised reconstructions evoke some of the mistrust, violence and upheaval that ensued
In 1988, after much cunning political maneuvering, Loïk Le Floch-Prigent and Alfred Sirven become the chief executives at Elf. They discover a company that runs on kickbacks: in exchange for the oil rights, Elf makes handsome but discreet payoffs to the leaders of African nations. With the tacit complicity of President Mitterrand, and with eventual political and personal interests in mind, the new management takes charge of the slush fund. Within months, Sirven, Le Floch-Prigent and his wife Fatima Belaïd fill their pockets with more than they could ever have imagined.
During the conflict in the former Yugoslavia many soldiers were convinced to kill fellow citizens including friends and relatives in the name of patriotism. The Kolaborator follows the story of Goran, 24, a promising young soccer player who is forced to become a soldier. Goran goes from being a talented athlete to an executioner virtually overnight. Following orders, Goran lines up civilians, shoots them and drags them into mass graves. Justifying his role as a protector of his people, Goran becomes increasingly detached from the task until his soccer coach and life-long friend, Asim, is led in front of him. As a familiar face stands defeated before him, Goran must reconsider his actions and choose between his own life and that of his dear friend.
The Lark Farm is set in a small Turkish town in 1915. It deals with the genocide of Armenians, looking closely at the fortunes, or rather, misfortunes of one wealthy Armenian family.
Jesse James, one of the most infamous outlaws in American history, known for his gunslinging skills, ruthless bank robberies, and frequent train hijackings. He represents a volatile mixture of charisma and cruelty, and ruled his gang with an iron fist. Jesse's demise is set in motion when he meets Robert Ford, who had been obsessed with the bandit since childhood. Ford joins the Gang, but the reality did not live up to the fantasy. Ultimately, a government conspiracy and a hefty reward push Ford to commit one of the most treacherous acts in history.
In the mid-1960s, wealthy debutant Edie Sedgwick meets artist Andy Warhol. She joins Warhol's famous Factory and becomes his muse. Although she seems to have it all, Edie cannot have the love she craves from Andy, and she has an affair with a charismatic musician, who pushes her to seek independence from the artist and the milieu.
For more than 30 years a man by the name of Dick Proenneke lived alone in the Alaskan Bush. His only neighbors were the wolves and grizzly bears and his only transportation was his canoe and a good set of legs. Through the years, Dick kept written journals of daily life at Twin Lakes but would also document much of his adventure on film with his 16 mms Bolex camera. The Frozen North is Dick's own filmed account of his life alone in this "One Man's Wilderness", produced from original footage not included in "Alone in the Wilderness" or "Alaska Silence & Solitude".
The Cell Phone Revolution is a revealing look at the enormous impact this small device has had on the way we live -- and the surprising dead ends and detours it took along the way. From a futuristic dream at the 1939 World's Fair -- the cell phone became a reality some thirty years later.
The year is Seitoku 2 (1712), and Japan has a new ruler. But Ietsugu, the 7th Tokugawa shogun, is only four years old. The power vacuum this creates has Edo Castle roiling in political intrigue and personal positioning of all kinds.