1928: Lyovuschka, a Soviet worker, is cast in the role of Trotsky for Eisenstein‘s latest film, but quickly finds his dreams of an actor‘s life shattered when Trotsky falls into Stalin‘s disfavor. Exiled from his homeland, he poses as a wealthy baron and finds himself stuck in a glamorous seaside resort in Germany awaiting a barge that will take him to Hollywood. A summer romance kicks off when he meets the eccentric factory owner Octavia Flambow-Jansen - it's just too bad there are vampires around.
Tehran, Iran, August 19, 1953. A group of Iranian conspirators who, with the approval of the deposed tyrant Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, have conspired with agents of the British MI6 and the US CIA, manage to put an end to the democratic government led by Mohammad Mosaddegh, a dramatic event that will begin the tragic era of coups d'état that, orchestrated by the CIA, will take place, over the following decades, in dozens of countries around the world.
Firmly believing her own life is no more precious than the lives of the innocent people being persecuted, with the help of a few friends, Diana embarks on a perilous campaign of rescuing more than 10,000 children from the Ustasha camps in Nazi-occupied Croatia.
Ella Fitzgerald was a 15-year-old street kid when she won a talent contest in 1934 at the Apollo Theatre in Harlem. Within months she was a star. Over the next six decades, her sublime voice would transform the tragedies of her own life and the troubles of her times into joy. JUST ONE OF THOSE THINGS retraces this extraordinary journey.
Actor Jeremy Irons embarks on an epic journey through the halls of the Prado Museum in Madrid, Spain, two hundred years after its inauguration, along corridors where thousands of masterpieces of all time tell the lives of rulers and common people, and tales about times of war and madness and times of peace and happiness; because, as Goya said, imagination, the mother of the arts, produces impossible monsters, but also unspeakable wonders.
Fall of 1941. Freshly graduated from school, Zoya Kosmodemyanskaya volunteers for a partisan unit. During an assignment, her comrades are ambushed, and she is captured by the Nazis. She endures hours of grueling interrogations and horrendous torture, but defiantly refuses to divulge any information that would compromise other units’ partisan missions. She doesn’t even tell her captors her real name. Zoya’s sacrifice was not in vain; it ignited fire in the hearts of millions of people and became the symbol of selfless heroism during WWII. She is one of the most celebrated heroes of that time.
Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo, 2017. In the urban jungle of Kinshasa, amid social and political chaos, an eclectic and bubbling street art scene is emerging.
Zurich in 1519: The young widow Anna Reinhart lives a barren life between fear of the church and worries about the future of her three children, when the arrival of a man in the city causes turmoil: The young priest Ulrich Zwingli takes up his new position at the Grossmünster in Zurich and sparks fierce discussions with his sermons against the grievances of the Catholic Church. Zwingli's revolutionary thoughts frighten Anna. But when she sees how Zwingli lives charity and not just preaches, she increasingly becomes fascinated by him. But Zwingli's success quickly becomes dangerous. His ideas almost trigger a civil war, and at the same time a struggle for power and interpretive sovereignty breaks out in the inner circle of the movement. When the Catholic forces begin to form internationally, the relationship between Zwingli and Anna is put to a hard test.
Vitoria, Basque Country, Spain, March 3, 1976. After several months of protests demanding decent working conditions, a general strike is called. Thousands of workers gather at the church of San Francisco while a hundred heavily armed policemen wait to act.
Spain, June 2014. King Juan Carlos I abdicates after forty years on the throne. The historical cycle that began in 1978 has ended. It is the beginning of a new era. Felipe VI is the new king and the future is uncertain.
In 1818, Mary Shelley wrote Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus, a powerful and timelessness novel which eternal theme is nothing other than man's quest for the secret of life. Since then, the Creature became a pop culture icon, overshadowing the novel and Doctor Frankenstein himself.
A fascinating portrait of Ben Ferencz, the last surviving Nuremberg Trial prosecutor, who continues to wage his lifelong crusade in the fight for law and peace.
The true story of German-Czech businessman Oskar Schindler (1908-74) as told by some of the Jews — more than a thousand people — whose lives he saved from extermination during World War II.
North of Italy, the von Kettens dispute the forces of the Episcopate of Trent. Herr Ketten seeks marriage in a distant country, Portugal. After their honeymoon journey back home, Ketten leaves again for the war. Eleven years elapsed… Rumours are running about the presence of that 'foreigner' in the castle. Some say she's a heretic. Until one day, the Bishop of Trento ends up dying and, with the signature of peace, falls the background of von Ketten's life. Will the Portuguese win, where death seems to be moving in?
In the middle of the 13th century, following the death of "The Iron Sultan, Alaeddin Keykubat," Mongols attack Anatolian Seljuks to destroy the last power against "The Great Khan". Allegiance or independence turns into an issue of debate among the Seljuk statesmen. A secret resistance is possible. A new and stronger state is not a dream. Emir Celaleddin Karatay, Vizier of Seljuks is to sparkle a nationwide resistance. His way is not predictable.
Young Kim Chang-soo is placed behind bars, charged with murdering a Japanese person who took part in Empress Myeongseong's assassination. In prison, Kim Chang-soo sees how Koreans are persecuted and grows into a fighter for Korean independence.
The emperor of Satavahana kingdom, Satakarni comes across many challenges when he attempts to convince his wife that their son is bound to take part in battles and vanquish his enemies.