Berlin, February 27, 1933. The Reichstag is in flames. A young Dutch unemployed man, Marinus van der Lubbe, was found alone in the building. For Hitler, it was a plot by the "Reds". One hundred thousand communists and sympathizers were arrested during the night and in the days that followed and locked up in the first Nazi concentration camps. In March, the Chancellor obtained full powers. On September 21, the trial opened in Leipzig, broadcast on the radio. For the Nazis and the Communists alike, van der Lubbe was the perfect scapegoat. On December 23, 1933, he was sentenced to death, while his four co-defendants were acquitted.
Between 1931 and 1933, 4 million Ukrainians were to die of hunger. This famine was not preceded by any cataclysmic weather event, nor by a war. This was an ideological crime: decided by Stalin and approved by the Politburo, with the aim of punishing Ukrainian peasants who refused the collectivization of the countryside, cultivated a strong form of nationalism and showed resistance to communist ideology. Drawing on previously unpublished material, on many Soviet films and on a number of particular points of view, including that of Welsh journalist and whistleblower Gareth Jones, this film retraces the story of that famine.
With a sudden attack by the Japanese, British Major-General Maltby and his top officers struggle with the decision to either fight to the death or offer a humiliating surrender of the British Colony of Hong Kong.
An ongoing experiment, evolving from a biopic about Soviet physicist Lev Landau into a large scale project – part cinematic cycle, part behavioral experiment – involving hundreds of participants from around the world. Combining elements of film, theatre, science, psychology, architecture, visual arts and performance, it has created a complex and absorbing world that has to be lived as much as seen.
In 1993, 19 soldiers from the Royal Malay Soldier Regiment (RAMD), the most senior regiment within the Malaysian army, are sent on a dangerous mission to save 70 US Rangers trapped in the Bakara Market in Somalia during the civil war.
Getting out of prison doesn't mean being free. After the bloody suppression of the Prague Revolution in 1848, one of its participants, the writer František Vinický, spent eight years in prison. Returning to Prague in 1857, he tries to make contact with his former friends. The main one is his former comrade-in-arms Antoš. Of course, the man's steps also lead him to his former love Ida, who has been married to the councillor Mayer for several years. Vinicky is followed at practically every turn by the secret police, who will not allow him to get a decent job, let alone publish his new book. Police Councillor Berger makes it clear to the writer that a lot could be arranged if Vinicky would commit to cooperating...
Twenty-five hundred years before the reign of Julius Caesar, the ancient Egyptians were deftly harnessing the power of engineering on an unprecedented scale. Egyptian temples, fortresses, pyramids and palaces forever redefined the limits of architectural possibility. They also served as a warning to all of Egypt's enemies-that the world's most advanced civilization could accomplish anything. This two-hour special uses cinematic recreations and cutting-edge CGI to profile the greatest engineering achievements of ancient Egypt, and the pharaohs and architects who were behind them. Includes Djoser's Step Pyramid at Saqqara, Senusret's Nubian Superfortresses, Hatshepsut's Mortuary Temple at Dier el-Bahari, Akhenaten's city at Amarna, and the temples of Ramesses the Great at Abu Simbel.
When, in 2014, the charismatic German-Bulgarian Ruja Ignatova introduced OneCoin, a new cryptocurrency, she claimed that it was destined to become the world's most important digital currency and would change the course of history.
Cardinal Stefan Wyszynski's story sets the stage for the dramatic rise of Pope John Paul II and the fall of communism in Europe. Who is this prophetic man who battled evil and saw a son of Poland rising?
Four paranormal researchers and YouTubers document the paranormal claims of the Harrisville Farmhouse. The inspiration for the well known movie "The Conjuring". Is it truly haunted?
The sprawling capital of Persepolis and the site of the epic battle of Sparta at Thermopylae hold new discoveries waiting to be revealed; experts using cutting-edge forensic archaeology to reveal secrets behind these lost cities of ancient Persia.
Queen Elizabeth has worked with 14 Prime Ministers, including holding confidential weekly meetings. It is not known whether she has influenced her Prime Ministers, or what happens when they clash.
A remarkable new epic documentary spotlighting the pop culture milestones of 1982 including notable motion pictures, TV, music and video games of that seminal year.
In pre-Spanish era Philippines, a young native princess with goddess-like beauty falls in love with a dashing Spanish soldier. Against all odds, and pulled apart by their loyalties to their own people, they fight for their clandestine romance.
Paris, July 14, 1789. The kingdom has been in crisis for several months, and the city is buzzing with unrest. Citizens are angry and have had enough of inequality, unemployment and hunger. Armed with axes, hay thieves, knives and rifles, they storm the Bastille fortress. Join us for the crazy day in the streets of Paris, which has become a symbol of the French Republic.
"A Couple" is a film about a long term relationship between a man and a woman. The man is Leo Tolstoy. The woman is his wife, Sophia. They were married for 36 years, had 13 children, nine of whom survived. Each kept a diary. Although they lived together, in the same house, they wrote letters frequently to each other. Leo Tolstoy insisted that they read their diaries aloud to guests at dinner parties. The Tolstoy’s were also a dysfunctional couple, arguing frequently and being very unhappy with each other while occasionally enjoying passionate moments of reconciliation. The film is Sophia’s monologue about the joys and struggles of their life together, loosely drawn from their letters to each other and their diary entries.
In 1942, more than 8,000 Jews were arrested on 16 and 17 July and sent to the Vélodrome d'Hiver sports center in the 15th district, a stone's throw from the Eiffel Tower, before being deported. The expression "Vel d'Hiv round-up" has become part of our collective memory, to the point of becoming the main memorial reference point for France during the dark years. Based on research carried out in unpublished or rarely explored archives, this film retraces the history of this roundup as experienced by hunted Jews and police trackers, from its planning in the Vichy offices to its hour-by-hour unfolding in the streets of Paris.
When the British army looks set to defeat Mussolini’s Italian forces, Hitler sends reinforcements; the Afrika Korps led by General Rommel. The Desert Fox is on winning form until Montgomery, the British commander, sets up a plan to crush his opponent. After the American landing in North Africa, the Axis armies have no choice but to surrender and put an end to the Desert War.