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The Rise and Fall of Hugh Hefner Playboy

2023 History HD

The film explores the darker side of the magazine, looking at how founder Hugh Hefner's excesses spiraled out of control as the years passed and how - over time - he came to be regarded by many in his orbit as a sinister, monstrous character. There were allegations of drug use, coercion, abuse and sexual assault in his empire, most of all at ...the Playboy Mansion itself, and this film features first-hand testimony from those that were there at the time. Show More

Deepsea Challenge

2014 Nature 3D HD

Now in HD, plus a 3D version available. As a boy, filmmaker James Cameron dreamed of a journey to the deepest part of the ocean. This film is the dramatic fulfillment of that dream. It chronicles Cameron's solo dive to the depths of the Mariana Trench-nearly seven miles beneath the ocean's surface-piloting a submersible he designed himself. T ...he risks were astounding. The footage is breathtaking. DEEPSEA CHALLENGE is a celebration of science, courage, and extraordinary human aspiration. Show More

Samsara

2011 Culture 3D HD

Prepare yourself for an unparalleled sensory experience. Samsara reunites director Ron Fricke and producer Mark Magidson, whose award-winning films Baraka and Chronos were acclaimed for combining visual and musical artistry. Samsara explores the wonders of our world from the mundane to the miraculous, looking into the unfathomable reaches of ...humanity's spirituality and the human experience. Neither a traditional documentary nor a travelogue, Samsara takes the form of a nonverbal, guided meditation. Show More

Medina Azahara: The Lost Pearl of al-Andalus

2022 History HD

Madinat al-Zahra was given its Arabic name, which means "The Shining City," by the 10th century caliph Abd al-Rahman III, who had it built. Nicknamed the "Versailles of Andalusia", Medina Azahara, located in Cordoba, Spain, is today one of the most important Islamic archaeological sites. This unique capital city, built four centuries before t ...he Alhambra in the mid-10th century, is the object of a new excavation campaign.
Five years ago, a team of European archaeologists began a new excavation project at this World Heritage site. For over 100 years, excavations here have concentrated inside the Caliph's palace. This new excavation project is focused outside the palace walls, in areas of the city never before studied. A massive new building came to light, its function unknown. Beyond the mystery of this building, the very location of this city is an enigma in itself. Why was a Muslim city of such importance built in a then primarily Christian area? The site is a complete urban complex including infrastructure, buildings, decoration, and objects of daily use. By following this mission and revealing the mysteries of this lost city, this film traces the history of the golden age of al-Andalus. Show More

The Egypt Code Breakers

2022 History HD

By cracking the ancient hieroglyphic code, Jean-François Champollion gave words to a thousand-year-old, mysterious civilization - but behind his legendary feat was a mysterious brother who made it all possible. New correspondence discovered between Jean-François Champollion and his brother Jacques-Joseph now allows us to fully understand how ...a young, self-taught genius was able to make one of the most important discoveries of the 19th century. Without the tireless support and cleverness of his older brother, Jean-François would never have managed to solve this burning, international enigma.
Through animated sequences, using their private correspondence, archives and with the help of experts, this film will go back on this one-in-a lifetime scientific, human and intellectual adventure to celebrate the bicentenary of the decoding of hieroglyphs. Show More

The Act of Killing

2012 History

The filmmakers challenge former Indonesian death-squad leaders to reenact their mass-killings in whichever cinematic genres they wish, including classic Hollywood crime scenarios and lavish musical numbers. Anwar Congo and his friends have been dancing their way through musical numbers, twisting arms in film noir gangster scenes, and gallopin ...g across prairies as yodeling cowboys. Their foray into filmmaking is being celebrated in the media and debated on television, even though Anwar Congo and his friends are mass murderers.
Medan, Indonesia. When the government of Indonesia was overthrown by the military in 1965, Anwar and his friends were promoted from small-time gangsters who sold movie theatre tickets on the black market to death squad leaders. They helped the army kill more than one million alleged communists, ethnic Chinese, and intellectuals in less than a year. As the executioner for the most notorious death squad in his city, Anwar himself killed hundreds of people with his own hands.
The Act of Killing is about killers who have won, and the sort of society they have built. Unlike ageing Nazis or Rwandan génocidaires, Anwar and his friends have not been forced by history to admit they participated in crimes against humanity. Instead, they have written their own triumphant history, becoming role models for millions of young paramilitaries. The Act of Killing is a journey into the memories and imaginations of the perpetrators, offering insight into the minds of mass killers. And The Act of Killing is a nightmarish vision of a frighteningly banal culture of impunity in which killers can joke about crimes against humanity on television chat shows, and celebrate moral disaster with the ease and grace of a soft shoe dance number. Show More

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