History Movies

Put the Needle on the Record

'PUT THE NEEDLE ON THE RECORD' is an award-winning documentary which explores the evolution of electronic music and the rise of the DJ in pop culture. Filmed in Miami during the hot and sexy Winter Music Conference, a yearly week-long event attended by over 20,000 electronic music professionals and fans, the film takes an inside look at a growing global phenomenon in the world of music. Interviews with top artists, footage from events around the globe and a brilliant soundtrack are combined to create a highly energetic piece of filmmaking. First-time director Jason Rem brings an unexplored genre of music to the masses for a glimpse at a movement that is driven by passion, creativity and business. The film has been called "A rock solid documentary," and "An event to savor in wonderment," and is not to be missed.

Meeting in the Gorge of Death

The film is set during the Civil War. The Red Army, with the support of the people, is fighting the Basmachi band led by Kurbashi Rajabbek.

The Reconciliation

The beginning of 1945, Poland. In a newly liberated country, the Communist Security Service is annihilating its enemies under the guise of punishing "national traitors." They organize a labor camp for Germans, Silesians and Poles, on the site of a former Nazi concentration camp called Zgoda / Reconciliation. Franek, who is in love with the Polish prisoner Anna, goes to work as a warder in the camp to save her. He does not know that one of the prisoners - Erwin, his German friend, also loved this girl for a long time. Franek joins the communists in the illusory hope of outsmarting the system.

Beatrice Cenci

Italian historical drama portraying the story of the sixteenth century Italian noblewoman Beatrice Cenci.

A German Youth

At the end of the 1960s the post-war generation began to revolt against their parents. This was a generation disillusioned by anti-communist capitalism and a state apparatus in which they believed they saw fascist tendencies. This generation included journalist Ulrike Meinhof, lawyer Horst Mahler, filmmaker Holger Meins as well as students Gudrun Ensslin and Andreas Baader.

The Tryst

Short historical film with a surprise twist filmed at the Ulster Folk & Transport Museum.

The Wedding of Palo

The movie tells of the contest between two rivals for the love of an Inuk woman. The forces of nature will determine the winner.

The Firefly

Nina Maria Azara is the beautiful and alluring singing spy for Spain during the Napoleonic Wars. Her mission is to seduce French officers, in order for them to reveal Napoleon's intentions toward Spain. She is sent to Bayonne, France to gather military secrets. Prior to this, she meets Don Diego while performing at a club. Unknown to her, Don Diego is actually Captain Andre, who is sent to Spain to spy on her. While in France, Nina discovers Diego's true identity, only after she has fallen in love with him. Nina Maria outwits her potential captors, returns to Spain and goes into hiding. Napoleon's troops invade Spain, resulting in Nina's capture. In a strange twist of fate, Nina and Captain Andre are reunited, but the 2 nations are now at war...

Amerikanka

The action of the film takes place during the Russian Revolution of 1905 in Moscow. King Okhranka tries to disrupt the work of the illegal printing press of the Bolsheviks. The small typewriter “Amerikanka” plays the key role in the victory.

Akiko's Piano: Chords Played by the Surviving Piano

1940, Kawamoto Akiko lives in Hiroshima with her father and mother, Genkichi and Shizuko, as well as her two younger brothers. Akiko loves playing her favourite piano. As the war situation worsens, she is busy helping out the war efforts. On the morning of August 6, 1945, she disobeys her father and heads into the centre of town for work. In Hiroshima 75 years later, her favourite piano remains, restored and playable following its survival of the atomic bombing

Zwei Leben für Europa

In the chaotic, highly emotional period after the First World War in 1918, the foreign ministers Gustav Stresemann (1878-1929) and Aristide Briand (1862-1932) put all their energies into trying to lead their countries, Germany and France, which were at enmity with each other, into a peaceful future and a united Europe. After their deaths, Europe has to go through a second hell before the plan of these two visionaries succeeds. The cinematic mix of archive footage and re-enactments shows two statesmen, full of facts and emotion, who give each other nothing in difficult negotiations, but at the same time hold on to their shared vision. Even if these two human lives were not enough to reap the fruits of their labor, they sowed the seeds for the next generation. In 1926, Aristide Briand and Gustav Stresemann were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. It is a sign that the peoples of the world believe in a Europe at peace.

Rothschild Saga

This rich and nuanced portrait of the remarkable, elusive Rothschild family uncovers the story behind the family's phenomenal economic success. The film tells the dynasty’s incredible saga, from the confines of the Frankfurt ghetto to the halls of royal palaces, all the while emphasizing the importance they placed on family unity and the profound role Judaism played in their lives, later using their influence to assist oppressed Jews throughout Europe. A definitive work of documentary cinema with a thoroughly engaging narrative, The Rothschild Saga brings their mysterious and fascinating history to life.

The Builders of the Alhambra

Kingdom of Granada, al-Andalus, 14th century. After recognizing that his land, always under siege, is hopelessly doomed to be conquered, Sultan Yusuf I undertakes the construction of a magnificent fortress with the purpose of turning it into the landmark of his civilization and his history, a glorious monument that will survive the oblivion of the coming centuries: the Alhambra.

Patria

Paco Ignacio Taibo II brings his book trilogy to life, highlighting Mexico's history in 1854-1867, a period he considers foundational to the country.

Partition: The Day India Burned

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

The pants trial

1930, all of Paris was crystallized by a resounding trial: the pants trial. Indeed, Violette Morris, the impetuous and famous sportswoman of the 1920s, took legal action against the Automobile Club de France which withdrew her license. The cause: the insistent wearing of men's suits, pants.

Der Schimmelreiter - Eine Sage aus dem Schwarzwald

Via Gobi and Khingan

About the events of the final stage of the Second World War — the defeat by Soviet and Mongolian troops of the selected Kwantung army. Bacteriological weapons were created in the laboratory of Japanese General Ishii Shiro. Experiments were conducted on prisoners of war and political prisoners. Epidemiologist Dmitry Sokolov was assigned to solve the mystery of this laboratory. At the cost of his own life, he completed the task. The march of Soviet and Mongolian formations through the Gobi sands and the Khingan spurs was not only a brilliant military operation, but also a warning of the use of bacteriological weapons by Japan.

Wyszynski - Revenge or Forgiveness

This film tells the story of lieutenant Stefan Wyszynski (Ksawery Szlenkier) - the future Primate of Poland, unknown to a wider audience. It is 1944, in the heat of war, we meet a young priest Wyszynski, who has recently been appointed chaplain of the branch in the Kampinos Forest. It is also active in the insurgent hospital. Everyone knows him there under the pseudonym "Radwan III". The reality of the war is for Fr. Wyszynski, a forge of character, a fight for hope and love, especially against enemies. How are we to forgive in everyday warfare? The hero asks, turning to the Source of his vocation.

Witchcraft Through the Ages

A seventy-six-minute version of Häxan, re-edited and re-released in the United States by Metro Pictures Corporation in 1968. It is narrated by author William S. Burroughs, with a jazz score and soundtrack featuring violinist Jean-Luc Ponty.