Behind the Screens, Hollywood Goes Hypercommercial

Hollywood movies are rapidly becoming vehicles for the ulterior marketing and advertising motives of studios and their owners, rather than entertainment in their own right. Behind the Screens explores this trend toward "hypercommercialism" through phenomena such as product placement, tie-ins, merchandising and cross-promotions. It combines multiple examples taken directly from the movies with incisive interviews provided by film scholars, cultural critics, political economists, and an Oscar-nominated screenwriter. Behind the Screens presents an accessible argument designed for school and college-age audiences-- precisely the demographic most prized by both Hollywood studios and advertisers alike. It features examples drawn from movies such as Wayne's World, Forrest Gump, The Lion King, Summer of Sam, and Toy Story.

2000-01-01 | en

Walt Disney's 'The Jungle Book': The Making of a Musical Masterpiece

Documentary about the making of Disney's animated musical adaptation of Kipling's classic.

1997-10-14 | en

Kewaaj

The word kewaaj (কেওয়াজ) is colloquially used to explain chaos, noisiness or annoyance. "Kewaaj" is an audiovisual attempt to give you a glimpse into how the people of Dhaka function in one of the most unliveable cities, according to the Global Liveability Index.

2023-09-10 | bn

The Guns of James Bond

Short 1964 black-and-white documentary featurette hosted by Sean Connery and featuring the real-life inspiration for the character of Q, Major Geoffrey Boothroyd with a discussion of the gun weaponry used by James Bond.

1964-09-17 | en

Rikers

This film from Bill Moyers is the first documentary to focus exclusively on people formerly detained in New York City’s notorious Rikers Island Jail. They tell their compelling stories direct to the camera, revealing the violent arc of the Rikers experience – from the trauma of entry to extortion and control by inmates, to oppressive corrections officers, violence and solitary confinement.

2016-11-12 | en

Symphonic Sketches

“Symphonic Sketches” tells the story of one classical music concert performed by the Denver Philharmonic Orchestra. Musicians from diverse racial backgrounds connect to the repertoire in unique ways and stage an unforgettable performance.

2023-09-28 | en

Great Shark Chow Down

The world's leading scientists and cinematographers relive 5 extraordinary shark feeding events. From being surrounded at night by 700 grey reek sharks, a 300-strong gathering of blacktip, dusky and bronze sharks feeding on thousands of bait fish, to the spectacular sight of more than 200 blue sharks feeding on the carcass of a seven ton whale; the Great Shark Chow Down is an epic celebration of sharks from around the world.

2019-07-15 | en

Nem Tudo se Desfaz

How twenty cents began a conservative revolution.

2021-09-20 | pt

Katharine Hepburn: All About Me

In a rare interview, Katharine Hepburn shares her memories and memorabilia.

1993-01-18 | en

The Shrovetide Devil

Lazarim’s shrovetide is one of the most genuine and ancient carnival celebrations in Portugal. O Diabo do Entrudo explores the fascinating caretos and their elaborate costumes, enabling not only an overview of the carnival celebrations, but also a reflexion on gender dynamics and on the continuation of ancient customs handed down between generations in an ancient Portuguese village. One highlights the way in which rituals and traditions remain alive and are passed on from generation to generation, providing an intimate and rich perspective on the social and cultural changes over time.

2024-10-17 | pt

Rocks 4 Sale!

A slice-of-life look at how kids in the former mining town of Silverton, Colorado stay busy in the summer by “mining” and selling rocks to tourists. Through this time-honored rite of passage, these “rock stars” learn history, social skills, and become little entrepreneurs while delighting tourists from around the world.

2022-03-05 | en

Riding Giants

Riding Giants is story about big wave surfers who have become heroes and legends in their sport. Directed by the skateboard guru Stacy Peralta.

2004-07-09 | en

Letter to My Tribe

Letter to My Tribe started with a question: Why don’t more Jews and Israelis speak out about Palestine? Over many years my mother, who represents a more messianic perspective, and I have had numerous arguments, some recorded, some not. These form the backbone of this video essay in which Israelis and Jews, journalists, activists and a rabbi are interviewed, and in which documentation of actions on the ground, in the West Bank, are woven with more personal family histories and journeys to Iraq and to Poland.

2024-09-28 | en

1:1 Thierry Henry

Global soccer hero Thierry Henry stars in this up-close sports documentary that covers his 2010 move from Barcelona to the New York Red Bulls.

2011-11-13 | en

Woman on Fire

Woman on Fire follows Brooke Guinan, the first openly transgender firefighter in New York City. A character-driven documentary, the film follows Brooke as she sets out to challenge perceptions of what it means to be transgender in America today.

2016-11-15 | en

Honey Hunters

"Honey Hunters" is a life story of bees and people. In order to get to the bottom of the mysteries of the life of bees and show them to the audience, the camera enters a contemporary hive and a traditional wild beehive drilled in the trunk of an old tree. It wanders the forests in Poland and Ural, mountains in Nepal and... roofs of Paris and Warsaw. For millions years bees have been laboriously building the natural environment of our planet. These days, they started to die by millions. A programme of wild tree beekeeping reintroduction was launched in Polish forests. It has been an ancient local tradition. Maybe reaching for the past, the original model of coexistence of bees and people, for wild tree beekeeping, can help us to save the bees? After watching “Honey Hunters” everyone wants to have their own beehive and harvest their own honey!

2016-04-22 | pl

The Beach Boys - California Surfin

2004-01-01 | en

Rainbow Warrior

The Rainbow Warrior was a Greenpeace ship that was bombed by operatives of the French government, in New Zealand in 1985, while heading to a protest against nuclear testing, tragically taking the life of photographer Fernando Pereira. Edward McGurn’s enlightening and exciting documentary uncovers a tangled tale of nuclear weapons, geopolitical coverups, and attempts to take action against impending environmental collapse. Was Pereira’s death an accident or part of a larger political plot?

2022-09-19 | en

A Night Song

A patient camera glides over the everyday objects: still lives on the wall, flowers in the vase, a swaying drop light. The sun enters the cosy home where Noëlla sits smoking at her laptop, playing Solitaire. The situation is hopeless. She’s going to lose against the computer once again. All the while her son-in-law, Pierre, is organising everything she needs, pragmatic and friendly: breakfast, the (last) doctor’s visit – and then the transfer.

2022-10-18 | fr

Une vie avec Oradour

2011-09-21 | fr