Second half of the 20th century (1945-1990)Special recommendation
Outside the Law
Hors la loi (2010) Director: Rachid Bouchareb Actors: Jamel Debbouze, Roschdy Zem, Sami Bouajila Runtime: 138 min This tale of three Algerian brothers who are living in France in the late 1950s and early 1960s presents an exceptional insight into the Algerian anti-colonial struggle. Critics place this movie somewhere between ...
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Documentaries
What I’ve Learned About U.S. Foreign Policy
What I’ve Learned About U.S. Foreign Policy: The War Against the Third World Director: Frank Dorrel Runtime: 122 min You won’t see this documentary on TV or learn these things in school. If you are interested in the truth about the world we live in, this film is the right ...
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Dystopias, Fiction
The Bothersome Man
Den brysomme mannen (2006) Director: Jens Lien Actors: Trond Fausa Aurvaag Runtime: 95 min This is a story about a man who realizes that something is fundamentally wrong with the world he lives in, although no one around him seems to notice that. He is slowly becoming increasingly dissatisfied, but ...
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Based on actual eventsFirst half of the 20th century (1900-1945)
Rebellion
L’ordre et la morale (2011) Director: Mathieu Kassovitz Actors: Mathieu Kassovitz Runtime: 136 min New Caledonia in 1988, group FLNKS abducted two dozen police officers and demanded independence from France. Since this happened just before the second round of presidential elections in France, the politicians decided to terminate the negotiations ...
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Documentaries
This Film Is Not Yet Rated
This Film Is Not Yet Rated (2006) Director: Kirby Dick Runtime: 97 min It’s very interesting to see how the Motion Picture Association of America‘s (MPAA) film-rating system operates, indicating thematic and content suitability for certain audiences. Board membership is secret and no one knows how the members are selected, ...
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Documentaries
The Mallet
Malj (1977) Director: Aleksandar Ilić Runtime: 10 min Since black chicks are slower in the process of fattening, the factory’s genetic department eliminates them at the start, and if any manage to hatch and reach the conveyor belt where chickens are selected, it ends up in the dumpster – under ...
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Based on actual eventsFirst half of the 20th century (1900-1945)Special recommendation
Fortress of War
Brestskaya krepost (2010) Director: Aleksandr Kott Actors: Aleksey Kopashov, Andrey Merzlikin, Pavel Derevyanko Runtime: 132 min In spite of accelerated militarization and the growing awareness that the war between the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany is inevitable, in the days immediately preceding the beginning of the war, Stalin refused to ...
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Documentaries
Pandora’s Box
Pandora’s Box (1992) Director: Adam Curtis Runtime: 6 x 45 min A six-part documentary series dealing with the effects and irrational consequences of political and scientific rationalism. The focus of the story is how the engineers and scientists inappropriately interfered in economy and politics, while on the other hand, economists ...
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Contemporary period (after 1990)
The Constant Gardener
The Constant Gardener (2005) Director: Fernando Meirelles Actors: Ralph Fiennes, Rachel Weisz Runtime: 129 min A British diplomat tries to discover what is behind the murder of his beloved wife, an activist found dead in a remote area of Northern Kenya. As the yarn slowly unravels, it turns out that ...
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Based on actual eventsSecond half of the 20th century (1945-1990)Special recommendation
The Battle of Algiers
La battaglia di Algeri (1966) Director: Gillo Pontecorvo Actors: Brahim Hadjadj, Jean Martin, Yacef Saadi Runtime: 121 min The Algerian revolution was an anti-colonial conflict between France and the Algerian liberation movements from 1954 to 1962, when Algeria gained its independence. The movie covers a period of intense urban-guerrilla activity ...
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Dystopias, Fiction
The Man Who Fell to Earth
The Man Who Fell to Earth (1976) Director: Nicolas Roeg Actors: David Bowie Runtime: 139 min Humanoid alien comes to Earth in desire to save his planet which is struck by catastrophic drought. He patents his advanced technology and quickly acquires incredible wealth with the intention of building a space ...
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Documentaries
Night and Fog
Nuit et brouillard (1955) Director: Alain Resnais Runtime: 30 min Short and analytical documentary about Nazi concentration camps, primarily Auschwitz. It covers many aspects: the construction and setting up of the camps, hierarchy and the role of Kapos (inmates who become supervisors of other inmates), the exploitation of slave labor ...
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Based on actual eventsSecond half of the 20th century (1945-1990)
Marianne and Juliane
Die bleierne Zeit (1981) Director: Margarethe von Trotta Actors: Jutta Lampe, Barbara Sukowa Runtime: 106 min The film’s title “The Leaden Times” (Die bleierne Zeit) refers to the feelings of disappointment and defeat within the German Left in the 1970s, which followed the failures of 1960s social movements. A deep ...
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DocumentariesSpecial recommendation
Racism: A History
Racism: A History (TV mini-series 2007) Director: Paul Tickell Runtime: 3 x 59 min An excellent overview of the history of racism from its origins to the present day, through the development of colonialism, the abolition of slavery, imperialism, various racial theories, eugenics, monstrous exploitation and genocide around the world. ...
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Second half of the 20th century (1945-1990)Special recommendation
The Lost Honor of Katharina Blum
Die verlorene Ehre der Katharina Blum (1975) Directors: Volker Schlöndorff, Margarethe von Trotta Actors: Angela Winkler Runtime: 106 min After spending a night with a young man whom she met at a party the previous evening, the police breaks in looking for the boy, and arrests her instead. Although the ...
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Based on actual eventsPre-20th century
The Devils
The Devils (1971) Director: Ken Russell Actors: Oliver Reed, Vanessa Redgrave Runtime: 117 min Historical drama about the Urbain Grandier, a controversial Catholic priest from the 17th century who was tried for witchcraft, and sentenced for political reasons. Believe it or not, this movie is based on actual events. You ...
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Based on actual eventsFirst half of the 20th century (1900-1945)
Barefoot Gen
Hadashi no Gen (1983) Director: Mori Masaki Runtime: 83 min A Japanese anime about the first atomic bomb, dropped on Hiroshima in August 1945 and the direct consequences for the population. The focus is the story of a boy Gen and the fate of his family. Based on actual events. ...
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Documentaries
Manufacturing Consent: Noam Chomsky and the Media
Manufacturing Consent: Noam Chomsky and the Media (1992) Directors: Mark Achbar, Peter Wintonick Runtime: 167 min The nearly three-hour long documentary contains excerpts from over a hundred hours of video material of conversations and interviews with Noam Chomsky – linguist, anarchist, political thinker, theoretician and activist. The basic topic are ...
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Dystopias, Fiction
It Happened Here
It Happened Here (1965) Directors: Kevin Brownlow, Andrew Mollo Actors: Pauline Murray Runtime: 93 min An alternative history in which the Nazis succeeded in landing and occupying England. The film does not focus on the German occupation forces but rather on English collaborators and the mechanisms which people use to rationalize their ...
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