History
Years

Popular History Movies

Above and Beyond
Above and Beyond
In 1948, a group of World War II pilots volunteered to fight for Israel in the War of Independence.
Above and Beyond 2015
A Century of Black Cinema
A Century of Black Cinema
This film highlights moments in the long and rich African American cinema history in relation to social and political events, and how it affected Black viewers of the time.
A Century of Black Cinema 2003
Roanoke: The Lost Colony
Roanoke: The Lost Colony
A fictional tale based on the true events of the Lost Colony of Roanoke Island in 1587.
Roanoke: The Lost Colony 2007
Summer of '67
Summer of '67
Based on real life events, Summer of '67 brings to life the turbulent times of the sixties and the struggles faced by the men and women impacted by the Vietnam War. Young wife and mother Milly (Rachel Schrey) is forced to live with her mother-in-law while her husband Gerald (Cameron Gilliam) is away on the USS Forrestal. Kate (Bethany Davenport) must choose between Peter (Christopher Dalton) her high school sweetheart and Van (Sam Brooks) her new hippie boyfriend. Ruby Mae (Sharonne Lanier) finally finds true love with Reggie (Jerrold Edwards) only to have him whisked away by the draft. Each woman faces the question of whether or not their man will return, and even if he does, will life as they know it ever be the same?
Summer of '67 2018
Vivandiére
Vivandiére
Two young women from both sides of the Civil War volunteer as battlefield nurses, facing down scornful commanders and murderous war criminals to accomplish their hazardous duty.
Vivandiére 2021
The Edelweiss Pirates
The Edelweiss Pirates
Cologne towards the end of the Second World War. The city is in ruins, everyone is afraid, many are dead. It is a time of great inhumanity. Cologne’s young Edelweiss Pirates refuse to submit to the pressure of the Nazi regime. They fight with the Hitler Youth and scrawl anti-war propaganda on walls. Karl is an Edelweiss Pirate; his younger brother, Peter, is in the Hitler Youth movement. The two young men have been alone ever since their mother’s death in a bombing raid; their father is serving at the front, and their older brother, Otto, has been killed in action. Otto’s financée, Cilly, is doing her best to survive the war with her children. Carl is trying to help her.
The Edelweiss Pirates 2004
First Man on the Moon
First Man on the Moon
Neil Armstrong's family and friends, many of whom have never spoken publicly before, tell the story of the first man to set foot on the moon. Drawing heavily on unbroadcast archive footage and the unique perspectives of the contributors, this is an exclusive account of Neil Armstrong's extraordinary life story. From his childhood during America's Great Depression to the heady days of the space programme, his historic first step on the Moon and his famously private later life. Seen through the eyes of those who were with him, the film explores the man behind the myth, a man who was very much a product of his time. The film goes beyond his days as an astronaut and shows that his life after the flight of Apollo 11 was, in many ways equally challenging, as Armstrong came to terms with life outside NASA and the relentless demands of fame until his death in August 2012.
First Man on the Moon 2012
The Real Haunted Mansion 2
The Real Haunted Mansion 2
The Real Haunted Mansion 2 explores the rich history and investigates the ghostly activity for the first time at an historic Gothic Iowa Mansion with a team of Historians and Paranormal Investigators.
The Real Haunted Mansion 2 2023
The Universal Clock: The Resistance of Peter Watkins
The Universal Clock: The Resistance of Peter Watkins
This feature documentary is a portrait of Peter Watkins, an Oscar®-winning British filmmaker who, for the past 4 decades, has proved that films can be made without compromise. With the proliferation of TV channels, documentaries are enjoying an unprecedented boom fuelled by audiences seeking an alternative to infotainment. But now documentary filmmaking, too, finds itself constrained by the imperatives of television. However, there is a rebel resisting this uniformity of the spirit. Pre-eminent among today's documentary filmmakers concerned about this mind-numbing standardization, Peter Watkins has never strayed from either his principles or the cause.
The Universal Clock: The Resistance of Peter Watkins 2001
Enemy Within
Enemy Within
When a Japanese pilot crash-lands on the tiny remote Hawaiian island of Ni'ihau, he is met with courtesy and traditional Hawaiian hospitality from the locals - until they discover he was part of the recent attack on Pearl Harbor. Soon the community is split between those of Japanese ancestry who support the pilot and those of Hawaiian ancestry who oppose them.
Enemy Within 2019
I Am The Blues
I Am The Blues
A musical journey through the swamps of the Louisiana Bayou, the juke joints of the Mississippi Delta and Moonshine soaked BBQs in the North Mississippi Hill Country. Visiting the last original blues devils, many in their 80's, still living in the deep south, working without management and touring the Chitlin' Circuit. Let Bobby Rush, Barbara Lynn, Henry Gray, Carol Fran, Lazy Lester, Bilbo Walker, RL Boyce, Jimmy 'Duck' Holmes, Lil Buck Sinegal, LC Ulmer and their friends awaken the blues in all of us.
I Am The Blues 2016
Nazi Fugitives
Nazi Fugitives
The Nazi regime lasted from 1933 to 1945 and was undoubtedly one of the most horrific periods of history. The Nazi Party and its immoral leader instilled one of the most corrupt regimes on the people of Germany and its invisible enemies. However...Adolf Hitler was not working alone. He had a circle of some of the most barbaric and evil men alongside him, who helped make the atrocities possible. These are...the Nazi Fugitives.
Nazi Fugitives 2023
Anomaly
Anomaly
Set in the late 60's, broken relationships and an astronomical event intertwine the various narrative threads - an abstract interpretation of the historical Christmas narrative.
Anomaly 2014
City of Gold
City of Gold
This classic short film depicts the Klondike gold rush at its peak, when would-be prospectors struggled through harsh conditions to reach the fabled gold fields over 3000 km north of civilization. Using a collection of still photographs, the film juxtaposes the Dawson City at the height of the gold rush with its bustling taverns and dance halls with the more tranquil Dawson City of the present.
City of Gold 1957
Homesick
Homesick
A university student returns home to self-isolate during the lockdown. He's totally alone, he's caught the virus and in order to cope, he's started to talk to himself.
Homesick 2021
Bless You, Prison
Bless You, Prison
Based on Nicole Valery-Grossu's European best seller autobiographic novel "Bless you, prison", the film is a true story, with real events and characters. A young intellectual woman, Nicole is arrested. There follow three months of exhausting interrogation and isolation. Alone in a cell, she undergoes a spiritual experience similar to that of the great mystics.
Bless You, Prison 2002
Hearts in Bondage
Hearts in Bondage
Best friends Kenneth Reynolds and Raymond Jordan are U.S. Navy officers, and Kenneth is engaged to Raymond's sister. But the eruption of the Civil War divides them, as Raymond stands by his native Virginia while Kenneth remains on duty as a Northern officer. Kenneth's uncle, John Ericsson, designs a new kind of ship, an ironclad he calls the Monitor. Eventually the war pits Kenneth, on board the Monitor, against his friend Raymond, serving aboard the South's own ironclad, the Merrimac (as it is called here). A naval battle ensues, one that will go down in history.
Hearts in Bondage 1936
Boom Bust Boom
Boom Bust Boom
Terry Jones presents Boom Bust Boom. The result of a meeting between writer, director, historian and Python Terry Jones and economics professor and entrepreneur Theo Kocken. Co-written by Jones and Kocken and featuring John Cusack, Nobel Prize winners Daniel Kahneman, Robert J Shiller and Paul Krugman, the film is part of a global movement to change the economic system through education to protect the world from boom and bust. A unique look at why economic crashes happen, Boom Bust Boom is a multimedia documentary combining live action with animation and puppetry to explain economics to everyone.
Boom Bust Boom 2016
Time Zero: The Last Year of Polaroid Film
Time Zero: The Last Year of Polaroid Film
Documentary covering the end of an era as Polaroid stops producing its signature cameras and film as well as The Impossible Project to keep instant photography alive.
Time Zero: The Last Year of Polaroid Film 2012
Beyond Pollution
Beyond Pollution
Barker White documents the environmental impact of the massive BP spill.
Beyond Pollution 2012
Painters Painting
Painters Painting
Painters Painting: The New York Art Scene 1940-1970 is a 1972 documentary directed by Emile de Antonio. It covers American art movements from abstract expressionism to pop art through conversations with artists in their studios. Artists appearing in the film include Willem de Kooning, Jasper Johns, Andy Warhol, Robert Rauschenberg, Helen Frankenthaler, Frank Stella, Barnett Newman, Hans Hofmann, Jules Olitski, Philip Pavia, Larry Poons, Robert Motherwell, and Kenneth Noland.
Painters Painting 1973
Liberation
Liberation
Liberation tells the dramatic story of the battle waged on two fronts during World War II - the Allied campaign to liberate Europe and Hitler's genocidal campaign against the Jews. The World War II documentary uses film footage, radio broadcasts, and period music gathered from archives around the world. Interwoven throughout the film are the compelling stories of the Jews of Europe - unforgettable stories of tragedy, courage, resistance, and survival. Liberation begins in 1942, when Adolf Hitler was still at the height of his power and the Allies began envisioning a cross-channel invasion of Europe.
Liberation 1994
Manifest Destiny: The Lewis & Clark Musical Adventure
Manifest Destiny: The Lewis & Clark Musical Adventure
Lewis and Clark blaze a trail to the western waters in this epic satire and spoof on American ego.
Manifest Destiny: The Lewis & Clark Musical Adventure 2016
The Burning of Atlanta
The Burning of Atlanta
"The Burning of Atlanta" is the story of the destruction of a major city near the end of the war, and the desperation and terror this causes in the lives of those who watch their entire society collapse around them.
The Burning of Atlanta 2020
The Mystery of the Sphinx
The Mystery of the Sphinx
Hosted by Charlton Heston, it explores the possibility that the Sphinx maybe older than expected. John Anthony West examines that water erosion on the Sphinx can pre-date it to 10,000 years old?. Other mysteries such as how they moved 200 ton stone blocks to build the pyramids, the secret chambers under the Sphinx and the links to the pyramids that are suggested on Mars.
The Mystery of the Sphinx 1993
Battle of Surabaya
Battle of Surabaya
Musa, who is only a thirteen-year-old shoe shiner, undergoes destiny through his adventure of waging war during the war time. Will he manage to bring peace among the troops who keep on fighting for nothing?
Battle of Surabaya 2015
Unlikely Heroes
Unlikely Heroes
For most, the idea of Jewish resistance or defiance during the Holocaust is limited to the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising and a few isolated acts throughout WWII. "Unlikely Heroes", narrated by Sir Ben Kingsley, highlights 7 previously unknown stories of extraordinary men and women who exemplified the highest levels of courage and human dignity during the most desperate days of the Holocaust.
Unlikely Heroes 2003
The Auctioneers: Profiting from the Holocaust
The Auctioneers: Profiting from the Holocaust
From 1938-1939, the systematic anti-Semitism of Adolph Hitler and the Nazis led to violence and despotism towards Jewish citizens, along with the exploitation of Jewish property. Tax inspectors, bailiffs, pawnbrokers, and auctioneers were among the major profiteers of the Holocaust. This documentary goes on a hunt for relics of the past and those who've profited most from the injustices of WWII.
The Auctioneers: Profiting from the Holocaust 2018
The Return
The Return
Tatsuya Nakadai, the world’s greatest living actor, returns to the screen in a brilliant adaptation of a story by novelist Shuhei Fujisawa. A traveling gambler known as “Funeral Uno” he is now 86 years old and returning to his hometown for the first time in 30 years. Partly told in flashbacks, he is forced to face his lifelong nemesis, Boss Kyuzo, a vile yakuza portrayed by another superstar of samurai cinema, Atsuo Nakamura! Before the two old gamblers can settle a 30-year-old score they must put their lives on the line in a game of dice that can only lead to a bloody sword duel the likes of which has never before been seen! Superb performances all around in a film loaded with surprises and exciting swordplay!
The Return 2019
Serial Killer Culture
Serial Killer Culture
Serial Killer Culture examines the reasons why artists and collectors are fascinated by serial killers.
Serial Killer Culture 2014
The Amazing Nina Simone
The Amazing Nina Simone
The life, legacy and musical accomplishments of singer, musician, pianist, songwriter and Civil Rights activist, Nina Simone through interviews with over 50 of the subject’s friends, family, band members, lovers and fellow activists. The film has been called the best of the three Nina Simone films by The New Yorker Magazine.
The Amazing Nina Simone 2015
A Second Knock at the Door
A Second Knock at the Door
In the works for over two years, A Second Knock at the Door offers a rare glimpse into the lives of military families dealing with the loss of loved ones to friendly fire. Through interviews and investigative reports obtained through the Freedom of Information Act, this documentary explores several key incidents in which the families of the fallen were forced to embark on a quest for the truth after the Army attempted to bury the true cause of death within the 'fog of war.'
A Second Knock at the Door 2012
A More Perfect Union
A More Perfect Union
Become an eyewitness to the Constitutional Convention of 1787. This stirring 2-hour film will bring the Founding Fathers to life as you witness the struggles and the miracles that produced the Constitution of the United States and the freest nation on earth. Filmed on location at Independence Hall; Williamsburg, Virginia; and other historical sites, it dramatically chronicles how America became a nation. It is exciting drama of the best kind-fact, rather than fiction. "It brings the history books to life," writes one reviewer. "Dramatically moving, and visually handsome," says another. Officially recognized by the Commission on the Bicentennial of the United States Constitution, who cited the film as being "of exceptional merit."
A More Perfect Union 1989
War Horse The Real Story
War Horse The Real Story
The truth about the million British horses that served in World War I is even more epic than Steven Spielberg’s War Horse feature film. This documentary tells their extraordinary, moving story, begining with the mass call-up of horses from every farm and country estate in the land. Racing commentator Brough Scott tells the tale of his aristocratic grandfather General Jack Seely and his beloved horse Warrior, who would become the most famous horse of the war. The British Army hoped its illustrious cavalry regiments would win a swift victory, but it would be years before they enjoyed their moment of glory. Instead, in a new era of mechanised trench warfare, the heavy horses transporting guns, ammunition and food to the front-line troops were most important. A quarter of a million of these horses died from shrapnel wounds and disease. But the deep bond that developed between man and horse helped both survive the hell of the Somme and Passchendaele.
War Horse The Real Story 2012
Tower To The People
Tower To The People
Nikola Tesla dreamed of sending free wireless energy from a mysterious tower and lab called Wardenclyffe. Deteriorating for decades, the remains of his great work were almost lost forever. Until a grateful world united to save them.
Tower To The People 2015
Veerabhimanyu
Veerabhimanyu
Veerabhimanyu 1965
The Surprising History of Sex and Love
The Surprising History of Sex and Love
The Surprising History of Sex and Love is a documentary presented by Terry Jones, looking at the different and surprising attitudes to sex and love throughout history. The documentary traces the story of changing social and religious attitudes to sex through a broad swathe of history. Starting with the place of ’sacred sex’ in the ancient world and ending with a discussion of the contemporary relationship between sex, marketing and prurience, the film offers some kind of map of how we got from there to here, and indicates that changes in sexual attitudes are connected with issues of power and control.
The Surprising History of Sex and Love 2002
Shattered City: The Halifax Explosion
Shattered City: The Halifax Explosion
A true story about the tragic explosion at Halifax Harbour, Canada, in the early hours of December 6, 1917.
Shattered City: The Halifax Explosion 2003
Free China: The Courage to Believe
Free China: The Courage to Believe
The fates of a woman living in Beijing and a man living in New York become inextricably linked because of a common conviction.
Free China: The Courage to Believe 2013
Granito: How to Nail a Dictator
Granito: How to Nail a Dictator
A story of destinies joined by Guatemala's past, and how a documentary film intertwined with a nation's turbulent history emerges as an active player in the present.
Granito: How to Nail a Dictator 2011