1. 100 Years of the Atom (Notre ami l'atome : un siècle de radioactivité)
The exciting story of the splitting of the atom, a scientific breakthrough of incalculable importance that ushered in the nuclear age, has a dark side: the many events in which people were exposed to radiation, both intentionally and by accident.
It has an average vote of 6.3 on TMDB.
2. 448 BC: Olympiad of Ancient Hellas
Through the eyes of the Narrator and ancient Philosophers of the time, we are taken on a dramatic journey through history; recounting the incredible and exciting dramas, ceremonies, games, and chariot races of the Ancient Greek OLYMPIAD; the Olympic Games of the 5th Century BC.
3. The Last of the Mohicans
In war-torn colonial America, in the midst of a bloody battle between British, the French and Native American allies, the aristocratic daughter of a British Colonel and her party are captured by a group of Huron warriors. Fortunately, a group of three Mohican trappers comes to their rescue.
It has an average vote of 7.388 on TMDB.
4. Thirteen Days
The story of the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962—the nuclear standoff with the USSR sparked by the discovery by the Americans of missile bases established on the Soviet-allied island of Cuba.
It has an average vote of 7 on TMDB.
5. Beata Virgo Viscera
An essay about films about flying.
6. The Man from Earth
An impromptu goodbye party for Professor John Oldman becomes a mysterious interrogation after the retiring scholar reveals to his colleagues he never ages and has walked the earth for 14,000 years.
It has an average vote of 7.637 on TMDB.
7. Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee
Beginning just after the bloody Sioux victory over General Custer at Little Big Horn, the story is told through two unique perspectives: Charles Eastman, a young, white-educated Sioux doctor held up as living proof of the alleged success of assimilation, and Sitting Bull the proud Lakota chief whose tribe won the American Indians’ last major victory at Little Big Horn.
It has an average vote of 6.5 on TMDB.
8. The Chocolate Soldier (The Chocolate Soldier)
Germany, 1945. The War is over, and it has left a slew of devastated families in its wake. Among them are Maria and her mother, two refugees who find themselves working on a farm in the German countryside after they are forced out of their home by violence and political upheaval. It is there that little Maria makes an unlikely friend: an American soldier — an enemy soldier — who, through one act of unnecessary kindness, teaches Maria and her family a powerful lesson in compassion and humanity during the most inhumane of times.
9. Awakened Demon (西游魔童红孩儿)
It tells the story of Hong Hai Er, who was already adopted by Guanyin Bodhisattva as the Fortune Kid. He followed the mentor’s order to practice at the Test of Fate. Hong Hai Er wanted to become a hero but was excluded by others due to his mixed heritage of immortal and demon. Facing misunderstandings and the imminent catastrophe, Hong Hai Er abandoned stereotypes and aggressiveness resolutely at the critical moment and battled the evil bravely with Ne Zha and Miss Dragon. Eventually, he beat the evil and won the recognition of everyone.
It has an average vote of 6.8 on TMDB.
10. Amazing Grace
The true story of William Wilberforce and his courageous quest to end the British slave trade. Along the way, Wilberforce meets intense opposition, but his minister urges him to see the cause through.
It has an average vote of 6.906 on TMDB.
11. Red Cliff (赤壁)
In 208 A.D., in the final days of the Han Dynasty, shrewd Prime Minster Cao convinced the fickle Emperor Han the only way to unite all of China was to declare war on the kingdoms of Xu in the west and East Wu in the south. Thus began a military campaign of unprecedented scale. Left with no other hope for survival, the kingdoms of Xu and East Wu formed an unlikely alliance.
It has an average vote of 7.156 on TMDB.
12. The Trial of the Chicago 7
What was supposed to be a peaceful protest turned into a violent clash with the police. What followed was one of the most notorious trials in history.
It has an average vote of 7.706 on TMDB.
13. The Death of Stalin
When dictator Joseph Stalin dies, his parasitic cronies square off in a frantic power struggle to become the next Soviet leader. As they bumble, brawl and back-stab their way to the top, the question remains — just who is running the government?
It has an average vote of 7.005 on TMDB.
14. Moonlight Warrior (月光武士)
1976, Chongqing, 14-year old Dou was in hospital. He falls in love with a pretty nurse, Jiahui. Jiahui belongs to Gang, a mobster, who is brutal to her. Dou is becoming Jiahui’s protector, her Moonlight Warrior, but Jiahui and Gang leave for Japan. 20 years later, Jiahui returns to China, Dou recalls his childhood dream.
It has an average vote of 1 on TMDB.
15. The Eloquent Peasant (شكاوى الفلاح الفصيح)
Based on one of the major literary texts survived from the Middle Kingdom, the classical period of Egyptian literature, The Eloquent Peasant is a combination of a morality/folk tale and a poem. The events are set between 2160 and 2025 BC. When the peasant Khun-anup and his donkey stumble upon the lands of the noble Rensi, the peasant’s goods are confiscated and he’s unjustly accused of theft. The peasant petitions Rensi who is so taken by the peasant’s eloquence that he report his astonishing discovery to the king. The king realises the peasant has been wronged but delays judgement so as to he can hear more of his eloquence. The peasant makes a total of nine petitions until finally, his goods are returned.
It has an average vote of 7.1 on TMDB.
16. Seven for Jack
In 1894 career criminal Jack Black came to Victoria BC looking for a burglary spree. This film recounts the episode with scenes from present-day Victoria and narration from Black's own recollection.
17. Selma, Lord, Selma
In 1965 Alabama, an 11 year old girl is touched by a speech by Martin Luther King, Jr. and becomes a devout follower. But her resolution is tested when she joins others in the famed march from Selma to Montgomery.
It has an average vote of 7.2 on TMDB.
18. Abnegation
A woman's secret relationship is discovered putting her and those around her in danger.
19. The Twilight Samurai (たそがれ清兵衛)
Seibei Iguchi leads a difficult life as a low ranking samurai at the turn of the nineteenth century. A widower with a meager income, Seibei struggles to take care of his two daughters and senile mother. New prospects seem to open up when the beautiful Tomoe, a childhood friend, comes back into he and his daughters' life, but as the Japanese feudal system unravels, Seibei is still bound by the code of honor of the samurai and by his own sense of social precedence. How can he find a way to do what is best for those he loves?
It has an average vote of 7.8 on TMDB.
20. Cabaret Crusades: The Secrets of Karbala
The crusades come to life in Egyptian artist Wael Shawky’s beautiful Cabaret Crusades. Inspired by the writings of Lebanese writer Amin Maalouf, Shawky’s film trilogy explores the horrors of the medieval holy wars in the Middle-East – from an Arab perspective. With a cast made up entirely of puppets, the third part, The Secrets of Karbala , centres on the period between the 7th and 12th centuries, covering the crusades as well as a dispute between two Islamic sects. Beautifully made of handblown Murano glass, the puppets have amazing expressive power, making the scenes full of violence, repression and torture all the more awe-inspiring.
