1. D-Day: Code Name Overlord
From the search to find the appropriate landing site, the planning of the landing, its execution and aftermath, this is the complete story.
2. W. Eugene Smith: Photography Made Difficult
The war in the South Pacific, a country doctor in Colorado, victims of industrial pollution in a Japanese village — all were captured in unforgettable photographs by the legendary W. Eugene Smith. This program showcases over 600 of Smith’s stunning photographs and includes a dramatic recreation in which actor Peter Riegert portrays the artist using dialogue take from Smith’s diaries and letters. Interwoven through the program are archival footage and interviews with family and friends of this brilliant, complicated man, whose work developed from twin themes of common humanity and social responsibility.
3. Koi (Koi)
There's no definitive separation as long as there is memory'. Since the Tsunami hit the northern part of Japan's coast in 2011, more than 20 thousand people lost their lives, and many others are still missing. As time went by the families of the victims abandoned all hope and stopped looking for their loved ones. However, this is the story of two men that are still fully committed to their respective searching activities. Even though their backgrounds are extremely different, both share a strong force of will and firmly wish to keep alive the memories of the ones that went missing. Perseverance is what pushed an ex-convict to look for redemption by helping the victims' families to find the remains of their loved ones, and perseverance is what brought a bus driver to start to dive in order to search for his wife.
It has an average vote of 7.8 on TMDB.
4. Sink the Bismarck!
Detailed and fascinating documentary telling the history of the famous German battleship of World War II. The urgent British hunt and the German ship's efforts to escape are described through vintage film and recollections of both British and German veterans of the battles.
5. Double Solitaire
The filmmaker's father and uncle, Norm and Stan, are third generation Japanese Americans. They are "all American" guys who love bowling, cards and pinball. Placed in the Amache internment camp as children during World War II, they don't think the experience affected them that much. But in the course of navigating the maze of her father's and uncle's pursuits while simultaneously trying to inquire about their past, the filmmaker is able to find connections between their lives now and the history that was left behind.
6. Veterans (Veterans)
'Veterans', focuses on WW2 veterans, once fighters in the Red Army and now uprooted immigrants, fighting for their place in society. These people, who experienced the twentieth century's bloodiest war as Soviet soldiers, immigrated to Israel after the collapse of the Soviet Union and found themselves in a society that is totally indifferent to their glorious past. The film offers a close and compassionate look at the veterans' lives, fueled by complexity, pain, and an almost silent insult, alongside joy and self-deprecating humor. The feeling of living on borrowed time drives the veterans to embark on what may be their last adventure.
7. Chaja & Mimi (Chaja & Mimi)
Chaja Florentin and Mimi Frons have been best friends for 83 years. Born and raised in Berlin, they had to escape from the Nazis to Palestine with their families in 1934. They talk about their complicated relationship with Berlin in a Tel Aviv café where they meet everyday. A film about friendship, homeland and identity.
8. 3rd Reich: Evil Deception
In the 1930's an entire nation was brainwashed. It was manipulated by masters of propaganda and the arcane arts. The result was the deaths of millions of people. They created a messiah, a god on Earth. His name was Adolf Hitler and he would become the greatest master of manipulating the hearts and souls of mankind in recorded history. From mass hypnosis to blatant propaganda, from control of the media, to eradicating the opposition, all methods were employed. This is the story of how that apocalyptic agenda was brought to fruition and the methods used to control the minds of men, women and children. This is the story of Nazi Propaganda. "Insightful and well researched." - United Media Network. "The true horror of the Nazis revealed." - Extreme DVD. "The advent of manipulative advertising as we know it today." - Flatlands.
It has an average vote of 5 on TMDB.
9. A Day in Tokyo
A Day in TOKYO in 1968, Nostalgic bygone era. Planned by Japan National Tourism Organization. Produced by Koga Production. This film was produced to explain Tokyo for foreign tourists.
10. Amazônia, A Nova Minamata? (Amazônia, A Nova Minamata?)
(Amazônia, A Nova Minamata?)
11. Days of Waiting: The Life & Art of Estelle Ishigo
The story of Estelle Ishigo, one of the few Caucasians interned with Japanese Americans during World War II. The wife of a Japanese American, Ishigo refused to be separated from her husband and was interned along with him. Based on the personal papers of Estelle Ishigo and her novel Lone Heart Mountain.
It has an average vote of 7 on TMDB.
12. Attack and Capture: The Story of U-Boat 505
On June 4, 1944 Captain Daniel Gallery and his men of the U.S. Naval Task Force 22.3 did the nearly impossible - they captured a German U-boat. It was the first enemy vessel-of-war captured in battle on the high seas by the U.S. Navy since 1815. Climb aboard the historic U-505 and relive its journey from a powerhouse of the German fleet to a display at the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago. Witness archival footage and rare interviews with both German and American crew members involved in the capture of the U-505. And view even rarer footage of Captains Daniel Gallery and Harold Lange, captain of the 505 at the time of its capture..
13. Admiral Chester Nimitz
Fleet Admiral Chester Nimitz used submarines, a vessel used to great effect by Germany in WWI and WWII to turn the tide of the War in the Pacific.
14. Fugu - A Taste to Die For (Fugu - A Taste to Die For)
It's the most dangerous delicacy in the world. Despite incidents of poisoning year after year, the popularity of this exotic dish in Japan remains unbroken. The Japanese blowfish fugu contains one of the deadliest poisons known to man, 1250 times more potent than cyanide. If the cook isn't skilled in the use of a filet knife, the gourmet meal could become a death sentence for the restaurant guest.
It has an average vote of 9 on TMDB.
15. Making the Happiest Employees in Japan: The Challenge of Hotel Associa Nagoya Terminal (Nippon'ichi shiawasena juugyouin o tsukuru! Hoteru Asoshia Nagoya tâminaru no chousen)
A renowned old hotel near Nagoya Station has been in the red for four consecutive fiscal terms. When the old management stepped down, Akio Shibata, who has long been in the board of the labor union, is appointed its new general manager. Shibata's method for reviving the hotel consists of neither the laying off of the staff nor the introduction of performance-based system. He wants everyone to take part in the making of new management plans and for all employees to lodge together and engage in heated discussions about their management dreams all night. Yes, his management ideal is to "have the happiest employees in Japan" working in their hotel. He throws birthday parties for employees and has company cafeteria remodeled. All these changes bring about yet another change in the mind of everyone.
It has an average vote of 7 on TMDB.
16. The Silent Village
The true story of the massacre of a small Czech village by the Nazis is retold as if it happened in Wales.
It has an average vote of 6.8 on TMDB.
17. National Geographic: The World's Biggest Bomb Revealed
National Geographic 2011 Documentary on the World's Biggest Bomb .
It has an average vote of 7 on TMDB.
18. Bergen-Belsen zum Beispiel (Bergen-Belsen zum Beispiel)
(Bergen-Belsen zum Beispiel)
It has an average vote of 6 on TMDB.
19. Japan's War In Colour
Using never-before-seen footage, Japan's War In Colour tells a previously untold story. It recounts the history of the Second World War from a Japanese perspective, combining original colour film with letters and diaries written by Japanese people. It tells the story of a nation at war from the diverse perspectives of those who lived through it: the leaders and the ordinary people, the oppressors and the victims, the guilty and the innocent. Until recently, it was believed that no colour film of Japan existed prior to 1945. But specialist research has now unearthed a remarkable colour record from as early as the 1930s. For eight years the Japanese fought what they believed was a Holy War that became a fight to the death. Japan's War In Colour shows how militarism took hold of the Japanese people; describes why Japan felt compelled to attack the West; explains what drove the Japanese to resist the Allies for so long; and, finally, reveals how they dealt with the shame of defeat.
It has an average vote of 8 on TMDB.
20. The Battle of Shanghai (淞滬抗戰紀實)
Informed by the conviction that film was a means to advocate patriotism, Lai established China Sun Motion Picture Company in the early 1920s. He teamed up with friends to follow Dr Sun, traversing provinces for several years and filming precious historical moments such as Sun's inspection of the country and the Northern Expedition led by Chiang Kai-shek after the death of Sun. Some of those footage was edited into A Page of History, available to the public today, albeit deteriorated and incomplete. The Battle of Shanghai records the famous conflict at the beginning of the war in 1937 when, fervently resisting the invading Japanese army, 800 soldiers defended a warehouse until the very last moment. Shot by Lai and his team at the risk of death, the film is now an invaluable visual document in Chinese modern history.
