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Episodes

Closing Down
E1

Closing Down

Film following the closure of a hairdressing salon in Italy after 43 years in business.

Three Salons at the Seaside
E2

Three Salons at the Seaside

Documentary, originally shown in 1994, observing life at three busy hairdressing salons in the town of Blackpool.

Baria's Big Wedding
E3

Baria's Big Wedding

Film following a 17-year-old girl from Marseille as she prepares for a marriage arranged before she was born.

George Wallace: Settin' the Woods on Fire - Part 1
E4

George Wallace: Settin' the Woods on Fire - Part 1

The story of right-wing American Politician George Wallace, who campaigned for racial segregation and on whom an assassination attempt was made in 1972.

George Wallace: Settin' the Woods on Fire - Part 2
E5

George Wallace: Settin' the Woods on Fire - Part 2

After the attempt on his life, which left him paralysed from the waist down, George Wallace showed remorse for his emotive policies and sought reconciliation with the black community.

First Contact
E6

First Contact

An award-winning documentary telling the story of three Australian prospectors, whose search for gold in the 1930s led them to the previously unexplored highlands of Papua New Guinea.

Black Harvest
E7

Black Harvest

A documentary programme filmed in the spectacular highlands of Papua New Guinea, where the expansionist policy of a coffee plantation owner has led to a bitter intertribal war.

Startup
E8

Startup

Following the fortunes of two entrepreneurs, Tom Herman and Kaleil Isaza Tuzman, in their quest to develop a new media solution for connecting citizens with the US government via the internet

Southern Comfort
E9

Southern Comfort

Following Robert Eads, a female-to-male transsexual from Georgia, who is dying from ovarian cancer. Robert resolves to beat the odds and take his partner on a visit to America's pre-eminent transgendered gathering in Atlanta.

Chain Camera
E10

Chain Camera

Eight camcorders were given out to students in Los Angeles. They filmed their lives for a week and then passed the camera on to someone else. The project lasted for a year and the resulting film describes what teenage life is like.

My Sperm-Donor Dad
E11

My Sperm-Donor Dad

Barry Stevens believes he has hundreds of half brothers and sisters because his parents were one of the early beneficiaries of artificial insemination. Half a century on, Stevens tries to trace his biological father.

The Tour
E12

The Tour

Following a group of Palestinians from the West Bank and Gaza Strip on a 3 day organised tour through Israel in 1999. For many, this is a first visit to Israel, while others take the chance to see homes they lost when they went into exile.

Down from the Mountain
E13

Down from the Mountain

A reunion of some of the greatest names in bluegrass music at the Ryman theatre in Nashville. The stars featured include Emmylou Harris, Alison Krauss. John Hartford and Ralph Stanley. Directed by DA Pennebaker, Nick Doob and Chris Hegedus

More Sex Please, We're Scandinavian
E14

More Sex Please, We're Scandinavian

Scandinavia has the reputation of being a land of beautiful blondes and midnight sex romps. This film, by Torben Jensen and Ghita Beckendorff, charts the history of attitudes to sex and reveals the reality to be somewhat more complicated.

Town Bloody Hall
E15

Town Bloody Hall

The raucous debate on "women's lib" that took place in New York's City Hall in 1971, between novelist Norman Mailer, critic Diana Trilling and three members of the Women's Movement - Germaine Greer, Jill Johnston and Jacqueline Ceballos.

The War Room
E16

The War Room

Following the Democrat's 1992 election trail of Bill Clinton, focusing on communications director George Stephanopoulos and campaign strategist James Carville as they attempt to sell the nation a new leader.

Much Ado about Something
E17

Much Ado about Something

Celebrating William Shakespeare's birthday with an examination of the authenticity of his work. To what extent was Christopher Marlowe the inspiration behind his work, or was he - as some have suggested - the hidden hand behind it?

Who is Bernard Tapie?
E18

Who is Bernard Tapie?

Part 3 looks at the strong sense of duty implicit in family relationships in China. Waitress Peng has sacrificed her own education to support her sister's studies, while owner Qin Linzi discusses her own difficult childhood and introduces us to her privileged daughter. The restaurant prepares a 70th birthday banquet for Sun and her family, with special dishes including steamed longevity buns and stir-fried turtle.

85 min

Coolies: How Britain Re-Invented Slavery
E19

Coolies: How Britain Re-Invented Slavery

The slave trade was officially abolished throughout British Empire in 1807. This documentary reveals Britain's darkest secrets: a form of slavery continued well into 20th century - story of Indian indentured labor.

This Is Palestine
E20

This Is Palestine

Azza El-Hassan's film portrayal of her neighbourhood of Ramallah, a town under fire in the current Middle East conflict. With the threat of violence severely limiting locals' activities, filming becomes the main event.

The Settlers
E21

The Settlers

Naomi Horowitz and her six children are one of seven Jewish families to settle in Tel Rumeida, a community in the heart of Palestinian self-rule territory. Ruth Walk's film looks at why they feel they belong there.

Pie in the Sky
E22

Pie in the Sky

Brigid Berlin had a comfortable uptown upbringing that her mother hoped would end in her becoming a respectable socialite. Instead, she found cult recognition as an acolyte of Andy Warhol, appearing nude in many photographs and his films.

Nico Icon
E23

Nico Icon

Known for singing with the Velvet Underground, Nico was a troubled soul whose iconic beauty was offset by a self-destructive urge. Susanne Ofteringer's film charts Nico's life, from her birth in postwar Germany to her heroin-ravaged death.

Ajax
E24

Ajax

This film is a behind-the-scenes look at how a high-profile football club, celebrating its centenary year, survives in a modern sport where money rules and business comes first.

85 min

Gods of Brazil
E25

Gods of Brazil

Brazilian football suffered a dark day on 16 July 1950: the national team lost the World Cup final at home in front of 175,000 fans. But it heralded the dawn of a golden age made possible by two players, Pele and Garrincha.

85 min

Domestic Violence
E32

Domestic Violence

Director Frederick Wiseman's unblinking portrait of the circumstances in which the crime of domestic violence occurs, and what is being done to combat it.

85 min

The Bonzos
E33

The Bonzos

The story of a 2,000-strong collection of priceless paintings stolen from European galleries by the Nazis - and of the British agents, nicknamed "the Bonzos" who saved them from oblivion.

85 min

Life And Debt In Jamaica
E34

Life And Debt In Jamaica

A look at the price paid by Jamaica for seeking help from the International Monetary Fund during the 1970s.

85 min

Dark Days
E35

Dark Days

Marc Singer 's film follows a community of people eking out a living in the subway tunnels beneath the streets of New York.

85 min

Shadowplay
E36

Shadowplay

The human cost of the terror campaign waged against the people of Indonesia in the 1960s.

85 min

The Cuban Game
E37

The Cuban Game

Manuel Martin Cuenca's documentary tells of how the Cuban national sport, baseball, turned into a battleground with the revolution in 1959, and how the sport became emblematic of Cuba's frosty relations with America.

85 min

Steps For The Future: Sincerely Yours
E38

Steps For The Future: Sincerely Yours

Sex, love, relationships and Aids are examined as Dumisani Phakathi explores his community in Soweto, South Africa.

85 min

Louis Malle's India
E39

Louis Malle's India

A compilation of the French director's TV series, L'inde Fantôme, which followed his trip to India.

85 min

See What Happens
E40

See What Happens

Profile of film-makers DA Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus.

85 min

Cry for Argentina
E41

Cry for Argentina

Angus Macqueen's film captures the desperate situation as Argentineans try to make the best of life with their economy in freefall.

85 min

Kabul Emergency Room
E42

Kabul Emergency Room

In November 2001, as western forces began the bombardment of Afghanistan, members of the NGO emergency crew dealt with the casualties. This film captures the hardship of their work

85 min

Scottsboro
E43

Scottsboro

Exploring the arrest, in 1931, and subsequent trial of nine black boys accused of gang rape.

85 min

Muhammad Ali: The Greatest
E44

Muhammad Ali: The Greatest

Chronicling the events that shaped the legendary US boxer, including 1974's "rumble in the jungle".

85 min

Ghosts of Attica
E45

Ghosts of Attica

Brad Lichtenstein's film tells the story of the bloodiest uprising in US penal history, which occurred in September 1971 when over 1,000 inmates gained control of the Attica Correctional Facility in upstate New Yor

85 min

Last Party 2000
E46

Last Party 2000

Actor Philip Seymour Hoffman attempts to discover why the American electorate is so apathetic.

85 min

Journeys With George
E47

Journeys With George

After a year shadowing George W Bush, Alexandra Pelosi presents a profile.

The Somme
E48

The Somme

An account of the one of the pivotal conflicts of the First World War, using archive film and interviews with survivors to portray the reality of warfare. Originally shown as part of the landmark BBC series from 1964, The Great War.

85 min

My Terrorist
E49

My Terrorist

In 1978, film director Yulie Cohen-Gerstel was the victim of a terrorist attack in London in which several of her colleagues died.

85 min

Aids 2002: Simon & I
E50

Aids 2002: Simon & I

Profiling South African gay activists Simon Nkoli and Bev Ditsie.

85 min

Milosevic: How to be a Dictator
Now Playing
E51

Milosevic: How to be a Dictator

Exploring the character and ambitions of the former Yugoslavian President, who for ten years orchestrated Europe's most ruthless dictatorship since the Second World War. Including interviews with insiders who served in the regime.

85 min

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