Empire of the Air: The Men Who Made Radio

Jakob the Liar

September 1999 •English

In 1944 Poland, a Jewish shop keeper named Jakob is summoned to ghetto headquarters after being caught out after curfew. While waiting for the German Kommondant, Jakob overhears a German radio broadcast about Russian troop movements. Returned to the ghetto, the shopkeeper shares his information with a friend and then rumors fly that there is a secret radio within the ghetto.

The King's Speech

November 2010 •English

The King's Speech tells the story of the man who became King George VI, the father of Queen Elizabeth II. After his brother abdicates, George ('Bertie') reluctantly assumes the throne. Plagued by a dreaded stutter and considered unfit to be king, Bertie engages the help of an unorthodox speech therapist named Lionel Logue. Through a set of unexpected techniques, and as a result of an unlikely friendship, Bertie is able to find his voice and boldly lead the country into war.

Untitled KROQ Documentary

Invalid date •English

The history and enduring legacy of one of the world's biggest and most influential radio stations.

Service public

November 2022 •French

Salhia Brakhlia has filmed the set and behind the scenes of Franceinfo's breakfast show during a year. How to inform at the time of social media and fake news ? How careful are journalist with those news ? How do they connect to politicians during an presidential election campaign ? This unique immersion gives us a part of the answer.

Pirates of the Airwaves

July 2014 •English

In 1966 a group of determined young men defied the New Zealand government and launched a pirate radio station aboard a ship in the Hauraki Gulf.

Restrepo

June 2010 •English

Directors Hetherington and Junger spend a year with the 2nd Battalion of the United States Army located in one of Afghanistan's most dangerous valleys. The documentary provides insight and empathy on how to win the battle through hard work, deadly gunfights and mutual friendships while the unit must push back the Taliban.

Sex and Broadcasting

November 2014 •English

SEX AND BROADCASTING is a feature length documentary about New Jersey's WFMU, the world's strangest and most unique radio station, and one man's attempt to keep it alive in the face of recession, the persistent threat of commercial media, and the challenges that come with keeping a rebellious group of outsiders together.

Carbone 14, le film

May 1983 •French

Supernana, David Grossexe, Simone Cuisse d'Acier, Jean-Yves Lafesse occupy during three nights of summer 82, with their guests, Radio Carbone locals, one of those numerous « free radio » created in France at this period.

Antoine de Caunes : la vie rêvée d'un enfant du rock

November 2025 •French

Documentary on Antoine de Caunes, a French television presenter, comedian, actor, journalist, writer and film director.

Glorious 39

November 2009 •English

A mysterious tale set around a traditional British family on the eve of World War Two. Oblivious to the looming shadow of World War II, the wealthy Keyes maintain a confident façade in the British countryside until daughter Anne becomes an unexpected pawn. Her accidental discovery of secret recordings creates a rift in the family.

Heritage Minutes: Marconi

April 1993 •English

Inventor Guglielmo Marconi receives the first trans-Atlantic radio signals in Newfoundland and is awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics.

A Mediocre Documentary with Tom And Dan

May 2018 •English

'A Mediocre Time' with Tom and Dan' was becoming a hit podcast...until big radio made them shut it down. Now, after quitting their terrestrial radio jobs and making the podcast a career, they will embark on their biggest event yet: showcasing their podcast at the Hard Rock Live!

Låten från båten

November 1961 •Swedish

Yellow Caesar

May 1941 •English

Using edited archive footage, mockery is made of Italy's dictator Benito Mussolini.

Annie Nightingale: Bird on the Wireless

June 2011 •English

Radio 1's longest-serving broadcaster Annie Nightingale takes us on a counter-cultural journey through the events, people and sounds that have inspired her illustrious career.

When Moyles Met the Radio 1 Breakfast DJs

May 2010 •English

DJ Chris Moyles looks at how the Radio 1 Breakfast Show has reflected life in Britain over the past 40 years, as he meets his predecessors in the early morning slot.

The Voice That Rocked America: The Dick Biondi Story

May 2023 •English

THE VOICE THAT ROCKED AMERICA is an one-hour documentary about Top 40 radio personality Dick Biondi. Dick's powerful connection with his audience has endured for decades, and the bands he promoted have never forgotten his generosity. Dick's story will be told through archival photos and footage, recreations, and interviews with recording artists, broadcasters, fans, friends and Dick Biondi himself. The film is narrated by Pam, whose life was changed when she met her teenage idol.

The Great Radio Comedians

May 1971 •English

Documentary about radio comedies primarily focused on Burns & Allen, Edgar Bergen & Charlie McCarthy, The Jack Benny Program, Fibber McGee & Molly, The Bob Hope Show, and The Fred Allen Show.

A Message to the Stars

October 2021 •English

For more than 50 years, we’ve been unsuccessfully searching for any evidence of intelligent extraterrestrial life. But, the discovery of thousands of exoplanets has meant the hope of finding them is higher than ever. If any messages could eventually be decoded and answered in any far, far away star, it could radically transform our consciousness as species and our place in the universe. A message from the stars changes life on Earth… forever.

J.P. McCarthy: The Voice of Detroit

March 2016 •English

J.P. McCarthy was an icon of Detroit broadcasting who ruled the radio waves in the Motor City for thirty years. His story is the ultimate local-kid-done-good tale. Working extensively with the McCarthy family and conducting over twenty interviews with J.P.’s friends, family, co-workers and contemporaries, Detroit Public Television memorializes someone who was considered more of a family member than a voice on the radio to anyone who tuned in to hear his morning show or the Focus program over the years.