Flame and the Fire

The Shocking History of the Death Penalty

October 1977 •Japanese

Do humans have the right to judge and kill other humans? This program includes a history of capital punishment around the world through documentary footage and commentary. The electric chair, firing squad, hanging, poison gas, beating to death, slow execution, crotch-splitting, iron maiden, guillotine, execution by running, and beheading... It features a military execution in a South American country, obtained from a former prison officer. It also includes footage of the reality of life in Japanese prisons, death row inmates facing death, the parents of death row inmates, the families of their victims, and the gallows.

Death: The Ultimate Horror

January 1995 •English

This grisly documentary presents horrifying journalistic footage of suicides, assassinations, bombings, mob hits, decapitations, and more in bloody detail. Not for the faint of heart.

Gaumont, the Étrange Anthology

September 2024 •French

To mark the 30th anniversary of L'Étrange Festival, Gaumont is opening up its archives to offer the best of its most secret, bizarre and crazy images, digitized for the first time. A unique program featuring black magic, surrealistic happenings, world records, the evolution of feminism, wild bets, vanished places, forgotten inventions and other delights.

Killing for Culture: The Birth of Atrocity Cinema

Invalid date •English

A feature-length documentary film adaptation of the 1994 non-fiction book of the same name, chronicling the history of Mondo cinema and the "death film".

The War Game

April 1966 •English

A docudrama depicting a hypothetical nuclear attack on Britain. After backing the film's development, the BBC refused to air it, publicly stating "the effect of the film has been judged by the BBC to be too horrifying for the medium of broadcasting." It debuted in theaters in 1966 and went on to great acclaim, but remained unseen on British television until 1985.

Mr. Mike's Mondo Video

September 1979 •English

Mike O'Donoghue's parody of "Mondo Cane" showcases curious performers, strange musicians, celebrity mutations and unusual short films, including Thomas Alva Edison's "Elephant Electrocution". In the tradition of films like Groove Tube (1974), The Kentucky Fried Movie (1977), and Saturday Night Live.

A Frontier Scene

June 1895 •English

A western short depicting the execution of a horse thief by a group of enraged cowboys. This film is considered to be lost.

I, Rosiński

May 2024 •Polish

Grzegorz Rosiński, one of the world's most famous Polish comic book creators, author of drawings for the "Thorgal" series, is retiring. But what does it actually mean for an artist to end his career?

Stolen House

November 2023 •Spanish

"Stolen House" is a documentary short film that follows the migration story of Mark, a Russian photographer, and Katya, a Ukrainian artist, to Argentina. Through narrations, staged scenes, and archival material, fragments of their lives, feelings, and motivations are explored.

Sleeping Lion

November 2023 •English

Chris Sharma is one of the GOATs of climbing. His first ascents of iconic boulder problems, deep water solos, and sport routes around the world have defined the cutting edge of athletic performance and aesthetic vision for the last 25 years. But it’s been a minute since we’ve seen a new “King Line” from Sharma. Now in his forties, Chris has spent the last few years raising two young kids, opening a series of climbing gyms, launching a TV show, and trying to stay in shape through it all. When he discovers a magnificent new line in the sport climbing mecca of Siurana, Spain, just an hour and a half from his house, the Sleeping Lion is awakened, and Sharma is pulled deep into the project mindset again. Becoming a self-described “extreme weekend warrior,” he juggles family and work commitments with the obsession of trying to climb one of his hardest routes ever.

Mary Woronov: Cult Queen

Invalid date •English

The documentary explores the enigma of actress and artist Mary Woronov and chronicles her colorful career trajectory as a ground breaking female performer starting from her work with Andy Warhol to Roger Corman, that sealed her reputation as a "Cult Queen".

Svet na dotyk

January 2019 •Slovak

The Human Eye

January 1999 •English

A 55-minute film by director Xavier Giannoli that analyses 'À nos amours'. The film features former Cahiers du cinéma editorial director Jean-Michel Frodon, actors Jacques Fieschi and Sandrine Bonnaire, and other members of the cast

14-18: The Noise & the Fury

November 2008 •French

Not everything has been told about World War One. This documentary tries to explain how tens of millions of men could have suffered the unbelievable toughness of life in trenches during the 4 year ordeal. How could they have accepted the idea of a sure death or injury while not being able to tell why they were fighting.

Westinghouse: The Life and Times of an American Icon

April 2008 •English

American engineer George Westinghouse revolutionized the American electricity system in the late 1880s with his endorsement of AC power distribution. This historical documentary chronicles Westinghouse's legendary rivalry with Thomas Edison and the birth of his many inventions, including the rail-road air brake.

The Definitive Elvis: The Television Years

March 2002 •English

"The Television Years" examines the events that took place in the years between 1956 and 1960, in which Elvis Presley excited a whole nation as the "King of Rock and Roll" in the big television shows of the time. One highlight of this time periode was Elvis' 1960 combeback hosted by Frank Sinatra, which marked his first appearance on televison after his two-year stay in the army.

Sea of Darkness

October 2013 •English

The story of surfing pioneers Martin Daly's and Dave Burnett's days in Bali during the 1970s.

The New Mafia

November 2008 •English

MS-13 (Mara Salvatrucha; also known as simply MS or Mara) is an international criminal gang that originated in Los Angeles, California, US in the 1980s. The gang later spread to many parts of the continental United States, Canada, Mexico, and Central America, and is active in urban and suburban areas. Most members are ethnically of Central American origin (principally El Salvador).

Sophia!

September 2022 •Italian

A documentary crossing all aspects of Sophia Loren's life: cinema, entertainment, private life, triumphs, challenges, suffering. How was the star born? How was a cinematographic archetype built? Childhood during the war in Naples, a beloved family, her mother Romilda, her beginnings at Cinecittà, her triumphs of Hollywood and her great love with Carlo Ponti.

Where My Heart Beats

March 2012 •Swedish

In 1989, Swedish journalist, Khazar Fatemi narrowly fled the war torn country of Afghanistan with her life. Twenty years later, the former refugee returned to the place that has always remained in her heart. Where My Heart Beats follows Khazar's dangerous, painful, and inspirational journey back home to reconnect with the amazing people of this broken nation.