The Two-Thousand-Year-Old Computer

Computer Dreams

September 1988 •English

A documentary about the exciting possibilities of computer animation and the shaping of never before imagined worlds.

AlphaGo

September 2017 •English

The ancient Chinese game of Go has long been considered a grand challenge for artificial intelligence. Yet in 2016, Google's DeepMind team announced that they would be taking on Lee Sedol, the world's most elite Go champion. AlphaGo chronicles the team as it prepares to test the limits of its rapidly-evolving AI technology. The film pits man against machine, and reveals as much about the workings of the human mind as it does the future of AI.

Before Macintosh: The Apple Lisa

January 2024 •English

Explores the history, technology, people, stories and industry influence of this lesser-known personal computer. The film profiles important individuals involved in the creation of the computer, plus its life after cancellation, both as an entry-level Macintosh compatible and as a collectible. The work of Douglas Engelbart and his team, plus advances from the Xerox Palo Alto Research Center (PARC) with their Alto and Star workstations were the initial innovators of the Graphical User Interface (GUI), but the Apple Lisa stands as the clear foundation for what we all use today -- Macintosh -- Windows -- iOS -- Android.

Revolution OS

March 2001 •English

REVOLUTION OS tells the inside story of the hackers who rebelled against the proprietary software model and Microsoft to create GNU/Linux and the Open Source movement.

The Triumph of the Nerds: The Rise of Accidental Empires

June 1996 •English

It happened more or less by accident; the people who made it happen were amateurs; and for the most part they still are. From his own Silicon Valley garage, author Bob Cringley puts PC bigshots and nerds on the spot, and tells their incredible true stories. Like the industry itself, the series is informative, funny and brash.

Time Bomb Y2K

March 2023 •English

As the clock counted down to the the 21st century, the world faced a potential technological disaster: a bug that could cause computers to misinterpret the year 2000 as 1900. Crafted entirely from archival footage and featuring first-hand accounts from computer experts, survivalists, scholars, militia groups, conservative Christians, and pop icons, Time Bomb Y2K is a prescient and often humorous tale about the power and vulnerabilities of technology.

The Search for Alexander the Great

May 1981 •English

Friends, contemporaries and even enemies of Alexander the Great gather in a tent to tell his tale through their eyes.

The Thinking Game

March 2025 •English

Chronicles the extraordinary life of visionary scientist Demis Hassabis and his relentless quest to solve the enigma of artificial general intelligence.

The 8-Bit Philosophy: A Commodore 64 Symphony

August 2008 •English

A documentary about Commodore 64 game music, featuring later, less well known Commodore 64 musicians.

The Time Factory

September 2021 •French

Who invented time, who invented the clock? Why 1 hour, why 60 minutes, why 60 seconds? Since prehistoric times, man has sought to measure time, to organize social and religious life, to plan food supply... Today we can surf the Internet, geolocate, pay by credit card… All our daily lives depend on time and the synchronization of clocks. The history of the invention of time and of the ways and instruments to measure it is a long story…

Last Stand of the 300

May 2007 •English

This is the true and astounding saga of the Spartans at Thermopylae. It is among the greatest tales of war ever recounted. All the glory and grit of these warriors' last stand is captured in this exceptional documentary. It is almost impossible to understand how 300 Spartans managed to hold off the million-man Persian army for even a moment, much less seven days. To a man they paid with their lives but their stunning Last Stand assured that their sacrifice would resonate throughout history. Transporting dramatizations and incisive graphics put you in the heat of the battle and show the lay of the land. The complications and strategies of the conflict are revealed through careful analysis, and critical moments are reconstructed to show exactly what happened. Discover what the Spartans were fighting for, what made them capable of such heroics and what drove them to such sacrifice.

Lost Treasures of the Ancient World: The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World

January 1999 •English

This program presents the stories of the works of architecture regarded by the Greeks and Romans as the most extraordinary structures of antiquity: the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, The Statute Of Zeus, the Temple of Artemis, the Mausoleum of Halicarnassus, the Pharos of Alexandria and the Pyramids of Egypt and more.

The Standard Deviants: Internet Basics

September 1999 •English

Jump onto the information superhighway with the Standard Deviants! Learn how to log on, surf the web and find everything you need in a matter of minutes!

The Queen of Code

January 2015 •English

Grace Hopper dedicated her life to bringing computers to the masses, when most supposed the technology was only useful for scientists and the military. Through her genius, she taught software English, so that everyone could communicate with computers.

Podfather

October 2009 •English

Documentary telling the story of silicon chip inventor Robert Noyce, godfather of today's digital world. Re-living the heady days of Silicon Valley's seminal start-ups, the film tells how Noyce also founded Intel, the company responsible for more than 80 per cent of the microprocessors in personal computers.

Hackers: Outlaws and Angels

October 2002 •English

This program reveals the daily battle between the Internet’s outlaws and the hackers who oppose them by warding off system attacks, training IT professionals and police officers, and watching cyberspace for signs of imminent infowar. Through interviews with frontline personnel from the Department of Defense, NYPD’s computer crime squad, private detective firm Kroll Associates, X-Force Threat Analysis Service, and several notorious crackers, the program provides penetrating insights into the millions of hack attacks that occur annually in the U.S.—including one that affected the phone bills of millions and another that left confidential details of the B-1 stealth bomber in the hands of teenagers. The liabilities of wireless networks, the Code Red worm, and online movie piracy are also discussed. A Discovery Channel Production. (51 minutes)

Gods and Monsters: Homer's Odyssey

November 2010 •English

Virginia Woolf said that Homer's epic poem the Odyssey was 'alive to every tremor and gleam of existence'. Following the magical and strange adventures of warrior king Odysseus, inventor of the idea of the Trojan horse, the poem can claim to be the greatest story ever told. Now British poet Simon Armitage goes on his own Greek adventure, following in the footsteps of one of his own personal heroes. Yet Simon ponders the question of whether he even likes the guy.

Autopsie d'une intelligence artificielle

October 2022 •French

The Net

October 2003 •German

Explores the incredibly complex backstory of Ted Kaczynski, the infamous Unabomber. This exquisitely crafted inquiry into the rationale of this mythic figure situates him within a late 20th century web of technology—a system that he grew to oppose. A marvelously subversive approach to the history of the Internet, this insightful documentary combines speculative travelogue and investigative journalism to trace contrasting countercultural responses to the cybernetic revolution.

The Artist and the Computer

October 1976 •English

Pioneering artist Lillian Schwartz demonstrates the human input -- integrity, artistic sensibilities, and aesthetics -- that goes into producing early computer art. In voice-over she explains the intent behind a number of her films and offers insight into the artist's problems and decisions. Produced for AT&T.