Looney Lens: Tenth Avenue, NYC

Newsflash: Stories That Stopped the World

November 2013 •English

This Shiver (ITV Studios) documentary reveals what happened behind-the-scenes on some of the most momentous breaking news events in our lifetime - as told by those caught up in the real-life drama, those in the newsrooms and those responsible for delivering these newsflashes into millions of people's homes. News stories covered include the death of Diana, Princess of Wales (1997); the assassination of President Kennedy in Dallas (1963); the coal-tip landslide in Aberfan (1966); the Lockerbie Air Disaster (1988); the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center in New York (2001); the start of Operation Desert Storm during the Gulf War (1991); the dramatic end of the Iranian Embassy siege in London (1980); and the announcement of the death of the Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother (2002).

Yesterday's Witness

November 1976 •English

For the first 50 years of film history, the newsreel was a fixture in American movie theaters. From 1911 to 1967, these shorts proved an influential source of information – and misinformation – for generations of American moviegoers. Television news and public affairs programs became a great improvement over the scanty information offered by the newsreels. This documentary offers insight into a medium which has disappeared.

Never Look Away

November 2024 •English

CNN camerawoman Margaret Moth fearlessly captures footage of war zones. After receiving catastrophic injuries in the crosshairs of battle, she returns to work with more courage than ever. An intimate portrait of a trailblazing female photojournalist. Features interviews with Moth’s family and friends, including CNN’s Christiane Amanpour. A Sundance film festival premiere directed by Lucy Lawless.

OXI, an Act of Resistance

October 2014 •English

The popular resistance to the current Greek economic crisis explored and expressed through the ethical and political writings of Ancient Greece.

Garabatos

January 1964 •English

Based on two poems by Rafael Alberti, Garabatos (“Scribbles”) is a reflection on childhood, education and the demise of innocence. Music by Pierre Henry, Pierre Schaeffer and Edgard Varèse.

At the Edge of Russia

January 2010 •Polish

Alexei is a nineteen year old recruit being flown in to perform his military service on the frontier of northern Russia. The base is one of few such remaining outposts on the Arctic Ocean. There are five other seasoned and long serving soldiers stationed here, each with their own personal story or secret that has caused them to retreat from the real world. Their training and breaking in of the new arrival is sometimes humorous, at times harsh. Gradually, they each reveal something of themselves in their daily interactions and private moments as they continue their absurd duty in this snow covered no man's land, hundreds of miles from the nearest human settlement.

Sea Blind, the Price of Shipping Our Stuff

January 2016 •English

17 of the largest ships emit more sulfur than all the cars on the planet. How is this possible?

No Ordinary Life

June 2021 •English

In a field dominated by men, five pioneering camerawomen Mary Rogers, Cynde Strand, Jane Evans, Maria Fleet and Margaret Moth went to the frontlines of wars, revolutions and disasters to bring us the truth. As colorful as accomplished, these brave photojournalists made their mark by capturing some of the most iconic images from Tiananmen Square, to conflicts in Sarajevo, Iraq, Somalia and the Arab Spring uprising. But the world doesn’t know it was these women behind the camera. In the midst of unfolding chaos, the pictures they took for CNN both shocked and informed the world. This feature documentary by director Heather O’Neill tells their remarkable story.

The Mystery of Al Capone's Vaults

April 1986 •English

The Mystery of Al Capone's Vaults is a two-hour live American television special that was broadcast in syndication on April 21, 1986, and hosted by Geraldo Rivera. It centered on the live opening of a secret vault in the Lexington Hotel in Chicago once owned by noted crime lord Al Capone.

The Morning Sun Shines

April 1929 •Japanese

The Morning Sun Shines is a fiction-documentary film by Kenji Mizoguchi and Seiichi Ina. The film is a combination of a drama about a reporter, and documentary footage about newspaper production. Only 25 minutes of footage has survived.

Brigitte macron, un roman français

January 2018 •French

Henry VIII & Trump: History Repeating?

March 2020 •English

Documentary offering a fresh perspective on the question of how history will judge Donald Trump, by setting his life next to that of a controversial leader from our own past.

Inside Mosul

November 2018 •Czech

A shock therapy of news coverage from the war front. Documentarist Jana Andert spent eight months with an elite Iraqi Army unit on the front lines of the battle for Mosul, occupied by Islamic State fighters from 2014 to June 2017. An unflinching report from a city in ruins, robbed of its soul by one of the worst catastrophes of modern times.

Shout Gladi Gladi

October 2015 •English

Shout Gladi Gladi is a documentary about hope. It tells the story of one woman's quest to cure fistula and save mother's lives in Africa. Shot in Malawi and Sierra Leone (just prior to the Ebola crisis) this is an intense portrait of the people suffering from fistula and the struggle of those who are not only trying to fix this condition but curtail it through better maternal health care. In addition, it is about women's empowerment, specifically through a radical device from BBOXX, a solar powered generator that provides the women not only with electricity in a region where there is none but also as a means to make money by charging cell phones.

All Eyes and Ears

April 2015 •English

A timely exploration into the complex links between the U.S. and China. Interspersed with remarks from journalists and experts, All Eyes and Ears interweaves the stories of U.S. Ambassador to China Jon Huntsman, his adopted Chinese daughter, Gracie Mei, and blind legal advocate Chen Guangcheng as they find purpose, identity and resolve amid the two nations’ evolving relationship.

Dangerous Lies: Unmasking Belle Gibson

February 2025 •English

The real story of wellness campaigner Belle Gibson's massive worldwide fraud and the famous interview that brought the con artist down.

Big Boys Gone Bananas!*

November 2011 •English

The conflict between Dole Food Company and Swedish filmmaker Fredrik Gertten unfolds dramatically in the documentary "BIG BOYS GONE BANANAS!" as the corporation attempts to suppress Gertten's earlier film, "BANANAS!"—chronicling Nicaraguan workers' lawsuit against Dole. Initially selected for the 2009 Los Angeles Film Festival, "BANANAS!" was abruptly removed from competition, followed by a negative article in the Los Angeles Business Journal and legal threats from Dole's attorneys. Gertten captures this saga of corporate intimidation, media manipulation, and legal challenges in his documentary, showcasing the struggles documentary filmmakers face and highlighting the threat to freedom of speech posed by powerful corporations protecting their reputations.

The Rise of the Houthis

March 2015 •English

A gripping doc by a brave female journalist operating in a harsh testosterone riddled region. In Yemen, the Houthis have seized control but still face formidable opposition from groups linked to Al Qa'ida and Islamic State. The reporter fearlessly crosses the front-lines seeking to understand this complex proxy conflict. The doc reveals Yemen's remarkable turn around, from Saudi backed Sunni rule, to Iran supported Shia dominance.

Print It Black

April 2024 •English

After the Robb Elementary school shooting in Texas, local Uvalde Leader-News journalists are left to report on the fallout – and on one of their staff members. Reporter Kimberly Rubio rises to national prominence as an advocate for gun reform after her ten-year-old daughter, Lexi, is killed in the shooting. Through the journalists’ reporting, we witness the social fabric of this small Texas town unravel as Kimberly and other victims’ families search for accountability from law enforcement and local leaders. The documentary also shines a light on the critical role of community journalism, at a time when local newspapers are folding rapidly across the country.

The Champions

November 2015 •English

All odds were stacked against the pit-bulls rescued from quarterback Michael Vick's dogfighting ring. Forced to fight for their lives, they were considered so dangerous many wanted them euthanized. But no one could have predicted how the dogs would change the lives of those who risked everything to save them.