Home Front

Der dritte Bruder

While searching for her grandmother, the director comes across the story of three brothers who are torn between the fronts of political ideologies in the Third Reich and divided Germany: "the third brother" is the filmmaker's grandfather, who, in confronting her father, tries to overcome decades of speechlessness and, in the process, to understand where in the past her father's sense of family fell by the wayside.

Picture of Light

A documentary of an expedition to Churchill, Manitoba to film the Northern Lights.

Decoding Jean: Secrets of WWII

In the midst of World War II's turmoil, the quaint British town of Bury St. Edmonds becomes a focal point where lives intersect and secrets unravel. An 18-year-old woman finds herself caught in the throes of a great wartime secret – the breaking of the German Enigma code. Her recruitment into the "Ultra" program brings her to the heart of Bletchley Park's most clandestine operations, where Alan Turing and his team forge the world's first computer in a bid to crack the ever-changing German codes. Every day, she grapples with the weight of the secret, so profound that even her family is oblivious to her covert role. Meanwhile, she captures the heart of an assertive American soldier and their whirlwind wartime romance culminates in a heartwarming union, facing the challenges of the Official Secrets Act. The soldier, persistent and deeply in love, goes to great lengths, in order to secure her release from the program and to solidify their commitment to one another.

The Royal Visit

This feature documentary offers a complete record of the 1939 Royal Tour of Canada by King George VI and Queen Elizabeth. The film opens as the royal couple makes a stop in Québec city, where Premier Duplessis greets them. They then visit Montréal and meet mayor Camilien Houde. A visit to Ottawa brings them to Parliament, where Prime Minister MacKenzie King is present. The visit continues throughout Ontario, the prairies, and western Canada. The Royal couple also makes a brief stop in Washington and meets President Franklin Roosevelt. They then stop in on the Maritime provinces before boarding a Royal yacht for the journey back to England.

Timber Front

This black-and-white archival film outlines the importance of Canada's forests in the national war effort during the Second World War.

The Russian German War

This is a rare look at one of the worst horror stories in the long infamous history of warfare. This series features captured German and Russian film footage, much of which has never been seen before. For decades the Cold War prevented us from looking closely at what really happened between the Russians and the Germans on the Eastern Front during World War II. More than a struggle between nations, it pitted maniacal tyrant against maniacal tyrant, evil ideology against evil ideology. The lives of tens of millions of human beings were consumed by its raging hatreds and appalling indignities. One in every ten Russians died. One in every four Poles died. Whole divisions of Italians, Romanians, Hungarians disappeared with barely a trace. An average of 17,800 people died on every single day and this, the war on the Russian German Front, lasted for 1,400 days. This series features captured German and Russian film footage, much of which has never been seen before.

Churchill: Britain's Secret Apartheid

When Winston Churchill needed the help of the US Army to defeat Hitler, he made a controversial decision to allow America to bring its segregated Army to the UK. Racial tension between black and white American soldiers spilled out onto the streets of Britain, resulting in shoot-outs, riots and murders. Searching for people alive today directly impacted by the violence, the program examines its lingering impact.

Saved by Language

Can a language save your life? Yes it can, even an ancient one from the 15th century. Saved by Language tells the story of Moris Albahari, a Sephardic Jew from Sarajevo (born 1930), who spoke Ladino/Judeo-Spanish, his mother tongue, to survive the Holocaust. Moris used Ladino to communicate with an Italian Colonel who helped him escape to a Partizan refuge after he ran away from the train taking Yugoslavian Jews to Nazi death camps. By speaking in Ladino to a Spanish-speaking US pilot in 1944 he was able to survive and lead the pilot, along with his American and British colleagues, to a safe Partizan airport.

Goering's Catalogue: A Collection of Art and Blood

For more than a decade, Reichsmarschall Hermann Goering, Adolf Hitler's right-hand man during the infamous Third Reich, assembled a collection of thousands of works of art that were meticulously catalogued.

Okinawa/Santos

During World War II, many Japanese immigrants in Santos, Brazil, were forced to move to another place. Matsubayashi draws attention to the fact that 60% of the immigrants were from Okinawa. Based on testimonies from interviewees, this film reveals the hidden historical relationship between Okinawa and Brazil.

Shooting War

A remarkable film that takes a special look at the first war to be truly reported and recorded by one of the more unsung heroes of World War II: the combat photographer. Through the unflinching eye of their camera's lenses, these courageous soldiers continually risked their lives in their brave attempts to capture history.

Victory at Sea

A feature-length, condensed version of the 1952 documentary TV series 'Victory at Sea'.

In a Film by Allan King

In 1968, Billy and Antoinette Edwards participated in a landmark documentary that would intimately observe their turbulent relationship. Over 50 years later, their son Bogart sat down to view and discuss the resulting film, A Married Couple.

Under Pressure

“Under Pressure” examines the unique struggles of African Nova Scotian men through the perspective of Dennis Adams Jr., a bald, bearded Black man. With raw honesty, the film weaves themes of identity, mental health, and personal growth, offering an intimate look at life in modern-day New Scotland (Nova Scotia).

Elvis and the USS Arizona

The surprising story of how one of music's biggest icons helped to establish a USS Arizona memorial in Pearl Harbor. Elvis’ fundraising concert drew public attention to the plight and helped to galvanize efforts to finish the USS Arizona Memorial as it stands today.

13 Hours That Saved Britain

In this documentary, experts dissect the Battle of Britain, which took place on Sept. 15, 1940 — a day that determined the fate of the nation.

Zdobyć miasto

Une vie avec Oradour

Enchanted

Stories of 12 gay and lesbian survivors of Nazism and the Holocaust.

John Ford Goes to War

When World War II broke out, John Ford, in his forties, commissioned in the Naval Reserve, was put in charge of the Field Photographic Unit by Bill Donavan, director of the soon-to-be-OSS. During the war, Field Photo made at least 87 documentaries, many with Ford's signature attention to heroism and loss, and many from the point of view of the fighting soldier and sailor. Talking heads discuss Ford's life and personality, the ways that the war gave him fulfillment, and the ways that his war films embodied the same values and conflicts that his Hollywood films did. Among the films profiled are "Battle of Midway," "Torpedo Squadron," "Sexual Hygiene," and "December 7."