Documentary Films for Free

Murder in the Heartland: The Oklahoma City Bombing

noreply@blogger.com (aditya) — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 08:26:00 +0000

Within 48 hours of the tragic blast at the Alfred P. Murrah Building on April 19, 1995, federal officials were blanketing the news media with their theory of the crime and with the designated "patsies" already judged "guilty."
According to the federal theory, to which the news media subscribed without question, the bombing was the work of American dissidents bent on a violent overthrow of the government. Congress responded by immediately enacting legislation to give the government unprecedented latitude with the invasion of individual privacy.

All evidence actually points to a well planned, sophisticated government operation put into motion months earlier, with a massive cover-up controlled by the U. S. Justice Department, and carried through and beyond the "Star Chamber" charade of trials in Denver in 1997. (Source)

Buy this documentary here

Watch the full documentary here

The World According to Monsanto

noreply@blogger.com (aditya) — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 16:13:00 +0000

French documentary filmmaker Marie-Monique Robin has thoroughly researched her subject, through a three-year investigation in North and South America, Europe and Asia. Robin briefly explores Monsanto’s long history of producing toxic chemicals, such as PCBs and dioxin-laced Agent Orange, and interviews victims of the company’s chemical operations. However, the rest of the film devotes more attention to Monsanto’s 20-year old genetically engineered seed empire.

Previously unpublished documents and candid interviews with scientists, farmers and former U.S. government officials reveal a disturbing pattern of deceit, impunity and corruption. Robin reveals Monsanto’s astonishing influence on the U.S. government’s rubber-stamp regulatory process for GMOs, as well as its attempt to bribe Canadian government regulators to approve its bovine growth hormone product.

The film also features interviews of U.S. farmers sued by Monsanto for the newly-minted “crime” of seed-saving, Indian farmers victimized by the company’s expensive Bt cotton seed, and South American farmers marginalized by massive expansion of Monsanto’s “Roundup Ready” soybeans. Is Monsanto the clean, green company it claims to be, committed to solving world hunger? Or do its growing control of the world’s seed supply, its exorbitantly priced seeds and prosecution of farmers for saving them, and its commitment to spreading chemical-intensive agriculture around the world, portend instead a threat to the world’s food security?

These are obviously important questions, and the little-known perspectives provided by this film are essential information for anyone who is genuinely seeking answers.

This documentary film is available from here

Watch the full documentary here

Reel Bad Arabs - How Hollywood Vilifies a People

noreply@blogger.com (aditya) — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 05:09:00 +0000

This groundbreaking documentary dissects a slanderous aspect of cinematic history that has run virtually unchallenged from the earliest days of silent film to today's biggest Hollywood blockbusters. Featuring acclaimed author Dr. Jack Shaheen, the film explores a long line of degrading images of Arabs--from Bedouin bandits and submissive maidens to sinister sheikhs and gun-wielding "terrorists"--along the way offering devastating insights into the origin of these stereotypic images, their development at key points in US history, and why they matter so much today.

Shaheen shows how the persistence of these images over time has served to naturalize prejudicial attitudes toward Arabs and Arab culture, in the process reinforcing a narrow view of individual Arabs and the effects of specific US domestic and internationl policies on their lives. By inspiring critical thinking about the social, political, and basic human consequences of leaving these Hollywood caricatures unexamined, the film challenges viewers to recognize the urgent need for counter-narratives that do justice to the diversity and humanity of Arab people and the reality and richness of Arab history and culture. (Source)

Dr. Jack Shaheen's book, Reel Bad Arabs is available for purchase here

Watch the full documentary here

The New Rulers of the World

noreply@blogger.com (aditya) — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 15:55:00 +0000

In order to examine the true effects of globalization, Pilger turns the spotlight on Indonesia, a country described by the World Bank as a model pupil until its globalized economy collapsed in 1998. The film examines the use of sweatshop factories by famous brand names, and asks some penetrating questions. Who are the real beneficiaries of the globalized economy? Who really rules the world now? Is it governments or a handful of huge companies? The Ford Motor Company alone is bigger than the economy of South Africa. Enormously rich men, like Bill Gates, have a wealth greater than all of Africa.

Pilger goes behind the hype of the new global economy and reveals that the divisions between the rich and poor have never been greater -- two thirds of the world's children live in poverty -- and the gulf is widening like never before.

The film looks at the new rulers of the world -- the great multinationals and the governments and institutions that back them -- the IMF and the World Bank. Under IMF rules, millions of people throughout the world lose their jobs and livelihood. The reality behind much of modern shopping and the famous brands is a sweatshop economy, which is being duplicated in country after country.

The film travels to Indonesia and Washington, asking challenging questions seldom raised in the mainstream media and exposing the scandal of globalization, including revealing interviews with top officials of the World Bank and the IMF. (Source)

Buy the book "The New Rulers of the World" by John Pilger here
Watch the full documentary here

The Plane That Wouldn't Talk (Air Crash Investigation - National Geographic)

noreply@blogger.com (aditya) — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 11:05:00 +0000

(Alternative Title: Mixed Signals)

Birgenair Flight 301 was a scheduled Puerto Plata-Gander-Berlin-Frankfurt flight. The Boeing 757-225 on the route, operated by Turkish-managed Birgenair partner Alas Nacionales, crashed. On takeoff, the captain finds that his air speed indicator (ASI) is not reading properly, though the co-pilot's ASI is showing the correct speed. Both pilots become confused and believe that both ASIs are malfunctioning. They lose control of the aircraft and it crashes in the Caribbean Sea shortly after take-off from Puerto Plata's Gregorio Luperón International Airport in the Dominican Republic. All 13 crew members and 176 passengers die.

About the documentary series Air Crash Investigation (also known as Mayday / Air Emergency) by National Geographic

Air Crash Investigation shares stories of astonishing survival and heartbreaking disasters of some of the most tragic incidents in the history of aviation.

Plane crashes and near-disasters from around the globe are investigated in meticulous detail, providing a look into what went wrong and if they could have been prevented. These events have helped change aviation safety and brought about some of the most important standard regulations that we know today. Survivor accounts and event re-enactments weave gripping tales while computer generated images (CGI) and expert testimony better explain the reasons behind the fatal or near fatal events.

Watch other episodes in the series here

Watch the full documentary here

Fighting the Taliban (Dispatches - Channel 4)

noreply@blogger.com (aditya) — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 13:34:00 +0000

Fighting The Taliban is the exclusive first-hand account of one of the longest battles fought by British soldiers in Afghanistan. When John Reid dispatched British forces to Helmand province on a "peace keeping" mission he expected them to achieve their goals "without firing a shot". Dispatches reveals how the war on terror is really being fought on the ground, and assesses the formidable scale of the task facing British troops in Afghanistan. Ignoring Ministry of Defence orders, filmmaker Sean Langan hitches a ride with the Afghan army who, along with British soldiers, are on a mission to retake the strategically critical town of Garmser in Helmand province.

The assault is expected to take 24 hours but it soon runs into difficulty, leading to six days of relentless attacks and counter attacks, captured from start to finish by Langan. The front line was often less than 100 yards from the compound where the 17 British troopers established their forward base and the ferocity of fighting saw the British officers call in a record number of NATO air strikes.

Langan documents the bravery and increasing exhaustion of the soldiers as their supplies of food and ammunition run low, and morale even lower. He records their thoughts: each day they believe they will complete their task and be able to pull out; each evening they are told they must remain until the operation is accomplished.

The battle costs casualties on both sides. Langan follows the British medics as they strive to save the lives of seriously injured NATO, Afghan and Taliban soldiers. He witnesses the efforts made by British soldiers to prevent the killing of wounded Taliban by enraged Afghan soldiers. After the battle is over, Langan is forced to burn his own clothes, which are drenched with the blood of wounded Afghan soldiers. Dispatches shows a battle that is symptomatic of the wider war the British troops are fighting. Overstretched and outnumbered, are the British troops fighting an unwinnable war? (Source)

Watch the full documentary here

Explosive Evidence (Air Crash Investigation - National Geographic)

noreply@blogger.com (aditya) — Sat, 26 Jun 2010 09:10:00 +0000

Air India Flight 182 explodes in mid-air and disintegrates over the coast of Ireland while flying on the Montréal-London-Delhi-Bombay route. The plane, a Boeing 747-237B named after Emperor Kanishka — was blown up at an altitude of 31,000 feet (9,400 m), and crashed into the freezing Atlantic Ocean. In all, 329 people died in the crash, among them 280 Canadian nationals, mostly of Indian descent, and 22 Indians. The incident represents the largest mass murder in modern Canadian history. Extremely costly investigation and prosecution took nearly 20 years to be completed as the most expensive trial in Canadian history, costing nearly CAD $130 million. Investigators in the end discover that a bomb from Sikh militant group Babbar Khalsa caused the explosion.

About the documentary series Air Crash Investigation (also known as Mayday / Air Emergency) by National Geographic

Air Crash Investigation shares stories of astonishing survival and heartbreaking disasters of some of the most tragic incidents in the history of aviation.

Plane crashes and near-disasters from around the globe, are investigated in meticulous detail, providing a look into what went wrong and if they could have been prevented. These events have helped change aviation safety and brought about some of the most important standard regulations that we know today. Survivor accounts and event re-enactments weave gripping tales while computer generated images (CGI) and expert testimony better explain the reasons behind the fatal or near fatal events.

Watch other episodes in the series here

Watch the full documentary here

Unlocking the Mystery of Life

noreply@blogger.com (aditya) — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 08:21:00 +0000

“Unlocking the Mystery of Life” is the story of contemporary scientists who are advancing a powerful, but controversial, idea—the theory of “intelligent design.” It is a theory based upon compelling biochemical evidence. Through state-of-the-art computer animation, Unlocking the Mystery of Life transports you into the interior of the living cell to explore systems and machines that bear the unmistakable hallmarks of design. Discover the intricacy of a microscopic bacterial rotary motor, which spins at 100,000 rpm.

Within the cell nucleus explore the wonder of DNA, a threadlike molecule that stores instructions to build the essential components of every living organism. It is part of a biological information processing system more complex and more powerful than any computer network. This remarkable documentary examines the scientific case for intelligent design -- an idea with the power to revolutionize our understanding of life…and to unlock the mystery of its origin. (Source)

This documentary is available from Amazon.com

Watch the full documentary here

Dead Weight (Air Crash Investigation - National Geographic)

noreply@blogger.com (aditya) — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 14:33:00 +0000

A packed commuter plane, Air Midwest Express Flight 5481, crashes to the ground just 37 seconds after take off. The crash created a fire that engulfs one of the US Airways hangars at Charlotte airport, North Carolina. All nineteen passengers and two pilots aboard died in the accident, and one person on the ground received minor injuries. However, none of the US Airways employees working in the hangar received injuries. Why did the crash happen in such a short time after take off? Find out how this accident prompted an investigation into the method by which FAA estimated a passenger's weight, and how this mistake could be so costly in this accident.

About the documentary series Air Crash Investigation (also known as Mayday / Air Emergency) by National Geographic

Air Crash Investigation shares stories of astonishing survival and heartbreaking disasters of some of the most tragic incidents in the history of aviation.

Watch other episodes in the series here

Watch the full documentary here

Ice Hotel (MegaStructures - National Geographic

noreply@blogger.com (aditya) — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 14:05:00 +0000

The Icehotel in Jukkasjorvi, Sweden (85 miles or 136 kilometers) north of the Arctic Circle) is created each winter, melts each May, and is rebuilt when snow falls again. Constructed of 30,000 tons of snow and 1,200 tons of crystal ice, the shimmering hotel features more than 85 rooms, an ice theater, an ice bar, and, of course, an ice wedding chapel. The deluxe rooms are decorated with ice sculptures (no two alike) and guests sleep in thermal sleeping bags atop reindeer skins on beds made from snow and ice.

The documentary reveals how using snow canons,chain-saws, and other devices, a team of architects, builders and sculptors are in a race against time and bitter arctic weather. They are trying to build a hotel only from snow and ice and do it in less than 6 weeks.

About the documentary series MegaStructures by National Geographic

Megastructures are all around us; skyscrapers in big cities, subway trains years ahead of their time. Get an inside look at the planning and engineering behind creating some of the greatest buildings and machines ever made. ‘MegaStructures’ takes you inside the superstructures and all the inner workings that muscle together to make the structures function as a whole.

Watch other episodes of MegaStructures here

Watch the full documentary here

For Neda (HBO Documentary)

noreply@blogger.com (aditya) — Sun, 20 Jun 2010 13:55:00 +0000

On June 20, 2009, exactly one year ago, Neda Agha-Soltan, died as a martyr for freedom due to the violent crackdown of Iran's post election protests. For Neda is a HBO documentary chronicling her struggle, which has became symbolic of the greater struggle of the Iranians, both in Iran and all around the world. With exclusive access to her family inside Iran, the documentary goes to the heart of who Neda was and what she stood for, illuminating the larger Iranian struggle for democratic freedoms through her powerful story.

For Neda reveals the portrait of Neda, a young women who since the beginning has bravely stood up for personal freedom and rebel against the confinement imposed by Iran's government. By refusing to bow to the laws discriminating women and protesting against Iran's rigged election, she has become a spark for the movement of many Iranian women, and just about everyone else inside and outside of Iran. This documentary captures the personal picture of Neda's struggle, but without neglecting the greater struggle and suffering in Iran in the backdrop. It surely going to be a long battle, but it is good that this film can at least be a source of inspiration for everyone.

Watch the full documentary here

King Corn

noreply@blogger.com (aditya) — Sun, 20 Jun 2010 05:05:00 +0000

Behind America’s dollar hamburgers and 72-ounce sodas is a key ingredient that quietly fuels our fast-food nation: corn. In KING CORN , recent college graduates Ian Cheney and Curt Ellis leave the east coast for rural Iowa, where they decide to grow an acre of the nation’s most powerful crop, and learn where their food comes from.

Alarmed by signs of America’s bulging waistlines, the filmmakers arrive in the Midwest enthusiastic about their new endeavor. For their farm-to-be, they choose a tiny town in Floyd, County, Iowa—a place that, coincidentally, both Ian and Curt’s great-grandfathers called home three generations ago. They lease an acre of land from a skeptical landlord, fill out a pile of paperwork to sign up for subsidies and discover the U.S. government will pay them 28 dollars for their acre. Ian and Curt start the spring by injecting ammonia fertilizer, which promises to increase crop production four-fold. Then it’s planting time. With a rented high-tech tractor, they set 31,000 seeds in the ground in just 18 minutes. Their corn has also been genetically modified for another yield-increasing characteristic: herbicide resistance. When the seedlings sprout from Iowa’s black dirt, Ian and Curt apply a powerful herbicide to ensure that only their corn will thrive on their acre.

By summer, their modern farm is thriving, and the Corn Belt is moving toward a record harvest of 11 billion bushels of corn. But where will all that corn go? As Ian and Curt discover, almost everything Americans eat contains corn. High-fructose corn syrup, corn-fed meat, and corn-based processed foods are the staples of the modern diet. America’s record harvests of corn are supported by a government subsidy system that promotes corn production beyond all market demand. As Ian and Curt return to Iowa to watch their 10,000-pound harvest fill the combine’s hopper and make its way into America’s food, they realize their acre of land shouldn’t be planted in corn again—if they can help it.

This documentary is available from Amazon.com

Watch the full documentary here in four parts

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

African Hijack (Air Crash Investigation - National Geographic)

noreply@blogger.com (aditya) — Sat, 19 Jun 2010 05:37:00 +0000

(Alternative Title: Ocean Landing)

An Ethiopian Airlines B-767 aircraft en route from Addis Abbaba to Nairobi, Keya, was hijacked. Approximately 20 minutes into the flight, three men forced their way ito the cockpit. Hijackers on Ethiopian Airlines Flight 961 demand passage to Australia, not believing the pilot when he explains they do not have enough fuel. The pilot tries to trick them by flying down the coast of Africa but the hijackers notice and force the pilot to fly east. The pilot obeys but heads for the Comoros Islands, near where the aircraft runs out of fuel.

The leading hijacker disengages the autopilot and tries to fly the aircraft himself but realizes he cannot control it. The pilot is put back in control and attempts to land the 767 on the water next to a beach at Grand Comoro Island but the aircraft breaks up as its wing hits the water; 125 people die.

About the documentary series Air Crash Investigation (also known as Mayday / Air Emergency) by National Geographic

Air Crash Investigation shares stories of astonishing survival and heartbreaking disasters of some of the most tragic incidents in the history of aviation.
Plane crashes and near-disasters from around the globe are investigated in meticulous detail, providing a look into what went wrong and if they could have been prevented. These events have helped change aviation safety and brought about some of the most important standard regulations that we know today. Survivor accounts and event re-enactments weave gripping tales while computer generated images (CGI) and expert testimony better explain the reasons behind the fatal or near fatal events.
Watch other episodes in the series here

Watch the full documentary here

Dubai's Dream Palace (MegaStructures - National Geographic)

noreply@blogger.com (aditya) — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 19:45:00 +0000

With its oil reserves dwindling, Dubai switches its sights to tourism, building the Burj al Arab, a 60-storey hotel in the shape of a sail. Set in the tiny desert kingdom of Dubai, Dubai's Dream Palace allow us to explore the remarkable engineering behind the seven-star Burj Al-Arab Hotel. Five years in the making, this striking building stands like a gigantic white sail off the shore of Dubai. As this programme reveals, a refusal to compromise on the part of the hotel’s young designers ensured that the project pushed the boundaries of design, almost to the impossible. The Burj Al-Arab was the brainchild of Dubai’s crown prince, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. The Sheikh dreamt of a luxury hotel that would put Dubai on the world map, and surprised many by choosing a relatively unknown British firm to supply the design.

The Sheikh was impressed by architect Tom Wright’s sketch of a building inspired by a yacht. Wright was aiming for an “iconic” design comparable to the Eiffel Tower or the Sydney Opera House, which could be drawn in a few simple lines. “We had many sleepless nights worrying that the building we’d designed wouldn’t turn out to be iconic,” he says. More used to building schools and offices than luxury hotels, Wright and his team now are at the pinnacle of their careers, but the challenges waiting for them are great.

Wright wanted the 321-metre structure to rise into the sky on an island, giving it the illusion of being at sea. His refusal to compromise led to the construction of a low-rise, artificial island from concrete cubes. Further challenges lay in store when engineers could find no solid rock beneath the site, so they bored steel and concrete poles deep into the sand to serve as the foundations. The poles used friction against the compacted sand to hold the building steady against the powerful winds of the Arabian Gulf.

The next problem came with the 85-metre-long steel trusses designed to hold the structure together. These enormous trusses were winched into place 200m in the air to provide a strong exoskeleton for the building.

Tom Wright’s extraordinary designs did not stop there – crowning the hotel was an enormous “floating” restaurant hanging in the air 27m away from the spine of the building. Structural engineer Anthony McCarter had to find a method to attach the restaurant far away from the building’s centre of gravity: “When Tom first showed it to me, I must admit I thought it was crazy!” he says. McCarter’s solution ensured that the hotel’s exclusive clients would enjoy unparalleled views as they dined.

The hotel was successfully opened in 2000. The builders toiled relentlessly to finish the skin of the Burj Al-Arab so that work could begin on its opulent interior. The building had to be sealed against the searing desert heat, so the contractors fitted a giant fabric wall to create the largest atrium in the world and form a unique feature both inside and outside the hotel. This innovation, and many more, ensured that the finished hotel would take its place as a unique world structure.

About the documentary series MegaStructures by National Geographic

Watch other episodes of MegaStructures here

Watch the full documentary here

Autobahn (MegaStructures - National Geographic)

noreply@blogger.com (aditya) — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 16:21:00 +0000

It was started as a racing track, but due to Hitler’s World War II propaganda efforts, the track grew into a sophisticated high-speed road system, linking to almost all the major cities in Germany. The Autobahn boasts of having super thick road beds, 4% or less grades, wide lanes, and build on layers of technology. It allows vehicles to travel at speeds exceeding 160km/h for roughly two thirds of its roads.

The episode profiles the operations of the highway cops, and their clever use of technology in training, monitoring of roads and various methods of arrest. It also features the ADAC, an automobile club, which provides on the spot road assistance. Nicknamed ‘The Yellow Angels’, they also provide air medical rescue. Building it was hard enough, but maintaining it could not be more complicated. Millions are spent for the Autobahn's sophisticated system of maintenance which is also covered in the documentary . All this infrastructure makes this mega structure into one of the world’s most safest super highway.

About the documentary series MegaStructures by National Geographic

Watch other episodes of MegaStructures here

Watch the full documentary here

Future Trains (MegaStructures - National Geographic)

noreply@blogger.com (aditya) — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 14:08:00 +0000

This documentary tells the engineering behind Maglev trains, a system that suspends, guides and propels trains, using magnetic levitation from a very large number of magnets for lift and propulsion. This method has the potential to be faster, quieter and smoother than wheeled mass transit systems. The power needed for levitation is usually not a particularly large percentage of the overall consumption; most of the power used is needed to overcome air drag, as with any other high speed train.

Transrapid is a German high-speed monorail train using magnetic levitation. Based on a patent from 1934, planning of the Transrapid system started in 1969. The test facility for the system in Emsland, Germany was completed in 1987. Nevertheless, the only Transrapid maglev currently in commercial operation is a Transrapid line in Shanghai, linking Pudong International Airport with the outskirts of the city.7.5 min. The documentary gives us an inside look of how this ultra-modern train network was completed with high precision despite numerous challenges. The Transrapid line here offers a flawless joyride for thousands of people, and the stage looks to be set for the technology's more widespread use.

That, until the 2006 Lathen maglev train accident occurred on 22 September 2006. A Transrapid magnetic levitation train collided with a maintenance vehicle near Lathen, Germany, killing 23 people. This was the first ever fatal accident on a maglev train. The Maglev train is still a marvellous engineering feat, the
future of maglev train network expansion inside and outside of China have taken a setback due to this accident.

About the documentary series MegaStructures by National Geographic
Megastructures are all around us; skyscrapers in big cities, subway trains years ahead of their time. Get an inside look at the planning and engineering behind creating some of the greatest buildings and machines ever made. ‘MegaStructures’ takes you inside the superstructures and all the inner workings that muscle together to make the structures function as a whole.
Watch other episodes of MegaStructures here

Watch the full documentary here

A History of God (History Channel)

noreply@blogger.com (aditya) — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 16:18:00 +0000

Based on Karen Armstrong's acclaimed book, this feature-length film guides viewers along one of humanity's most elusive quests. For over 4,000 years, adherents of the world's monotheistic faiths have wrestled with the question of God. This extraordinary, feature-length film, based on Karen Armstrong's acclaimed book of the same name, traces that elusive and fascinating quest.

A History of God examines the familiar images of deity as presented in the Bible and Koran and traces the evolution and interrelation of the various Christian, Jewish, and Islamic interpretations of the divine figure. Through balanced analysis of historic and holy texts and extensive use of ancient art and artifacts, we'll follow the long road to today's understanding of God and what the journey--and the destination--have to tell us about humanity and its never-ending search for meaning and comfort. From the time of Abraham to the present, this is a thought-provoking look at the God at the heart of the world's three great monotheistic religions.

This documentary is available from Amazon.com

Watch the full documentary here

Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed

noreply@blogger.com (aditya) — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 16:53:00 +0000

Expelled uncovers that educators and scientists are being ridiculed, denied tenure and even fired in some cases for the fact that they believe there is evidence of “design” in nature, challenging the idea that life is a result of random chance. For example, Stein meets Richard Sternberg, a double PhD biologist who allowed a peer-reviewed research paper describing the evidence for intelligence in the universe to be published in the scientific journal Proceedings. Not long after publication officials from the National Center for Science Education and the Smithsonian Institution where Sternberg was a research fellow began a coordinated smear and intimidation campaign to get the promising young scientist expelled from his position. This attack on scientific freedom was so egregious that it prompted a congressional investigation.

On his journey Stein meets other scientists such as astrobiologist Guillermo Gonzalez, who was denied tenure at Iowa State University in spite of his extraordinary record of achievement. Gonzalez made the mistake of documenting the design he has observed in the universe. There are others, such as Caroline Crocker, a brilliant biology teacher at George Mason University who was forced out of the university for briefly discussing problems with Darwinian theory and for telling the students that some scientists believe there is evidence of design in the universe. The list goes on and on.

Unlike some other documentary films, Expelled doesn’t just talk to people representing one side of the story. The film confronts scientists such as Richard Dawkins, author of The God Delusion, influential biologist and atheist blogger PZ Myers and Eugenie Scott, head of the National Center for Science Education. The creators of Expelled crossed the globe over a two-year period, interviewing scores of scientists, doctors, philosophers and public leaders. The result is a startling revelation that freedom of thought and freedom of inquiry have been expelled from publicly-funded high schools and universities. (Source)

This documentary is available from Amazon.com

Watch the full documentary here

Comet Air Crash (Seconds from Disaster - National Geographic)

noreply@blogger.com (aditya) — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 15:56:00 +0000

In early 1954, De Havilland is at the forefront of commercial aviation, introducing the first passenger jet airliner to the world. On 10 January, 1954, a flight takes off in Rome at 10:31 AM to finish the last leg of its international journey, carrying children returning home for the school term, and Chester Wilmot, a journalist and military historian working for BBC, as well as others travelling to Britain. Approximately 30 minutes later, the plane disappears from radar at high altitude and crashes into the Mediterranean Sea off Elba. Authorities confirm that all 35 passengers and crew have died, and post-mortem examinations show unusual injuries to many victims.

As officials work to identify a cause, a second Comet plane crashes just three months later, with its victims also exhibiting similar injury patterns. With the entire fate of commercial jet aviation in jeopardy, Prime Minister Winston Churchill calls for a government investigation of the crash, examining everything from potential sabotage and conspiracy theories to possible faulty mechanics and human error.
What brought down this flight and what could have caused the victims' strange injuries?

About the documentary series Seconds from Disaster by National Geographic

Seconds from Disaster uses CGI, forensic science and eyewitness accounts combine to re-enact some of the world’s worst disasters. Blending advanced CGI, re-enactments, archival footage, forensic science, dramatic eyewitness accounts and expert testimony, we recreate in gripping detail the final moments behind some of the most calamitous disasters of modern time.

Watch other episodes of Seconds from Disaster here

Watch the full documentary here

The Game of Their Lives - Chollima Chookgudan (BBC)

noreply@blogger.com (aditya) — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 13:55:00 +0000

In 1966 the North Korean football team shocked the world by knocking out Italy at Ayresome Park, Middlesbrough. Using archive footage and interviews with the seven surviving players, "The Game of Their Lives: (Chollima Chookgudan - 천리마 축구단), an award-winning documentary tells the remarkable and highly entertaining story of the pint-sized giant killers. Back then, the North Koreans became so popular at Middlesbrough, the manufacturing city in northeastern England that was their World Cup home base, that the local citizenry adopted them as their favorites.

Some 35 years later, BBC filmmakers obtained unprecedented access to North Korea to track down the surviving members of that 1966 team, which went on to take a 3-0 lead over Eusebio’s Portugal in the knockout phase before finally falling.

After the Korean War of the 1950s the team expected a hostile reception. However, the Mayor of the town asked the people of Middlesbrough to accept the players as individuals and sportsmen. The people of the town welcomed the North Koreans with open arms and supported them en masse on the terraces at Ayresome Park for the Korean's first game against the favourites, Italy. The Koreans were surprised and delighted at their reception and it was an enormous shock to the world when these virtually unknown outsiders won and sent the Italian team home to face being pelted with tomatoes.

In the end, the filmmakers found not the automatons Westerners expect to see in North Korea, but regular men and women, fond of reminiscing about their role in one of the most amazing episodes in soccer history. (Source)

Watch the full documentary here (8 part playlist)

The Truth According to Wikipedia

noreply@blogger.com (aditya) — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 12:17:00 +0000

Google or Wikipedia? Those of us who search online -- and who doesn't? -- are getting referred more and more to Wikipedia. For the past two years, this free online "encyclopedia of the people" has been topping the lists of the world's most popular websites. But do we really know what we're using? Backlight plunges into the story behind Wikipedia and explores the wonderful world of Web 2.0. Is it a revolution, or pure hype?

Director IJsbrand van Veelen goes looking for the truth behind Wikipedia. Only five people are employed by the company, and all its activities are financed by donations and subsidies. The online encyclopedia that everyone can contribute to and revise is now even bigger than the illustrious Encyclopedia Britannica.
Does this spell the end for traditional institutions of knowledge such as Britannica? And should we applaud this development as progress or mourn it as a loss? How reliable is Wikipedia? Do "the people" really hold the lease on wisdom? And since when do we believe that information should be free for all?

In this film, "Wikipedians," the folks who spend their days writing and editing articles, explain how the online encyclopedia works. In addition, the parties involved discuss Wikipedia's ethics and quality of content. It quickly becomes clear that there are camps of both believers and critics.

Wiki's Truth introduces us to the main players in the debate: Jimmy Wales (founder and head Wikipedian), Larry Sanger (co-founder of Wikipedia, now head of Wiki spin-off Citizendium), Andrew Keen (author of The Cult of the Amateur: How Today's Internet Is Killing Our Culture and Assaulting Our Economy), Phoebe Ayers (a Wikipedian in California), Ndesanjo Macha (Swahili Wikipedia, digital activist), Tim O'Reilly (CEO of O'Reilly Media, the "inventor" of Web 2.0), Charles Leadbeater (philosopher and author of We Think, about crowdsourcing), and Robert McHenry (former editor-in-chief of Encyclopedia Britannica). Opening is a video by Chris Pirillo.

The questions surrounding Wikipedia lead to a bigger discussion of Web 2.0, a phenomenon in which the user determines the content. Examples include YouTube, MySpace, Facebook, and Wikipedia. These sites would appear to provide new freedom and opportunities for undiscovered talent and unheard voices, but just where does the boundary lie between expert and amateur? Who will survive according to the laws of this new "digital Darwinism"? Are equality and truth really reconcilable ideals? And most importantly, has the Internet brought us wisdom and truth, or is it high time for a cultural counterrevolution? (Source)

Watch the full documentary here

The Road to Guantanamo

noreply@blogger.com (aditya) — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 13:04:00 +0000

Winner of the Silver Bear at the 2006 Berlin Film Festival, The Road to Guantanamo is a docudrama directed by Michael Winterbottom and Mat Whitecross. Filming took place in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Iran, which doubled as Cuba. Mat Whitecross is credited as co-director, and handled most of the interviews with the real-life counterparts to the main characters. The film uses interviews, news footage, and reenactments to tell the story of the Tipton Three, young British men of Pakistani descent who were detained for over two years without charges at Guantanamo Bay by the American military.

Shafiq (played by Riz Ahmed in the reenactments), Ruhel (Farhad Harun), Asif (Arfan Usman), and Monir (Waqar Siddiqui) traveled to Pakistan to take part in Asif's wedding to a Pakistani girl. Once in Pakistan, they hooked up with Zahid (Shahid Iqbal), Shafiq's cousin, and they all met in Karachi. There, they attended a mosque, where the imam urged worshipers to help those in need in Afghanistan, and where an inexpensive bus trip over the border was organized.

Out of a sense of charity, or perhaps a naïve lust for adventure, the young men decided to travel to Afghanistan. The American bombing campaign begins shortly after they arrive. While trying to get back over the border, they find themselves in the Taliban stronghold of Konduz, where they are captured by the Northern Alliance during the Taliban surrender.

At this point, Monir is separated from the group, and they never see him again. Shafiq, Ruhel, and Asif are brought to Sheberghan prison, where they are detained under miserable conditions, until the Americans discover that they are British. At that point, their journey to Guantanamo begins. Asif Iqbal, Ruhel Ahmed, and Shafiq Rasul describe their ordeal at the hands of American and British intelligence, who were determined to get them to confess their nonexistent links to Osama bin Laden and al-Qaeda, while the brutal scenes are reenacted onscreen. (Source)

This documentary is available at Amazon.com

Watch the full documentary here (10 parts playlist)

Moon for Sale (Horizon - BBC)

noreply@blogger.com (aditya) — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 11:57:00 +0000

After 40 years, man is preparing to return to the Moon. But this time the astronauts won't just land on the Moon - they plan to stay.
From his office in Nevada, Dennis Hope has spawned a multi-million dollar business selling lunar real estate. But scientists believe the real prize is trapped in the Moon's rocks. It contains large deposits of an extremely rare gas called Helium-3. Could Helium-3 be mined and used as a new source of almost inexhaustible, clean and pollution-free energy on Earth? Whoever succeeds in transporting Helium-3 back to Earth could solve the world's energy crisis.

Who will win what has been dubbed the second Moon race? And should we be exploiting the Moon's valuable resources at all? (Source)

Watch the full documentary here

Car of the Future (NOVA - PBS)

noreply@blogger.com (aditya) — Sun, 13 Jun 2010 08:02:00 +0000

Tom Magliozzi has a problem. The wacky cohost of NPR's Car Talk needs to replace his beloved 1952 MG roadster. But in today's car market, where should he turn? Is new technology about to transform the way we drive? Tom and his brother Ray hit the road in this program for a lighthearted but shrewd take on America's four-wheeled future. John Lithgow narrates as Tom and Ray mix their trademark slapstick with serious nuts-and-bolts analysis of what it will take to make our autos more energy-efficient. With a quarter of all the oil ever consumed guzzled up in the last decade and oil supplies being drawn down faster every day, the brothers' screwball automotive odyssey doubles as a serious environmental wake-up call.

Tom and Ray explore everything from the glitzy, high-octane North American International Auto Show in Detroit to the earnest do-it-yourselfers of the AltWheels Festival in Boston, where the brothers squeeze, clown-car style, into a tiny three-wheeler that, even at 100 miles per gallon, isn't quite ready for the rush-hour commute—it can't go in reverse.

A distinguished group of engineers doubles as Tom and Ray's straight men, including Lee Lynd of Mascoma Corporation, who is working to bioengineer microbes that can produce ethanol from plant wastes, and Amory Lovins of the Rocky Mountain Institute, who is developing an ultralight, full-size "green" car that is efficient and almost indestructible.

Also appearing are Andy Frank of the University of California at Davis, whose lab has developed a plug-in hybrid vehicle that "fills up" from an ordinary electrical outlet, and Martin Eberhard, founder of Tesla Motors, who wants to prove that battery-powered cars can be fast, stylish, and take you 250 miles on one charge.

Even representatives of the giant automakers make an appearance, despite their penchant for producing 500-horsepower, gas-guzzling road machines that even a couple of car nuts like Tom and Ray find excessive—as the brothers emphatically point out to a cornered Detroit executive. A decade ago, Toyota paved the way to more efficient vehicles with its Prius. But will our current romance with hybrids lead to a breakup between Americans and their big, high-powered automobiles? (Source)

This documentary is available fromAmazon.com

Watch the full documentary here

The Bermuda Triangle - Beneath the Waves (BBC)

noreply@blogger.com (aditya) — Sun, 13 Jun 2010 07:25:00 +0000

Woven around a compelling expedition narrative, this programme conducts a series of experiments to prove conclusively whether the most credible theories do in fact weigh up. The stories behind some of the most baffling of disappearances are told but it is science, not speculation, that writes the final chapter. Following the story of the search for Navy Flight 19, one of the most famous disappearances, photography both above and beneath the waves is combined with dramatic re-constructions and CGI to create a stunning visual feast. Five experiments tried to explore the most plausible theories.
Water spouts are tornados at sea and are very common in the Triangle. They are whirling vortexes of water that form into fast spinning tubes several meters wide and up to three quarters of a mile high. Potentially lethal if a boat or a plane comes into direct contact with one.

The Bermuda Triangle is also one of the only places in the world where true north and magnetic north are aligned. If you didn’t know about the triangle’s unique magnetic effect and failed to make the correct compensations, you could end up very lost indeed.

Another possible one will be the killer wave. There have been eyewitness reports of 70 metre high waves that seemingly come out of nowhere. Often dismissed as impossible, the programme seeks to prove that these ‘monsters’ do exist and display the lethal destruction that they could cause.

Around the area, there are also freak storms storms out there that are so quick yet so powerful that weather satellites very rarely pick them up. An intense localised storm can have the punch of a hurricane contained within the area of a football pitch. From the outside the little storm would look like an intense shower but from the inside the wind speed and the intensity of the down-pour would be incrediblely dangerous. A small boat or light aircraft wouldn’t stand a chance.

Lastly, eruptions of gas hydrate pockets caused by seismic activity on the sea floor could also be responsible for the disappearance of boats and even planes.

We may never know the real answer anytime soon, but those are the most plausible theories proposed so far, and this excellent documentary sought to examine all of them.

Watch the full documentary here