Calcio Storico is football like you’ve never seen before! Dating back to the 15th century, this early form of the game is brutal. But behind the blood and punches lie a story of tradition, pride and honour. A sport as unique and loved in Florence as ACF Fiorentina are, next season will see a unique collaboration between the two...
Mafia Is Not What It Used to Be (2019)
Palermo, Sicily, Italy, 2017. Twenty-five years after the murders of anti-mafia judges Giovanni Falcone, on May 23, 1992, and Paolo Borsellino, on July 19, 1992; and on the occasion of the tributes held in memory of both heroes, skeptical photographer Letizia Battaglia, chronicler of their titanic combat, criticizes the opportunism of shady characters who, like businessman Ciccio Mira, profit from the commemoration of both tragedies.
Fascism in Colour (2006)
After the World War I, Mussolini's perspective on life is severely altered; once a willful socialist reformer, now obsessed with the idea of power, he founds the National Fascist Party in 1921 and assumes political power in 1922, becoming the Duce, dictator of Italy. His success encourages Hitler to take power in Germany in 1933, opening the dark road to World War II. (Originally released as a two-part miniseries. Includes colorized archival footage.)
City of Baseball (2007)
"City of Baseball" is a documentary that explores both the past and the present of the Italian baseball league in the seaside resort of Nettuno near Rome. Through league pioneers, current players, fans, and local historians, "City of Baseball" captures the story of how the 1944 Allied invasion of Nettuno brought the American pastime to a town which embraced the sport with a passion that continues today.
The Imperial Lullaby (2020)
The armies of Fascist Italy conquered Addis Ababa, capital of Abyssinia, in May 1936, thus culminating the African colonial adventure of the ruthless dictator Benito Mussolini, by then lord of Libya, Eritrea and Somalia; a bloody and tragic story told through the naive drawings of Pietro Dall'Igna, an Italian schoolboy born in 1925.
La Cicciolina: Godmother of Scandal (2017)
The personal and professional story of Ilona Staller, known as Cicciolina, is probably unique: she left communist Hungary and moved to Italy, where she found a fertile environment for a life dedicated to scandal.
Cinecittà, de Mussolini à la Dolce Vita (2021)
Cinecitta is today known as the center of the Italian film industry. But there is a dark past. The film city was solemnly inaugurated in 1937 by Mussolini. Here, propaganda films would be produced to strengthen the dictator's position.
Pope Pius XII and the Holocaust (2024)
A portrait of Pope Pius XII (1876-1958), head of the Catholic Church from 1939 until his death, who, during World War II, and while European Jews were being exterminated by the Nazis, was accused of keeping a disconcerting and shameful silence.
The March on Rome (2022)
The fascinating story of the rise to power of dictator Benito Mussolini (1883-1945) in Italy in 1922 and how fascism marked the fate of the entire world in the dark years to come.
Cinecittà Babilonia: Sex, Drugs and Black Shirts (2017)
The story of Italian cinema under Fascism, a sophisticated film industry built around the founding of the Cinecittà studios and the successful birth of a domestic star system, populated by very peculiar artists among whom stood out several beautiful, magnetic, special actresses; a dark story of war, drugs, sex, censorship and tragedy.
Billionaire's Paradise: Inside Necker Island (2015)
A look at one of the most exclusive holiday destinations in the world - Necker Island. This reveals how the rich holiday, and what it's like for the staff who serve them. For the first time viewers are given an in-depth, behind-the-scenes look at one of the most exclusive holiday destinations in the world - Necker Island. This film is an intimate portrait of how the rich, powerful and famous holiday, and what it's like for the staff who serve them. It's an upstairs-downstairs world where nearly 100 staff cater to just 30 guests - where some have over a staggering £40,000 a night to experience the perfect island paradise. And while Necker is home to Sir Richard Branson and his family, it is also a serious commercial venture. Meeting the needs of these VIPs are the staff of British, European and local islanders. It may seem that they've landed the dream job working in paradise, however the realities of living in the middle of the Caribbean Sea bring a whole host of major challenges.
The Daughter of the Pope: Lucrezia Borgia (2024)
The incredible story of Lucrezia Borgia (1480-1519), daughter of Pope Alexander VI (1431-1503), deliberately used politically by her powerful family and historically slandered as a poisoner and incestuous femme fatale. But who was the real Lucrezia?
Riots And Relegation: What the F*** Happened to Leyton Orient (2017)
Eli follows Leyton Orient's tragic relegation from the football league and how the Football Authorities allowed owner Francesco Beccheti to bring the club to its demise.
Artemisia Gentileschi, Warrior Painter (2020)
An account of the life of the Italian painter Artemisia Gentileschi (1593-1653), the first female artist to get international acclaim, recognized as a modern icon, due to her personality and her unyielding defense of her professional integrity.
Women of the Resistance (1965)
Documentary composed of interviews with female partisans who survived the German invasion of Italy in World War II.
Terry's Little Village (2024)
Terry Wilson is a 70-year-old lifelong resident of Meadowvale Village, Ontario's first heritage district. As development looms and begins to destroy Terry's favourite place in the world, he recreates pieces of history in his backyard, crafting an oasis where it feels like nothing has changed. A beautiful tribute to his childhood, his mother, and his town, Terry passionately fights to preserve history in a world that's too anxious for change.
The Charcoal People (2000)
This deeply human documentary examines the subject of environmental destruction, highlighting the impoverished migrant workers who are chopping down the Amazon rainforest to create charcoal for pig iron production used primarily in the automobile industry. The film examines the children and elders and their daily lives and work as they burn timber in igloo-looking huts, their bodies charred gray for $2 a day, struggling to survive.
Stolen Kisses: Homosexual Love in Fascist Italy (2021)
Through letters, diaries and personal testimonies, an account of the complexity and variety of experiences of LGBT Italians during the Fascist dictatorship of Benito Mussolini (1922-43); intimate words that contrast with the lyrics of popular songs and the propaganda of the time, obsessed with extolling the myths of virility, femininity and motherhood and constrained by sexual repression.
Porn to Be Free (2016)
Italy, 1970. An increasing legion of harmless warriors begins a peaceful struggle for sexual freedom through pornography, shaking and shocking religious authorities and conservative political institutions. They are ironic, happy, crazy. They are dreamers, defenders of definitive communion between body and soul. But they were censored and humiliated. They were mistreated and arrested for demanding loud a new cultural renaissance.
Shooting the Mafia (2019)
Sicilian photojournalist Letizia Battaglia began a long battle against the ruthless Cosa Nostra when she first photographed the sinister scene of a brutal murder. Documenting the barbaric rule of the Italian Mafia, she was an unwavering witness to its crimes. Her art and courage helped end the horrific and bloody reign of the Corleonesi clan.