Backstage Bardo

Mitterrand, the impossible legacy

2016

“I am the last of the great Presidents. After me, there will be no more ..." said François Mitterrand at the end of his life. What legacy left the first socialist president of the Fifth Republic? Documentary filmmaker Bertrand Delais and a host of French intellectuals such as Laurent Fabius, Hubert Védrine, Julien Dray, Dominique Bertinotti, Jean-Pierre Chevènement and Bruno Roger-Petit take a look into what that means.

Blackadder: The Lost Pilot

2023

Sir Tony Robinson takes a journey back in time to find out where Blackadder really began, and to uncover the story of the previously-unseen pilot episode.

Atatürk - Father of the Turks

1970

In the documentary, the life of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the last period of the Ottoman Empire, the War of Independence and the developments in the first years of the Republic of Turkey are told in parallel. The documentary prepared by Michael Adams consists of recordings made by the BBC in 1970 in Çanakkale, Samsun, Amasya, Sivas and Ankara, as well as historical footage.

The Making of The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror

1994

Kirk Cameron is our host for the 1994 TV Special, “The Making of The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror” celebrating the opening of Walt Disney World's newest attraction. With interviews from Michael Eisner, then the Chairman, President, and CEO of the Walt Disney Company and Marty Sklar President of Walt Disney Imagineering we get a sense for what goes into creating an attraction like the Tower of Terror. Additional interviews include Michael Sprout, David Durand, Jack Blitch, Catherine Moulton, and Ken Gomes.

Kinetics

1972

Art in glorious motion. Bright, colourful and often intensely dynamic, the 1970 'Kinetics' show at London's Hayward Gallery was a major international showcase of the new active sculptural art. Works by Jean Tinguely, Nam June Paik, Peter Logan, Takis, Jesus Raphael Soto and many others dazzled a wide-eyed public. This priceless film record of the show captures a kaleidoscope of neon lights, rotating metal, squirting water and stroboscopic projections. Director Lutz Becker, of the Slade School of Art Film Unit - who would go on to direct Double-Headed Eagle (1973), a documentary account of Hitler's rise to power - uses a variety of textural, electronic sounds (courtesy of Peter Sahla) to evoke the unusual experience. The show was enormously popular, with visitors filling out the gallery day after day.

Samurai Beyond Their Dreams: Becoming the Best in the World

2023

In December 2021, Hideki Kuriyama began devoting his days to one singular goal: hoisting the championship trophy at the 2023 World Baseball Classic. How did he mold his players into one of the best and strongest Samurai Japan teams in history? A close-up documentary that looks back on Samurai Japan's path to becoming world champions, along with valuable behind-the-scenes footage captured by the team's dedicated crew.

Cormac McCarthy's Veer

2023

Cormac McCarthy has spent the last 25 years writing his novels at the mountain top retreat of the Santa Fe Institute (SFI) in New Mexico. An institute dedicated to the formal analysis of complex systems. In this documentary filmed at the library at SFI (and in the desert), Cormac in conversation with his colleague David Krakauer, reflects on isolation, mathematics, character, and the nature of the unconscious

The Essential Church

2023

When governments use Covid emergency act edicts to restrict the gathering and worship of the Church, three pastors facing the risk of imprisonment, unlimited fines, and their own Churches splitting apart take a courageous stand and re-open in the face of a world that has chosen to comply.

Wimbledon 2023 Review

A review of an enthralling 2023 Wimbledon Championships that was headlined by Carlos Alcaraz of Spain dethroning seven-time champion Novak Djokovic in an epic five-set men’s final. There is also be a look back at Marketa Vondrousova’s dream run to winning the ladies’ singles. British success was yet again secured in the wheelchair doubles as Alfie Hewett and Gordon Reid secured a fifth title, while Neal Skupski claimed his first men’s doubles crown with Dutch partner Wesley Koolhof. History was made in the boys’ singles as Henry Searle became the first British winner since Stanley Matthews in 1962.

Crack: Cocaine, Corruption & Conspiracy

2021

A cheap, powerful drug emerges during a recession, igniting a moral panic fueled by racism. Explore the complex history of crack in the 1980s.

Tower of the Sun

2018

Tarō Okamoto became world-famous by designing the “Tower of the Sun” at Expo ’70 in Osaka. The ideas and problems that came with its creation, however, are intertwined with the evolution of Japanese culture – from the Paleolithic up until modern times. In his documentary debut, director Kōsai Sekine takes us on a philosophical journey that transcends the visual limits of documentaries.

Three Arts in Antarctica

2020

The documentary follows Polish artists on the first sailing expedition to Antarctica, their struggles, the first ever concert by Polish artists there, the first wet plate photography session & rare underwater encounters with leopard seals & other wildlife.