ULTRA III: Peter Kurten, Sadist & Mass Slayer(1982)

Herbert von Karajan: Maestro for the Screen(de)

Documentary on conductor Herbert van Karajan, focusing on his early adoption of audio and video recording technology and his impetus to make use of it to preserve his musical legacy for future generations.

What Difference Does It Make?(en)

A documentary that explores the challenges that a life in music can bring.

Eighth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition: Here to Make Music(en)

Emmy Award winning documentary, directed by Peter Rosen, about the Eighth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition in 1989, featuring interviews with the contestants and jurists, and footage from rehearsals and performances, including by competition winner Alexei Sultanov.

Fred & Rose West: Love & Murder(en)

When it comes to serial killers, there aren't many stories more chilling than the one of Fred and Rosemary West. The murderous duo raped, tortured and murdered at least a dozen young British girls between 1967 and 1987 in Gloucestershire, including several of their own daughters. Learn of how two of Britain's most notorious serial killers were able to get away with their crimes for so long, how they hid the victim's remains within the confines of their own home, and how they were eventually taken down.

Chopin-Pletnev: Cello(en)

This short film is made for the "Chopin-Pletnev" disc which marked Mikhail Pletnev's debut as a pianist on Deutsche Grammophon. In the film, we witness Mr. Pletnev's journey, starting from him on his way to studio, through his performance of Chopin's Etude Op. 25 No. 7 in C sharp minor "The Cello" and the process afterwards. One is struck repeatedly by Pletnev's crystalline arpeggiations, the velocity of his passage work, his singing tone, his rhythmic suppleness, and, above all, the grandeur of his sound.

Harold Shipman - Dr Death(en)

Doctor Harold Shipman believed he was God, all-knowing and wise, a supreme being who set out to demonstrate his superiority over others through an ability to murder. His victims were usually elderly, vulnerable and trusting. Some needed help to ease the pain that came with age. Others simply sought re-assurance. All received a death sentence from the man who had taken an oath to save life. From his practice in a Cheshire market town, Shipman achieved infamy as Britain's worst ever serial killer. Officially his victims numbered 15. But he murdered at least 215 times and possibly 1,000. His own greed finally snared Doctor Death, whose evil was exposed through the love of a daughter for her mother, sending him on the path to Hell.

The Fourteenth Victim: Eliot Ness & the Torso Murders(en)

For Eliot Ness, Al Capone was old news in 1935. It was Ness’ stint as Safety Director of Cleveland, and his face off with Cleveland’s Torso Murderer, that was plainly the defining episode in his career. The Mad Butcher of Kingsbury Run tore through the headlines of Cleveland’s daily papers for years, and this serial killer -perhaps America’s first of its kind- left behind a bloody birthright that haunts the city still.

Letters to a Serialkiller(sv)

A thriller documentary where the director seek answers on why her brother was shot by the Swedish serial killer Peter Mangs.

Lucy Letby: Did She Really Do it?(en)

Unpacking and questioning the evidence used to convict neonatal nurse Lucy Letby.

Zahia - Un Temps d'Avance(fr)

Music of India(en)

Short documentary on classical Indian music.

Ľubica Rybárska(sk)

The Case of Bruno Lüdke(de)

The incredible story of Bruno Lüdke (1908-44), the alleged worst mass murderer in German criminal history; or actually, a story of forged files and fake news that takes place during the darkest years of the Third Reich, when the principles of criminal justice, subjected to the yoke of a totalitarian system that is beginning to collapse, mean absolutely nothing.

4(fr)

A documentary on one of the world’s most exciting string quartets – the Quatuor Ébène – draws viewers into the musicians’ struggle with interpretational details, with colleague-friends – and with themselves.

Albert Fish: In Sin He Found Salvation(en)

Albert Fish, the horrific true story of elderly cannibal, sadomasochist, and serial killer, who lured children to their deaths in Depression-era New York City. Distorting biblical tales, Albert Fish takes the themes of pain, torture, atonement and suffering literally as he preys on victims to torture and sacrifice.

Samuel Barber: Absolute Beauty(en)

Known for his mournful "Adagio for Strings," Samuel Barber was never quite fashionable. This acclaimed film is a probing exploration of his music and melancholia. Performance, oral history, musicology, and biography combine to explore the life and music of one of America’s greatest composers. Features Thomas Hampson, Leonard Slatkin, Marin Alsop and many more of the world's leading experts on Barber's music, with tributes from composers Leonard Bernstein, Aaron Copland, Virgil Thomson and William Schuman. The film was broadcast on PBS, and screened at nine film festivals internationally, with three best-of awards. It was named a Recording of the Year 2017 by MusicWeb International.

Faces of Death III(en)

The third installment of the infamous "is it real or fake?" mondo series sets its sights primarily on serial killers, with lengthy reenactments of police investigations of bodies being found in dumpsters, and a staged courtroom sequence.

Song of Rapa Nui(en)

This feature length documentary tells the story of Mahani Teave who grew up on Rapa Nui (Easter Island) and left at age 9 to pursue her dream of being classical pianist-a journey that takes her from mainland Chile to The Cleveland Music Institute to Berlin and the great concert halls of Europe. At the age of 30, on the brink of international success, Teave gives up her career to pursue a new dream, coming back full circle to Rapa Nui to found a free music school for the island's children. The resulting school-named Toki, after the basalt tool once used to shape Easter Island's iconic sculptures-is a model of sustainability, incorporating tons of tires, bottles and Pacific Ocean plastic; surrounded by agri-environmental gardens to grow food. With Toki, Mahani hopes to shape a bold new future for Rapa Nui and inspire hope and change on Earth, our island home.

Ludwig van Beethoven(de)

Documentary on the master composer, from a GDR point of view.

Die Akte Beethoven(de)

In a mixture of feature film, music documentary and animated comics, historical facts are retold, analyzed and interpreted in modern settings. Ludwig van Beethoven, played by Lars Eidinger, becomes a contemporary of today's audience. Quick-tempered, irascible, curmudgeonly - that is the common image of Ludwig van Beethoven, the composer with the wild lion's mane. But there is also another Beethoven - young, seductive, spirited and, above all, combative.