Decoding Jean: Secrets of WWII(2023)

The True Story of the Bridge on the River Kwai(en)

Made famous by the 1957 Hollywood movie, the bridges of the River Kwai emblematize one of the most misunderstood events in history. Contrary to the romanticized film version, the structures represent a period of terror, desperation, and death for over 16,000 POWs and 100,00 local slaves. The Thailand - Burma Railway was the vision of the Japanese Imperial Army: a 250-mile track cut through dense jungle that would connect Bangkok and Rangoon. To accomplish this nearly impossible feat, the fanatical and ruthless Japanese engineers used POWs and local slaves as manpower. Candid interviews with men who lived through the atrocity - including Dutch, Australian, British, and American POWs - illuminate the violence and horror of their three-and-a-half-year internment. From Britain's surrender of Singapore the enduring force of friendship, The True Story Of The Bridge On The River Kwai narrates a moving and unforgettable account of a period in history that must be remembered.

Power and Paranoia of the Third Reich(fr)

Darkness(de)

Louis-Ferdinand Céline described the period he spent in Sigmaringen in his delirious and infernal novel, Castle to Castle, published in 1957. The last months before the German “moment of truth”, as they’ve never been portrayed before: Documented in delirious reality. A documentary film based on Céline’s texts. A screen adaption with documentary material.

La Nueve, the Forgotten Men of the 9th Company(fr)

The story of the Spanish Republicans of La Nueve, the 9th Company of the Régiment de marche du Tchad, part of the French 2nd Armored Division, known as Leclerc Division, whose troops were the first who entered Nazi-occupied Paris on August 24, 1944.

Surviving D-Day(en)

Recent study shows that the chance of surviving the invasion beaches was 25%. Then how is it possible 50% of the men survived? This documentary which has been recognized as the best D-Day documentary ever tells a different story. A beautifully made detailed reconstruction shows what happened on that day on the beaches. In the first hour of the attack one third of the American soldiers dies. This battle will be decisive in the further course of the war. Survivors tell about the factors that made it so hard to conquer the coastlines. The animated images show it all.

Treblinka's Last Witness(en)

Samuel Willenberg and Kalman Taigman, the last two survivors of the Nazi extermination camp Treblinka, recount the horrors they experienced during the war and talk about their lives after their escape in a prisoner uprising in 1943. Willenberg would go on to become a hero of the 1944 Warsaw uprising while Taigman would be called as a witness during the infamous trial of Adolf Eichmann.

Girls in Summer Dresses: Hiroshima, August 6, 1945(ja)

In 1945, the second- and third-year students of a Hiroshima girls' school are taken away to work in war factories. The remaining 220 girls of the first year try to make the best of their new-found status as the only teenagers in an almost deserted town, even amid the deprivations of wartime. On the seventh of August, an American bomber changes their lives forever. Broadcast on the 43rd anniversary of Hiroshima in memory of "the girls who lost their lives to the atom bomb." (Source: Anime Encyclopedia)

The Bomb(en)

Using masterfully restored footage from recently declassified images, The Bomb tells a powerful story of the most destructive invention in human history. From the earliest testing stages to its use as the ultimate chess piece in global politics, the program outlines how America developed the bomb, how it changed the world and how it continues to loom large in our lives. The show also includes interviews with prominent historians and government insiders, along with men and women who helped build the weapon piece by piece.

National Geographic: The Lost Fleet of Guadalcanal(en)

Explorer follows Bob Ballard and veterans from both America and Japan as they search for ships that were sunk during the Battle of Guadalcanal.

Plan for Destruction(en)

Plan for Destruction is a 1943 American short propaganda film directed by Edward Cahn. It looks at the Geopolitik ideas of the ex-World War I professor, General Karl Haushofer, who is portrayed as the head of a huge organization for gathering information of strategic value and the mastermind behind Adolf Hitler's wars and plans to enslave the world. The film was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Short.

Theirs Is the Glory(en)

Re-enactment of World War 2 Battle of Arnhem using the survivors from the battle.

Why We Fight: The Battle of Russia(en)

The fifth film of Frank Capra's Why We Fight propaganda film series, revealing the nature and process of the fight between the Soviet Union and Germany in the Second World War.

That Justice Be Done(en)

Newsreel footage from both sides of World War II make a case for convicting Nazi war criminals.

Avenging Evil(en)

In 1946, just after the end of World War II, a secret organization of Holocaust survivors plans a terrible revenge: since the Nazis have killed millions of Jews, they will kill millions of Germans.

If War Comes Tomorrow(ru)

The propaganda documentary about the readiness of the Red Army to repulse any enemy is based on documentary shots taken during the real maneuvers of the Red Army. Armadas of tanks, immense columns of infantry, dozens of fighters and bombers, thousands of cavalry, legendary divisions of the Civil War. The film glorifies Soviet military power and shows the Soviet people what the war will be like when the imperialists attack the USSR — quick, victorious, almost bloodless.

Dénoncer sous l'Occupation(fr)

Bletchley Park: Code-breaking's Forgotten Genius(en)

Gordon Welchman was one of the original elite codebreakers crucial to the allies defeating the Nazis in World War II. He is the forgotten genius of Bletchley Park.

Know Your Ally: Britain(en)

Know Your Ally: Britain was a 45-minute propaganda film made in 1944. It was narrated by Walter Huston and produced by the United States War Department and Signal Corp to solidify Anglo-American solidarity within the ranks as well as counter Nazi propaganda aimed at weakening the Alliance.

1945: the fall of the Reich(fr)

In June 1944, optimism reigned in the Allied camp. In the West, the Normandy landings were a success. In their advance, the troops soon threatened the German border. In the East, the Red Army launched an attack. With Operation Bagration, it swept into Belarus and forced the Wehrmacht into a terrible retreat. It was a time for confidence. There was no doubt: "The war would be over before Christmas." And yet... The war dragged on for almost another year. Eleven long months of fighting, punctuated by terrible battles and atrocious war crimes. Eleven months of fear and hope, which shook the certainties of the leaders and the daily lives of the men. Eleven murderous months, which left an eternal scar on hearts and in history.

From Island to Island(zh)

During World War II, Taiwan was part of the Japanese Empire. This documentary explores the experiences of Taiwanese soldiers, doctors, and overseas residents in Southeast Asia during that time. Using cross-generational memory dialogues, family letters, diaries, and videos, the film addresses the complexities of Taiwan's historical memory and diverse identities during that period.