Basic Court Procedures

The Devil and the Death Penalty(en)

This documentary recounts the dysfunctional state of the death penalty in the state of California by revisiting the crimes, arrest, trials and appeals of Lawrence Bittaker, a convicted serial killer who has been on death row at San Quentin since 1981.

The Auschwitz Trial(de)

The biggest trial of Nazi war crimes ever: 360 witnesses in 183 days of trial - a stunning and gripping portrayal of the most terrible massacre in history.

Seven Winters in Tehran(fa)

After seven years in prison, a female student in Tehran is hanged for murder. She had acted in self-defence against a rapist. For a pardon, she would have had to retract her testimony. This moving film reopens the case.

Hackers Wanted(en)

Hackers Wanted explores the origins and nature of hackers and hacking by following the adventures of Adrian Lamo, and contrasting his story with that of controversial figures throughout history.

Unfit To Stand(en)

An unflinching documentary of those dealing with mental illness in the criminal justice system and a profile of families who tragically fell victims to that system.

Juvenile Court(en)

JUVENILE COURT shows the complex variety of cases before the Memphis Juvenile Court: foster home placement, drug abuse, armed robbery, child abuse, and sexual offenses. The sequences illustrate such issues as community protection vs. the desire for rehabilitation, the range and the limits of the choices available to the court, the psychology of the offender, and the constitutional and procedural questions involved in administering a juvenile court.

The Hanbok on the Court(ko)

Je vais te tuer(fr)

This documentary offers a rare look at domestic abuse through the concept of coercive control. With exceptional access to hearings in Poitiers, Colmar, and Paris, Karine Dusfour captures the first French trials to address this form of psychological violence. The film shows how coercive control traps partners through constant monitoring, a hidden terror affecting hundreds of thousands of women and children in France.

Your Life Without Me(hu)

Magdi, a strong-willed, but lonely caregiver faces a daunting reality as she grows older: If she were to pass away, her disabled adult son, Feri would be left to the inhumane conditions of the Hungarian state care system, and would quickly follow her. Determined to secure a future for Feri, Magdi unites with a group of mothers who are in the same situation and they take legal action against the state. “Your Life Without Me” is a story of the strength and sacrifices of these women who find their own voice through the common fight and their community.

Little Injustices: Laura Nader Looks at the Law(en)

Anthropologist Laura Nader's first field trip to a Zapotec Indian village in Oaxaca, Mexico, in the late 1950s, led her to study problem-solving in the local courts. There, "little injustices" were the meat of everyday courtroom life.

The Rise and Fall of John Leslie(en)

The story of one Britain's most famous TV presenters at the center of a media storm.

OJ: Trial of the Century(en)

OJ: TRIAL OF THE CENTURY, premiered on June 12, 2014 and it chronicles the twists and turns of the OJ Simpson murder trial and allows viewers to relive every moment of the investigation first-hand.

Rashomon(ja)

Four people recount different versions of the story of a man's murder and the rape of his wife.

To Kill a Mockingbird(en)

Scout Finch, 6, and her older brother Jem live in sleepy Maycomb, Alabama, spending much of their time with their friend Dill and spying on their reclusive and mysterious neighbor, Boo Radley. When Atticus, their widowed father and a respected lawyer, defends a black man named Tom Robinson against fabricated rape charges, the trial and tangent events expose the children to evils of racism and stereotyping.

Dancer in the Dark(en)

Selma, a Czech immigrant on the verge of blindness, struggles to make ends meet for herself and her son, who has inherited the same genetic disorder and will suffer the same fate without an expensive operation. When life gets too difficult, Selma learns to cope through her love of musicals, dreaming up little numbers to the rhythmic beats of her surroundings.

Ridicule(fr)

To get royal backing on a needed drainage project, a poor French lord must learn to play the delicate games of wit at court at Versailles.

Felon(en)

A family man convicted of killing an intruder must cope with life afterward in the violent penal system.

A Short Film About Killing(pl)

Jacek climbs into the taxi driven by Waldemar, tells him to drive to a remote location, then brutally strangles him, seemingly without motive.

Heaven(en)

A woman takes the law into her own hands after police ignore her pleas to arrest the man responsible for her husband's death, and finds herself not only under arrest for murder but falling in love with an officer.

Midnight Express(en)

Billy Hayes is caught attempting to smuggle drugs out of Turkey. The Turkish courts decide to make an example of him, sentencing him to more than 30 years in prison. Hayes has two opportunities for release: the appeals made by his lawyer, his family, and the American government, or the "Midnight Express".