The Illusionists

Top 4 Billed Cast

Jean Kilbourne
Jean Kilbourne

Herself

Susie Orbach
Susie Orbach

Herself

Laura Mulvey
Laura Mulvey

Herself

Gail Dines
Gail Dines

Herself

Loading Trailer Videos...
  • HomePage

    The Illusionists

  • Overview

    Sex sells. What sells even more? Insecurity. Multi-billion dollar industries saturate our lives with images of unattainable beauty, exporting body hatred from New York to Beirut to Tokyo. Their target? Women, and increasingly men and children. "The Illusionists" turns the mirror on media, exposing the absurd, sometimes humorous, and shocking images that seek to enslave us.

  • Release Date

    2015-01-01

  • Average

    8

  • Rating:

    4.0 starts
  • Tagline

    A Film About the Globalization of Beauty

  • Genres

  • Languages:

  • Keywords

Similar Movies

She's Beautiful When She's Angry
74%

She's Beautiful When She's Angry(en)

2014-12-05

A documentary that resurrects the buried history of the outrageous, often brilliant women who founded the modern women's movement from 1966 to 1971.

Wintopia
100%

Wintopia(en)

2019-11-23

IDFA and Canadian filmmaker Peter Wintonick had a close relationship for decades. He was a hard worker and often far from home, visiting festivals around the world. In 2013, he died after a short illness. His daughter Mira was left behind with a whole lot of questions, and a box full of videotapes that Wintonick shot for his Utopia project. She resolved to investigate what sort of film he envisaged, and to complete it for him.

A Body Like Mine
0%

A Body Like Mine(de)

2023-12-14

Through post-porn, performance and wrestling, Puck tries to figure out her place in the world.

Mother of Many Children
73%

Mother of Many Children(en)

1977-09-18

This film is an album of Native womanhood, portraying a proud matriarchal society that for centuries has been pressured to adopt different standards and customs. All of the women featured share a belief in the importance of tradition as a source of strength in the face of change.

Dominguinhos
72%

Dominguinhos(pt)

2014-05-22

Through rare and precious footages and gigs with great artists such as Gilberto Gil, Gal Costa, Hermeto Pascoal, Djavan, Nara Leao, Luiz Gonzaga, among many others, "Dominguinhos" reveals this genius of Brazilian music, creator of a deeply authentic, universal and contemporary work. The film values the sensory cinematic experience, a journey driven by Dominguinhos his own.

Plains: Testimony of an Ethnocide
50%

Plains: Testimony of an Ethnocide(en)

1971-06-01

A documentary on the massacre of Planas in the Colombian east plains in 1970. An Indigenous community formed a cooperative to defend their rights from settlers and colonists, but the government organized a military operation to protect the latter and foreign companies.

The Domino Effect
56%

The Domino Effect(ru)

2014-11-28

Rafael - the minister of sports of an unrecognized country, and Natasha - a Russian opera singer, try living together in Abkhazia - a war-torn future-less country. Observing their difficult relations, we see life in a place marked by war and nationalism. The film portrays trapped people dreaming of peace, normality and happiness.

Keepers of the Fire
0%

Keepers of the Fire(en)

1994-04-23

For half of a millennium, First Nations women have been at the forefront of aboriginal peoples' resistance to cultural assimilation. Today, Native women are still fighting for the survival of their cultures and their peoples--in the rain forest and the city, in the courts and the legislatures, in the Longhouse and the media. Keepers of the Fire profiles Canada's Native 'warrior women' who are protecting and defending their land, their culture and their people in the time-honoured tradition of their foremothers.

Olympia Part One: Festival of the Nations
69%

Olympia Part One: Festival of the Nations(de)

1938-04-21

Starting with a long and lyrical overture, evoking the origins of the Olympic Games in ancient Greece, Riefenstahl covers twenty-one athletic events in the first half of this two-part love letter to the human body and spirit, culminating with the marathon, where Jesse Owens became the first track and field athlete to win four gold medals in a single Olympics.

Olympia Part Two: Festival of Beauty
67%

Olympia Part Two: Festival of Beauty(de)

1938-06-02

Part two of Leni Riefenstahl's monumental examination of the 1938 Olympic Games, the cameras leave the main stadium and venture into the many halls and fields deployed for such sports as fencing, polo, cycling, and the modern pentathlon, which was won by American Glenn Morris.

Singapore GaGa
0%

Singapore GaGa(zh)

2005-08-24

Singapore GaGa is a 55-minute paean to the quirkiness of the Singaporean aural landscape. It reveals Singapore's past and present with a delight and humour that makes it a necessary film for all Singaporeans. We hear buskers, street vendors, school cheerleaders sing hymns to themselves and to their communities. From these vocabularies (including Arabic, Latin, Hainanese), a sense of what it might mean to be a modern Singaporean emerges. This is Singapore's first documentary to have a cinema release. With English and Chinese subtitles.

Mankiller
60%

Mankiller(en)

2017-06-19

The story of an American hero and the Cherokee Nation's first woman Principal Chief who humbly defied all odds to give a voice to the voiceless.

On Native Soil
77%

On Native Soil(en)

2006-08-22

The film analyzes the efforts by the families of 9/11 victims to create the 9/11 Commission and what information was revealed by it in the 9/11 Commission Report.

Beyond Right & Wrong: Stories of Justice and Forgiveness
62%

Beyond Right & Wrong: Stories of Justice and Forgiveness(en)

2012-10-05

A survivor of the Rwandan Genocide struggles to forgive the man who killed her children. A victim’s daughter strikes up an unusual friendship with the ex-IRA bomber who killed her father. And two men—one Israeli, one Palestinian—form a bond after tragedies claim their daughters.

Thank You for Coming
0%

Thank You for Coming(en)

2017-06-18

At age 29, documentary filmmaker Sara Lamm discovered that she was conceived via sperm donor. Using her skills as an investigator she decides to dig ever deeper to uncover where half of her DNA comes from.

The Story of the Weeping Camel
70%

The Story of the Weeping Camel(mn)

2004-08-12

When a Mongolian nomadic family's newest camel colt is rejected by its mother, a musician is needed for a ritual to change her mind.

Come and Work
52%

Come and Work(fr)

1979-01-02

The story of a Serer village in the groundnut basin of Senegal. Using the words of their ancestors passed on by oral folklore, the villagers trace the history of their village and their difficulties in working their land and living off their produce. Fad'jal is an extraordinary boundary defying film that interweaves ethnographic footage, intimate observation of everyday village life and fictionalised historical scenes. With it, Faye carefully encourages the viewers to reflect both on African history and storytelling, and on the intersection of fiction and documentary.

Daddy I Do
70%

Daddy I Do(en)

2010-01-14

The Purity Ball symbolizes a father's protection over his daughter's virginity, but how does this reflect in the choices she makes, understanding her sexuality, and knowing her worth as a woman? This documentary examines the effects of Abstinence-Only Programs versus Comprehensive Sex Education in schools and what society can do to help lower teen pregnancies, abortions, and STDS, as well as poverty and sexual abuse.

Mountain
69%

Mountain(en)

2017-11-30

An epic cinematic and musical collaboration between SHERPA filmmaker Jennifer Peedom and the Australian Chamber Orchestra, that explores humankind's fascination with high places.

The Satanic Verses Affair
0%

The Satanic Verses Affair(en)

2009-03-07

Twenty years ago, novelist Salman Rushdie was a wanted man with a million pound bounty on his head. His novel, The Satanic Verses, had sparked riots across the Muslim world. The ailing religious leader of Iran, the Ayatollah Khomeini, had invoked a little-known religious opinion - a fatwa - and effectively sentenced Rushdie to death. This film looks back on the extraordinary events which followed the publication of the book and the ten year campaign to get the fatwa lifted. Interviews with Rushdie's friends and family and testimony from leaders of Britain's Muslim community and the Government reveal the inside story of the affair.

Recommendations Movies

Two Evil Eyes
61%

Two Evil Eyes(en)

1990-01-25

A duo of Edgar Allan Poe adaptations about a greedy wife's attempt to embezzle her dying husband's fortune, and a sleazy reporter's adoption of a strange black cat.

Brother 2
71%

Brother 2(ru)

2000-05-11

Arriving in Moscow, Chechen War veteran Danila meets Konstantin, an old friend who tells him that his twin brother has been forced into signing a crooked contract with a US ice hockey team. Soon after this meeting, Danila discovers Konstantin dead and he sets out to avenge his death; a journey that leads him to Chicago and a whole new experience.

Rest Stop
54%

Rest Stop(en)

2006-10-07

In Texas, the aspirant actress Nicole Carrow runs away home to Los Angeles with her boyfriend Jess Hilts. They drive through a shortcut in an old road, and when they park in a rest stop, Jess is abducted by the sadistic driver of an old yellow truck. Along the night, Nicole is threatened by the sick maniac, while mysterious things happen to her in the place.

Bill Burr Presents: Friends Who Kill
54%

Bill Burr Presents: Friends Who Kill(en)

2022-06-06

In a night of killer comedy, Bill Burr hosts a showcase of his most raucous stand-up comic pals as they riff on everything from COVID to Michael Jackson.

The Man with the Golden Gun
65%

The Man with the Golden Gun(en)

1974-12-04

Cool government operative James Bond searches for a stolen invention that can turn the sun's heat into a destructive weapon. He soon crosses paths with the menacing Francisco Scaramanga, a hitman so skilled he has a seven-figure working fee. Bond then joins forces with the swimsuit-clad Mary Goodnight, and together they track Scaramanga to a Thai tropical isle hideout where the killer-for-hire lures the slick spy into a deadly maze for a final duel.

The Saragossa Manuscript
78%

The Saragossa Manuscript(pl)

1966-02-27

During the Napoleonic wars, a Spanish officer and an opposing officer find a book written by the former's grandfather.

Infernal Affairs II
73%

Infernal Affairs II(cn)

2003-10-01

In this prequel to the original, a bloody power struggle among the Triads coincides with the 1997 handover of Hong Kong, setting up the events of the first film.

Cosy Dens
79%

Cosy Dens(cs)

1999-04-08

Two families, Sebkovi and Krausovi, are celebrating Christmas, but not everyone is in a good mood. The teenage kids think that their fathers are totally stupid, and the fathers are sure that their children are nothing more than rebels, hating anything they say.

Revival of Evangelion
77%

Revival of Evangelion(ja)

1998-03-07

Revival of Evangelion is a re-edit of the Neon Genesis Evangelion films , released in 1998. It consists of Evangelion: Death (which was essentially a clip show that summarized the entire regular series) and The End of Evangelion , re-edited together to make a version that tells the entire story of Evangelion. It is considered to be the final form of the Evangelion films.

A View to a Kill
62%

A View to a Kill(en)

1985-05-24

A newly-developed microchip designed by Zorin Industries for the British Government that can survive the electromagnetic radiation caused by a nuclear explosion has landed in the hands of the KGB. James Bond must find out how and why. His suspicions soon lead him to big industry leader Max Zorin who forms a plan to destroy his only competition in Silicon Valley by triggering a massive earthquake in the San Francisco Bay.

Torn Curtain
66%

Torn Curtain(en)

1966-07-14

During the Cold War, an American scientist appears to defect to East Germany as part of a cloak and dagger mission to find the formula for a resin solution—but the plan goes awry when his fiancee, unaware of his motivation, follows him across the border.

For Your Eyes Only
65%

For Your Eyes Only(en)

1981-06-24

A British spy ship has sunk and on board was a hi-tech encryption device. James Bond is sent to find the device that holds British launching instructions before the enemy Soviets get to it first.

Have You Met Claudia?
67%

Have You Met Claudia?(it)

2004-12-15

Claudia is married with Giovanni, a rather dull type. Meek Giacomo is happily divorced, until he meets her. Aldo is a colorful cabbie with whom she had an affair. Who'll win her heart?

Ace of Aces
71%

Ace of Aces(fr)

1982-10-27

In this action comedy the French boxer Jo Cavalier is charmed on the train to Berlin for the Olympics in Hitler's Germany by the little boy Simon Rosenblum who asks his autograph; when it turns out his adorable young fan is a Jewish orphan in danger of persecution, he risks his one shot at Olympic glory to save Simon and his family, helped only by a German officer-gentleman who became his friend in World War I, by an adventurous escape to Switzerland, Nazi troops on their heals and braving impossible odds in roller coaster-style.

Shadows in Paradise
73%

Shadows in Paradise(fi)

1986-10-17

Nikander, a rubbish collector and would-be entrepreneur, finds his plans for success dashed when his business associate dies. One evening, he meets Ilona, a down-on-her-luck cashier, in a local supermarket. Falteringly, a bond begins to develop between them.

Drakula Tok
100%

Drakula Tok(th)

1979-01-01

Things seem to be normal in an area of Thailand. But then Dracula is summoned to that region from Europe. He goes after a young woman. He has a bunch of dancing female vampire servants. Devils, zombies and some other weird creatures also show up.

Star Trek: Nemesis
63%

Star Trek: Nemesis(en)

2002-12-13

En route to the honeymoon of William Riker to Deanna Troi on her home planet of Betazed, Captain Jean-Luc Picard and the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise receives word from Starfleet that a coup has resulted in the installation of a new Romulan political leader, Shinzon, who claims to seek peace with the human-backed United Federation of Planets. Once in enemy territory, the captain and his crew make a startling discovery: Shinzon is human, a slave from the Romulan sister planet of Remus, and has a secret, shocking relationship to Picard himself.

Police Academy 6: City Under Siege
51%

Police Academy 6: City Under Siege(en)

1989-03-09

Our favourite police men are called together to deal with a gang who rob banks and jewelers. Using their various talents as well as their extraordinary luck, the crooks stand no chance against our men and women in blue.

Honey, We Shrunk Ourselves
54%

Honey, We Shrunk Ourselves(en)

1997-07-01

The joke's on absent-minded scientist Wayne Szalinski when his troublesome invention shrinks him, his brother and their wives so effectively that their children think they've completely disappeared. Of course, this gives the kids free rein to do anything they want, unaware that their parents are watching every move.

Exterminator 2
40%

Exterminator 2(en)

1984-09-14

The flamethrower-wielding vigilante John Eastland returns to rid New York of a drug lord and his gang.