Films that bring previously obscured truths about the political process to the attention of the public, showing for example how offices of public trust are used for private purposes.
THE BIOPIC JOHN RABE CELEBRATES A NAZI WHO SAVED 200,000 CHINESE LIVES Historians record the death of 300,000 Chinese in the “Rape of Nanjing” of 1937 at the hands of the Japanese Imperial Army. Similar to Tora! Tora! Tora! (1970), the film John Rabe, directed and written by Florian Gallenberger from John Rabe’s diary, reveals […]
AGORA RECREATES EVENTS OF THE YEAR 391 IN ALEXANDRIA While the Roman Empire was in decline, Alexandria flourished not just because of the famous library and archeological wonders but also the exercise of free speech, philosophy, and science, as depicted in Agora, directed by Alejandro Amenábar. The philosopher of the day is Hypatia (played by
PRINCESS KA‘IULANI DRAMATIZES THE FALL OF THE HAWAIIAN MONARCHY After years of research at the Bishop Museum, Marc Forby directs Princess Ka‘iulani as a tribute to the sad history of the fall of the Hawaiian monarchy. The drama picks up steam when King Kalākaua (played by Ocean Kaowili) is forced in 1887 to sign the
Princess Ka‘iulani Read More »
Vincere (Italian word for “win”) is about Benito Mussolini’s secret wife and child. Mussolini, while an anti-monarchist socialist, was on the wanted list by the Italian royal government. One day, while pursued by the Carabinieri, Mussolini (played by Filippo Tini) is protected by Ida Dalser (played by Giovanna Mezzogiorno), and they carry on an affair.
FORMOSA BETRAYED DEPICTS THE DEMOCRACY MOVEMENT IN TAIWAN In 1989, the Political Film Society voted A City of Sadness (Bei qing cheng shi) as the best political film at the East-West Center Film Festival. The film depicted the brutal takeover as the Nationalist China Army retreated from Mainland China to the island of Taiwan, killing