War Games

What would conflict with China mean for Australia?

Tensions between China and the United States over Taiwan are the highest since the 1970s. With President Xi Jinping publicly warning he will take Taiwan by force if necessary, military strategists are now war gaming just what such an act of aggression would mean for the Pacific and Australia.

Tantura

The untold story of Israel's foundation

Hundreds of Palestinian villages were depopulated in 1948. To Israelis, it was the War of Independence, to Palestinians it was 'Al Nakba' - the Catastrophe. Director Alon Schwarz revisits former Israeli soldiers as well as Palestinian residents in an effort to re-examine what happened in Tantura, the location of an alleged, Israeli-perpetrated massacre, and find out why 'Al Nakba' is still a taboo in Israeli society.

Making Time

The rebels of horology

Five extraordinary horologists, designers and watch makers creating exquisite watches by hand, crafting them as they were crafted 500 years ago. The work of independent watchmakers is always profoundly connected to their life experiences. Delve into each subject’s life story; their childhoods, their mistakes and their joys. Follow Aldis Hodge as he designs his next outstanding creation, the watch he will wear in the DC Comics feature, Black Adam.

Milked

White Lies in Dairy Land

Young activist, Chris Huriwai, takes on the giants of New Zealand’s multi-billion-dollar dairy industry. His journey uncovers alarming information about the industry's impact on the environment and our health, showing that we're on the edge of the biggest global disruption of food and agriculture in history. An international story told with a local eye, the film also points to what we can all do to change our fate.

The Cathedral

Does it take a madman or a genius to singlehandedly build a cathedral?

Expelled from his monastery after he fails to fit in, a Spanish monk returns home. Downtrodden but not defeated, he becomes determined to realise a monumental project. For 60 years, with little assistance and no architectural expertise, he builds a gigantic cathedral out of waste and recycled materials. His community labels him a madman. Others label him a genius.

Tukdam: Between Worlds

A journey through life and death

This feature documentary explores a phenomenon that blurs life and death to an unprecedented degree. In what Tibetan Buddhists call ‘tukdam’, advanced meditators die in a consciously controlled manner. Though dead according to our biomedical standards, they often stay sitting upright in meditation. Remarkably, their bodies remain fresh and lifelike, without signs of decay for days, sometimes weeks after clinical death. Following ground-breaking scientific research into tukdam and taking us into intimate death stories of Tibetan meditators, the film juxtaposes scientific and Tibetan perspectives as it tries to unravel the mystery of ‘tukdam’.

Off the Rails

Growing up isn't an easy journey...

Rikke Brewer and best friend Aiden Knox hone their spectacular UrbEx stunts and gravity-defying Parkour skills, hoping that millions of likes on social media will be their ticket out of boring Guildford. Their following soon takes off, but the trauma of a close friend's death triggers darker stories, of broken families and fragile mental health, threatening to send them both off the rails.

Shangri-La (Paradise Under Construction)

An imaginary or real-life paradise?

In this essayistic travelogue, Mirka Duijn explores the history of the image of Shangri-La - the famous, imaginary paradise from James Hilton’s novel, ‘Lost Horizon’. Two decades ago, a Tibetan region in China, Deqin, claimed it was the original Shangri-La of legend. This rich and complex story follows Mirka’s quest to find answers, only resulting in an entanglement of facts and fictions, truths and lies.

In the Name of Gerry Conlon

The story of 15 years of wrongful imprisonment

In 1974, Gerry Conlon was a victim of one of the worst judicial crimes in UK history. Aged 20, he and 3 others were sentenced to life in prison for an IRA bombing. "The Guildford Four" had to wait until 1989 for the court to recognize the evidence was false. Conlon became a world-famous human rights activist. Director Lorenzo Moscia met Gerry two months before his death, recording this testament to a remarkable life.