46 states abide by a felony murder rule, under which felony murder is generally considered first-degree murder. It means an offender can be imprisoned for a murder that occurred while the crime was being committed, regardless of whether the offender directly caused the death. This was the nightmarish circumstance of the ‘Elkhart Four’.
In 2018 Latin America’s largest collection of natural and scientific history, the National Museum of Rio de Janeiro, burned to the ground in a what is now known to have been a wholly preventable fire. Director Marta Miskaryan became fascinated by this tragedy which has had a traumatic effect on the people of Rio, not only wiping the building from the map, but also taking with it generations of emotional attachment and fond memories.
Our next Free of the Week is best described as the most breathtaking 12 minutes you’ll witness this week. The film has now deservedly accrued over 11 million views on Youtube.
IN CINEMAS
Juan’s family operate a private ambulance in Mexico City. They do this because, without them, 9,000,000 people - as many as live in London - are cared for by only 45 government-funded emergency ambulances. That’s one ambulance for every 200,000 citizens. Families like the Ochoas help to fill the gap; they try to save lives. But it’s not charity.
“Tell Me Who I Am” is as shocking and disturbing as you’ve probably already heard, but don’t let that put you off watching it. Despite it’s stomach-turning revelations, it pries open a taboo subject and is impossible to tear yourself away from. At its heart is an unwavering brotherly bond that, after enduring untold suffering, allows two men to confront their past to tear-jerking effect.
FREE OF THE WEEK
‘We dance to forget, we sing to forget. To forget the horrors we passed through before we came to Naples’ says Yankuba, an aspiring biochemist from The Gambia, one of the protagonists of Guardian Docs’ latest film Teranga: Life In The Waiting Room.
The Cave follows Dr Amani Ballour, a Syrian paediatric doctor and manager of an underground hospital comprised of a network of tunnels and caves in besieged Eastern Ghouta on the outskirts of Damascus.
FREE OF THE WEEK
A few years ago, after a long day at work, Richard began to consider whether he really needed any of his possessions. Looking around his London flat at the TV he never had time to watch and the playstation he’d never even used, he realised that all he truly cared about was his hot shower.
FREE OF THE WEEK
Remember your first digital pet? I bet your parents do… This 2000s craze is so deeply rooted in our imaginations that its iconic high-pitched sound alone will be enough to bring back the fits of joy (and panic!) that it so often delivered to its long-suffering owners - The Tamagotchi.
FREE OF THE WEEK
Explore the depths of rural Egypt to discover the mystical Sufi Mawlid celebrations, traditional festivals where locals gather to experience divine ecstasy through chanting, dancing and shared experience. Director Yasmin Kamal gives us some background to this unique film, shot in a vérité style to give us an experiential viewing that is sure to overload the senses and make you question what is real.
The time has finally come to announce your winners of our inaugural Yearlies Awards. Discover what were our favourite docs of 2019!
At this year's International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA), we sat down with directors Rica Saito and Caio Castor to discuss their short film “Batalha” or “Battle”.
FREE OF THE WEEK
For our second edition of ‘Free of the Week’ we travel to the highlands of Northern Ethiopia to discover the uniquely symbiotic relationship between religion and the natural world. Watch it now.
FREE OF THE WEEK
Introducing ‘Free of the Week’, our weekly tip on what documentary you should watch next, for free! Our first edition takes us to Chinese megacity Chongqing to discover the rappers speaking out against censorship and the alienating growth of their hometown.
Doc Weekly is proud to share an exclusive first look at the trailer for Pahokee (2019), the much-anticipated upcoming feature release from husband and wife co-directing duo Ivete Lucas and Patrick Bresnan, released today in cinemas in France.
Every year, more than 100 million animals are killed in U.S. laboratories. However, in making his latest short film Test Subjects, BAFTA-winning director Alex Lockwood (73 Cows) says he was “shocked to find that animal testing when it comes to human health is 95 percent ineffective”. You can currently watch “Test Subjects” online for free!
Take a look back at some of our favourite docs of the year and vote for your favourite in the inaugural edition of The Doc Yearlies!
With Britain heading to the polls next week, a revelatory new film by BAFTA-winner John Pilger, lifts the lid on the NHS’ covert privatisation in the past few years. Find out where you can watch it.
With the festival coming to a close this weekend, we thought we’d share our highlights from the past couple of weeks and the festival’s award-winners along with a sneaky peek at some of our upcoming content.
Kamal’s mission is simple: to reunite lost children with their parents. That’s no easy task in Kutupalong refugee camp, now home to close to a million people. Contributor Gabriella Volak attended the film’s screening at London’s “We The Peoples Film Festival”, backed by the United Nations.
