An eight-part BBC series in which British art historian Dr Gus Casely-Hayford explores the pre-colonial history of some of Africa's most important kingdoms.

Episode 3: Great Zimbabwe (55 min) | Click here to watch
Director: Ishbel Hall

In 1871, European explorers stumbled across an astonishing ruined city deep in the African interior. Great Zimbabwe has been a source of fascination and controversy ever since, a symbol of African genius and a fascinating insight into the empires which once dominated southern Africa.

Casely-Hayford goes in search of the roots of this immense kingdom. He traces the trade in gold and precious goods that sustained it and uncovers the kingdoms that grew up around it.

https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x7lenqr

Johannes Brahms: Trio no:2 in C Major Opus 87 (30 min)| Click here to watch

Johannes Brahms’ Trio No. 2 in C major for Violin, Cello, and Piano, Opus 87, the second of Johannes Brahms’s three efforts in that genre, spanned a period of two years at the outset of the 1880s, when he was at the height of his creative powers and still blessed with bursting creative energy. 

Video recording of a concert presented by the Klavier Trio Amsterdam on 1 May 2009 at Washington, D.C.

Klavier Trio Amsterdam – Klara Wurtz, piano; Joan Berkhemer, violin; and Nadia David, cello

https://vimeo.com/5346490

(88 min; 2003; English)
Director: Christopher Dulacher

Recipient of Emmy Award for Arts Programming, International Emmy Awards 2004

George Orwell (1903-1950) is the pseudonym of Eric Arthur Blair, an English novelist. He is best known for the allegorical novella Animal Farm (1945) and his dystopian novel Nineteen Eighty-Four (1949), two books which at one point held a record for selling more copies than any two books by any other 20th-century writer. His work is said to be marked by clarity, intelligence, wit, as well opposition to totalitarianism and social injustice, and belief in democratic socialism.

Although no audio or video recording of Orwell exists, this “documentary” from the BBC uses Orwell’s own words spoken by actor Chris Langham, placed in historical context, along with other vintage materials, to vividly depict his life.

Water Eco-system of Delhi

Speakers: Shri Jasmine Shah, Vice-Chairman, Dialogue and Development Commission of Delhi, Government of NCT of Delhi; Shri Ankit Srivastava, Technical Advisor to the Minister for Water, Government of NCT of Delhi; Prof Shashank Shekhar, Professor, Department of Geology, University of Delhi; Dr Deeksha Katyal, Assistant Professor, Environment Management, Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University, Delhi; and Shri Depinder Kapur, Director, Water Programme, Centre for Science and Environment, New Delhi
 
Chair: Shri Suhas Borker, Founder Member, Green Circle of Delhi
 
Top metros of the world have learnt to address their water eco-system in a sustainable manner:  from efficiently providing safe and easily accessible water to reliable sanitation and protecting their rivers and waterways from pollution. Sustainability also means resilience and adaptability to extreme weather events which may lead to flooding and scarcity. This Dialogue shall take up the entire gamut of issues pertaining to the water eco-system for Delhi: the river Yamuna; sharing of the river waters; pollution of the river; construction on the river bed; the nallas; the groundwater recharge, revival and rejuvenation of lakes and water bodies; reuse/recycling of water, sustainable water management, citizens' save water campaign led by school children etc. What are the challenges being faced by Delhi's waterscapes and water sources? How does Delhi measure across three pillars of water sustainability — resiliency, efficiency and quality? To achieve a sustainable water eco-system for Delhi can we set a future fit benchmark for 2025 with an action plan with strict timelines?
 
The series is dedicated to the memory of Shri Mahesh N. Buch, civil servant and environmentalist, who passed away on 6 June 2015 and who had given the key-note address at the inaugural edition of the Dialogue in 2013.

(Collaboration: Green Circle of Delhi)

Touching the Void (UK)
(104 min; 2003; English)
Director: Kevin Macdonald
With Simon Yates, John Simpson, Brendan Mackey

Multiple award winner including Alexander Korda Award for Best British Film, BAFTA Awards 2004; British Independent Film Awards 2004 for Best Technical Achievement and Best British Documentary; Seattle Film Critics Award for Best Documentary, Seattle Film Critics Awards 2004; among others

Touching The Void is the true story of two British mountaineers and their disastrous climbing expedition in Peru. Their harrowing adventure has been turned into "a gripping tale of ordinary men coping with extraordinary circumstances"

https://youtu.be/Ddeq-vRCZ8k

Gravity and Me: The Force that Shapes our Lives (UK)
(90 min; 2007; English)
Director: Andrew Smith

Professor Jim Al-Khalili investigates the amazing science of gravity. A fundamental force of nature, gravity shapes our entire universe. It sculpts galaxies and warps space and time. But gravity’s strange powers also affect our daily lives in the most unexpected ways. This is a story with surprises in store for Jim himself. In telling the story of gravity, his own understanding of the nature of reality comes to be challenged. Finally, Jim discovers that, despite incredible progress, gravity still has many secrets to unveil.

https://www.documentarymania.com/player.php?title=Gravity+and+Me+The+Fo…

The World’s Most Expensive Paintings (UK)
(60 min; 2011; English)
Director: Russell England

Art critic Alastair Sooke tracks down the ten most expensive paintings to sell at auction, and investigates the stories behind the astronomic prices art can reach. Gaining access to the glittering world of the super-rich, Sooke discovers why the planet's richest people want to spend their millions on art.

Featuring works by Picasso, Monet, Renoir, Van Gogh, Klimt and Rubens, Sooke enters a world of secrecy and rivalry, passion and power. These revelatory journeys allow Sooke to present an eye-opening view of the super wealthy, and their motivations as collectors of the world's great art treasures.

https://topdocumentaryfilms.com/what-makes-art-valuable/

Lost Kingdoms of Africa (2010-2012/UK)
An eight-part BBC series in which British art historian Dr Gus Casely-Hayford explores the pre-colonial history of some of Africa's most important kingdoms.

Episode 2: Ethiopia (59 min)
Director: David Wilson

When Emperor Haile Selassie was deposed by the Ethiopian military in 1974, an ancient kingdom came to an end. According to tradition, the imperial dynasty stretched back virtually unbroken to 950 BC and its origins had links to King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba. 

The legitimacy of Haile Selassie and the foundations of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church rested on this claim, but was it true?

Casely-Hayford searches for the evidence and discovers why faith in the legend has lasted for centuries. He traces Ethiopia's heritage back in time, investigating its astonishing secrets and legends.

https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x8amxi5

FOCUS ON WESTERN CLASSICAL MUSIC COMPOSERS

Dmitri Shostakovich, A Man of Many Faces
(56 min; 2015; English)
Director: Reiner E. Moritz
Narrator: John Hurt
Pianist: Daniil Trifonov
Conductor, violinist: Rudolf Barshai

Documentary on Dmitri Shostakovich, one of the 20th century's most brilliant and fascinating composers. With British actor John Hurt as narrator, the director, Reiner Moritz examines Shostakovich's life, focusing in on two events in particular: the 1936 banning of his highly successful opera Lady Mabeth of the Mtsensk District, and the composer's labelling as a "formalist and cosmopolitan" in 1948. Despite such setbacks, Shostakovich went on to pursue a resilient and fulfilling career that testifies to the power of art in the face of a dictatorial terror regime. In telling his story, Mortiz weaves together rare footage of the composer himself talking and performing his Concerto for Piano, Trumpet, and Strings with captivating performances of his 15 symphonies and 6 concertos by Valery Gergiev and the Mariinsky Orchestra and filmed excerpts of Lady Macbeth and his quartets.

https://youtu.be/hvUt-Uc_KA0

Patti Smith: Dream of Life (USA)
(109 min; 2008; English)
Director: Steven Sebring

An intimate portrait of poet, painter, musician and singer Patti Smith that mirrors the essence of the artist herself.

https://youtu.be/5Nyj7YIVNlQ