The BBC’s award-winning strand showcasing the very best in international feature documentaries today announced a new slate of films to be shown this Autumn on BBC Four, BBC Two and iPlayer.
Surviving October 7th: We Will Dance Again
BBC Two and iPlayer
A harrowing glimpse into the brutal assault on partygoers at the Nova Music Festival-one of the sites in Israel attacked by Hamas on October 7th last year.
Using the testimony of survivors, CCTV, and mobile phone footage, the film shares the very telling personal stories of those who lived and those who died as confusion turned into fear, and then chaos when Hamas arrived and began to slaughter anyone in sight.
Partygoers hid where they could–under the stage, in a fridge, the toilets and a skip full of rubbish. There are recollections and video from the six or more hours that those who survived spent in hiding. Recordings of the emergency calls made by party-goers to the Israeli army, police and ambulance service reveal in detail the level of confusion and incomprehension which met their cries for help.
A party that began as a celebration of love and spirituality for around three and a half thousand Israelis and other foreign nationals, ended with 364 people murdered, and 44 others taken hostage.
Written and Directed by Yariv Mozer
Produced by Michal Weitz
Executive Producers: Ariel Weisbrod, Emilio Schenker, Sheldon Lazarus, Leo Pearlman, Ben Turner, Gabe Turner, Ben Winston, Michael Peter Schmidt, Gideon Tadmor, Dari Shay, Rinat Klein, Dorit Hessel
HSCC / SIPUR / MGM / Bitachon 365 / See It Now Studios, HSCC-Slutzky Communications
War Game
BBC Four and iPlayer
Documentary thriller following members of the U.S. government, defence and intelligence spanning five presidential administration, in an unscripted role-play exercise confronting a coup by rogue members of the U.S. military, after a contested presidential election. Like actors in a thriller, but with profound real-world stakes, the players have only six hours to save American democracy.
Directed by Jesse Moss and Tony Gerber
Produced by Todd Lubin, Jesse Moss, Jack Turner, Mark DiCristofaro, Jessica Grimshaw and Nick Shumaker
Boat Rocker / Anonymous Content / The Littlefield Co. / Matador Content
Hollywoodgate
BBC Four and iPlayer
With unprecedented access to the Taliban, this extraordinary film begins the day after the last US soldier left Afghanistan in 2021.
Under strict, hostile guard, the Director follow and films Talib leaders over the course of a year, watching as they unearth part of an estimated $7bn worth of military equipment American troops left behind, repairing and repainting fighter jets and Black Hawk helicopters in preparation for a military parade.
Directed by Ibrahim Nash’at
Produced by Talal Derki, Odessa Rae, Shane Boris
Rolling Narratives / Jouzour Film Production /Cottage M / RaeFilm Studios
Life and Death in Gaza
BBC Two and iPlayer
Filmed from the first days of the war in Gaza and months into the ongoing conflict, four ordinary Gazans document their lives as they endure bombing raids, multiple evacuations, family separations and reunions, deaths, and even the birth of a new life amidst the chaos.
Self-shot over the course of a year, Khalid, Aya, Adam, and Aseel along with their families capture their fight for survival through direct, personal experiences. Interwoven with this raw footage are their personal archives from before the war and observational scenes filmed by local filmmakers. Together, they tell a uniquely human story about the war in Gaza, challenging assumptions about the conflict and those caught in it. The film showcases stories of resilience, loss, and hope amid a deep and desperate humanitarian crisis.
Director Natasha Cox
Produced by Lara Elgebaly and Haya Al Badarneh
Executive Producer Simon Cox
BBC Eye for BBC World Service
Dogs of War
BBC Four, BBC Scotland and iPlayer
Originally a safe-cracker from London, Dave Tomkins craved adventure. Dogs of War is the untold true story of how he rose from small-time criminal to international mercenary and arms dealer, enabling death and destruction around the world. Now, at the end of his notorious career and life, he reflects on his past, the people he worked with and the lives lost along the way.
Directed by David Whitney
Executive Produced by Alan Clements and Tony Nellany
A Two Rivers Production / BBC Scotland
Eternal You
BBC Four and iPlayer
Exploring what for some is a morally questionable use of AI: the digital afterlife business, tech that creates the impression of a real person who has died (in some cases speaking voice and even the likeness) designed to offer “comfort” to the bereaved.
Directed by Hans Block &Moritz Riesewieck
Produced by Christian Beetz & Georg Tschurtschenthaler
Beetz Brothers Film Production / Concordia Studio / Motto Pictures / Impact Partners / Dogwoof
Queendom
BBC Four and iPlayer
Gena, a Russian 21-year-old non-binary performance artist in outrageous costumes made from duct tape creates dangerous performances, challenging violence against the LGBTQ community and imminent war in Ukraine.
Directed by Agniia Galdanova
Produced by Agniia Galdanova and Igor Myakotin
Executive Producers David France, Jess Search and Arnaud Borges
Doc Society / Sundance Institute / Vancouver Film School / Inmaat Productions
Agent of Happiness
BBC Four and iPlayer
How do you measure Happiness? Amber is a Happiness Agent who works for the Government of Bhutan. Bhutan invented Gross National Happiness as a way of measuring and collating the happiness of the nation. Amber and his colleague Guna drive around the country asking people how they score themselves from 0-10 on various areas: psychological wellbeing, health, education, cultural diversity and living standards to record and measure how happy they are. But Amber is not very happy with his own life, he is still single at the age of 40 and living with and caring tenderly for his elderly mother.
Directed by Arun Bhattarai and Dorottya Zurbó
Produced by Noémi Veronika Szakonyi; Máté Artur Vincze and Arun Bhattarai
Match Frame Productions (Hungary) / Sound Pictures (Bhutan)