Promises presents a powerful portrait of seven Palestinian and Israeli children who live in and around Jerusalem. As filmmaker B.Z. Goldberg, who was raised in Israel, notes, "They live no more than 20 minutes from each other, but they are each growing up in very separate worlds." The children include Mahmoud, Shlomo, Sanabel, Faraj, Moishe, and twins Yarko and Daniel. With the exception of the la
Passport to Pluto takes you inside this historic NASA endeavor, from Pluto's discovery at Lowell Observatory in 1930 through launch of the New Horizons spacecraft from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. Enter the clean rooms, scan control screens, and visit the launch pad to see the mission come together for its voyage to Pluto and beyond. This documentary, a New Horizons Education and Public Outre
One August morning in 1826, two men went for a walk in the Scottish countryside. Only one of them came back alive. Timewatch tells the story of two men who fought to the death with pistols: one a respected merchant, reluctantly provoked into an unwanted duel; the other a professional soldier, steeped in military tradition. The soldier also happened to be the merchant's bank manager. It would end w
For over 1400 years, Mecca has been one of the most important cities in the Arabian Peninsula. By the middle of the 6th century, there were three major settlements in northern Arabia, all along the southwestern coast that borders the Red Sea, in a habitable region between the sea and the great desert to the east. This area, known as the Hejaz, featured three settlements that had grown around oasis
A two-hour Channel 4 special about the Bible opens with images of George Bush – and Osama Bin Laden. The Bible, holy books and the religious faith they inspire are on the news agenda as they've rarely been before, and the presenter of the programme, Dr Robert Beckford, is looking for good answers to what sounds like a simple question: Who wrote the Bible?It's a question that has preoccupied bi
As we are now moving into the Christmas period, I thought that it was time for everyone to partake of this insane documentary. What Would Jesus Buy? follows Reverend Billy and the Church of Stop Shopping Gospel Choir as they go on a cross-country mission to save Christmas from the Shopocalypse: the end of mankind from consumerism, over-consumption and the fires of eternal debt!From producer Mo
Theologian Dr Robert Beckford investigates amazing parallels to the Christ story in other faiths, some of them predating Christianity by thousands of years. The Hindu god, Krishna, was conceived by a virgin and his birth was attended by angels, wise men and shepherds. Buddha was also the result of a miraculous birth and visited by wise men bearing gifts. Beckford attempts to unravel the mystery of
This is Creationfest, a four-day Christian rock show-cum-revival held every summer in Eastern Washington where religion, politics, and music collide.It is here that thousands of eager young Christians gather to worship, save souls, and get “Crunk on Christ”. Jesus Freaks takes you deep into the heart of this contemporary Christian culture where religion and rock n’ roll make strange bedfellows
An intriguing, but bizarre, biographical documentary by Channel 4 on the 'Secret Life' of L Ron Hubbard - the Sci Fi author and creator of the Scientology cult. This biopic from 1997, with some fantastic archive interviews with the man (and other people from the 'org' who knew him) - is an interesting look at the start/development of the weird cult and its even stranger founder: L Ron Hubbard.