Movies Like The Battle of Algiers: A Case Study

Five Directors On The Battle of Algiers

2004

This 17-minute documentary is featured on the 3-Disc Criterion Collection DVD of The Battle of Algiers (1966), released in 2004. An in-depth look at the Battle of Algiers through the eyes of five established and accomplished filmmakers; Spike Lee, Steven Soderbergh, Oliver Stone, Julian Schnabel and Mira Nair. They discuss how the shots, cinematography, set design, sound and editing directly influenced their own work and how the film's sequences look incredibly realistic, despite the claim that everything in the film was staged .

Remembering History

2004

Made just three years after the end of the French-Algerian War (1954-1962), Gillo Pontecorvo's The Battle Of Algiers instantly ignited discussions of this complex historical period. Using the film as a point of reference, this 2004 documentary attempts to reconstruct the Algerian experience of the battle for independence.

I Can Go For That: The Smooth World of Yacht Rock

2019

Katie Puckrik explores the 1970s American music phenomenon of Yacht Rock, a halcyon period of Los Angeles studio craft that married R&B with themes of longing, aspiration and melancholy, before going on to explore how the genre adapted to the musical times of the 1980s.

Babylone, la cité des merveilles

2021

MIKA à l'opéra Royal de Versailles

2021

The show, recorded on December 16 and televised on France 5 on February 5, provides a different perspective on the international pop star. For the performance, MIKA was invited by the sumptuous Royal Opera of Versailles and accompanied by the Symphony Orchestra of the Royal Opera of Versaille, conducted by Stefan Plewniak. Throughout the production, MIKA was joined onstage by prestigious guests such as the “Gospel for 100,” pianist Vincent Bidal, cellist Gautier Capuçon, classical guitarist Thibaut Garcia and countertenor Jakub Józef Orliński.

The Battle of Algiers

1966

Paratrooper commander Colonel Mathieu, a former French Resistance fighter during World War II, is sent to Algeria to reinforce efforts to squelch the uprisings of the Algerian War. There he faces Ali la Pointe, a former petty criminal who, as the leader of the Algerian Front de Liberation Nationale, directs terror strategies against the colonial French government occupation. As each side resorts to ever-increasing brutality, no violent act is too unthinkable.

John Candy: I Like Me

2025

Those who knew iconic funnyman John Candy best share his story, in their own words, through never-before-seen archival footage, imagery, and interviews.

Night Will Fall

2014

When Allied forces liberated the Nazi concentration camps in 1944-45, their terrible discoveries were recorded by army and newsreel cameramen, revealing for the first time the full horror of what had happened. Making use of British, Soviet and American footage, the Ministry of Information’s Sidney Bernstein (later founder of Granada Television) aimed to create a documentary that would provide lasting, undeniable evidence of the Nazis’ unspeakable crimes. He commissioned a wealth of British talent, including editor Stewart McAllister, writer and future cabinet minister Richard Crossman – and, as treatment advisor, his friend Alfred Hitchcock. Yet, despite initial support from the British and US Governments, the film was shelved, and only now, 70 years on, has it been restored and completed by Imperial War Museums under its original title "German Concentration Camps Factual Survey".

As I Was Moving Ahead, Occasionally I Saw Brief Glimpses of Beauty

2000

A compilation of over 30 years of private home movie footage shot by Lithuanian-American avant-garde director Jonas Mekas, assembled by Mekas "purely by chance", without concern for chronological order.

A Plastic Ocean

2016

A documentary focused on plastic pollution in the world's oceans.

The Turnaround

2024

A devoted Philadelphia Phillies fan inspires his city to give a struggling shortstop a game-changing standing ovation in this rousing short documentary.

Eat Drink Laugh: The Story of The Comic Strip

2014

Showcasing the iconic New York comedy club where Jerry Seinfeld, Eddie Murphy, Chris Rock, Adam Sandler and hundreds of the best comedians of our time honed their craft. Explores the struggles, triumphs, and incredible journey of the people who kept the comedy club’s doors open and the comedians who graced its stage with their unique voices night after night since 1976. Among the comics featured in the film are Richard Belzer, Billy Crystal, Gilbert Gottfried, Arsenio Hall, Carol Leifer, Jay Leno, Richard Lewis, Bill Maher, Jerry Seinfeld, Eddie Murphy, Adam Sandler, Joe Piscopo, Colin Quinn, Paul Provenza, Paul Reiser, Ray Romano, and Chris Rock.

Jim: The James Foley Story

2016

In August, 2014, a video of the public execution of American photojournalist James Foley rippled across the globe. Foley wore an orange jumpsuit as he knelt beside an ISIS militant dressed in black. That image challenged the world to deal with a new face of terror. And it tested one American family. Seen through the lens of filmmaker Brian Oakes, Foley’s close childhood friend, Jim takes us from small-town New England to the adrenaline-fueled front lines of Libya and Syria, where Foley pushed the limits of danger to report on the plight of civilians impacted by war.

Above Majestic

2018

A look at the origins, history and conspiracies behind the "Majestic 12", a clandestine group of military and corporate figureheads charged with reverse-engineering extraterrestrial technology.

Mea Maxima Culpa: Silence in the House of God

2012

Alex Gibney explores the charged issue of pedophilia in the Catholic Church, following a trail from the first known protest against clerical sexual abuse in the United States and all way to the Vatican.

Facing Ali

2009

Ten of Muhammad Ali's former rivals pay tribute to the three-time world heavyweight champion.

City of Ghosts

2017

With unprecedented access, this documentary follows the extraordinary journey of “Raqqa is Being Slaughtered Silently”—a group of anonymous citizen journalists who banded together after their homeland was overtaken by ISIS—as they risk their lives to stand up against one of the greatest evils in the world today.

The Class of ‘92

2013

A detailing of the rise to prominence and global sporting superstardom of six supremely talented young Manchester United football players (David Beckham, Nicky Butt, Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes, Phil and Gary Neville). The film covers the period 1992-1999, culminating in Manchester United's European Cup triumph.