What's on DocPlay in December

This December, discover must-see, DocPlay-exclusive documentaries about our shared histories. 

In Riefenstahl, a Nazi propagandist filmmaker grapples with her legacy; while The Eichmann Trial, featuring remarkable archival footage, is a gripping document of the start of contemporary Holocaust education. From Australian filmmaker Ros Horin, Yiddishland is a celebration of the resilience and vitality of the Yiddish language across continents and generations. For Ken Burns-lovers, two new series stream on DocPlay in December: travel to Renaissance Italy with Leonardo da Vinci, and traverse the American plains in The American Buffalo.

1 Dec

Leonardo da Vinci

Set against a rich and dynamic backdrop of Renaissance Italy, at a time of skepticism and free-thinking, regional war and religious upheaval, Leonardo da Vinci brings Leonardo and his towering achievements to life through his voluminous personal notebooks, primary and secondary accounts of his life and times, and on-camera interviews with modern scholars, artists, engineers, inventors and admirers. A new must-see series from Ken Burns.

The American Buffalo

The biography of the improbable, shaggy beast that has found itself at the centre of many of the country’s most mythic and heartbreaking tales. A new two-part series from Ken Burns.

8 Dec

The First World War: The People’s Story

Vivid stories are told by the last Tommies, some who were centenarians when interviewed, recalling life and death in the events of the war including the Somme and Passchendaele.

18 Dec

Riefenstahl - Exclusive

The top-grossing film at this year’s German Film Festival, this masterful piece of documentary filmmaking delivers a captivating insight into the private estate of Leni Riefenstahl, delving into her complex relationship with the Nazi regime.

The Eichmann Trial - Exclusive

In 1961, history was on trial... in a trial that made history. Just 15 years after the end of WWII, the Holocaust had been largely forgotten. That changed with the capture of Adolf Eichmann, a former Nazi officer hiding in Argentina. Through rarely-seen archival footage, The Eichmann Trial documents one of the most shocking trials ever recorded, and the birth of Holocaust awareness and education. 

22 Dec

Welcome to Yiddishland

Welcome to the story of the revival of the Yiddish language, one that follows artists from around the world across numerous disciplines as they reignite the use of the 'mother tongue' in music, theatre, opera and literature.