An intimate and involving documentary that charts in full—for the first time—the consequences of a worldwide controversy that forced author Salman Rushdie into hiding for over a decade. Following publication of his novel The Satanic Verses in 1988, Rushdie was accused of blasphemy by conservative Muslims. As the situation escalated, on 14 February 1989 Iran's then leader Ayatollah Khomeini issued a fatwa calling on Muslims to kill the book's author and publishers. This is the inside story of how it felt to be at the epicentre of an international crisis as Rushdie recalls the day-to-day drama of living under a death sentence, terrified for the safety of his child, and hearing horrific news of his publishers and translators being attacked and killed. The programme features unprecedented access to key figures, including Rushdi's closest family and friends. This is an episode of BBC series Imagine.

In 1960, Cuban photographer Alberto "Korda" Díaz captured a photo of Ernesto "Che" Guevara during a mass funeral. History conspired to enable this dynamic portrait to explode on the world scene in 1968 throughout Europe and Latin America, when it became an international symbol of protest and dissent. In the last decade, with the establishment of the Internet, the image has once again travelled the globe in many forms. From protest to commerce, it is constantly transformed and reinvented. It is considered to be the most reproduced image in the history of photography. Why and how did this photograph become so important? Chevolution is a film about a photograph. It explores how the Che image travelled from Korda's studio in Havana to the streets of Europe and beyond. We investigate how this portrait with its enigmatic gaze became a symbol for countless visions for change.

Biography of John Huston: film director, screenwriter and actor. A Pioneer of film noir, westerns, war films and epic dramas. We explore his life and works, which include classics such as The Maltese Falcon, Treasure of the Sierra Madre, and The African Queen.

Dive into the riveting debate over the future of ideas. To some, the digital revolution can offer an extraordinary gift to humanity: unfettered access to all published content. The other side defends copyright as indispensable in ensuring that the best minds commit their energy and time to the written word. This doc visits the libraries, book clubs, classrooms and corporate offices on the frontlines of this fight to give us the whole story.

Hirini Melbourne and Richard Nunns, accompanied by Aroha Yates-Smith discuss the philosophy behind composing and recording of the album Te Hekenga-a-rangi, Richard and Hirini's follow up to their landmark Te Ku Te Whe. Interview plus performance. This was video-taped three weeks before Hirini passed away.

This is the remarkable story of the most unlikely art forgers in history. Together, Shaun Greenhalgh (47) his father George (84) and mother Olive (83) ran what the police described as the most diverse and prolific art forgery operation they have ever seen. Over a 20 year period the family made an unprecedented range of fakes from modern masterpieces to ancient sculptures, all produced in their garden shed. The fakes they made duped the experts of the British Museum, Tate Modern, Henry Moore Institute, Chicago\'s Institute of Art and the great auction houses of Sotheby\'s and Christie\'s. Despite having made a fortune from selling dozens of fakes all over the world the family still lived in squalor, cut off from the outside world. So who are the Artful Codgers? Why did they do it? And what does their story say about the art world they so successfully deceived?

Beeban Kidron follows British sculptor Antony Gormley over several months as he prepares a new exhibition for London's Hayward Gallery.

New York and Paris - two cities whose very names evoke passion. Both of these metropolises were extensively photographed during their golden ages, and the artists who carried out this documenting were linked together in a very special way. Eugene Atget is considered to be the father of modern photography. His images of Paris have influenced artists for generations. However, Atget's work would have been lost to the world if not for the vigorous efforts of the American photographer Berenice Abbott. Abbott met Atget in 1926 when Atget was nearing the end of his life and Abbott's career just beginning. Abbott recognised Atget's genius and became his champion for the next forty years.

Ep 2: The artists decide to commemorate Bazille by staging an exhibition in Paris - but the event goes down badly with both the critics and the public. Monet paints a masterpiece in 40 minutes flat and falls in love with his patron's wife - while his own spouse is stricken with illness. Degas's increasingly dark creations earn him a reputation for misogyny, and he plays a malicious trick on his more successful contemporaries.

Naxos is the brainchild of Klaus Heymann, a German-born entrepreneur and music lover based in Hong Kong. Heymann has established Naxos as a world leader in music education, sponsorship, and the provision of recorded classical music to all. What Penguin Books and the Livre de Poche did for literature, Heymann is very close to doing for serious music.

Ep 3: Cezanne is forced to lead a double life with his mistress and secret child, and refuses to compromise his vision in the face of vitriol from both the critics and a close friend. Manet receives the Legion d'Honneur, but his health is failing fast. Monet embarks on a successful tour of Europe, but decides that what he really wants is to return to his beloved Alice - and the lilies that will fascinate him for the rest of his life.

Since his death in 1977, James Castle has gained world recognition as a prominent self-taught artist. A documentary film by Jeffrey Wolf, produced by the Foundation for Self-Taught American Artists, portrays James Castle's life and creative process, as told by family members, art historians, curators, artists, collectors, and members of the deaf community. A true case of triumph of the spirit, Castle's inspirational story is one of monumental achievement.

The works of the Belgian surrealist painter René Magritte are unquestionably among the most recognizable images of the twentieth century. Magritte paintings create a surreal vision, utilizing familiar objects such as apples, cigars, birds, pipes, and bowler hats. This intriguing program explores Magritte's world, and presents many of the fascinating images created by this extraordinary artist.

Winner of 3 Emmy Awards, these exceptional animated stories have been designed to introduce children and young adults to some of Shakespeare's most popular works. Each play has been animated in it own unique style by the exceptional talents of the leading directors of Russia's Christmas Films. Actors from the Royal Shakespeare Company and stars of stage and screen, including Antony Sher, Joss Ackland and Jenny Agutter, provide voices for the characters which were recorded and produced by BBC Wales. In Russia, art and animation has long been used as a veiled form of satire, education and political protest. This has inspired scores of Russian animators to develop fascinating and highly individual techniques, a prolific kaleidoscope of styles from which the animation artists were chosen for these stories of Shakespeare-The Animated Tales.

What was it like to be an artist in centuries past? What makes a painting or an artist 'great'? Tim Marlow presents this fascinating introduction to the works of the Old Masters as displayed in over fifty museums, churches, and palaces throughout Europe and the United States.

These four 25-minute documentaries explore the production of BBC 4 Learning's ‘Twelfth Night’, from initial idea to finished film. Packed with insights into the way that films are made, the series also challenges the common perception of Shakespeare as dull, dated or elitist by showing how ’Twelfth Night’ inspires a young, talented and multi-cultural team of film-makers and actors. In the style of a fly-on-the-wall documentary, we follow the team through each stage of the planning, filming and editing of the film. As people describe their jobs, wrestle with the creative challenges and confide their concerns, we build up an immensely rich and detailed picture of lives dedicated to film and the skills and temperament necessary to succeed. But we also gain in knowledge and understanding of Shakespeare’s achievement as we become absorbed in the process of transforming an Elizabethan stage play into a twenty-first century film. Associated Creators: BBC Channel 4

Francisco José de Goya y Lucientes (30 March 1746 – 16 April 1828) was a Spanish painter and printmaker regarded both as the last of the Old Masters and as the first of the moderns. Goya was a court painter to the Spanish Crown and a chronicler of history. The subversive and subjective element in his art, as well as his bold handling of paint, provided a model for the work of later generations of artists, notably Manet and Picasso.

In 1969, after revolutionizing the world of rock music and changing the rules about how the electric guitar could be played with his group the Jimi Hendrix Experience, Jimi Hendrix was looking for new musical challenges and different perspectives. With this in mind, Hendrix formed a new group, Band of Gypsies, with bassist Billy Cox and drummer Buddy Miles. The group made their debut with four shows at New York's Filmore East on December 31, 1969, and January 1, 1970, which were recorded for a live album. One of the shows was also videotaped (in black-and-white), and this documentary combines concert footage from the Filmore performance with interviews in which several of Hendrix's collaborators discuss working with him, and a number of noted rock musicians -- including Lenny Kravitz, former Guns N' Roses guitarist Slash, and Living Colour leader Vernon Reid -- share their thoughts on Hendrix's influence and musical legacy.

The First World War has been examined in many programs from a political and military point of view but it has rarely been seen through the eyes of painters. The period 1914-1918 was a virtual catalogue of art movements: Impressionists, Expressionists, Realists, Cubists and Futurists all contributed images from the battlefields which were both accurate and intense. These styles often reflected avant garde movements in a number of countries, particularly Britain, France, Germany and Russia. The list of painters includes Braque, Derain, Bonnard, Chagall, Kandinsky, Hitler, Otto Dix, Schiele, Picasso, Augustus John, Wyndham Lewis, David Jones and Stanley Spencer. Before 1914 pictures of soldiers were patriotic or heroic. They were subjects of national pride but this war was different. It was mechanized. Technology enabled armies to kill each other on an industrial scale and the levels of destruction were unprecedented in history. This shows how the First World War transformed the world of art and changed the way images of war are conveyed.

Winner of 3 Emmy Awards, these exceptional animated stories have been designed to introduce children and young adults to some of Shakespeare's most popular works. Each play has been animated in it own unique style by the exceptional talents of the leading directors of Russia's Christmas Films. Actors from the Royal Shakespeare Company and stars of stage and screen, including Antony Sher, Joss Ackland and Jenny Agutter, provide voices for the characters which were recorded and produced by BBC Wales. In Russia, art and animation has long been used as a veiled form of satire, education and political protest. This has inspired scores of Russian animators to develop fascinating and highly individual techniques, a prolific kaleidoscope of styles from which the animation artists were chosen for these stories of Shakespeare-The Animated Tales.

Winner of 3 Emmy Awards, these exceptional animated stories have been designed to introduce children and young adults to some of Shakespeare's most popular works. Each play has been animated in it own unique style by the exceptional talents of the leading directors of Russia's Christmas Films. Actors from the Royal Shakespeare Company and stars of stage and screen, including Antony Sher, Joss Ackland and Jenny Agutter, provide voices for the characters which were recorded and produced by BBC Wales. In Russia, art and animation has long been used as a veiled form of satire, education and political protest. This has inspired scores of Russian animators to develop fascinating and highly individual techniques, a prolific kaleidoscope of styles from which the animation artists were chosen for these stories of Shakespeare-The Animated Tales.

Winner of 3 Emmy Awards, these exceptional animated stories have been designed to introduce children and young adults to some of Shakespeare's most popular works. Each play has been animated in it own unique style by the exceptional talents of the leading directors of Russia's Christmas Films. Actors from the Royal Shakespeare Company and stars of stage and screen, including Antony Sher, Joss Ackland and Jenny Agutter, provide voices for the characters which were recorded and produced by BBC Wales. In Russia, art and animation has long been used as a veiled form of satire, education and political protest. This has inspired scores of Russian animators to develop fascinating and highly individual techniques, a prolific kaleidoscope of styles from which the animation artists were chosen for these stories of Shakespeare-The Animated Tales.

Winner of 3 Emmy Awards, these exceptional animated stories have been designed to introduce children and young adults to some of Shakespeare's most popular works. Each play has been animated in it own unique style by the exceptional talents of the leading directors of Russia's Christmas Films. Actors from the Royal Shakespeare Company and stars of stage and screen, including Antony Sher, Joss Ackland and Jenny Agutter, provide voices for the characters which were recorded and produced by BBC Wales. In Russia, art and animation has long been used as a veiled form of satire, education and political protest. This has inspired scores of Russian animators to develop fascinating and highly individual techniques, a prolific kaleidoscope of styles from which the animation artists were chosen for these stories of Shakespeare-The Animated Tales.

Winner of 3 Emmy Awards, these exceptional animated stories have been designed to introduce children and young adults to some of Shakespeare's most popular works. Each play has been animated in it own unique style by the exceptional talents of the leading directors of Russia's Christmas Films. Actors from the Royal Shakespeare Company and stars of stage and screen, including Antony Sher, Joss Ackland and Jenny Agutter, provide voices for the characters which were recorded and produced by BBC Wales. In Russia, art and animation has long been used as a veiled form of satire, education and political protest. This has inspired scores of Russian animators to develop fascinating and highly individual techniques, a prolific kaleidoscope of styles from which the animation artists were chosen for these stories of Shakespeare-The Animated Tales.

Winner of 3 Emmy Awards, these exceptional animated stories have been designed to introduce children and young adults to some of Shakespeare's most popular works. Each play has been animated in it own unique style by the exceptional talents of the leading directors of Russia's Christmas Films. Actors from the Royal Shakespeare Company and stars of stage and screen, including Antony Sher, Joss Ackland and Jenny Agutter, provide voices for the characters which were recorded and produced by BBC Wales. In Russia, art and animation has long been used as a veiled form of satire, education and political protest. This has inspired scores of Russian animators to develop fascinating and highly individual techniques, a prolific kaleidoscope of styles from which the animation artists were chosen for these stories of Shakespeare-The Animated Tales.

Winner of 3 Emmy Awards, these exceptional animated stories have been designed to introduce children and young adults to some of Shakespeare's most popular works. Each play has been animated in it own unique style by the exceptional talents of the leading directors of Russia's Christmas Films. Actors from the Royal Shakespeare Company and stars of stage and screen, including Antony Sher, Joss Ackland and Jenny Agutter, provide voices for the characters which were recorded and produced by BBC Wales. In Russia, art and animation has long been used as a veiled form of satire, education and political protest. This has inspired scores of Russian animators to develop fascinating and highly individual techniques, a prolific kaleidoscope of styles from which the animation artists were chosen for these stories of Shakespeare-The Animated Tales.

The world of El Greco, a painter, sculptor, and architect of the Spanish Renaissance. El Greco's dramatic and expressionistic style was met with puzzlement by his contemporaries but found appreciation in the 20th century. El Greco is regarded as a precursor of both Expressionism and Cubism and his work was championed by artists such as Rusiol and Picasso. El Greco has been characterized by modern scholars as an artist so individual that he belongs to no conventional school. He is best known for tortuously elongated figures and often fantastic or phantasmagorical pigmentation, marrying Byzantine traditions with those of Western painting.

A feature-length documentary that follows the creation of a Steinway concert grand, #L1037 - from forest floor to concert hall. It explores the relationship between musician and instrument, chronicles the manufacturing process, and illustrates what makes each Steinway unique in this age of mass production. From the factory floor in Queens to Steinway Hall in Manhattan, each piano's journey is complex-spanning 12 months, 12,000 parts, 450 craftsmen, and countless hours of fine-tuned labour.

Jack Kerouac penned such books as On the Road and The Dharma Bums, which captured the essence of the bohemian life that he came to personify. This documentary follows him on the road from the life of a beatnik in New York City, and across the country to California, as he set out to find America and himself. Archival photographs, film clips, interviews with those who knew him, readings from his books, and scholarly commentary provide insight into this icon of the Beat generation. Features archival footage of Jack Kerouac and fragments of interviews with Allan Ginsberg, Lawrence Ferlinghetti and William S. Burroughs.

Where is Australian culture coming from in the 21st century? Writer and presenter Marcus Westbury takes us from geeks broadcasting to audiences of millions from their bedrooms, to a remote Indigenous community in the Northern Territory via the Melbourne Writers Festival and little bit of high-end experimental sound art. Marcus is on a search to find a new generation of Australian artists and audiences for whom the tyranny of distance - the thing that had defined Australian culture for so long - is essentially irrelevant.

The Uffizi Gallery (or Galleria degli Uffizi), is one of the oldest and most celebrated art museums in the world. It is located in the Palazzo degli Uffizi, in Florence, Italy - the home of the European Renaissance. As one might expect from the foremost museum of the Florence Renaissance, its collection of masterpieces from the Proto, Early and High Renaissance eras, initiated by the powerful Medici family, later enlarged by the Lorraine Grand Dukes and completed by the Italian State authorities, is second to none. It also includes other important collections, notably the Contini Bonacossi Collection and the Collection of Prints and Drawings (Gabinetto Disegni e Stampe degli Uffizi). The Uffizi has been open to visitors since the late 16th century, and was officially opened to the public in 1765.

Is culture a set of elaborate and elaborately-funded life support systems, or an infection that's trying to attack us? What's the difference between a symphony orchestra and a covers band (apart from about $40million dollars a year) and why does the Australia Council spend more money on a single opera company than all the visual artists and musicians (not including symphony orchestras) in the country combined? In this episode, presenter Marcus Westbury meets the artists who have turned Hosier Lane in Melbourne into one of Australia's prime tourist attractions; hangs out with multimedia musicians The Herd; and wonders why the games industry has so much money but so little content. Creator of the Australian game Escape from Woomera, Katharine Neil, has some ideas why, which she shares with Marcus. We also find out what uncollectable art is.

The Master of Suspense himself, who is interviewed extensively here, shares stories including his deep-seated fear of policemen, elaborates on the difference between shock and suspense, defines the meaning of "MacGuffin," and discusses his use of storyboarding in designing a film.

An insightful and humourous journey through an increasingly fragmented cultural landscape - where the Internet and communications have given us a set of cultural choices and influences unimaginable even a decade ago. Presenter and writer Marcus Westbury has unearthed an eclectic and amusing mix of artists, writers, critics and musicians whose work has found their audiences – often in the millions – through networks well outside the traditional ideas of where culture lives.

The New Dance Group played a key role in pioneering modern dance in New Zealand in the 1940s – an inspiring example of a young group without money or institutional support, who succeeded in creating something new in the arts by sheer determination and innovative thinking. Their story (which involves some well-known New Zealanders from theatre and education) reflects the excitement of the immediate post-war years in New Zealand. This important, re-discovered slice of dance history - which grew out of research by Marianne Schultz - is told in rich personal detail by director Shirley Horrocks. The documentary features striking archival footage of the group, lively and engaging interviews with surviving members, re-enactments, and many rare photographs. The group was inspired by Martha Graham and Doris Humphrey, pioneers of modern dance, with whom one of the members (Rona Bailey) had studied in New York. The New Dance Group's performances tackled weighty contemporary themes such as the mechanization of factory work and the atomic bombing of Hiroshima.

Marti: the passionate eye traces the dramatic personal story of Marti Friedlander, one of New Zealand’s leading photographers, alongside the major social changes she recorded. She has photographed New Zealand’s best-known artists in their studios, collaborated with Michael King on a famous series of Maori portraits, and documented many protest activities including the Springbok Tour and the Women’s Movement. Marti talks frankly about the art of photography, her life, and the fascinating people and events she has portrayed.

Died Young, Stayed Pretty is a candid look at the underground poster culture in North America. This unique documentary examines the creative spirit that drives these indie graphic artists. They pick through the dregs of America’s schizophrenic culture and piece them back together. What you end up with is a caricature of the black and bloated heart that pulses greed through the US economy. The artists push further into the pulp to grab the attention of passersby, plastering art that’s both vulgar and intensely visceral onto the gnarled surfaces of the urban landscape. The film gives us intimate look at some of the giants of this modern subculture. Outside of their own circle, they’re virtually unknown. But within their ranks they make up an army of bareknuckle brawlers, publicly arguing the aesthetic merits of octopus imagery and hairy 70s porn stars. They’ve created their own visual language for describing the spotty underbelly of western civilization and they\'re not shy about throwing it in the face of polite society. Along the way, they manage to create posters that are strikingly obscene, unflinchingly blasphemous and often quite beautiful. Yaghoobian shows these artists for what they are: the vivisectionists of America’s morbidly obese consumer culture.

Not Quite Art is an insightful and humourous journey through an increasingly fragmented cultural landscape - where the internet and communications have given us a set of cultural choices and influences unimaginable even a decade ago. Presenter and writer Marcus Westbury has unearthed an eclectic and amusing mix of artists, writers, critics and musicians whose work has found their audiences - often in the millions - through networks well outside the traditional ideas of where 'Australian culture' lives. Not Quite Art traces how our culture is shifting from the hierarchical, local and parochial structures to a global and networked world where Australian artists have audiences around the world, yet often remain relatively unknown in their local community.

A Changing Landscape is the story of six leading New Zealand artists from the South Island: Elizabeth Stevens, Bill Sutton, Lindsay Crooks, John Badcock, Peter Beadle and Trevor Moffit. The documentary visits each artist and explore the factors that effect their work, such as commercialisation, tourism, cultural and environmental issues. Soundtrack music supplied by Flying Nun Records of course.

Picasso’s work is like a huge, personal diary combining his own life story and the history of the 20th century. This documentary looks back over key moments in the life and work of the master.

A series that explores the lives and works of some of the greatest artists in history through touring museums, churches and palaces throughout Europe and the USA.

The Crucifixion has been the primary theme of Western art for 1500 years, attracting more superb paintings and artists - than any other subject. Art of the Cross looks at how Christ's Passion has been portrayed from the earliest times to the present day, from the images used by the early Christians in the Roman catacombs to the glorious interpretations of Renaissance artists to the modern, bold concerns of artists such as Munch, Chagall and Dali. Filmed at major art centres throughout Europe, Art of the Cross shows how the greatest artists in the world have dealt with Christianity's greatest story. Each generation has interpreted the Cross in a unique way, reflecting the religious and social concerns of the period. Art of the Cross will look at how portrayals of the Crucifixion reflect their times, from the fish and anchor imagery of the Christian catacombs to Chagall's White Cross, which embodies Nazi persecution of the Jews, to contemporary works.

Richard Nunns is one of New Zealand's most respected international performers and collector of Māori music and instruments.

The driving force behind the Cubist movement, Pablo Picasso (1881–1973) was influenced by the sights and colours of Provence, where he lived in exile from his native Spain for much of his life. In the region immortalised by the French Impressionists, Picasso explored his world of deep colours and twisted perspectives.

Vincent van Gogh (1853-90) is one of the most intriguing of visual artists, both for his personal life as well as his work: a genius whose creative brilliance now commands record-breaking prices and a 'madman' whose insanity has surrounded him with myth. This visually stunning documentary follows the painter's final years from 1888-90 when he left Paris for the south of France. Location footage combines with his own words, taken from his prolific correspondence with his brother Theo. Images of his powerful canvases bring to life his time in Arles, the period he spent in the asylum at St-Rémy, and his last weeks in Auvers-sur-Oise.

If the name Edith Collier is unfamiliar, that's reason enough to see this documentary. Overlooked and underrated, Collier (1885-1964) is a New Zealand painter whose time has come to step out of the shadows. Born in Wanganui, Collier travelled to England in her late twenties, and under the stimulus of Modernism began to find expression for her talent. Unlike fellow student Frances Hodgkins, however, she returned after almost 10 years, called home by family obligations that were to take precedence over art for the rest of her life. She didn't stop painting, but it was a career hobbled by social expectations and what seem to us now to be quaintly narrow attitudes towards art.

A series that takes a look at the work of the world’s great photographers. Covering everything from fashion photography to photojournalism, high art to paparazzi, The Art of The Photograph "takes an in-depth look at all aspects of the fascinating world of the photographic image."

Ep 1: Claude Monet enters into the bohemian cafe society of 19th-century Paris, meeting the contemporaries with whom he is to found a new artistic movement, only for revolution to tear the group apart.

NZTrio, New Zealand’s leading piano trio, thrives on connecting with audiences through intimate and exhilarating performances of a fascinatingly diverse repertoire. Violinist Justine Cormack, cellist Ashley Brown and pianist Sarah Watkins first joined forces in 2002 and were Ensemble in Residence at The University of Auckland from 2004-2009. From the outset their artistry, intensity and approachability has captivated music lovers throughout the world. The trio perform music by Jack Body, Ross Harris and Ernst Chausson.

Famous actors, directors and writers reminisce about their careers and the philosophy behind their careers. Hosted by James Lipton ; interview with Mark Wallberg. Mark Wahlberg recalls his criminal past as a troubled youth in Boston, his days as a male model and his work in “Boogie Nights,” “Three Kings,” “The Perfect Storm” and “I Heart Huckabees.” Wahlberg also reflects on his former musical career, in which he acquired a bad-boy image rapping under the moniker Marky Mark; his parents' divorce; and filmmaker David O. Russell. In addition, Wahlberg does a rap and describes his tattoos.