Totems and Taboos

Totems and Taboos

Recalling Belgium's brutal colonial history

2018•54m•7.0/10

DocumentaryHistory

Ratings

🎬TMDb

7.0/10(2)

In Brussels, Belgium, the Royal Museum of Central Africa is undertaking a radical renovation, both physical and ethical, to show with sincerity, crudeness and open-mindedness the reality of the atrocities perpetrated against the inhabitants of the Belgian colonies in Africa, still haunted and traumatized by the ghost of King Leopold II of Belgium, a racist and genocidal tyrant.

Open in PickFlick

Production

Simple Productions, ARTE GEIE, VRT

Language

FR

Status

Released

Release Date

Trailers & Videos

Recommended

Dahomey

Dahomey

Thousands of royal artifacts of Dahomey, a West African kingdom, were taken by French colonists in the 19th century for collection and display in Paris. Centuries later, a fraction returned to their home in modern-day Benin. This dramatized documentary follows the journey of 26 of the treasures as told by cultural art historians, embattled university students, and one of the repatriated statues himself.

Dahomey

2024

6.6

I Am Not Your Negro

I Am Not Your Negro

Working from the text of James Baldwin’s unfinished final novel, director Raoul Peck creates a meditation on what it means to be Black in the United States.

I Am Not Your Negro

2017

7.7

John Candy: I Like Me

John Candy: I Like Me

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

John Candy: I Like Me

2025

7.8

Being James Bond

Being James Bond

Daniel Craig candidly reflects on his 15 year adventure as James Bond. Including never-before-seen archival footage from Casino Royale to the upcoming 25th film No Time To Die, Craig shares his personal memories in conversation with 007 producers, Michael G Wilson and Barbara Broccoli.

Being James Bond

2021

7.8

Sidney

Sidney

This revealing documentary honors the legendary Sidney Poitier—iconic actor, filmmaker, and civil rights activist. Featuring interviews with Denzel Washington, Spike Lee, Halle Berry, and more.

Sidney

2022

7.3

9/11: Inside the President's War Room

9/11: Inside the President's War Room

Experience the events of September 11, 2001 through the eyes of President Bush and his closest advisors as they personally detail the crucial hours and key decisions from that historic day.

9/11: Inside the President's War Room

2021

6.8

The Salt of the Earth

The Salt of the Earth

During the last forty years, the photographer Sebastião Salgado has been travelling through the continents, in the footsteps of an ever-changing humanity. He has witnessed the major events of our recent history: international conflicts, starvations and exodus… He is now embarking on the discovery of pristine territories, of the wild fauna and flora, of grandiose landscapes: a huge photographic project which is a tribute to the planet's beauty. Salgado's life and work are revealed to us by his son, Juliano, who went with him during his last journeys, and by Wim Wenders, a photographer himself.

The Salt of the Earth

2014

8.1

My Mom Jayne

My Mom Jayne

Through deeply personal interviews with her siblings and an examination of the photographs, letters, and belongings left behind, Mariska assembles a new portrait of her mother Jayne Mansfield, an extraordinary and complex woman.

My Mom Jayne

2025

8.0

The Bloody Hundredth

The Bloody Hundredth

Meet the real-life airmen who inspired Masters of the Air as they share the harrowing and transformative events of the 100th Bomb Group.

The Bloody Hundredth

2024

7.1

South of the Border

South of the Border

A road trip across five countries to explore the social and political movements as well as the mainstream media's misperception of South America while interviewing seven of its elected presidents.

South of the Border

2009

5.9

Finding Vivian Maier

Finding Vivian Maier

Vivian Maier's photos were seemingly destined for obscurity, lost among the clutter of the countless objects she'd collected throughout her life. Instead these images have shaken the world of street photography and irrevocably changed the life of the man who brought them to the public eye. This film brings to life the interesting turns and travails of the improbable saga of John Maloof's discovery of Vivian Maier, unravelling this mysterious tale through her documentary films, photographs, odd collections and personal accounts from the people that knew her. What started as a blog to show her work quickly became a viral sensation in the photography world. Photos destined for the trash heap now line gallery exhibitions, a forthcoming book and this documentary film.

Finding Vivian Maier

2014

7.6

13 Days, 13 Nights

13 Days, 13 Nights

Kabul, August 15, 2021. US troops are preparing to withdraw from Afghanistan, while the Taliban are marching on the capital to seize power. Amid the chaos, Commander Mohamed Bida and his men are in charge of security at the French embassy, the last Western mission to remain open. Trapped along with 500 people, left to their own devices, the team must reach the airport at all costs. A perilous mission with no guarantee of success to flee the hell of Kabul and rescue what remains of humanity.

13 Days, 13 Nights

2025

6.7

Similar Movies

The Truth lies in Rostock

The Truth lies in Rostock

August 1992, Rostock-Lichtenhagen. The police look on as fascists bomb the Central Reception Center for Refugees (ZAST) and a hostel for Vietnamese contract workers with Molotov cocktails. A montage of video footage shot from the attacked houses, interviews with anti-fascists, the Vietnamese contract workers, the police, bureaucrats, neo-Nazis and local residents. A documentary about the collusion of politics and widespread fear.

The Truth lies in Rostock

1993

4.8

The Unwanted: The Secret Windrush Files

The Unwanted: The Secret Windrush Files

David Olusoga opens secret government files to show how the Windrush scandal and the ‘hostile environment’ for black British immigrants has been 70 years in the making.

The Unwanted: The Secret Windrush Files

2019

10.0

Africa Rising

Africa Rising

How African artists have spread African culture all over the world, especially music, since the harsh years of decolonization, trying to offer a nicer portrait of this amazing continent, historically known for tragic subjects, such as slavery, famine, war and political chaos.

Africa Rising

2019

7.5

The Birth of a Nation

The Birth of a Nation

Two families, abolitionist Northerners the Stonemans and Southern landowners the Camerons, intertwine. When Confederate colonel Ben Cameron is captured in battle, nurse Elsie Stoneman petitions for his pardon. In Reconstruction-era South Carolina, Cameron founds the Ku Klux Klan, battling Elsie's congressman father and his African-American protégé, Silas Lynch.

The Birth of a Nation

1915

6.0

Belgique nazie

Belgique nazie

No overview available.

Belgique nazie

2021

8.5

White Out, Black In

White Out, Black In

Shots fired inside a club frequented by black Brazilians in the outskirts of Brasilia leave two men wounded. A third man arrives from the future in order to investigate the incident and prove that the fault lies in the repressive society.

White Out, Black In

2014

6.5

Jimmy Durmaz och frisparken

Jimmy Durmaz och frisparken

It's a misjudgment in a millisecond. The consequence is a free kick and Germany wins the World Cup match over Sweden 2018. A violent wave of hatred hits Jimmy Durmaz in social media. A year later, he lets us into his life and talks about his struggle to be Swedish and reach the top as a football professional.

Jimmy Durmaz och frisparken

2019

Why Ethiopian Jews Are Building a Movement Against Racism in Israel

Why Ethiopian Jews Are Building a Movement Against Racism in Israel

"Solidarity marches for U.S. protesters rippling around the world reached Israel on Tuesday where hundreds of protesters waved 'Black Lives Matter' signs and chanted “George Floyd.” They also called out another name: Solomon Teka. "Over the past five years, six young men of Ethiopian descent have been killed by cops, according to the Association for Education and Social Integration of Ethiopian Jews. Police data also shows Ethiopian Israelis are still disproportionately overrepresented in arrests and indictments even though they make up 2 percent of the population. "Young Ethiopian Israelis have led the protest movement against racism and called for systemic reform."

Why Ethiopian Jews Are Building a Movement Against Racism in Israel

2020

Yusuf Hawkins: Storm Over Brooklyn

Yusuf Hawkins: Storm Over Brooklyn

The 30-year legacy of the murder of black teenager Yusuf Hawkins by a group of young white men in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn, as his family and friends reflect on the tragedy and the subsequent fight for justice that inspired and divided New York City.

Yusuf Hawkins: Storm Over Brooklyn

2020

6.4

Shudra: The Rising

Shudra: The Rising

Shudra: The Rising is a Hindi language film with a storyline based on the caste system in ancient India, and more specifically the Hindu Varna system. It is directed by Sanjiv Jaiswal and dedicated to Bhim Rao Ambedkar. The film depicts the four basic units of the caste system - the Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas and the Shudras. The film shows various rules imposed on the Shudras such as waking with a bell around their ankles and a long leaf behind their back,and a pot hanging around their neck.

Shudra: The Rising

2012

4.8

Inside America's last whites-only church

"In rural Minnesota, a fringe Heathen group known as the Asatru Folk Assembly has purchased a local church – and membership is strictly whites-only. "They worship Nordic, pre-Christian gods and they call themselves a 'folk religion' that only accepts those with northern European ancestry. Their racially exclusive ideology is protected by the first amendment. "Amudalat Ajasa visits the church to understand how it is gaining influence across the country and to meet the anti-racist Heathens fighting back to reclaim their religion."

Inside America's last whites-only church

2021

Rise Again: Tulsa and the Red Summer

Rise Again: Tulsa and the Red Summer

Comes one hundred years from the two-day Tulsa Massacre in 1921 that led to the murder of as many as 300 Black people and left as many as 10,000 homeless and displaced.

Rise Again: Tulsa and the Red Summer

2021

8.0

PickFlick Assistant

Hi! I'm your PickFlick Assistant. Ask me about movies, TV shows, OTT sources, or anything about PickFlick.

Powered by CopilotKit