Preserving Democracy: Pursuing a More Perfect Union

FRONTLINE investigates the roots of the criminal cases against former President Trump stemming from his 2020 election loss. With the presidential race for 2024 underway, veteran political filmmaker Michael Kirk and his team examine the House Jan. 6 committee’s evidence, the historic charges against Trump and the threat to democracy.

The story of January 6, 2021, where approximately 2000 people stormed the US Capitol to stop the certification of the Electoral College Votes, killing some and leaving over 140 injured. A firestorm of angst, anger, violence and confusion.

Unpublished images and exclusive testimonies from the main figures in power who tell how they faced the coup threat of January 8, 2023, a recent trauma in the country's history and revealing something that still remains hidden.

The Sixth is a visceral intersection of six extraordinary Americans whose lives will be forever changed by the attack on the United States Capitol on January 6, 2021.

Documentary about a house of witchcraft in Buenos Aires

The documentary is an immersive chronicle of the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, when thousands of American citizens from across the country gathered in Washington D.C. to protest the results of the 2020 presidential election, many with the intent of disrupting the certification of Joe Biden's presidency.

Au nom du père, du fils et des esprits

Over one thousand people have been charged with storming the United States Capitol on January 6, 2021, as part of a widely televised insurrection attempt. Approximately 15% of them worked as police or military personnel. This staggering statistic begs an important question: how can a service member who took an oath to protect the country’s democracy do something that puts that very democracy in jeopardy?

Trump's Last Stand. On 6 January supporters of Donald Trump stormed the US Capitol. Trump's extraordinary presidency is explored through the events of that infamous day.

"Luke Mogelson followed Trump supporters as they forced their way into the U.S. Capitol, using his phone’s camera as a reporter’s notebook" (The New Yorker).

On September 16, 2022, in Teheran, the murder by police of the young Mahsa Amini, arrested for "wearing a headscarf contrary to the law", sparked off an unprecedented insurrection. Within hours, a spontaneous movement formed around the rallying cry: "Woman, life, freedom". For the first time, women, joined by men and students, took the initiative and removed their veils, the hated symbol of the Islamic Republic. The Iranian population, from all regions and social categories, rose up in protest. Social networks went wild. The diaspora (between 5–8 million Iranians) took up the cause, and the whole world discovered the scale of this mobilization: could the theocratic regime be overthrown this time?

The little-known story of a deadly race massacre and carefully orchestrated insurrection in North Carolina’s largest city in 1898 — the only coup d’état in the history of the US. Stoking fears of 'Negro Rule', self-described white supremacists used intimidation and violence to destroy Black political and economic power and overthrow Wilmington’s democratically-elected, multi-racial government. Black residents were murdered and thousands were banished. The story of what happened in Wilmington was suppressed for decades until descendants and scholars began to investigate. Today, many of those descendants — Black and white — seek the truth about this intentionally buried history.

As the nation grapples with the echoes of January 6, this documentary provides a crucial, unvarnished perspective on that pivotal day. This narration-less documentary shows events leading up to and including January 6, challenging viewers to confront the fragility of democracy and reflect on our collective responsibility to protect it.

After a six-week trial, four men have been convicted in the United States in a high-profile case connected to the storming of Capitol Hill in Washington two years ago. The four members of the far-right Proud Boys group were convicted on a charge of seditious conspiracy, defined as a plot to overthrow the government. US Prosecutors have now charged more than 1,000 people with offences in relation to the January 6, 2021 attack, but there is little agreement in a bitterly divided America about exactly what happened on that day. The dispute threatens to poison American democracy. The BBC's David Grossman was there as events unfolded and filmed the Proud Boys and spoke to their leaders. He assesses what this infamous date means for the United States.

Exclusively created with period engravings, this animated feature explores the Franco-Prussian War of 1870 and the ensuing Paris Commune revolution in 1871.

Jan 6th, a violent attack against the US occurred at the Capitol. Five people died and 140+ injured. Before the dust had settled and with strict city-wide curfews still enforced in D.C, a visionary artist took to the streets.

With a colossal cigar dangling from the corner of his mouth, a libation in hand, and an unmistakable disdain for his political adversaries, Roger Stone emerges as the quintessential ally to Donald Trump. Revered as a right-wing powerbroker, Stone's influential journey traces back to the era of President Nixon, a legacy inked onto his own back. In a film marked by unparalleled access, Christoffer Guldbrandsen captures the tumultuous final months of the Trump administration, centering on the heart of power and climaxing with the unprecedented storming of Congress. Guldbrandsen finds himself amidst the chaos as Trump supporters converge on Washington, witnessing firsthand Roger Stone's strategic retreat from his hotel suite as the 'Stop the Steal' campaign spirals into a riot. A Storm Foretold – Roger Stone and Die unfolds the narrative of a once-established political party metamorphosing into an anti-democratic movement, where impassioned rhetoric evolves into tangible violence.

J6: A True Timeline is a documentary film that aims to provide a comprehensive and accurate account of the events that occurred on January 6, 2021, at the United States Capitol. The film is based on a massive archive of footage, including police body cam videos, Capitol CCTV footage, and citizen-generated content, which has been meticulously reviewed and compiled into a timeline using metadata and timecode.

"On January 6, the most sacred symbol of American democracy was violently stormed by supporters of Donald Trump, leaving the Republican party to grapple with its political future. "Defeated, disgraced, and now twice-impeached, Trump is out of office. But with the anger he unleashed still bubbling beneath the surface, many are concerned over whether American democracy has proven more fragile than they thought. "In her return to Four Corners, reporter Sarah Ferguson tells the story behind the insurrection at the US Capitol" (Australian Broadcasting Corporation).

“'Public Defender' follows the work of Heather Shaner, a lawyer representing January 6th rioters, who works to confront America’s political divisions with empathy" (The New Yorker).