Taboo: Season 2 – And in the End, Death

Although death is an essential part of life, society hides, ignores and makes a taboo out of it. Jon Sistiaga confronts the act of dying and how we can die in five episodes across multiple countries, where euthanasia, suicide or the right to die with dignity are approached with an emotion and depth rarely seen on television.

Episode 1 – Prologue

Every year 57 million people die, but do we die well? Exploring euthanasia, assisted suicide and palliative sedation with patients, doctors, carers and clergyman, Sistiaga takes us deep inside of both side of the debate. This first episode is filmed in Italy, where Sistiaga meets the oldest woman in the world, and in Spain.

Tabú, Al final la muerte, ep.1 Prólogo, English subtitled from Sideways Film on Vimeo.

Episode 2 – Epilogue

In Switzerland where assisted suicide has been decriminalised, associations like EXIT and Lifecircle controversially help terminally ill patients carry out their final wishes to end their own lives.  We also visit Colombia, the only Latin American country where euthanasia is legal and get to know those who have made this ultimate decision during their final days.

Taboo – episode 2 – Epilogue from Sideways Film on Vimeo.

Episode 3 – Runaway

The social stigma around suicide has stopped us speaking about what in many countries is a leading cause of death. We meet with those who have survived suicide attempts, those left behind and the authorities responsible for preventing suicide.

Tabú, Al final la muerte, ep.3 Huida, English subtitled from Sideways Film on Vimeo.

Episode 4 – Return

In this fourth episode we meet with sole-survivors, those caught in horrific accidents or crashes who through pure luck escaped death when all of those around did not.  Mankind has always questioned what happened just before death; what happens in that exact instant before you lose your life. What do you feel when you come back? Does the fear to die disappear when you have stared death in the face?             

Tabú, Al final la muerte, ep.4 Retorno, English subtitled from Sideways Film on Vimeo.

Episode 5 – The End

Professor Antonio Aramayona decides to end his life and leave an unprecedented testimony, as we follow him for the six weeks leading up to his death. Amongst his many friends and former students, shock turns to acceptance. The goodbyes come one after another over meals punctuated by tears and laughter until the inevitable day finally comes.

Tabú, Al final la muerte, ep.5 Fin, English subtitled from Sideways Film on Vimeo.

A Film About Races

We follow Welshman Paul Duddridge as, with the help of some of the world’s greatest writers, thinkers and professors, he pushes aside society’s taboos to find out what “race” really is. Along the way he attempts to solve the Middle East peace crisis, buys hundreds of twinkies and desperately tries to find contestants to join him for a mini-Olympics staged in Los Angeles where teams are split by race rather than nationality.

There is a serious point to the seemingly irreverent approach: if we can’t easily define race, why can it sometimes seem so easy to define racism?

Filmed on location in Los Angeles, Texas, New York, New Jersey, Virginia, Ohio, and the UK – “A Film About Races” is an entertaining exploration of the common myths and misconceptions about race.