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Amy
England The 1990s The 2000s The 2010sThe girl behind the name. — A documentary on the life of Amy Winehouse, the immensely talented yet doomed songstress. We see her from her teen years, where she already showed her singing abilities, to her finding success and then her downward spiral into alcoholism and drugs.
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Argentina continues Saura’s lyrical exploration of the essence, talent and patrimony of popular dance and song in both fiction and documentary
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Sonita
🇦🇫 Afghanistan 🇮🇷 Iran 🇺🇸 United States of America The 2000s The 2010sIf 18-year-old Sonita had a say, Michael Jackson and Rihanna would be her parents and she'd be a rapper who tells the story of Afghan women and their fate as child brides. She finds out that her family plans to sell her to an unknown husband for $9,000.
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20,000 Days on Earth
England The 2010sA semi-fictionalized documentary about a day in the life of Australian musician Nick Cave's persona.
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Take Me to the River
TennesseeTake Me to the River is a film about the soul of American music. The film follows the recording of a new album featuring legends from Stax records and Memphis mentoring and passing on their musical magic to stars and artists of today.
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Björk: Biophilia Live
The 2010sFrom a mind unlike any other, Biophilia Live chronicles the multidimensional concert centered on the eighth studio album of avant-garde Icelandic artist Björk. Nick Fenton and Peter Strickland, unique voices in their own right, film Björk live in performance and punctuate her music with evocative animation and science and nature footage. The infinitely creative journey presents a culmination of work that represents one of the most original musical endeavors of a generation.
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My Father And The Man In Black
The 1960sThe story of promoter Saul Holiff's turbulent life and his success making Johnny Cash a superstar.
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A Band Called Death
Michigan The 1970sThis Band was Punk, before Punk was Punk — Before Bad Brains, the Sex Pistols or even the Ramones, there was Death. Formed in the early '70s by three teenage brothers from Detroit, Death is credited as being the first black punk band, and the Hackney brothers, David, Bobby, and Dannis, are now considered pioneers in their field. But it wasn’t until recently — when a dusty 1974 demo tape made its way out of Bobby’s attic nearly 30 years after Death’s heyday — that anyone outside a small group of punk enthusiasts had even heard of them.
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Sound City
CaliforniaThat board. That room. That is Sound City. — The history of Sound City and their huge recording device; exploring how digital change has allowed 'people that have no place' in music to become stars. It follows former Nirvana drummer and Foo Fighter David Grohl as he attempts to resurrect the studio back to former glories.
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20 Feet from Stardom
🇺🇸 United States of America The 2010sMeet the unsung heroes behind the greatest music of our time. — Backup singers live in a world that lies just beyond the spotlight. Their voices bring harmony to the biggest bands in popular music, but we've had no idea who these singers are or what lives they lead, until now.
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Pussy Riot: A Punk Prayer
🇷🇺 Russia The 2010sIn the winter of 2011, after a controversial election, Vladimir Putin was reinstalled as president of Russia. In response, hundreds of thousands of citizens rose up all over the country to challenge the legitimacy of Putin’s rule. Among them were a group of young, radical-feminist punk rockers, better known as Pussy Riot. Wearing colored balaclavas, tights, and summer dresses, they entered Moscow’s most venerated cathedral and dared to sing “Mother Mary, Banish Putin!” Now they have become victims of a “show” trial.
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The Punk Singer
Washington The 1990sA look at the life of activist, musician, and cultural icon Kathleen Hanna, who formed the punk band Bikini Kill and pioneered the "riot grrrl" movement of the 1990s.
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Grateful Dead: Sunshine Daydream
Oregon The 1970sSunshine Daydream is a concert film starring the Grateful Dead. On a blistering summer day in 1972, the Grateful Dead took the stage on the grounds of the Oregon Country Fair in Veneta, Oregon. for what would become one of the most legendary concerts of the band’s storied history. Considered to be the Merry Pranksters last "Acid Test", the concert offers a snapshot of the band at the peak of its playing prowess. The setlist that day included memorable performance of "Sugaree, " "Deal, " "Black-Throated Wind, " "Greatest Story Ever Told, " "Bird Song" and a mind-melting version of "Dark Star" that stretches over 30 minutes. The show, which was recorded and filmed but never released, has since become the most-requested live show in Grateful Dead history. A digitally remastered and reedited official version of the film was released on DVD and Blu-ray on September 17, 2013.
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A Spell to Ward Off the Darkness
🇳🇴 Norway 🇫🇮 Finland 🇪🇪 Estonia The 2010sA man at three disparate moments in his life: as a member of a fifteen-person collective on a small Estonian island, alone in the wilderness of Northern Finland and as the singer of a neo-pagan black metal band in Norway. Three moments for a radical proposition for the creation of utopia in the present.
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The Doors: Live at the Bowl '68
The 1960sA concert video that captures legendary rock 'n' roll band The Doors at the height of the group's powers. Filmed live at the Hollywood Bowl in the summer of 1968, Jim Morrison and the band perform an extended version of "Light My Fire," plus ten of their other most love songs, taking a standing room only audience on an aural journey of mystical worlds and psychedelic experiences.
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Searching for Sugar Man
🇿🇦 South Africa Michigan The 1990sGreat Art Always Survives — Two South Africans set out to discover what happened to their unlikely musical hero, the mysterious 1970s rock 'n' roller, Rodriguez. The film won Best Documentary at the 85th Academy Awards.
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Neil Young Journeys
Ontario The 2010sIn May of 2011, Neil Young drove a 1956 Crown Victoria from his idyllic hometown of Omemee, Ontario to downtown Toronto's iconic Massey Hall where he intimately performed the last two nights of his solo world tour. Along the drive, Young recounted insightful and introspective stories from his youth to filmmaker Jonathan Demme. Through the tunes and the tales, Demme portrays a personal, retrospective look into the heart and soul of the artist.
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Reincarnated
🇯🇲 JamaicaEvolution as an artist is often times what separates legends from the more mundane. After being heavily influenced by his experience in Jamaica – and his subsequent name change from Snoop Dogg to Snoop Lion – the LBC showman prepares his latest reggae-infused album Reincarnated. As part of the process, VICE followed Snoop to the island nation as he recorded various songs with backing from Diplo, Ariel Reichtshaid and Dre Skull of Major Lazer. Having grown tired of what rap provided him, the documentary reveals the rebirth and inspiration for his latest project.
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The Sound of Belgium
🇧🇪 Belgium The 1980sA chronicle of unique popular music, The Sound of Belgium goes in search of the spirit of a nation and the people that danced to it. — In the late 1980s, the Belgian electronic New Beat music movement conquered dance floors worldwide, and all of a sudden Belgium was on the map. This eclectic predecessor of house music appeared to materialize out of nothing, but according to the makers of The Sound of Belgium, it was the product of a historical search for identity that apparently went back to the Battle of Waterloo and the aftermath of the First World War.
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David Byrne: Ride, Rise, Roar
New York Virginia California Scotland England The 2000s The 2010sDavid Byrne is a visual artist as well as a musician, and ever since his early days as a member of Talking Heads, he's wanted his concerts to be more than just a static performance. In 1984, Byrne and filmmaker Jonathan Demme redefined the boundaries of the concert film with the Talking Heads documentary STOP MAKING SENSE, and more than 25 years later Byrne has teamed up with David Hillman to create RIDE, RISE, ROAR, which documents Byrne's 2008-2009 concert tour, in which he performs new material written in collaboration with Brian Eno as well as favorites from his solo career as well as his tenure in Talking Heads. Using costumes and inventive choreography, Byrne and his musicians and dancers give his music a stage presentation as exciting as the music.
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Glee: The Concert Movie
New Jersey The 2010sA concert documentary shot during the Glee Live! In Concert! summer 2011 tour, featuring song performances and Glee fans' life stories and how the show influenced them.
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The Other F Word
The 2000sSometimes a little anarchy can be a life-changing experience. — What happens when a generation's ultimate anti-authoritarians — punk rockers — become society's ultimate authorities — dad's? With a large chorus of Punk Rock's leading men — Blink-182's Mark Hoppus, Red Hot Chili Peppers' Flea, Rise Against's Tim McIlrath — The Other F Word follows Jim Lindberg, 20-year veteran of skate punk band, Pennywise, on his hysterical and moving journey from belting his band's anthem, 'Fuck Authority', to embracing his ultimately pivotal authoritarian role in mid-life, fatherhood.
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Mayday 3DNA
Guangdong Province Shanghai The 2010sDream a Dream inside the Dream... — Billed as a "concept film" MAYDAY 3DNA combines play from the group's DNA concert tour in Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore and China 2010 and interweaves that with three fictional stories. The fictional sequences include a vignette about a Guangzhou father and daughter; another about a Taiwan taxi driver and passenger; and a third about a Shanghai delivery boy. All are affected by the lure of a Mayday gathering and the three separate stories intersect at one particular Mayday concert in Shanghai. Established in Taiwan in the late 1990s, Mayday has remained popular for over a decade by tuning into a Taiwan youth beat and pushing rock music in Greater China. Most songs are performed in Mandarin with some Taiwanese Hokkien tracks by band.
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Kinshasa Symphony
🇨🇩 Congo Democratic Republic of theThe Film "Kinshasa Symphony" shows how people living in one of the most chaotic cities in the world have managed to forge one of the most complex systems of human cooperation ever invented: a symphony orchestra. It is a film about the Congo, about the people of Kinshasa and about music.
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Afghan Star
🇦🇫 Afghanistan The 2000sThis documentary on the effect the talent competition "Afghan Star" has on the incredibly diverse inhabitants of Afghanistan affords a glimpse into a country rarely seen. Contestants risk their lives to appear on the television show that is a raging success with the public and also monitored closely by the government.
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Patti Smith: Dream of Life
Michigan New York The 1970s The 1980s The 1990sAn intimate portrait of poet, painter, musician and singer Patti Smith that mirrors the essence of the artist herself.
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Soul Power
🇨🇩 Congo Democratic Republic of the The 1970sThe greatest music festival that you have never seen. — Soul Power is a 2008 documentary film about the Zaire 74 music festival in Kinshasa which accompanied the Rumble in the Jungle heavyweight boxing championship match between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman in October 1974. The film was made from archival footage; other footage shot at the time focusing on the fight was edited to form the film When We Were Kings.
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Until the Light Takes Us
🇳🇴 Norway The 1980s The 1990sChronicles the history, ideology and aesthetic of Norwegian black metal, a musical subculture infamous as much for a series of murders and church arsons as it is for its unique musical and visual aesthetics. This is the first film to truly shed light on a movement that has heretofore been shrouded by rumor and obscured by inaccurate and shallow depictions. Featuring exclusive interviews with the musicians themselves, Until the Light Takes Us explores every aspect of the controversial movement that has captured the attention of the world.
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The Wrecking Crew
California The 1960s The 1970sThere was one band behind them all... — A celebration of the musical work of a group of session musicians known as "The Wrecking Crew", a band that provided back-up instrumentals to such legendary recording artists as Frank Sinatra, The Beach Boys and Bing Crosby.
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War Dance
🇺🇬 Uganda The 2000sThe war stole everything, except their music. — Three children living in a displacement camp in northern Uganda compete in their country's national music and dance festival.
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Documentary about rock pioneer Roky Erickson, detailing his rise as a psychedelic hero, his lengthy institutionalization, his descent into poverty and filth, and his brother's struggle with their religious mother to improve Roky's care.
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U2 3D
🇦🇷 ArgentinaHear See Experience — A 3-D presentation of U2's global "Vertigo" tour. Shot at seven different shows, this production employs the greatest number of 3-D cameras ever used for a single project.
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The Last 48 Hours of Kurt Cobain
The 1990sThe week before Kurt Cobain was found dead from a single gunshot, he went missing. His whereabouts for that week has remained a mystery until now. But for the first time, the story of what happened to him can now be told, using the testimony of people who knew him, the witnesses who saw him in that last week and the ordinary people who found themselves written into his story that as one puts it, 'would have been a keystone cops comedy were it not to have ended in such tragedy.
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41
Rhode Island The 2000sOn February 20, 2003, the 4th largest nightclub fire in American history claimed the lives of 100 people. This film is about 1 of them. — In the winter of 2003, a catastrophic fire erupted in a Rhode Island concert club, ultimately claiming 100 lives. For this state of just over a million residents, the devastation was profound, leaving unanswered questions and deep scars in its wake. But out of the ashes of the tragedy arose an equally profound story of hope. One year after the fire, a community theatre in the small city of Woonsocket gathered together to perform a play written by the fire's youngest victim close to the end of his life - a play that many felt could only be described as prophetic. "41" tells the story of Nicky O'Neill, the young actor, writer and musician who left the world at age 18 but who left behind a message. "41" weaves together the story of a life cut short, the saga of a community in mourning, and a family finding its way out of the darkness.
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The Last Days of Left Eye
The 2000sLisa 'Left Eye' Lopes was the hip-hop voice of TLC, the best selling female R&B group of all time. On March 30th, 2002, Lisa decided to document her life. She filmed at a mysterious spiritual retreat deep in the jungles of Honduras, but 26 days later, after a tragic accident, she was dead and her unedited tapes were left behind. Last Days of Left Eye is the re-imagining of the film Lisa never got to complete. Revealing private moments from Lisa's journals and home movies, along with highlights from her celebrated career, this film is an intimate journey into the soul of a talented and still provocative young artist. Directed by Lauren Lazin, Academy Award nominated director of Tupac: Resurrection (2005, Best Documentary Feature), Last Days of Left Eye has screened to sold-out audiences at film festivals around the world.
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The Devil and Daniel Johnston
Texas The 1980s The 1990s The 2000sThis 2005 documentary film chronicles the life of Daniel Johnston, a manic-depressive genius singer/songwriter/artist, from childhood up to the present, with an emphasis on his mental illness and how it manifested itself in demonic self-obsession.
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American Hardcore
🇺🇸 United States of America The 1970s The 1980sThe History of American Punk Rock 1980-1986 — Inspired by Steven Blush's book "American Hardcore: A tribal history" Paul Rachman's feature documentary debut is a chronicle of the underground hardcore punk years from 1979 to 1986. Interviews and rare live footage from artists such as Black Flag, Bad Brains, Minor Threat, SS Decontrol and the Dead Kennedys.
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Kurt Cobain: About a Son
The 1990sKurt Cobain in his own words. — An intimate and moving meditation on the late musician and artist Kurt Cobain, based on more than 25 hours of previously unheard audiotaped interviews conducted with Cobain by noted music journalist Michael Azerrad for his book "Come As You Are: The Story of Nirvana." In the film, Kurt Cobain recounts his own life - from his childhood and adolescence to his days of musical discovery and later dealings with explosive fame - and offers often piercing insights into his life, music, and times. The conversations heard in the film have never before been made public and they reveal a highly personal portrait of an artist much discussed but not particularly well understood. Written by AJ Schnack
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Stewart Copeland, drummer for The Police, compiles his Super 8 footage for an intimate look at what it was like to be a member of one of the world's biggest rock bands.
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Batuque, the Soul of a People
🇨🇻 Cabo VerdeIn 1462, the first African slaves were settled on the island of Cape Verde brought by the Portuguese colons. It is supposed that they were the first inhabitants of the archipelagos. They carried with them the rhythms and the seeds of what became the BATUQUE: a music form, performed mostly by women, both singers and dancers. The singers, repeat very strong lyrics, sitting in a circle and beating the rhythms with their hands on a piece of cloth between their legs. While one woman performs a very sensual dance with her hips in the middle of the circle. During the colonial era, it has been strongly forbidden but it remained alive in clandestinity. The group Raiz de Tambarina, one of the oldest groups of Batuque on Santiago island, is composed of ordinary people, saleswomen, fish merchants, drivers... Through their every day life and performances we discover Cape Verde today and their passion for the Batuque.
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Award-winning director Fatih Akin takes us on a journey through Istanbul, the city that bridges Europe and Asia, and challenges familiar notions of east and west. He looks at the vibrant musical scene which includes traditional Turkish music plus rock and hip-hop.
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12 Tangos - Adios Buenos Aires
🇦🇷 Argentina -
Mahaleo
🇲🇬 MadagascarMahaleos voices and music have accompanied the people of Madagascar ever since the collapse of the colonial regime. Yet, even after 30 years of success, the groups seven musicians still keep their distance from the world of show-business, and remain deeply committed to helping their countrys development; their professions range from surgeon to farmer, physician to sociologist and member of parliament. Accompanied by the groups rhythmic melodies, the film follows the singers through their daily lives, giving us a glimpse of the far-reaching social and economic problems of the Malagasy people. The combined talents of the Brazilian, Cesar Paes, and the Malagasy, Raymond Rajaonarivelo, have produced a work that is both ethereal and concrete, poetic and political.
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Dig!
California Oregon The 1990s The 2000sA documentary on the once promising American rock bands The Brian Jonestown Massacre and The Dandy Warhols. The friendship between respective founders, Anton Newcombe and Courtney Taylor, escalated into bitter rivalry as the Dandy Warhols garnered major international success while the Brian Jonestown Massacre imploded in a haze of drugs.
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Fade to Black
New YorkThe ultimate concert. Now the ultimate movie. — An intimate look at hip-hop artist Shawn Carter, Jay-Z, revealing the multiple Grammy Award winning artist as never before, from his background and rise to fame to the recording of his last album. The film chronicles the legendary concert of Jay-Z's performance at Madison Square Garden in November 2003. In an unprecedented event, a hip-hop artist sold out an arena in only two hours. Nearly one year later, fans and artists alike still reflect on this monumental musical night. The event was a spectacular culmination of Jay-Z's recording career prior to his self-proclaimed retirement from solo performing. Yet this one night also defined a musical generation, showcasing the evolution and reach of the world's most popular music genre. Guest performers included Jay-Z's closest friends and music industry colleagues: Beyoncé, Mary J. Blige, Missy Elliott, R. Kelly, Foxy Brown, Pharrell, and Questlove and The Illadelphonics along with appearances by hip hop icons Damon Dash.
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Concert for George
England The 2000sAs a memorial to George Harrison on the first anniversary of his passing, The Concert for George was held at the Royal Albert Hall in London on 29 November 2002 . Organized by Harrison's widow, Olivia, and son, Dhani, and arranged under the musical direction of Eric Clapton and Jeff Lynne. A benefit for Harrison's Material World Charitable Foundation, the all-star concert took place on the day of the first anniversary of his death. Proceeds from the film also went to the Material World Charitable Foundation. The film was shot using discreet cameras from over twelve locations.
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The Road to Memphis
Tennessee KentuckyBlues — Director Richard Pearce (The Long Walk Home, Leap of Faith, A Family Thing) traces the musical odyssey of blues legend B.B. King in a film that pays tribute to the city that gave birth to a new style of blues. Pearce's homage to Memphis features original performances by B.B. King, Bobby Rush, Rosco Gordon and Ike Turner, as well as historical footage of Howlin' Wolf and Rufus Thomas.
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Bouncing Souls: Do You Remember?
New Jersey The 1980s The 1990s The 2000sFifteen Years Of The Bouncing Souls — Packed with features, this program explores the history and music of enduring punk band the Bouncing Souls, whose members have weathered many a personal and professional storm since forming the group in 1987. Realizing the dream, they've subsequently played with many of their idols, including Fugazi, Bad Brains, Green Day, the Descendents and the Ramones.
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Buena Vista Social Club
🇨🇺 Cuba 🇳🇱 Netherlands New York The 1990sIn Havana, music isn't a pastime, it's a way of life. — In this fascinating Oscar-nominated documentary, American guitarist Ry Cooder brings together a group of legendary Cuban folk musicians (some in their 90s) to record a Grammy-winning CD in their native city of Havana. The result is a spectacular compilation of concert footage from the group's gigs in Amsterdam and New York City's famed Carnegie Hall, with director Wim Wenders capturing not only the music -- but also the musicians' life stories.
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Genghis Blues
🇲🇳 Mongolia The 1990sBlind blues musician Paul Pena is perhaps best known for his song "Jet Airliner". In 1993, Pena heard Tuvan throat singing over his shortwave radio and subsequently taught himself how to reproduce these extraordinary sounds. This documentary follows him to Tuva, where he takes part in a throat singing competition.
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