Every autumn, fishermen and women venture into the icy waters off Belgium’s North Sea coast on strong draft horses to fish for shrimp. This cultural practice, over 500 years old, was designated a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2013. We follow a group of shrimpers as they go about their daily routines.
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Since the COVID pandemic, the immune system has become a focal point of medical research. What is the immune system? How can we boost it? Under what circumstances does it fail? How can it help cure diseases like cancer? This scientific film features fascinating examples, interviews with international experts and graphic explanations.
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They are refuges for animals and humans, have aesthetic value and are the source of numerous myths and legends: Europe’s great lakes. From Finland to the Anatolia, we learn more about the special features of European lakes and their importance for the ecosystem. Many of these habitats are at risk. What strategies are there to preserve these bodies of water?
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UNESCO is celebrating the 50th anniversary of its World Heritage Convention. The Convention’s mission is to preserve the world’s most beautiful and valuable buildings, cultural landscapes, monuments and areas of natural beauty for future generations. We introduce four World Heritage Sites in Europe: Arles, Aachen Cathedral, Tallinn and the Amalfi Coast.
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Nothing captivates the diversity of a city’s people and culture as vividly as its underground railway. In Berlin, Prague, Naples, Paris and Vienna, we meet ordinary passengers as well as artists, historians and underground staff. They show us the familiar and beloved, but also the lesser-known and less popular sides of their underground systems.
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Since the summer of 2020, boats sailing along the Atlantic coast from the Strait of Gibraltar to the Bay of Biscay in the north have been repeatedly attacked by orcas. The whales specfically target and destroy the boats’ rudders. Researchers want to understand what drives the orcas. Curiosity? Competition for food? Or is it all a game?
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What was motherhood like in prehistoric times? Recent archaeological findings prove that the cooperative support of mothers within a community became a successful reproductive strategy. This scientific film also offers insights into evolutionary biology by examining the communal way young white-tufted marmosets are reared.
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Tensions in the South Pacific are bringing the Philippines back onto the big geopolitical stage. The fact that the island state is riven by major internal political tensions makes the situation even more fragile. What do China and the US hope to achieve and which of the two nations will assert itself in this geopolitical struggle?
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Germany, November 1992: a racist arson attack shatters the lives of İbrahim Arslan and his family. Three members of the family die in the fire. 30 years later, İbrahim discovers thousands of forgotten letters of solidarity. We follow the family as they confront their trauma, shedding light on the treatment of victims of racist violence and their struggle for a new culture of remembrance.
American psychologist Elisabeth Loftus is world-renowned for her research on the unreliability of human memory. Based on a series of high-profile US court cases in which she regularly serves as an expert for the defence, Memory Wars highlights the tension between truth and justice. In the age of “fake news”, her scientific expertise is more in demand than ever – and no less controversial.
The EU wanted to make the desert city of Agadez its security anchor in the Sahel region. But after 12 years all Western military and civilian organizations are forced to leave Niger. Three inhabitants of the historic desert town of Agadez recount how the international migration crisis and the interventions of the EU, USA and Turkey have changed their lives over a period of five years.
Thomas Riedelsheimer’s Tracing Light explores that most fascinating and significant of natural phenomena – light. Light, seen only in interaction with matter, is the subject of collaboration among artists, physicists and nature itself, to develop artworks – and explore the secrets of the universe and the ineffable nature of light itself.
Fourteen-year-old Qui Che lives with his grandparents in a remote village in Yunan while his mother works in the city to support the family. After his father’s death, he was separated from his brothers and has grown up under difficult circumstances. He loves music and dreams of becoming a singer but struggles with academic pressure and his mother’s absence.
The tragicomic odyssey of Rocco and Angelo, two friends navigating the challenges of adulthood in their late thirties. Torn between personal desires and societal expectations, their journey reveals the deep-rooted impact of patriarchy on their lives and the struggles faced by a new generation of young men.
The singer Googoosh was a cult figure and pop icon in Iran in the 1960s and 70s who rose to international fame. Put under house arrest after the revolution, her career lay dormant for more than 20 years before her astonishing comeback in 2000. Her moving story makes her a voice of resistance and a symbol of hope.
Petra Kelly was one of the most influential political figures of the 20th century. She fought for a world without weapons and nuclear energy, for a society at one with nature. She was co-founder of Germany’s Green Party – the first green party to find success. In 1992, She was murdered aged just 44. The issues she addressed are today more topical than ever before.
In spring 2021, people across Turkey were captivated by a series of YouTube videos in which former mafia boss Sedat Peker exposed links between the Erdogan government and organised crime. Can Dündar, an investigative journalist – himself an exile in Germany since 2016 – examines Peker’s allegations and explores their implications for Turkey.
Whether chickens, sheep or spectacled bears – the 1950s ushered in a unique era for animals in East Germany. The young republic sought not only to shape the ideal socialist citizen but also to integrate animals into its broader vision. As industrial farming became the norm, traditional pets, such as dogs and cats, were dismissed as ‘useless’.
The terrorist attack on Israel on 7 October 2023 has changed the world. What are Hamas’ ultimate objectives? Terrorism researchers, ethnologists and witnesses examine the evolution of the “Hamas system”, from its foundation in 1987 to the present day, shedding light on the organisation’s ideological roots and totalitarian ambitions.
Origin follows the rehearsals of a puppet play presented by amateur puppeteers. The film showcases the age-old tradition of puppet-making while addressing the pressing issues of our time – climate change, flight, water shortages – and highlights the personal challenges faced by the puppeteers.
