CURRENT AFFAIRS

  • SUDAN – A HOSPITAL IN THE SHADOW OF WAR

    SUDAN – A HOSPITAL IN THE SHADOW OF WAR

    Since April 2023, Sudan has been engulfed in civil war. In search of safety, hundreds of thousands have fled to the remote Nuba Mountains, where fighting is less intense. In one of the last functioning hospitals, a surgeon and his team work tirelessly to provide medical care. A snapshot of a conflict that shows no sign of ending.

  • LITHIUM IN EUROPE – CAN A SUSTAINABLE CYCLE BE ACHIEVED?

    LITHIUM IN EUROPE – CAN A SUSTAINABLE CYCLE BE ACHIEVED?

    Lithium is currently mined primarily in South America and Australia – a resource-intensive, environmentally harmful process. Could Europe produce it more sustainably? And how could recycling electric vehicle batteries bring lithium into a circular system? The film explores the technological challenges of creating a closed-loop lithium cycle.

  • CARGO SAILBOATS

    CARGO SAILBOATS

    Shipping aims to be climate-neutral by 2050 – and modern cargo sailboats could be the answer. Powered mainly by wind, a new generation of ships is already successfully testing emission-free transport from Europe to America. Drawing on high-tech innovations from ocean racing and digital weather routing, they are delivering impressive results.

  • ON THE BORDER

    ON THE BORDER

    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.

  • PRESIDENT ERDOGAN, THE MAFIA AND ME

    PRESIDENT ERDOGAN, THE MAFIA AND ME

    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.

  • THE HAMAS SYSTEM

    THE HAMAS SYSTEM

    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.

  • THE NEW ROLE OF THE PHILIPPINES

    THE NEW ROLE OF THE PHILIPPINES

    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?

  • THE RACE FOR RAW MATERIALS

    THE RACE FOR RAW MATERIALS

    The investigative documentary series shows how the race for raw materials creates prosperity and jobs, but simultaneously inflicts harm on people and the environment. Do countries have to abandon their principles for the sake of the energy transition and economy? How can Europe secure resources in future? The film was shot on location in Azerbaijan, China, the US, Chile and Brazil.

  • THE PKK IN EUROPE – FREEDOM FIGHTERS OR TERRORISTS?

    THE PKK IN EUROPE – FREEDOM FIGHTERS OR TERRORISTS?

    Europe has an ambivalent relationship with the PKK, the Kurdistan Workers’ Party – officially a banned terrorist organisation, unofficially an ally in the fight against ISIS. Opponents are wary of legitimising the organisation, echoing the concerns of European security agencies which also classify it as an extremist group. Supporters, however, advocate the abolition of the party ban. What is behind these different perspectives?

  • WHEN WAR CAME TO OUR NEWSROOM

    WHEN WAR CAME TO OUR NEWSROOM

    Mass graves in Mariupol, child abductions to Russia, brutal mercenary troops – journalists from the Ukrainian investigative news project “Schemes” run by Radio Free Europe have spent two years reporting on the war in their country and experiencing it firsthand every day. This series demonstrates the critical role played by their work.

  • RUSSIA VS LAWYERS

    RUSSIA VS LAWYERS

    Civil society and the law system in Russia are under severe pressure from the state. Human rights lawyers have become the last frontier between state violence and society. Mikhail Benyash and a network of like-minded lawyers defend those who dare to speak up. They fight for justice in an increasingly suffocating dictatorship.

  • LONELY OAKS

    LONELY OAKS

    Hambach Forest in Germany was supposed to be cleared to expand an open-cast lignite mine. In 2018, during a large-scale police operation to evict activists occupying the forest, film student Steffen Meyn was killed in a tragic accident. Based on his film footage, we chronicle Steffen’s journey and follow him into the activists’ world.