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.
Detroit in the US Rust Belt and Bochum in Germany’s industrial Ruhr region – as different as these two cities may be, both have been significantly shaped by the automotive industry. Following the end of the industrial age, these regions are undergoing fundamental changes and the people on both sides of the Atlantic are in search of a new identity.
This journey takes us from South Tyrol via Piedmont, Tuscany, Sicily and Campania, to the southernmost tip of mainland Italy, to Apulia. Far from bustling tourist hotspots, we look at the soul of Italy: each episode is a culinary voyage of discovery that takes us to our protagonists’ most sacred place: their kitchens.
On the vast plains of Kyrgyzstan, men have been practising the team sport of buzkashi, for centuries. The aim of the game is to steal the trophy of a dead goat from the rival team of riders while staying on horseback. Into this tough masculine world enters Atirkül, a woman with an enterprising spirit. Her ambition is to find local men to form her own team.
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 2013, the young journalist Eric Lembembe was tortured and beaten to death in Cameroon. He fought for the recognition of the rights of homosexuals. Shocked by the brutal murder, the film-maker returns to his home country. While he examines his own homophobic upbringing, the film reveals that Lembembe’s murder as no isolated case.
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.
Six-year-old Nila is the product of a temporary marriage, which allows a man in Iran to be married to a woman for a pre-determined time. Children born out of these relationships do not legally exist and cannot attend school. In a system that prioritises men’s rights over women’s, Nila’s mother Leyla fights relentlessly to win custody of her daughter and secure her future.
Marine biologist Hans Hass was one of the inventors of underwater photography in the 1940s. His spectacular photos introduced the underwater world to a wide audience for the first time. How did this young Austrian start a groundbreaking career as a diver, film-maker and zoologist – despite all the adversities of the World War II?
Breathtaking canyons, lakes, rivers and landforms with captivating fauna and flora: from the Tatra Mountains via the Dordogne to the Danube Delta, this series explores extraordinary, still unspoilt corners of Europe. Because of their biodiversity, many are already protected as national parks, UNESCO World Natural Heritage Sites or biosphere reserves.
Sara Mardini, once a competitive swimmer in Syria, became Europe’s most celebrated refugee after saving 18 people’s lives. After working as a rescue volunteer in the Mediterranean, she is accused of people smuggling and faces a 25-year prison sentence. We follow her fight for justice and journey of self-discovery against the backdrop of Europe’s refugee ‘crisis’.
An artist couple from Tehran has made it their mission to revitalise the traditional Iranian art of weaving to save Persian patterns from being forgotten. A journey through the history and art of silk production in Iran, from silkworm cocoon to finished woven fabric – a living testimony to Iran’s cultural diversity.
