In the small Lithuanian town of Rukla, NATO combat troops are training for an emergency. The east-west conflict is real here. While the threat still seems very abstract to some people in the town, others intensively prepare for military conflict. But then the war in Ukraine escalates and a new era begins for everyone.
Lucy and Yulia want to become professional theatre actors. Because of their physical disabilities, they face special challenges. Until recently, no training was available for them. The film takes a sensitive look at their path to professional theatre. They stand up not only for their own rights but also for the fundamental acceptance of difference in theatre and in society.
Fabienne and Kilian Schnydrig and their three children live 1400 metres high up in the village of Mund, in the Swiss canton of Valais. We spend a year filming them and their 50 Blacknose sheep. From the birth of the lambs and their migration to alpine pastures to the annual highlight: the Blacknose Beauty Contest.
Daniel Hope is one of the greatest violinists of our age: an internationally-celebrated star, who is part of the avant-garde of a new, young generation of classical musicians. His biography is a story of an extraordinary career, a story of escape, expulsion and desire for self-discovery.
In the Swiss canton of Zug, a centuries-old craft is cultivated: log rafting. In the mountain forest on the shores of Lake Aegeri, trees are felled every four to five years and then transported across the water. To do this, the massive trunks are tied together and pushed across the lake with the help of motor boats.
In northern Kyrgyzstan, many families are reviving ancestral traditions and bringing herds to graze on mountain pastures during the summer. We find out about the traditional family life of the nomad children and we accompany them to the yurt school, where teacher Jenya introduces them to the modern world and Kyrgyz traditions.
The Mecklenburg Lake Plateau, north of Berlin, is Europe’s largest area of interconnected lakes. Müritz is Germany’s biggest lake located entirely within Germany, the Feldberg lakes are famous for their crystal-clear water, and Tollensesee is considered the region’s most stunning lake. A journey of discovery along Germany’s most beautiful waterways.
The Tatra Mountains in southern Poland are home to the Gorals. A herdsman takes us to his mountain pastures, a folk costume maker offers us an insight into his artistic craft, raftsmen show us an old transport route and Goral women share with us some of their culinary traditions. Will they be the last generation to preserve typical Goral traditions?
Valtellina is one of Italy’s most beautiful but lesser known Alpine regions, characterised by vast granite walls, imposing mountain panoramas and nature reserves, such as the Stelvio glacier. The documentary introduces us to the valley’s natural wonders and the special people who live there.
Much of Venice today is dominated by mass tourism. We discover lesser-known corners of the lagoon city and meet some of “the last Venetians” – long-time residents and craftsmen – an organ tuner, weaver and glassblower – who practice centuries-old trades and thus preserve many of the city’s traditions.
Our oceans are drowning in plastic. Much of this waste ends up in the sea via rivers, including European rivers. This is the sad conclusion film-maker Steffen Krones comes to when he discovers waste from Germany on Norway’s Lofoten Islands. To find out more, Steffen and a friend build a GPS buoy to follow the waste’s journey all the way to the Arctic.
New York saw more cases of Covid-19 than any other city. The virus brought fundamental and drastic changes. In unique images, this film looks back at the first year of the pandemic in New York, exposing the soul of this mythical, complex and beautiful city in one of its most challenging periods.
