New Releases

  • DRINKING WATER – ARE SOURCES DRYING UP?

    Our blue planet is running out of drinking water. Researchers around the world are trying to find ways to save drinking water. New technologies, ideas inspired by nature and prehistoric knowledge give us hope. The journey takes us from Swiss alpine glaciers and the seabed off Malta to Peru, where Incan knowledge about water is being rediscovered.

  • PERSIAN SILK – REDISCOVERING AN ANCIENT ART

    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.

  • SWITZERLAND AT NIGHT

    Switzerland at night is fascinating and anything but dark. And lots of people are still awake. On our journey from dusk to dawn, we take viewers on helicopter and drone flights from the Engadin to Lake Geneva, and we visit people still out and about deep into the night.

  • THE DARK SIDE OF ALGORITHMS

    Algorithms decide whether we are creditworthy, entitled to social welfare and which partner is the right one for us. But what happens if algorithms make mistakes? We tell the stories of people whose lives have been turned upside down after algorithms misjudged their situations. Who is responsible if AI turns out to be a curse rather than a blessing?

  • NOTO – A GARDEN OF STONE

    In 1693, a huge earthquake destroyed the city of Noto in south-eastern Sicily. The decades that followed saw the emergence on a new site of a unique Baroque city influenced by styles from all over Europe. Five citizens of Noto introduce us to the city’s artistic and cultural treasures and take us to the origins of the “barocco siciliano”.

  • HAO ARE YOU

    His mother blames communism, his uncle an inheritance dispute, the others remain silent. Film director Dieu Hao Do examines his fragmented family, which has scattered across three continents since the Vietnam War. Is communism to blame for their estrangement?

  • AFRICAN STYLES

    Africa’s fashion avant-garde is diverse and thriving. In the continent’s major cities as well as in the African diaspora, creatives are setting trends with provocative, visionary designs and transforming the world’s often clichéd perception of Africa. Eight exciting designers offer us a glimpse of the creations of tomorrow!

  • DYSLEXIA – A NEW PERSPECTIVE

    Dyslexia is a complex condition whose causes are still not fully understood. At least 5% of all children and adolescents worldwide have difficulty reading and spelling. This film looks at the psychologically stressful situation these children face. It showcases success stories and finds out how researchers are searching for causes and treatments.

  • RASTA GRACIE AND JAMAICA’S HEALERS

    Gracie and her Rasta friends, Quaco and Robert, live in eastern Jamaica, at the foot of the Blue Mountains. Gracie sells bananas and coconuts and loves to rap. She wants to build a store next to her house to support herself and her daughters. Gracie’s friends are healers. When the moon is waxing, they search for a root that only grows in the dense forest undergrowth.

  • CITY OF STEEL – AN ENVIRONMENTAL DISASTER MADE IN ITALY

    Taranto in southern Italy is home to Europe’s largest steelworks. Studies show that emissions of toxic substances such as dioxin and benzopyrene are the cause of disproportionately high rates of cancer in the region. The government in Rome has known about this for years, yet steel production continues. How is this possible?

  • MEGADROUGHT – HOW THE AMERICAN WEST IS HEADING FOR DISASTER

    An investigative journey to the American west, which is increasingly threatened by water scarcity. Scientific data shows that this region is drying out, with devastating consequences for communities and the environment. Conflicts of biblical proportions are already emerging – defined by the struggle for our most precious resource.

  • DEFENDER OF THE FAITH

    A story about a man who dedicated his life to preserving the Church but instead led it into its greatest crisis: Pope Benedict XVI. After the worldwide sexual abuse scandal became public, Benedict resigned in 2013. An analysis of the failings of an institution that believes in absolute truth as it struggles to come to terms with modern democratic society.