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Investigative documentary series, geopolitical analysis, and international commentary

Politics and society

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Russia pulls its troops out of key Ukrainian city Kherson, but then launches a volley of missile strikes across the country. Across Europe, cities are rolling out cycling schemes to persuade people to switch cars for bikes. In culture, we browse the racks of Spanish costume designer Peris Costumes, behind some of the best costumes in TV and film.

News from ARTE every Saturday.

Ukraine celebrates the liberation of Kherson. European cities roll out bike schemes to encourage citizens to cycle.

ARTE Europe Weekly

Current Highlights

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On 24 February, Russian armed forces invaded Ukraine. We follow the war day by day and provide background information with special insights, reports and documentaries.

War in Ukraine

How do our neighbours in Europe see the pressing social issues of our time? Which of today's problems and challenges concern them the most, and how do they deal with them? Five partners, five languages and one joint project: The European Collection. ARTE joins forces with Germany's ARD and ZDF, France Télévisions and Switzerland's SRG SSR to offer a selection of documentaries and reports on European current affairs and the issues driving our politics and society.

The view of our European neighbours on current political and social issues in Europe.

The European Collection

Many of these journalists didn't expect to become war reporters. But then their homeland became a conflict zone. As armies picked up guns, they picked up their cameras.

A look at daily life in Ukraine, as filmed by Ukrainian journalists

Dispatches From Ukraine: Local Journalists Report

Chinese people make do without Google, Facebook, Youtube, Twitter. Instead, the regime has built its own online offer. How is this Chinese internet structured and what does it mean for democracy and debate?

How is this Chinese internet structured and what does it mean for democracy and debate? 

Internet Made in China

Regular bite-sized shorts focusing on different aspects of the war in Ukraine from a geopolitical perspective.

Mapping the World Essentials - War in Ukraine

Our web-series explores the lives of women in Tunisia, Morocco, Egypt, Lebanon, Syria and the United Arab Emirates. We ask how the Arab Spring changed their societies and their roles.

Ten years on from the Arab Spring, Arab women reflect on how their lives have changed

Women of the Arab Spring

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In the Netherlands, drug trafficking gangs force farmers to give them access to their barns. The buildings are turned into illegal ecstasy and methamphetamine laboratories, pumping out drugs to sell on the European market. The waste from these labs often ends up just being dumped into the countryside, causing widespread ecological damage. The gangs are powerful and at times brazen. Police and local authorities know that cracking down on the trade puts them in the traffickers' crosshairs.

Dutch Drug Gangs

Drug gangs in the Netherlands are powerful and have been terrorising rural communities.

Re: Ecstasy for Europe

In August 2022, a painting with the French title "Théâtre d'opéra spatial"  won first prize at the Colorado State Fair. It caused a stir as it was created using AI software. The World in Images analyses the issue of authorship of the work with its creator Jason Allen and art historian Paul Ardenne.

Artworks and Artificial Intelligence

In August 2022, a painting made with AI software won first prize at the Colorado State Fair.

The World in Images

Jackson, a poor city in the southern United States, is in an extended state of emergency over its water crisis. Either there is no water, or the water is at low pressure or dirty. Residents have been told to boil it before drinking. For many, this latest scandal feels like the last straw. The economy is dying, shops are closing, and young graduates move to other cities. Local politics meanwhile is increasingly divided.

ARTE Reportage

Jackson, a poor city in the southern United States, is in an extended state of emergency over water shortages.

Jackson: A City in Crisis

Israel Kaunatjike, a Herero descendant, campaigns for the rights of his people. This indigenous group was decimated by German colonial troops over a century ago. He lives in Berlin, but is returning to Namibia on a mission to reckon with his country's painful past. He goes to Swakopmund, a seaside resort with a strong Germanic influence, where Hereros from all over the country gather to commemorate what they say was a genocide waged against their people.

Israel Kaunatjike is a Herero, a people decimated by German troops over a century ago.

Re: German Colonialism in Namibia

Russia is turning to Buryatia in Siberia to provide a steady stream of men for its war on Ukraine. Enlisted by force, many Buryats are sent to the frontline and die on the battlefield. As locals slowly turn against the war, Russian authorities crack down on any signs of dissent.

ARTE Regards

Russia conscripts Buryat men and is sending them to die on the frontline in Ukraine.

Soldiers from Siberia

There are only six facilities in all of Europe where students can learn circus arts. Ika has decided to sign on for a further two years. She can already do handstands and a variety of graceful shapes with her body, but wants to become a certified "artist".

There are only six facilities in Europe where students can learn circus arts.

Apprentice Acrobats

It's big business: in summer, hundreds of kilos of mushrooms are illegally picked every day in Romanian forests. They are then transported to Italy by intermediaries where they are sold at astronomical prices. Romanian authorities do nothing as the forests are looted unsustainably for their grey gold.

It's big business: in summer, hundreds of kilos of mushrooms are illegally picked every day in Romanian forests

Re: Truffle Traffick in Romania

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Investigation and reports

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Zwar sind andere Instrumente weniger sperrig, unumgänglich ist das Klavier aber nicht nur aus Platzgründen: Der imposante Flügel erfüllt den Raum dank Saiten und Hämmern mit klassischem Charme. Ob allein oder in Begleitung eines Orchesters: Entdecken Sie große Klassiker genauso wie Stücke der Gegenwart am klangvollen Klavier – in unserer Piano-Playlist.

Stories from across the continent

Video reports from European broadcasters including Germany’s BR, Belgium’s RTBF, Ireland's RTÉ, Portugal’s RTP, Swissinfo and more.

A European Perspective

ERB Event Zone

Europe as a source of inspiration: Meeting artists from across the continent whose works spring from Europe’s cultural diversity.

Europe of Artists

Saype is a graffiti artist with a difference. He doesn't spray his works on walls but in fields and on grass, using his own biodegradable paint. His huge works of art are best appreciated by drone, where the true scale is revealed. 

Gymnastics

Saype, Green-Fingered Graffitti Artist

For the last 50 years, German artist Christina Kubisch has been obsessed with the sounds of everyday life.

Christina Kubisch - Sound Artist

The American director Peter Sellars was invited to the Salzburg Festival. For the 2017 edition he staged The Clemency of Titus by Mozart.

Carte Blanche to Peter Sellars

Square Artiste: Peter Sellars

Mariusz would never have become the artist he is now if Poland had not joined the European Union. He now creates striking murals in cities all over the world.

Mariusz Waras, Street Artist

French writer Emmanuel Ruben is a bicycle enthusiast. Writing about his cycle from west to east following Europe’s longest river, the Danube, Ruben reflects on Europe and migration.

Rewriting Europe Along the Danube

Through the eyes of artists

Mapping the World turns towards Qatar, the small gulf state that is hosting the World Cup 2022. One of the richest countries on the planet due to vast oil and gas deposits, Qatar has invested heavily in soft power projects such as education and communication.

Mapping the World

Mapping the World turns to Qatar, the small gulf state that is hosting the World Cup 2022. 

Qatar, World Cup Host

The Balkans continue to be torn between West and East in politics, culture and religion. Mapping the World focuses on one of Europe’s most diverse regions.

The Balkans - Between East and West

Rishi Sunak comes to Number Ten during a time of great economic, social and geopolitical upheaval. He replaces Liz Truss, whose time in office can't even be measured in months, let alone years. It was her slash and burn approach to taxation, without a plan to fund those cuts, that rocked financial markets and sent the cost of borrowing for normal British people soaring. Mapping the World recaps the many problems Sunak will have to tackle. 

Rishi Sunak: A New PM

Rishi Sunak comes to Number Ten during a time of great economic, social and geopolitical upheaval.

Mapping the World Essentials

Across Europe far-right parties are making significant gains at elections. A focus on Sweden, Italy, Germany and France and the strategies of the far-right parties to present themselves as ‘normal’.

The Normalisation of the Far Right

Climate change, the Covid pandemic and war brings into sharp focus the precariousness of the global food system. The war in Ukraine threatens the food security of many countries that rely on Kyiv as their main source of wheat.

Climate change, the Covid pandemic and war in Ukraine brings into sharp focus how important food supplies are.

The Power of Grain

Liz Truss becomes prime minister at a difficult time for the United Kingdom: The aftermath of the pandemic, Brexit problems, the war in Ukraine and the energy crisis. Where will she lead Britain?

New British PM: Liz Truss

80% of Sri Lanka doesn't have enough to eat due to severe shortages. The country is collapsing under the weight of a huge amount of debt it owes to China and India. In power for nearly 20 years, the Rajapaksa clan fled, threatened by its people. The political dynasty had long ignored the warnings of economists, refused IMF aid, and implemented surprising measures that have contributed to emptying state coffers and impoverished farmers. Deprived of tourism for 3 years due to the Covid pandemic, Sri Lanka is struggling to recover. We take stock with Bhavani Fonseka, Sri Lankan human rights lawyer.

Sri Lanka's state coffers are empty and many people go hungry.

Sri Lanka in Crisis

Insights

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Нападение России на Украину повергло Европу в шок и пролило свет на хрупкое положение независимых СМИ в России. Кроме видеоконтента на украинском, ARTE предлагает подборку материалов на русском языке, освещающих ужасные события в Украине, а также культурные программы и концерты солидарности с Украиной со всего мира. (ARTE is offering content in Russian).

ARTE in Russian

Помимо видеоконтента на украинском, ARTE предлагает подборку материалов на русском языке, освящающих ужасные событиям в Украине, а также культурные программы и концерты солидарности с Украиной со всего мира.

ARTE на русском 

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Kids

Artist Cláudia Varejão invites the viewer to discover couples of many kinds: Twin sisters, a dog and its master, lovers who look amazingly alike…in a film that sheds light on the fragile balance that connects living beings.

The Fatality of Love

Artist Cláudia Varejão invites the viewer to discover couples of many kinds in a sensitive film about love

Amor Fati

44-year-old Jean-Philippe is 44 and has been suffering from heart failure for ten years. He is permanently connected to a box that supplies energy to the pump that keeps him alive. The rhythm of this wait is punctuated by the incessant noise of the machine, the slightest failure of which could be fatal. This wait, which is difficult for the patient as well as for his family, is about to end, as Jean-Philippe should have a transplant soon.

44-year-old Jean-Philippe is 44 and suffers from heart failure. The wait for a transplant is difficult for him and for his family. 

When the Heart Beats Again

Malian filmmaker Bouba Touré tells the story of an agricultural cooperative with archive footage. It was founded in 1977 by West African migrants who had returned from France. Touré examines the working and living conditions of African migrants as well as the ecological and social challenges of such an endeavour.

A Documentary by Raphaël Grisey

Malian filmmaker Bouba Touré tells the story of an agricultural cooperative made up of returning migrants from France.

Crossing Voices

In this episode, Ronja explores what can give us hope for the future even when things seem bleak. At Leopoldplatz, she meets one of the most hopeful people in Berlin: DJ Bombay sells curries from his food truck and is always in a good mood. "I've been through so many crises in my life that nothing can knock me out," he says. Then there's  boxer Mazen, who loses every fight and still goes on. Nun Sister Mechthildis meanwhile is full of hope and happiness, living away from the hustle and bustle of life in her convent.

Don't Lose Hope!

In this episode, Ronja explores what can give us hope for the future even when things seem bleak.

Streetphilosophy

Summer in Butte Bellevue is played out on the streets. It's a working class district of Saint-Mauront, in the heart of Marseille. Residents keep busy as best as they can, as the buildings around them slowly crumble. This is the first documentary by Marseille journalist Philippe Pujol, who won the 2014 Albert-London Prize.

Life in the poorest parts of France's atmospheric port city.

Marseille - Keeping it Real

All their lives they have devoted all their energy to take care of their disabled children. But as they grow older, a nagging question arises: who will take care of my child when I am gone? The film follows parents in their decision to live and grow old together with their children in a unique institution, while preparing for their eventual separation.

All their lives they have devoted all their energy to take care of their disabled children. But as they grow older, a nagging question arises: who will take care of my child when I am gone? 

What Will Happen to My Child?

Jan explores all the different ways of being alone. He searches for gold in a field with Wolfgang Herkt and his metal detector. After long hours of solo searching, Wolfgang says: "Being alone helps with difficult decisions because there are no distractions." The author Kathrin Weßling is the opposite: she communicates 24/7, writes books and constantly posts to social media. But loneliness lingers... not least of all for refugees. Evgeniy Zamyatin, who works as a lawyer for Alexei Navalny's anti-corruption foundation, fled to Berlin, far from friends and family.

Face Loneliness!

Jan explores all the different ways of being alone.

Switching viewpoints

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Europeans are tightening the purse strings as inflation grips Europe, with many protesting for higher wages. The European Space Agency announces ambitious plans to get ahead in the space race. In the week’s cultural pick, we look at one man’s mission to preserve Caribbean music heritage.

Inflation / Space / Caribbean music

Europeans call for higher wages to match soaring inflation, and Europe decides it won’t be left behind in the space race.

The host of the World Cup this year is a tiny state with huge ambitions: Qatar, in little over a generation, has become one of the richest countries in the world. A focus on how the gulf state plans to reach new heights.

Qatar, in little over a generation, has become one of the richest countries in the world. A focus on how the gulf state plans to reach new heights.

Qatar - Conquering the World

World Cup teams dropped plans to wear the OneLove armband to protest Qatar’s laws against homosexuality after FIFA threatened players with sporting sanctions. Meanwhile, France mulls a ban on bullfighting, and Banksy’s art in Ukraine divides opinions.
 

World Cup / Bullfighting / Banksy

Total is one of the five big oil multinationals with over 1,000 subsidiaries producing oil and gas in 130 countries. In 2021, they rebranded themselves as TotalEnergies and claim to want to become a serious player in renewable energy. But can oil giant really be a credible player in the green transition?

Anatomy of an Energy Multinational

Can the oil giant really be a credible player in the green transition?

The Total System

Since the summer of 2020 a battle has raged between the European Union and Viktor Orbán’s Hungary. As Orbán’s authoritarian Fidesz party hollows out Hungarian democracy and restrains opposition at home, the EU attempts to link the pandemic recovery package to a rule of law mechanism, effectively cutting funds to governments backsliding on democracy. Hungary and Poland are strongly opposed.

Victor Orbán Versus Europe

The crisis pitting conservative Hungarian prime-minister Viktor Orbán against the European Union concerning the rule of law.

Hello Dictator

Melania Trump was born in Slovenia when the country was still Yugoslavia. Daughter of a communist mechanic from the small town of Sevnica, she had big ambitions from her early years. A portrait of a mysterious first lady and icon of conservative America.

Melania Trump

The Mysterious First Lady

In 2019, Morocco celebrated 20 years of King Muhammad VI's reign. He's managed to impose his own style through gradual reforms. But the country is also deeply divided and unequal. Though the King wishes to reform, he must face opposing forces of tradition and common law. The challenges are numerous and the threats are significant. He must constantly walk a political tightrope to keep revolution at bay.

The King must constantly walk a political tightrope to keep revolution at bay.

Mohammed VI, The King With Two Faces

Mapping the World turns towards Qatar, the small gulf state that is hosting the World Cup 2022. 

Are we on the brink of a space war? Power play, espionage, harassment - tensions between space-faring nations are growing and the arms race is in full swing. This documentary provides a deep insight into the geostrategic challenges of military spaceflight.

Tensions between space-faring nations are growing and the arms race is in full swing. Are we on the brink of a space war?

Space: A New Battlefield

A group of Israelis are trying to mobilise to protect the country's ecosystems, including migratory birds in the Jordan Valley. In Jerusalem, Amir Balaban, who is responsible for Israel's flora and fauna, initiated an ecological movement by showing the people how many animals and plants live in the Wailing Wall. 

Israel: The New Environmentalists

A group of Israelis are trying to mobilise to protect the country's ecosystems.

In the late 1990s, Julia "Butterfly" Hill impressed the world with her extraordinary tenacity in the service of a great cause: For 738 days, the 23-year-old activist camped at the top of a Californian sequoia tree, without coming down, to prevent the destruction of a thousand-year-old patch of forest. Her victory against deforestation has become a source of inspiration for generations of radical young women, outraged by the climate crisis.
 In the wake of the climate strikes launched by Greta Thunberg in 2018, campaigns that are spreading around the world are often led by young women: Anuna De Wever and Adélaïde Charlier in Belgium, Léna Lazare in France, Luisa Neubauer in Germany, Mitzi Jonelle Tan in the Philippines and Leah Namugerwa in Uganda. Environmental activism is also a form of feminism for them.

Inspired by the struggles of Greta Thunberg and Julia 'Butterfly' Hill, young women are speaking out against climate change.

Sisters in Arms

Church and sexual abuse of minors has long been an issue. But in addition to the paedophilia scandals, other revelations are shaking the Catholic Church: allegations from across the world of nuns being sexually abused by priests. In February 2019, Pope Francis acknowledged the abuse for the first time. This documentary gives an insight into an issue in the Catholic Church that has remained largely unreported.

All over the world priests are said to have sexually abused nuns. An investigation.

Sex Slaves Of The Catholic Church

Beginning in April, a phone line, website and text messages throughout Russia aimed at encouraging people to report the "suspicious" activities of anyone who does not support the Russian offensive, on behalf of the fight against extremism to justify the actions of the security forces against the opposition. Nearly 189,000 cameras monitor public space in Moscow, helping to install a general climate of fear where any divergence from the official Kremlin propaganda can have serious consequences.

Since April, Russians have been encouraged to denounce fellow citizens that disagree with the war on Ukraine. 

Russia: The Risk of Dissent

War in Ukraine / Cycling / Costume design

The Russian enclave of Kaliningrad sits between Lithuania and Poland. Once German East Prussia, it is now home to 1 million Russian citizens. What is life like in this small territory now practically cut off from its EU neighbours since the war in Ukraine began?

Kaliningrad: Putin's Enclave

The Russian enclave of Kaliningrad sits between Lithuania and Poland and is now practically cut off from its EU neighbours since the war in Ukraine began.

Irish Travelers live on the fringes of society and their living conditions are on a downward spiral. A recent EU study revealed shocking figures: 11% of Irish travellers die by suicide and most die before the age of 65. No other minority in Europe faces such dire statistics.

A Minority in Danger

11% of Irish travellers die by suicide and most die before the age of 65.

Re: Irish Travellers

As Lithuania stops Russia from transporting goods by train through its territory to Kaliningrad, a focus on the history of this singular Russian territory.

The Kaliningrad Affair

In London, soaring rents and property prices have boosted people's interest in houseboats. But as the demand for floating homes increases, mooring spaces are becoming scarcer. Barge owners are determined not to let this happen.

Affordable housing that floats?

In London, soaring rents and property prices have boosted people's interest in houseboats. But this new trend hasn't come without problems of its own... 

Re: A Houseboat in London

Jackson, a poor city in the southern United States, is in an extended state of emergency over its water crisis.

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With warmer and longer summers, winegrowing is moving north. Anne Engrav will soon be harvesting her crop of Riesling grapes in Norway. For some winemakers, global warming is helpful, for others it is a disaster. A look at how climate change is affecting viticulture across Europe.

Re: Norwegian Riesling

With warmer and longer summers, winegrowing is moving north. Anne Engrav will soon be harvesting her crop of Riesling grapes in Norway.

The Wine Industry and Climate Change

The number of private flights has been on the rise in recent years. Aside from the usual clientele of the world's richest, Covid-19 has prompted business people to abandon their habitual first-class flights and start opting for private jets. But flying small also means having a huge impact on the climate. 

This programme of the Swiss channel SRG SSR is part of The European Collection, a joint initiative of European public media (ARD, ARTE, France Télévisions, SRG SSR and ZDF), coordinated by ARTE.

An increasing number of wealthy individuals are ditching first-class business flights for private jets, prompted by the pandemic. 

Private flights, what a luxury!

"The Living Bridges" of Meghalaya are the product of human ingenuity in the face of nature. Hundreds of years ago, when monsoons swelled the streams in the mountain jungle and turned them into raging torrents, the surrounding villages built living bridges out of tree roots. It's a tradition still alive today. 

India: The Living Bridges

"The Living Bridges" are bridges made out of tree roots in the jungles of India. They are a lifeline for the surrounding villages