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With the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the fear of a major nuclear accident has returned. Europe's largest nuclear power plant, Zaporizhzhia, has been occupied by Russia since early March 2022 and the huge complex has come under fire several times. How safe can a nuclear power plant be in wartime? This documentary interviews experts and power plant workers on a very real threat.

A Nuclear Power Plant in Wartime

Europe's largest nuclear power plant has been under Russian occupation since March 2022. How safe is it in war?

Inside Zaporizhzhia

Current Highlights

Donald Trump has decisively won the American presidential elections. But what will four more years of Donald Trump mean for the United States and the world? Our collection of documentaries and reportage on a divided nation.

Coverage and insight on the US elections

Kamala Harris and Donald Trump are neck and neck in polls for the  US presidential election on 5 November 2024.

USA 2024: Presidential Elections

For decades there has been bloody fighting between Israelis and Palestinians. Numerous peace negotiations in recent years have failed, with only occasional fragile ceasefires. On Saturday, 7 October, hundreds of Israelis were killed and thousands injured in a Hamas attack on Israel. Israel's counter-attack has led to over 35,000 in Gaza dying.

Focus on the long-running Israel-Palestine conflict and its wider repercussions.

Israel-Palestine: A Never-Ending Conflict

Telling the story of an image: From its creation to its impact on our vision of the world, how can we explain its power? The World in Images offers an interpretation that asks us to look beyond the first glance.

The World in Images offers an interpretation of images that asks us to look beyond the first glance.

The World in Images

Then complex world of geopolitics broken down into ten minute, bite-sized chunks. You'll never sound uninformed at the dinner table ever again.

Mapping the World

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

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

Collections

Playlists

In 2019, when a pianist was filmed on a jetty in the beautiful lakeside village of Iseltwald for a South Korean Netflix series, locals had no idea what awaited them. Now the hugely successful series has led to fans visiting the location in the Swiss Alps from around the world. Locals are not entirely happy that their peace and quiet has been disturbed by a mass influx of tourists.

Since a romantic piano scene on Netflix became world-famous, a picturesque village has been overrun by visitors.

Re: Netflix Overtourism in Switzerland

China’s leader Xi Jinping promises prosperity for all and global leadership. But the reality is quite different: The Chinese economy is stalling with property prices falling and youth unemployment high.

ARTE Reportage

Far from living the ‘Chinese Dream’, many young people are unemployed and disillusioned.

China's Disillusioned Youth

With declining congregations across Europe, many churches are in danger of closing altogether. But what happens to churches after they shut their doors? How should these often-beautiful buildings be put to new use? A report from Germany and the Netherlands.

With declining congregations across Europe, many churches are in danger of closing altogether. 

Re: Churches for Sale

Kosovo has a sincere admiration for the United States. When NATO intervened in 1999, a decision by President Bill Clinton, the USA was viewed as the country’s saviour in the face of Serbian aggression.

When NATO intervened in Kosovo in 1999, the USA was viewed as Kosovo's saviour in the face of Serbian aggression.

Kosovo: The American Dream

Every summer, some very special visitors come to Romania: Transylvanian Saxons, part of the German-speaking minority whose roots in this region date back to the Middle Ages. Most of them left the country during the Communist dictatorship but for several years now, they have been returning regularly to their former homeland, some even settling their permanently.

Every summer, some very special visitors come to Romania: Transylvanian Saxons, a German-speaking minority whose roots in this region date back to the Middle Ages.

Re: German-Romanians Return to Transylvania

Ireland has a severe shortage of homes with hundreds of thousands needing to be built. With rents in Dublin spiralling, many families are homeless. Jordyn, Jonathan and their daughter Delilah have no fixed address and have to look for somewhere to spend the night every day.

Since the financial crisis, Ireland has had a severe housing crisis with many families left homeless.

Re: Ireland's Housing Crisis

More

Investigation and reports

All societies are based on a social contract. In a meritocracy, hard work is supposed to be rewarded. But what happens when this social contract is broken?

 Breaking Social looks at the rule breakers: people who use tax havens to hoard wealth and reap profits without paying back to society. Looking at movements from around the world, including Chile and Malta, this thought-provoking documentary looks at global patterns of kleptocracy and how people are organising themselves to fight back against injustice.

What happens when the social contract is broken?

In a meritocracy, hard work is supposed to be rewarded. But what happens when this social contract is broken?

Breaking Social

A multicoloured whirlwind approaches the Mexican coast: this is the satellite image of Hurricane Otis in 2023. Published on X (Twitter) shortly before the disaster, the video was watched 16 million times. How did weather imagery become so popular?

Hurricanes & Extreme Weather Trends

Satellite images of Hurricane Otis racked up 16 million views on social media. Why is exteme weather imagery so popular?

How did the radical right reach the mainstream of American politics? This documentary shows how over forty years, an organised minority has lobbied to gain key influence in the judiciary, the media and in politics, culminating in the return of Donald Trump as presidential candidate in 2024.

How has the radical right reached the mainstream of American politics? 

USA: Rise of the Radical Right

On the one hand, Iran, an Islamic republic led by an ayatollah, sworn enemy of Israel and the USA, with a mostly Shiite population. On the other is Saudi Arabia, a hereditary monarchy whose inhabitants are 90% Sunni. This episode focuses on two neighbours whose rivalry shapes the balance of power in the Middle East...

Two countries whose rivalry shapes the balance of power in the Middle East...

Iran & Saudi Arabia: Neighbours and Rivals

Whilst the international community seems indifferent, the Democratic Republic of Congo has been the scene of horrific atrocities since 1996. The author of numerous documentaries on the country, Belgian director Thierry Michel sets out to finally break the silence with this film.

Whilst the international community seems indifferent, the Democratic Republic of Congo has been the scene of horrific atrocities since 1996. 

DRC - The Empire of Silence

In a slickly produced video posted on social media, Volodymyr Zelensky hails the delivery of F16 fighter jets to Ukraine. But why this public display from the Ukrainian president?

Why does Volodymyr Zelensky hail the delivery of F16 fighter jets to Ukraine in a slick video posted on social media?

FIghter Jets to Ukraine

Artist Émeric Lhuisset's reinterpretation of a famous 1891 painting is part of a memory war between Russia and Ukraine. His photograph has gone viral: Ukrainians have appropriated it in their ongoing struggle with Russia.

Ukraine: A War of Symbols

Artist Émeric Lhuisset's reinterpretation of a famous 1891 painting is part of a media war between Russia and Ukraine.

Insights

Renowned intellectual and author of over a dozen essays, Ivan Krastev examines European unrest over the last 30 years. The crises of the past ten years are symptoms of a West in crisis. Migration, demographics, a pandemic and now a war in Ukraine, it all poses serious challenges to our democracies. It's like we've closed off our future.

An interview with renowned Bulgarian intellectual and political scientist, Ivan Krastev about the future of Europe.

Interview with Ivan Krastev

The 2024 presidential election looks like a dead heat between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris. The swing state of Wisconsin is a microcosm of the United States and one of the major battlegrounds for the tight contest. No surprise that the Republicans held their convention here and both Republicans and Democrats are campaigning hard to win the mid-west state. What do the people of Wisconsin want? And who will win the state this time?

The swing state of Wisconsin is a microcosm of the USA and one of the major battlegrounds for the presidential elections.

US Elections: Showdown in Wisconsin

A young actor decides to spread social messages to the people of Afghanistan using laughter: a dramatic approach in a region plagued by bombs, threats and disasters. But on August 15th, 2021, Afghanistan falls into the hands of the Taliban and Karim finds himself in extreme danger. He receives death threats and is forced to abandon what he loves most: his art.

The Afghan Charlie Chaplin

A young actor decides to become the Afghan Charlie Chaplin: Karim Asir wants to change his country using pantomime and humour 

Laughing in Afghanistan

The Olympic Games puts the host country in the spotlight and Paris 2024 is no different. This major event is a security and logistical challenge as well as a golden opportunity for nations to project soft power across the world.

The Olympic Games puts the host city and nation in the spotlight and Paris 2024 is no different.

Geopolitics of the Olympic Games

Category Banner (ACT)

Marion is a 35-year-old artist who suffers from FSHD, a form of muscular dystrophy. As the metamorphosis of her body worries her, she uses art as therapeutic release and a force of joy and hope.

As Marion’s body changes due to a rare disease, she uses art as therapeutic release and a force of hope.

Marion's Metamorphosis

Everywhere is Europe, it seems, housing is becoming more expensive and more of a burden on households. Why is this? And what solutions are there?

Why Is Housing So Expensive?

Everywhere is Europe, it seems, housing is becoming more expensive and more of a burden on households.

42: The Answer to Almost Everything

In 1987, Bashir Abu Rabiah worked as an assistant on pyrotechnics and special effects on the film Rambo III. In this instalment of the Hollywood saga, Sylvester Stallone crosses the desert on horseback and fights alone against Soviet occupying forces in Afghanistan. The film, shot in the Negev desert in Israel, had far-reaching consequences for the Bedouin population.

Revisiting the filming locations of 1988’s Rambo III ‘rented out’ by the Israeli army to Hollywood.

Under a Blue Sun

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

Carine Ducreux, 58, has been doing one odd job after another ever since she was a young girl: She’s worked as a waitress, a factory worker and a cleaning lady before investing all her savings in a snack van. For the past ten years, she has been plying the roads of the south of France selling chips, burgers, and paninis to tourists and locals alike. But as her van gives up the ghost, what is she to do now? A very personal documentary filmed by Carine’s son, Yann Ducreux.

Carine’s chip van is on its last legs… What is she to do now?

Carine and the Chip Van

What effects does pride have on a sense of community? In Poland, Jagoda Marinić observes pride in many forms: Women are proud to fight abortion laws. National pride is expressed in the desire to uphold the memory of fallen soldiers. And LGBTQIA+ communities see pride in the fight for their rights.

Europe with Jagoda Marinic

Jagoda Marinić visits Poland to see how feelings of pride affects Polish society in contrasting ways.

Nice to Meet You: Poland

Mamadou is back in Gandiol, his home village in Senegal, after spending eight years living illegally in Spain. He want to be a positive force in his community, build a future for his country and, along with his wife Laura, chase his dreams.

After spending eight years living illegally in Spain, Mamadou is back home in Senegal where he wants to build a future.

Doxandem - The Dream Chasers

Switching viewpoints

Kids

In Leicester, England, the Unglamorous Music Project aims to get older women, in their sixties and seventies, into playing music. They have 66 days to learn an instrument, write a song and perform in public.

ARTE Info Plus

In Leicester, England, the Unglamorous Music Project aims to get older women, in their sixties and seventies, into playing music.

Granny Punk in Leicester

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.

Europe of Artists

Mariusz Waras, Street Artist

In a career spanning more than half a century, Alain Delon made over 80 films, thrilling audiences and critics alike with his performances. .As the world-famous French actor passed away on 18 August at the age of 88, we say goodbye to a legend of cinema.

As the world-famous French actor passed away on 18 August at the age of 88, we say goodbye to a legend of cinema.

Alain Delon: Legend of French Cinema

The portrait photographer Stéphane Lavoué describes 11 photo shoots with personalities from the fields of politics, art and sport. He’s not here to talk about the medium of photography. Instead, he describes every minute – and sometimes every second - of portrait creation.

The portrait photographer Stéphane Lavoué describes 11 photo shoots with personalities from the fields of politics, art and sport.

A Photographic Pause: Florent Manaudou

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

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

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

Nickel, gold, iron, zinc, uranium... Beneath the pastures of Southern Greenland lies a host of natural resources. With global warming making them more easily accessible will Greenland choose to mine them? Or alternatively take advantage of a milder climate to develop the agricultural sector?

Greenland: Agriculture or Mining?

A crucial dilemma for Greenland: Mine their rich natural resources or concentrate on agriculture?

Overlaying images of a devastated Ukraine with telephone conversations between Russian soldiers and their families, intercepted by Kyiv, this film contrasts ordinary Russians' view of the war and the dehumanisation engendered by conflict.

Intercepted telephone conversations between Russian soldiers and their families shed a different light on the Ukraine war.

Intercepted

Chinese men are suffering. There are simply not enough women to go around since China implemented its one-child policy in 1979.  This means that 1 in 5 Chinese men will not be able to find a partner in five years’ time.

Chinese men are suffering. There are simply not enough women to go around since China implemented its one-child policy in 1979. 

China: Men without Women

Diwa is only 11 years old. She is one of the thousands of victims of a crime that is hardly reported on in Europe but which is causing havoc in the Philippines. She was raped by her parents, live on the internet, to satisfy the desires of foreign paedophiles who paid for the spectacle of her rape, giving instructions from a distance.

Philippines: Child Rape Online

Thousands of children in the Philippines have been abused, live on the internet. Report on a shocking crime.

A new space race has begun that threatens world peace and security as private companies and nation states rush to colonise the skies with satellites. Tech billionaire Elon Musk has already sent 3,000 satellites into orbit to provide internet connections anywhere on earth. This gives Musk considerable geopolitical clout and pushes China and Europe to join the race.

A new space race has begun as private companies and nation states rush to colonise the skies with satellites.

Satellite Wars

Europe's largest nuclear power plant has been under Russian occupation since March 2022. How safe is a nuclear power plant in war?

It is a David versus Goliath story: Saúl Luciano LLiuya, a farmer in the Andes, is suing the German energy giant RWE for its carbon emissions. When Saúl Luciano LLiuya learned that RWE is said to have emitted more CO2 than Peru since the country was founding, he had to take action.

Peru: Farmers Take On Big Business

It is a David versus Goliath story: a Peruvian farmer is suing the German energy giant RWE for its carbon emissions. 

As wildfires in California become more widespread and fierce every year, the state fire department is adapting its strategy: deliberately setting fire to sections of bush as they fight fire with fire.

California: Fighting Fire with Fire

Since 2020, thousands of migrants attempting to reach Europe from Turkey via the Aegean Sea have been pushed back by the Greek coastguard. Data Sources investigates this illegal practice.

Migrant Pushbacks by Greek Coastguards

Data Sources

When she was young, Norma dreamed of a career as a dancer, but she had to give it up. Now that she's 67, she'll finally be able to fulfil her dream as part of an Edinburgh troupe exclusively for senior citizens; rehearsing a work for the Edinburgh Festival.

An Edinburgh based dance troupe’s intake is exclusively senior citizens.

Re: Never Too Old to Dance

Across Europe, the far right is embedding itself into the political landscape and daily life. But behind an increasingly smooth and respectable façade lies an ideology that remains fundamentally racist and violent. An in-depth focus into an ecosystem of extreme ideology in France, Germany, and Belgium.

Inside Europe's Far-Right Movement

Across Europe, the far right is embedding itself into politics and daily life, but remains fundamentally violent and racist. 

White Power

Together with Panama and Suriname, Bhutan is one of only three countries in the world with a negative carbon footprint. Its strictly protected forests, which cover 70% of the country, absorb three times as much carbon as it emits. But now the glacial lakes in the mountainous nation are threatening to overflow as a result of climate change.

Bhutan: Green Paradise in Danger

Together with Panama and Suriname, Bhutan is one of only three countries in the world with a negative carbon footprint.

Focus on the second largest country in the world. Canada can appear so similar and yet so different politically and cultural from its southern neighbour, the USA.

Canada: The Other America?

Following two black artists at the Paris Opera, principal dancer Guillaume Diop and double bassist Sullivan Loiseau as they practice their art during a season at the venerable institution. How do they experience what is still a very white environment?

Diversity at the Paris Opera

Following two black artists at the Paris Opera. How do they negotiate what is still a very white environment?

Being Black in Ballet

Far from living the ‘Chinese Dream’ maybe young people are unemployed and disillusioned.

Since 15 August 2021, the day the Taliban took power, women in Afghanistan have been suffering from a gender apartheid that is unique in the world. Only Radio Begum gives them hope: Radio Begum broadcasts school radio programmes by women for women, albeit under strict Taliban control.

Afghanistan: The Voice of Resistance

Radio Begum is the voice of Afghan women, an island of freedom in the land ruled by the Taliban.

Hundreds of thousands have fled Lebanon since September as a result of the Israeli bombing raids, including many Syrian war refugees, who have to flee conflict again.

Syria-Lebanon: Endless Exile

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The Bering Strait is the closest point of contact between Russia and the United States. It separates Chukotka, an autonomous Russian district, from Alaska by just 85 km. Since 1945, the Bering Strait has been the barometer of relations between the two great powers. 

Russian Ambitions in the Bering Strait

Since 1945, the Bering Strait has been a point of tension between Russia and America.

A year after ousting right-wing populists from power, Donald Tusk has mended Poland’s strained ties with the EU and vowed to restore the rule of law. His pro-European stance has earned him the moniker 'Mr. Europe' as his government assumes the EU Council presidency for the next six months. But progress on his ambitious domestic reform agenda has been sluggish, leaving some to question if Tusk can deliver on his pledges. Observers warn that his leadership’s fate hinges on the presidential election in May. 

Poland's Transformation: Black Sheep to Mr. Europe?

As Poland assumes the presidency of the EU Council, the nation braces for a decisive presidential election that could shape its future.

ARTE Europe Weekly

Mallorca is a dream destination for many holidaymakers in Europe, but tourist flat rentals and rising property prices are forcing more and more locals out of their neighbourhoods. Car park attendant Begona now lives in a caravan, while medical student Christofer lives in a basement.

Mallorca is a dream destination for many holidaymakers in Europe, but rising rents are making life hell for locals.

Re: The Housing Crisis in Mallorca

"Korida" is the name given to the traditional bullfight in Bosnia-Herzegovina. But there is no Spanish matador here, but two bulls fighting for dominance. Mirjana Franković is one of the few women to have made a name for herself as a bull trainer here. But the road to the top is anything but easy ...

Mirjana Franković is one of the few women to have made a name for herself as a trainer in Bosnian bullfighting. 

Re: Bosnian Bullfighting

In Nicaragua, the regime of Daniel Ortega and his wife Rosario Murillo has been brutally suppressing Catholic clergy since the church joined the opposition.

Nicaragua: A Dictator Against the Church

In Nicaragua, dictator Daniel Ortega hunts down Catholic priests who dare to criticise his government.

The village of Sapanta in Romania is famous worldwide for its very special graveyard: The "Merry Cemetery " with its colourful crosses and sometimes humorous epitaphs receives many visitors who marvel at this unique site and boost the local economy.

The village of Sapanta is famous worldwide for its unique graveyard with colourful crosses and sometimes humorous epitaphs.

Re: Romania's Merry Cemetery

On 1st January 2025, Poland took over the Council of the European Union presidency. European security is its top priority. With its aggressive war against Ukraine, Russia once again represents a threat for Poland and for Europe. The Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk has made it clear that Europe shouldn't rely on its own forces and try to defend itself without America.

Is Poland in command of European defence policy?