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Investigative documentary series, geopolitical analysis, and international commentary

Politics and society

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For weeks Lebanon has been paralysed by a fuel crisis that is stretching society to the limit. A lack of gas and petrol means drivers queue for hours to fill up and electricity plants can only provide electricity for a few hours a day.

ARTE Reportage

For weeks Lebanon has been paralysed by a fuel crisis that is stretching society to the limit. 

Lebanon: Fuel Wars

Current Highlights

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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

With 600,000 casualties and five million refugees, the war in Syria is the bloodiest conflict of the 21st century so far.

10 Years of War

Syria: The Never-Ending Conflict

Because their suffering deserves to be seen. Because their suffering deserves to be heard. Because their suffering deserves to be stopped. 

Whether in the workplace, the street, or at home, these survivors of sexual violence tell us their stories

The Pandemic of Sexual Violence

Ten years ago, the popular uprisings in the Arab world were a source of hope for freedom and change, but overall these hopes were dashed. A special collection that will help you understand the last tumultuous decade in the Arab states.

Ten years ago, the popular uprisings in the Arab world were a source of hope for freedom and change, but overall these hopes were dashed.

10 Years of the Arab Spring

Belarus has been rocked by protests since Alexander Lukashenko was re-elected president after August’s contested vote. As foreign journalists see their accreditation revoked, ARTE local correspondent Kseniya Halubovic continues to report from inside the protest movement.

Belarus has been rocked by protests since Alexander Lukashenko was re-elected president after August’s contested vote. 

Belarus: Diary of a Revolution

Chinese people make do without Google, Facebook, Youtube, Twitter. Instead, 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

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Playlists

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284 Russian soldiers are still missing in Afghanistan from the Soviet-Afghan War, a conflict that ended in 1989. ARTE Reportage goes in search of these lost red army soldiers

Afghanistan: Lost Soldiers of the Red Army

Until very recently, Spanish performance artist Abel Azcona was wanted by the police and was living in exile in Portugal. He could only visit his homeland in secret. His crime: blasphemy. During his performances, he had openly criticised the sexual abuse of minors in the Catholic Church. A look at freedom of expression in Spain which is number one in the world for the number of artists in prison.

Until very recently, Spanish performance artist Abel Azcona was wanted by the police and was living in exile in Portugal. 

Freedom of Expression in Danger in Spain

Lynxes, leopards or crocodiles: Having exotic wild animals as pets is popular in Russia. For some it’s a status symbol, for others it’s a lucrative source of revenue. But this passion for big cats or bears is not without its dangers.

Lynxes, leopards or crocodiles: Having exotic wild animals as pets is popular in Russia.

Russia: Wild Animals as Pets

Children in Nigeria who are accused of being witches are cast out into the streets by their families. There, they desperately try to earn enough to live by going through rubbish dumps. They are easy targets for predators, and sexual abuse is an every day occurrence.

Accused of being witches, these children are cast out into the streets, where they are easy targets for predators

Nigeria: The Plight of the Witch Children

The Cabo Delgado region, in north-eastern Mozambique, has been struggling for the past 4 years. Al-Shabab jihadists, affiliated with the Islamic State since 2019, are wreaking havoc there. The number of violent attacks perpetrated tripled throughout 2020 compared to the previous year and many people fear for the future. 

In north-eastern Mozambique, Al-Shabab is terrorising locals

Mozambique: Escape From Al-Shabab

Children in Nigeria who are accused of being witches are abandoned and become easy targets for predators

Since the beginning of the pandemic, scientists from the Pasteur Institute in Lille in northern France have been researching a treatment for Covid-19. Since day one, our team has been following their work.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, scientists from the Pasteur Institute in Lille have been researching a treatment for Covid-19. Since day one, our team has been following their work.

Hope for an Anti-COVID Drug

Investigation and reports

When 13-year-old Ghazaal, a feisty refugee, starts her period while living in a refugee camp, she tries to gather together enough money by stealing and cheating people. However, the fear of staining and her menstrual cramps repeatedly come in the way of accomplishing her goal of buying sanitary towels. This short film explores the absence of basic human necessities for women in refugee camps.

A short film by Ragini Bhasin

When 13-year-old Ghazaal, a feisty refugee, starts her period while living in a refugee camp, she tries to gather together enough money to buy sanitary towels.

Ghazaal (2019)

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

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.

Europe of Artists

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

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

Through the eyes of artists

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The historian Herodotus in the fifth century BC said that Egypt was "a gift from the Nile", and from the pharaohs to Nasser, the Nile has played a vital role in Egypt's fortunes. But Ethiopia now intends to remind leaders in Cairo that the Nile is not just an Egyptian river.

Mapping the World

Ethiopia wants to remind Egypt that the Nile is not just Egyptian

Geopolitics of the Nile

Welcome to Afghanistan, the land of the magnificent mountains of the Hindu Kush and a country of great ethnic diversity. Its complex history is characterised by an almost permanent state of war.

Welcome to Afghanistan, the land of the magnificent mountains of the Hindu Kush. Its complex history is characterised by an almost permanent state of war.

Afghanistan - A Troubled Country

All world powers want a piece of Antartica, the only continent that belongs to everyone and no one. This unique territory at the end of the world is currently protected by international law, with only scientific research allowed. But for how long will it remain a pristine wilderness?

All world powers want a piece of Antartica, the only continent that belongs to everyone and no one.

Antarctica: Ice and Greed

With a beautiful coastline stretching more than 2,000 kilometres along the Indian Ocean and a wealth of natural resources, Mozambique has the makings of an Eldorado. But the former Portuguese colony is facing a jihadist insurgency in the north which is jeopardising its chances of development and stability

Mozambique has the makings of an Eldorado with natural beauty and resources. But the former Portuguese colony is facing a jihadist insurgency in the north which is jeopardising its development.

Mozambique: A Cursed Eldorado

Morocco is a beacon of stability in an unstable region. However, the kingdom still faces problems of serious social inequality, a lack of democratic freedoms, and the ongoing unresolved status of Western Sahara.

What Future for the Kingdom of Morocco?

Vietnam had a bloody twentieth century as long wars with the French and subsequently the Americans cost the country dearly. Recently things have been on the up as the south-east Asian country reinvents itself as a model economy and tourist destination.

Recently things have been on the up as the south-east Asian country reinvents itself as a model economy and tourist destination.

Vietnam: The New Asian Tiger

Designer Erik Spiekermann explains how he created the map for Berlin's newly unified public transport network, just after reunification and the fall of the Berlin wall.

Designer Erik Spiekermann explains how he created the map for Berlin's newly unified public transport network

How a Map Healed Berlin

Insights

Kids

Switching viewpoints

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The Franco-German partnership is considered to be the main driving force behind European policy. What image do the people on the streets of Paris have of Merkel? How will French people remember her?

Bye Bye Merkel

As Merkel retires, we ask French people what they'll remember by

In Paris with Merkel

Amsterdam’s famous red-light district attracts hordes of noisy tourists making the neighbourhood unliveable for many of its residents. With the city authorities considering measures to push sex workers out of the area, does this spell the end for the historic trade in the city centre?

Amsterdam’s famous red-light district attracts hordes of noisy tourists making the neighbourhood unliveable for many of its residents.

Re: Mass Tourism in Amsterdam's Red Light District

There are an estimated 1,500 active volcanoes on Earth and in the 20th century, 437 of them erupted in places like the United States, Russia, Indonesia and Japan. Both a blessing and a curse, they have shaped our world on land and at the sea.

A World of Volcanoes

Many thought that the Chancellor's approach towards Greece during the European financial crisis was harsh. But how will the people of Athens remember her? Our journalists Nadia Blétry and Eric De Lavarenne interviewed them to find out.

How will the Greeks remember Angela Merkel: the beloved Mutti of the Germans, or a latterday Iron Lady?

In Athens with Angela Merkel

Internationally Frau Merkel is a respected and powerful leader. But what do residents of the German capital think of her as she leaves office after 16 years?

With Angela Merkel in Berlin

On 4 January 2021, a London court denied the extradition of Wikileaks founder Julian Assange to the United States - where he faces up to 175 years in prison, accused of publishing hundreds of thousands of confidential documents. But the judicial battle continues: the US government has appealed, while Assange remains in Belmarsh maximum security prison.
Continuing from ARTE’s five-year investigation into the Assange affair, this report delves once again into the complicated case.

Continuing from ARTE’s five-year investigation into the Assange affair, this report delves once again into the complicated case.

The Extradition of Julian Assange

A century ago the Treaty of Trianon formally ended World War I between the Kingdom of Hungary and the allied powers. Hungary lost two-thirds of its territory at Trianon which is still a contentious subject in Hungarian politics and society.

Hungary's Trauma

Twenty years after the fall of the Taliban regime, the last foreign troops are leaving Afghanistan. But without them, Afghan security forces fear they'll struggle to contain the advance of the insurgents. Terror attacks are on the rise, and the group is said to already control nearly half the country. The return to power of the fundamentalists seems inevitable.

The last foreign troops are leaving Afghanistan, leading to fears of a Taliban resurgence

Afghanistan: The Land of the Taliban

In Greece, the coastguard has taken to pushing back potential asylum seekers towards Turkish waters. That's despite the fact that once in Europe, these people have a right to apply for asylum and to have that application processed. But while this tactic is against EU human rights law, the Greek government have a promise to keep to its electorate: reducing the flow of migrants.

In Greece, the coastguard has taken to pushing back asylum seekers into Turkish waters, in violation of EU law

Greece: Illegal Pushbacks of Asylum Seekers

Darío Aguirre is from Ecuador, living in Germany with his wife. When the city of Hamburg unexpectedly invited him to become a German citizen, Darío revisits his rocky path to building a life for himself in Europe and wonders about who he has become. This film is about arriving and living abroad in a time when xenophobia is suddenly acceptable again in Germany, and society is struggling to find the right way to integrate new citizens.

 What it's like to live in Germany as a foreigner when xenophobia is suddenly socially acceptable again

How I Became German

Climate change is often viewed as a far-off phenomenon but the effects are already being felt around the world by millions of people. A global overview of the regions on the frontline of the climate catastrophe.

 A global overview of the regions on the frontline of the climate catastrophe.

Climate Change Is Happening Now

Social acceptance becomes especially important during adolescence, as teenagers ask themselves am I attractive? Should I lose weight? However, with social media influencers setting the standards, many develop eating disorders in the quest for the perfect body.

With Instagram influencers setting the standards, many young women develop eating disorders in the quest for the perfect body.

Re: Eating Disorders and Social Media

Women are twenty-seven times more likely than men to be harassed on social media. This shocking finding, published by the European Women's Lobby in 2017, suggests that cyber-violence against women is not a series of isolated acts, but a systemic scourge. Sociological studies have shown that it is mostly committed by men who, contrary to popular belief, belong to more privileged socio-economic groups. Feeling protected by the virtual nature of their actions, the perpetrators are organised and sometimes carry out "digital raids", or harassment in packs, with terrible consequences, both personal and professional, for their victims.
 
This documentary focuses on women’s testimony from all walks of life who have been victim of online abuse and examines the harm this phenomenon does to them and to democratic debate.

Online Abuse Against Women

This documentary focuses on women’s testimony from all walks of life who have been victim of online abuse and examines the harm this phenomenon does to them and to democratic debate.

#FatUglySlut

An overview of the history of Portugal. Great trading nation and colonial power of yore, Portugal became one of the West’s poorest nations in the 20th century before undergoing a renaissance in recent years.

Portugal: Small Country, Big History

Latvia has lost 13% of its population in the last 20 years. Due to the pandemic, there's been an upsurge in the number of young people deciding to return home. Brexit is also fuelling the trend: a third of the Latvian diaspora currently still live in Great Britain. But after a shrinking population for so long, is it too late to turn the tide?

Latvia has lost 13% of its population in recent decades. Due to the pandemic, there's been an upsurge in the number of people returning home

Latvia: Brain Drain

Report from a dogs’ home that specialises in unmanageable and dangerous hounds. Dog trainer Vanessa Bokr knows better than most how aggressive some breeds of dog can be. She works tirelessly to retrain unwanted dangerous dogs in the hope that they can find new homes rather than be put down.

Abused Dogs Learn to Love

Report from a dogs’ home that specialises in unmanageable and dangerous hounds.

Re: Hellhounds

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The rise of the French chef, Isabelle Arpin, in the very masculine world of gastronomy.

The rise of the French chef, Isabelle Arpin, in the very masculine world of gastronomy

A Chief and her Star

Constitutional judges are set to decide whether or not Poland will bend to European law, as all Member States are required to do, or follow its own national laws first and foremost instead. The legal equivalent of a Polexit would be a blow to many human rights activists in the country. The ruling would place Poland in opposition to many key European values, such as press freedom, and refugee rights.

Constitutional judges are set to decide whether or not Poland will bend to European law

Could Poland be Heading for a Polexit?

Sexual education and sexuality deeply divides Poland. A younger generation wants access to liberal sex education and acceptance of sexual minorities whereas a conservative older generation, influenced by the catholic church, rejects these moves towards a liberal society.

Re: Sexual Education in Poland

Brazilian filmmaker Marcelo Novais Teles tells his life story as an exile through the home movie intimacy of the Super 8 camera.  

By Marcelo Novais Tele

The Exiled

Driving heavy goods vehicles is a male-dominated sector. But today more women are getting behind the wheel of HGVs like Poland’s Iwona Blecharczyk, who has also become a global influencer online.

Re: Female Truckers Take the Wheel

Britain is one of the world’s richest countries. And yet over four million children live in poverty in the UK with their parents struggling to provide food and shelter for them. A situation that has got worse over the last five years.

Britain: Poor Children, Rich Country

20 years later, the survivors of the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center in New York are still deeply scarred by their experiences. This report meets these forgotten people as they struggle to overcome the trauma of that tragic day.

Arte Reportage

20 years later, the survivors of the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center in New York are still deeply scarred by their experiences. 

USA: 9-11 Survivors' Long Struggle

In 2016, Colombia the country signed a historic peace treaty with the FARC rebels. This was intended to mend the deep rift in Colombian society, which has long been divided into two extreme camps: on the one hand the Marxist revolutionary guerrilla, on the other the ultra-conservative right and paramilitary militias. But the violence that has shaped the recent history of the country is far from over.

Colombia is still struggling to control violence from extreme groups and drug cartels

Colombia: A Nation in Revolt

20 years ago, on September 11, 2001, 3,000 people died when al-Qaeda terrorists hijacked four planes. Mapping the World looks back on the 20-year struggle against Islamic terrorism, from Osama bin Laden's Al-Qaeda to the so-called Islamic State, Boko Haram, and other jihadist organisations.

Mapping the World looks back on the 20-year struggle against Islamic terrorism

20 Years of War against Terrorism

In Kabul, Masomah Alizada was part of the women's cycling team. Threatened by the Taliban, her family had to leave Afghanistan and have been living as refugees in France for four years. But her cycling dreams aren't over.

Masomah Alizada had to flee Afghanistan after she was threatened by the Taliban for being part of a women's cycling team

Afghanistan: The Olympic Dream

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After five bloody months, student protestors in Nicaragua are trying to keep their ‘peaceful revolution’ alive via social media and by taking to the streets twice a week where they face severe repression from the authorities. 500 protestors having lost their lives since April 2018.

After five bloody months, student protestors in Nicaragua are trying to keep their ‘peaceful revolution’ alive via social media and by taking to the streets. 

Nicaragua: Youth in Revolt

Wapikoni Mobile is a non-profit media organisation created to give young indigenous Canadians a voice and as a way of battling alarmingly high youth suicide rates in First Nation communities. By helping 15 to 35 year olds to make their own films and tell their own stories, they hope to heal the wounds of the past.

Wapikoni Mobile is a non-profit media organisation created to give young indigenous Canadians a voice.

Canada: Cinema Against Suicide

Kosovars living in the diaspora across Europe are coming back to participate in the elections. Many hope for a new beginning by voting in the Vetëvendosje party that promises to fight corruption and create jobs.

Re:Hope in Kosovo

In the Chinese province of Yunnan online shopping is drastically changing life in rural areas. Villagers who used to make a living from agriculture now sell artisanal products via the internet. Young entrepreneur Su Junping has made his fortune from selling silver teapots providing work for 300 people.

In the Chinese province of Yunnan online shopping is drastically changing life in rural areas.

China: E-Commerce Villages

Every year 400,000 people from Central America traverse Mexico, a journey of some 2500 kilometres, to try to pass into the USA illegally. The quickest way to get there is by hitching a ride on the roof of what the migrants have nicknamed ‘La Bestia’ (the beast), a freight train running through desert and jungle, right up to the US border.

Every year 400,000 people traverse Mexico to try to pass into the USA illegally. The quickest way is to catch the freight train ‘La Bestia’.

Mexico:"La Bestia"

The Democratic Federation of Northern Syria, also known as Rojava, managed to free itself from Syria in 2011 during the upheaval of war. Since this revolution, won by both men and women, a peaceful society is forming where women have taken up leading roles in government and wider society.
 

A peaceful society is forming in Rojava with women taking up leading roles in society. 
 

Syria: Rojava, the Revolution by Women

Ergonomics consultant Susanne Weber is in demand as never before. With large numbers of people working from home since the pandemic, our improvised workstations are often aggravating factors in neck and back pain. A focus on a condition that can affect everyone and how to fnd relief.

Re: Relief from Back Pain

A group of young Egyptian women cycle around the city to distribute hot meals during Ramadan, to the poorest inhabitants of the city. They want to serve society - but also to change society's attitudes.  

A group of young Egyptian women cycle around the city to distribute hot meals during Ramadan