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Investigative documentary series, geopolitical analysis, and international commentary

Politics and society

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Every year Israel builds more and more road infrastructure in the occupied West Bank, encouraging new settlements to house the overspill from the crowded urban centres of Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. But where is the space for a Palestinian state?

ARTE Reportage

Every year Israel builds more and more road infrastructure in the occupied West Bank, encouraging new settlements to house the overspill from the crowded urban centres of Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. 

Israel: Making (In)Roads into the West Bank

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The Brazilian president is criticised for many policies: Gun control, Amazon deforestation, policies against minorities, as well as his handling of the coronavirus pandemic. A focus on Bolsonaro’s Brazil, a divided country.

A focus on Bolsonaro’s Brazil, a divided country.

Bolsonaro's Brazil

With the withdrawal of NATO troops, the Taliban has taken back control of Afghanistan. And yet the insurgents say that they want peace.

The Taliban took advantage of the withdrawal of NATO troops to win back Afghanistan.

Afghanistan: Taliban Land

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

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Many countries in the Middle East do not allow civil marriage which means that mixed-faith couples cannot easily marry. But just 30 minutes’ flight from Lebanon and Israel lies Cyprus where foreigners can easily tie the knot.

Where mixed-faith couples from the Middle East come to tie the knot.

Cyprus: Forbidden Love Island

Viktoria and Zoltan are in love. They live in Budapest but Viktoria is moving to Berlin for a chance of a better life. Will Zoltan be able to follow her there? The Hungarian couple are one of many that have left Hungary in the last decade.

Hungarians Leaving Home

Viktoria and Zoltan are in love. They live in Budapest but Viktoria is moving to Berlin for a chance of a better life. Will Zoltan be able to follow her there?

Re: One Way Ticket to Berlin

In Armenia, the trauma of defeat continues to shake civil society. The human cost of war has been very high for this small country of 3 million inhabitants. More than 10 000 people have been injured and almost 4 000 killed with 1600 soldiers still missing.

In Armenia, the trauma of defeat continues to shake civil society. The human cost of war has been very high for this small country of 3 million inhabitants. 

Nagorno-Karabakh: A Fragile Peace

Sasha Nazar wants to save a crumbling synagogue in the Ukrainian city of Lviv, one of the last in the city. Where once a thriving Jewish community lived, now only a small community is present.

Sasha Nazar wants to save a crumbling synagogue in the Ukrainian city of Lviv, one of the last in the city.

Saving a Ukrainian Synagogue

One year on from the devastating explosion in the port of Beirut, the families of the victims are struggling to find out the truth and seek justice. The Lebanese government had promised an urgent investigation, but the official version of events satisfies no one: According to the authorities, the ammonium nitrate that caused the blast entered the port by mistake after a ship was damaged off the Lebanese coast and an accident in a warehouse caused the explosion.

One year on from the devastating explosion in the port of Beirut, the families of the victims are struggling to find out the truth and seek justice.

Lebanon: Whose Fault Was the Beirut Explosion?

The situation on the border between Poland and Belarus continues to deteriorate: in September 2021, nearly 9,000 people tried to reach the European Union illegally through Poland. That's twice as many as in August. And revealing the truth of the situation is difficult, as journalists and NGOs are forbidden from the area. ARTE reporter Ulrike Däßler and her team was detained by police in the course of making this report, for no reason other than trying to do their jobs.

The situation on the border between Poland and Belarus continues to deteriorate

Belarus to Poland: The Migrant Tragedy

Investigation and reports

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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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How we represent our world in maps depends on our perspective. For many centuries Europeans have put their continent in the centre and on top of their maps, the Chinese likewise placed the Middle Kingdom in the centre of things. What do our maps tell us about our worldview?

What do our maps tell us about our worldview?

Cartography: How We Represent the World

Amongst the millions of species of insect on the planet, the bee plays a crucial role in human civilisation. A focus on how bees have spread around the world with globalisation and how they are now critically endangered.

Mapping the World

 A focus on how bees have spread around the world with globalisation and how they are now critically endangered.

Bees and Agriculture

It was long thought that women in Islamic State were victims, forced to obey their husbands. But this idea is simplistic. Those who agreed to speak on camera were fully integrated into the terror regime giving a shocking insight into how it worked. These women are now mostly in hiding and are trying to forget their painful and often shameful pasts.

It was long thought that women in Islamic State were victims, forced to obey their husbands. But this documentary tells a different story.

The Women of Daesh

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

Insights

Kids

Switching viewpoints

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Many countries in the Middle East do not allow civil marriage which means that mixed-faith couples cannot easily marry. Nearby Cyprus has become a centre for foreigners wanting to tie the knot.

A region of Europe with a shared experience of communism and USSR dominance, Eastern Europe today is characterised by nations with diverse cultural and political identities.

How many Eastern Europes?

A new substance is taking Europe by storm: cannabidiol (or CBD) from the hemp plant. Available as an oil, herbal tea, spray or cream, it is said to have soothing properties and can relieve chronic stress, without making the user high. But what are the real powers of this molecule?

A new substance is taking Europe by storm: cannabidiol (or CBD) from the hemp plant. Available as an oil, herbal tea, spray or cream, it is said to have soothing properties and can relieve stress.

Re: The CBD Revolution

A desert is growing in the southwest Romanian region of Oltenia. Extreme heat and drought are making it bigger every year with sandstorms reaching Bucharest. But a group of ecologists are trying to keep it at bay by replanting trees in the region.

Climate Change in Romania

Re: Desert on the Danube?

Giovanni comes from a small town near Venice in Italy. He has come to Poland to study at the illustrious Łódź film school and dreams of working in cinema.

Migrants Inside Europe

An Italian Film Student in Poland

In Northern Ireland tensions are high as the realities of Brexit and the Northern Ireland protocol become apparent. ARTE meets members of the loyalist community leading up to 12 July, Orangemen’s Day.

Tensions in Northern Ireland

Re: A Brexit Powder Keg

A look at German Jewish people who have settled in the occupied West Bank. In international law these Israeli settlements are illegal and yet the settlers feel they have a right to the land. What attracted these Europeans here? And how do they see life living amongst Palestinians?

German Jewish Settlers in the West Bank

A look at German Jewish people who have settled in the occupied West Bank.

Re: Who Does the Holy Land Belong To?

Re: Saving a Ukrainian Synagogue

In August 2020 1,500 individuals attempted to cross the straits of Dover, all looking to start a new life in Britain. Paying extortionate prices to people traffickers or going it alone in tiny dinghies, it’s a dangerous game to cross the cold waters of the world’s busiest shipping lane.

In August 2020 1,500 individuals attempted to cross the straits of Dover all looking to start a new life in Britain. Paying extortionate prices to people traffickers or going it alone in tiny dinghies, it’s a dangerous game to cross the cold waters of the world’s busiest shipping lane.

Calais: Migrants Crossing the Channel

A focus on the world’s largest country by landmass. Russia is a major world power that excels in certain spheres but glaring inequality, major structural problems and Western sanctions mean it may struggle to keep up with other world powers.

Russia: Land of Contrasts

Second or third children born illegally during China’s One Child Policy are banned from marrying, having children or simply boarding a train. Condemned to a non-life, these ghost children do not officially exist according to the Chinese state. ARTE Reportage goes in search of these ‘Haihaizi’,  those children who should not have been born.

Arte Reportage

Second or third children born illegally during China’s One Child Policy are banned from marrying, having children or simply boarding a train. 

China's Ghost Children

Alexis Fleming lives surrounded by more than a hundred animals: goats, sheep, pigs, and chickens. They've all been rescued from the slaughterhouse. To accommodate them, she set up a farm animal hospice on the Scottish coast. At 40, suffering from an incurable disease, she sees her farm as a place full of life where death is not a taboo subject.

A Scottish Animal Hospice

Alexis Fleming runs an animal hospice where death is not a taboo subject

Re: For the Love of Animals

The world's tech giants - the likes of Facebook, Apple or Google - now have a political role to play. They can curb misinformation or spread it, along with all of the massive social issues that entails. An in-depth analysis of social media uses and regulations in China, the United States, and Europe.

An in-depth analysis of social media uses and regulations in China, the United States, Europe and Russia.

The Geopolitics of Social Media

Abdul fled Afghanistan six years ago and found asylum in France. In the course of his journey during which he crossed twelve countries over two years, he developed a passion for photography. In Calais he is documenting the desperate lives of people trying to cross the English Channel to Britain, in the hope of a better life.

In Calais Abdul documents the desperate lives of people trying to cross the English Channel in hope of a better life.

An Afghan Refugee in Calais

For centuries Europeans have put their continent in the centre of their maps, the Chinese likewise placed the Middle Kingdom in the centre of things. What do our maps tell us about our worldview?

The Ambulance Wish Foundation, based in Rotterdam, fulfils last wishes of terminally ill patients. 270 medically trained volunteers take patients by ambulance to the zoo, on boat cruises and to important family occasions.

Medically trained volunteers take patients by ambulance to the zoo, on boat cruises and to important family occasions to fulfill their last wishes.

Re: The Dutch Ambulance Wish Foundation

In southern Germany and Austria citizens are campaigning against motorbikes on country roads, which they say are unnecessarily loud. Whereas bikers want to be able to enjoy their hobby and ride freely.

In southern Germany and Austria citizens are campaigning against motorbikes on country roads, which they say are unnecessarily loud. Whereas bikers want to enjoy their hobby and ride freely.

Re: Bikers vs Citizens

Germany in the 21st century is unthinkable without Angela Merkel, leading the country for the last 16 years. Ms Merkel grew up in the GDR before beginning her political career in the united Germany. A look at the Germany she leads as she approaches the end of her political career.

A look at the Germany of Angela Merket as she approaches the end of her political career after 16 years as chancellor.

Germany: Angela Merkeland?

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The ruling junta renamed Burma Myanmar, claiming it was a way of erasing the country's British colonial past. But the deposed leader Aung San Suu Kyi still defends the name Burma. This episode of Mapping the World looks at this ethically diverse country influenced by both India and China.

This episode of Mapping the World looks at this ethically diverse country influenced by both India and China

Myanmar: The Junta and the Democratic Dream

In northwest Albania Afghan refugees have been welcomed not in an overcrowded camp surrounded by barbed wire but in luxury hotels by the beach.

Albania: A Refugee Paradise?

The Indian state of Sikkim has banned pesticides completely, allowing only organic farming. The results: healthy food and healthy soils.

India: Sikkim - A Green New World

Filip Zahariev is a top chef who headed up the Gruvelageret restaurant in Svalbard, Norway, the northernmost fine-dining restaurant in the world. Now he has returned to his native Bulgaria where he wants to open up his own restaurant.

Top chef Filip Zahariev returns to his native Bulgaria to open up a fine-dining restaurant in one of Europe’s poorest regions.

Re: Top Bulgarian Chef Returns Home

Tortured, murdered, or kidnapped, migrants held in Libya go through hell. Shot on location, this poignant documentary reveals a system ruled by impunity and collusion between smugglers, militias and authorities, to which Europe turns a blind eye.

Tortured, murdered, or kidnapped, migrants held in Libya go through hell

Libya: Migrant Camps Scandal

Russian communists dream of rising as a credible alternative to Putin and his United Russia party. With 16,000 members today, it is still a long way from its former size before its collapse in 1991. Modern day communists style themselves as the party that denounces social inequalities and Russia's nouveau riche, while renouncing old school communism such as tight economic controls.

Communism in Russia is staging a comeback, as disappointment over Putin's United Russia party grows

Russia: Communist Comeback

Cameroon, a Central African country of 27 million inhabitants, has been spared the worst of the coronavirus crisis. It's only had around 100,000 cases and less than 2000 deaths. That's an incidence rate 50 times lower than that of European countries. But herbal homemade 'remedies' to covid have flourished. 

Herbal homemade 'remedies' to covid have flourished in Cameroon

Cameroon: Anti-Covid Witches

Rewilding means returning areas to their natural state. Across Europe conservationists, local government and ordinary citizens are rethinking their impact on the environment and trying to work with nature, rather than against it.

Across Europe conservationists, local government and ordinary citizens are rethinking their impact on the environment and trying to work with nature, rather than against it.

Re: Living in Harmony with Nature

In the United States it is becoming increasingly common for defendants to spend large sums of money for ‘sentencing videos’. These short films, produced professionally, present the accused in the best possible light in an attempt to persuade judges to offer reduced sentences. A report on a controversial practice that divides opinion.

In the United States some defendants spend large sums of money on ‘sentencing videos’ attempting to sway judges.

USA: Justice, Lies and Videotape

In a Syria ravaged by more than a decade of war, the oil sector has been hard hit. With many large refineries destroyed, supply is met by small makeshift refineries which employ refugee children in terrible conditions and also pollute the environment.

In a Syria ravaged by more than a decade of war, small makeshift refineries employ refugee children in terrible conditions.

Syria: Child Workers in the Oil Industry

300,000 bicycles distributed in four years across six countries: World Bicycle Relief has launched a unique humanitarian project.

How much of an impact can bikes have on rural life in Zambia? More than you'd think...

Zambia: The Bike Success Story

Since 2009, five trains of the RZD - the Russian railway - travel through Siberia and the Russian Far East to provide medical care in isolated villages. For these remote regions, striken by the rural exodus, the railway is the only link with the rest of the world. In this depopulated countryside, only the elderly are left.

Since 2009, five trains of the RZD - the Russian railway - travel through Siberia and the Russian Far East to provide medical care in isolated villages

Siberia: Healthcare on the Rails

When people depend on natural resources to survive, it's difficult for them to also respect the needs of other species that share that ecosystem. So the administrators of the Virunga National Park in the DRC have launched a project to show locals how they can live peacefully and prosperously alongside the native gorillas. Everybody wins.

Administrators of the Virunga National Park have launched a project to show locals how they can live peacefully alongside gorillas

Congo: Gorillas in Danger

Passionate about astrophysics, Suleiman Baraka educates young Gazans to the mysteries of the Milky Way.

Gaza: The Great Escape

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Every three weeks, French police arrive in a forest just outside of Dunkirk in Northern France and expulse camped out refugees.

France: (Re)Moving Refugees

A vast wild wetland in Eastern Europe, Polesia is home to rare bird species as well as wolves, bears and European bison. But this haven for wildlife is threatened by the proposed E40 waterway, linking the Baltic with the Black Sea, that would cut straight through the region.

A Waterway Threatens Polesia

Re: Saving Europe's Amazon

In Northern Ireland alcohol consumption is particularly widespread among pregnant women - with devastating consequences for the children. A lack of education and support for affected families has inspired one mother to campaign for change.

Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder

In Northern Ireland alcohol consumption is particularly widespread among pregnant women - with devastating consequences for the children. 

Re: Drunk in the Womb

Mini Circus for Children helps children in Kabul to build a future without violence. The school teaches children circus arts such as juggling, unicycling and clowning and practices a policy of bringing together different ethnic communities.

Mini Circus for Children helps children in Kabul to build a future without violence, bringing together different ethnic communities.