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Politica e società | ARTE

Investigative documentary series, geopolitical analysis, and international commentary

Politics and society

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On 13 November 2015 a coordinated terror attack spread panic on the streets of Paris and left more than 130 people dead. After this shocking event an extraordinary investigation was set up involving more than ten European countries and the United States which changed the face of Western counter-terrorism.

Chronicle of a Manhunt

In the aftermath of the shocking attacks, an unprecedented international investigation was launched to bring the culprits to justice.

Terror in Paris

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

Collections

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Playlists

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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

Three years ago, somebody purporting to be a Turkish football agent convinced Emeka Luke Ekji that he'd been recruited to play for a club in Turkey. But first, the 22-year-old Nigerian had to pay thousands of dollars in fees. His parents even sold land to fund the move. But when he got there, he realised he'd been sold a lie.

Turkey: The Dashed Dreams of African Footballers

Fake football agents are making thousands of dollars off the backs of young Africans dreaming of a glittering career.

ARTE Reportage

The pandemic didn't have to be as bad as it was. With prompt action, it may not have even left Wuhan. Censorship, procrastination and failure to act were the trademarks of the first few months of the COVID-19 outbreak. Policy makers and health agency leaders describe a deadly list of "missed opportunities".

The pandemic didn't have to be as bad as it was. With prompt action, it may not have even left Wuhan.

COVID: The First 100 Days

Since the Taliban retook Kabul in August 2021, the humanitarian situation has deteriorated considerably. Afghanistan remains the world's largest producer of opium and the country also has high rates of addiction. The Taliban is trying to rid the country of heroin addicts, with particularly brutal methods.

The Taliban is trying to rid Afghanistan of heroin addicts, with particularly brutal methods.

Kabul: Rehab Hell

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.

As wildfires in California become more widespread and fierce, the state fire department is adapting its strategy: deliberately setting fire to land.

California: Fighting Fire with Fire

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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

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

Mapping the World

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

On 14 May 2022, a white man opened fire in a Buffalo supermarket killing ten people, mostly African-Americans. This racially motivated shooting comes two years after the murder of George Floyd and the large-scale protest movement that followed. This documentary explores the struggles against racial discrimination and police violence in the US, France and Germany.

The Black Lives Matter Movement

This documentary explores the struggles against racial discrimination and police violence in the US, France and Germany.

Black Rebellion

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

The Czechoslovakian New Wave flourished in the early 1960s, paving the way for a poetic type of cinema, capable of bringing the best out of great directors such as Věra Chytilová, Jiří Menzel, and Miloš Forman. The style brought a rush of creative freedom to global cinema. Meanwhile, young Communist Jan Procházka was a rising screenwriter and producer. His meteoric rise was intertwined with this cinematographic movement, changing his artistic destiny and the history of the country.

The Czechoslovakian New Wave flourished in the early 1960s,with a poetic type of cinema and rush of creative freedom.

A Czechoslovak Fairy-tale

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

19-year old Hala left her family to escape a forced marriage and has thrown herself into the fight against both ISIS and the patriarchal system in Syria. A portrait of a committed and fervent fighter.

19-year old Hala has thrown herself into the fight against ISIS and the patriarchal system in Syria. A portrait of a committed and fervent fighter.

The Other Side of the River

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

Switching viewpoints

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The midterms, or mid-term elections, are an opportunity for American voters to give their opinion on the current government, Joe Biden's administration. For the 2022 midterms, however, the focus is on Donald Trump. Can the mid-term elections serve as a springboard for his return to power?

Can American elections serve as a springboard for Donald Trump's return to power?

Midterms: A Springboard for Trump?

Since the Russian offensive in Ukraine started, the West has been wondering how to contain Vladimir Putin. Another conflict where Russia is involved can help us understand the War in Ukraine: Syria. As the West looked on, Russia supported the Assad regime and used the conflict as a testing ground for Russian weapons and military tactics, with devastating consequences for the rebels and the civilian population. Tactics which would be deployed again in Ukraine.

 As the West looked on, Russia used the Syrian conflict as a testing ground for Russian weapons, with devastating consequences for the civilian population. 

Syria: Putin's Testing Ground

Zoraya is just 27 years old and wants to convince a doctor to help her die. She suffers from depression. She has a partner, a comfortable home, and several cats, but life feels unbearable to her and she wants it to stop. 

Actress Ursula Andermatt meanwhile has terminal breast cancer. She's afraid of a painful, undignified end and wants to choose when she dies.

Zoraya is just 27 years old and wants to convince a doctor to help her die.

Re: Choosing Death

Gabon is so rich in wildlife it's a hotspot for new viruses and bacteria to jump the species barrier and cross over to humans. Ebola, HIV and COVID-19 all started off in animals. 
Scientists have decided to recruit traditional hunters to monitor wildlife for any signs of worrying new pathogens. As they hunt to feed their villages, they also feed the researchers valuable data. This is the frontline of the next pandemic.

Gabon: Virus Hunters

This is the frontline of the next pandemic.

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

With the 20th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party taking place recently, Mapping the World dedicates a special extended episode to an analysis of China today.

Xi Jinping's China

BirthStrike are a group of activists that are fighting climate change by not having children. A Fridays for Future for thirtysomethings founded by musician Blythe Pepino, they say that they cannot bring life into a world with impending ‘climate breakdown and civilisation collapse’.  

Birthstrike are a group of activists that are fighting climate change by not having children. A Fridays for Future for thirtysomethings founded by musician Blythe Pepino, they say that they cannot bring life into a world with impending ‘climate breakdown and civilisation collapse’.  

BirthStrike: Staying Childless to Save the Planet

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.

Climate Change Is Happening Now

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

In Russia, many of the protestors opposing Putin’s war in Ukraine are women. The Telegram channel FAWR (Feminist Anti War Resistance) has quickly attracted 30,000 followers. Among them is Paladdia, a young designer who has already been sent to prison twice for her activism.

Russia: Women Against War

In Russia, many of the protestors opposing Putin’s war in Ukraine are women. 

Svalbard lies halfway between Norway and the North Pole and has more polar bears than human inhabitants. This starkly beautiful land is on the frontline of climate change with dramatic and visible changes over the last decade.

Svalbard: Fastest Warming Place on Earth

Svalbard lies halfway between Norway and the North Pole and has more polar bears than human inhabitants. This starkly beautiful land is on the frontline of climate change with dramatic and visible changes over the last decade making it the fastest warming place on earth.

The Dolomites are a UNESCO World Heritage Site and home to half a million locals. But the mountain range has nearly 33 million night stays per year, on top of daytrippers. Authorities have imposed a visitor cap to curb the ecological impact of mass tourism. A mountain guide and an architect are actively campaigning to preserve their region.

The Dolomites are a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a major tourist attraction. Locals have had enough.

Re: Saving the Dolomites

Among the nine federated states that make up the Brazilian Amazon, Rondônia has lost the most forest: a surface area the size of New York has been wiped up the map, up 50% from the year before.

The destruction of the Amazon rainforest is accelerating

Brazil: Impunity in the Amazon

Russia views the former Soviet republics as its ‘near abroad’ and a strategic sphere of Russian influence. Mapping the World focuses on the former Soviet space and the Kremlin’s efforts to hold sway in these nations.

Putin: Nostalgia for Empire

Mapping the World focuses on the former Soviet space and the Kremlin’s efforts to hold sway in these nations.

Chile is a unique country with its atypical geography, its wealth of natural resources and its severe inequalities. Mapping the World focuses on the nation of Allende and Pinochet, which has recently moved to the left.

Chile: Hope for Change

Mapping the World focuses on the country of Allende and Pinochet, which has recently moved to the left. 

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After years of separation, the filmmaker renews her relationship with her mother, Aïcha, who is now suffering from Alzheimer’s. From Brussels to Tangiers, this is a family journey marked by exile—evoked through discretion and confession, pain, separation, grief, and joy.

By Karima Saïdi

After years of separation, the filmmaker renews her relationship with her mother, Aïcha, who is now suffering from Alzheimer’s.

A Way Home

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 Qatar, foreigners make up 90% of the population. They work in every sector from services to construction, and though the country is totally dependent on them, they are often treated like serfs. Due to international pressure, Qatar reformed its labour law, but workers say that while their rights have improved on paper they've since little real change.

Qatar: Exploitation of Workers

The foreign workers who helped build Qatar's World Cup buildings say they haven't been paid and are kept in substandard accommodation.

Focus on Israeli geopolitics as the country elects a new government.

Israeli Elections

A land of fire and ice, Iceland has a dynamic economy which provides for its population of only 340,000 people. Mapping the World takes a look at this country of volcanoes, fishing and geothermal energy.

Iceland: 100% Green

A land of fire and ice, Iceland has a dynamic economy which provides for its population of only 340,000 people.

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

Tortured in huge internment camps, forced labour and mass sterilisations: The Chinese state’s attack on the Uyghur people, an ethnic minority in western China, is akin to genocide, with an estimated one million people arbitrarily detained. An in-depth look at how Beijing has committed grave human rights offences over decades.

Tortured in huge internment camps, China's attack on the Uyghur people is akin to genocide.

China: The Uyghur Drama

In 2021, more than 84 million people became refugees, forced to flee their country. Around hald of them were women. But the obstacles they face are far more difficult: they often have children in tow, and are vulnerable to exploitation and sexual violence. There are few facilities that cater specifically to the needs of female refugees. A group of volunteers are determined to change that.

Between Hope and Violence

There are few facilities that cater specifically to the needs of female refugees - despite how vulnerable they are.