ARTE Distribution

When is a new global epidemic going to strike? At a time when new viruses are emerging at an unprecedented rate, and as Ebola is claiming lives in West Africa, this in-depth investigation examines this invisible threat.

In the space of 60 years, over 350 new infectious diseases have appeared, including SARS, H1N1, H5N1 and Ebola. The emergence of viruses seems to be speeding up. Experts are unanimously wondering: when will a new world-wide epidemic strike? The Plague, the Spanish flu, smallpox, AIDS - history has undergone infectious episodes that have decimated populations. But what is the state of research today? Are we better prepared? This film traces 3 particularly threatening viruses: the H7N9 flu virus in Asia; the Mers-CoV virus, related to SARS, which is active in the Middle East; and the Ebola virus, which is striking terror in West Africa.

To most of us, plants make up a familiar background decoration, albeit a beautiful one, but we don't really pay them that much attention, nor do we know much that about them. This collection is an invitation to discover more about four common plants and their astonishing properties.

Scientists, farmers, economists and sociologists will help us to view the Nettle, the Arabis, the Yew and the Lotus in a different light, as they reveal the plants' uses and new technological, medical, economic and social properties. The collection features interviews with geneticists, the head gardener at the Chateau of Versailles, an Indian industrialist and an Australian botanist, among other professionals, as they invite us into their laboratories, on their expeditions to the ends of the earth, or quite simply, around their gardens.

At a time when our society is in full reflection on its relationship to biodiversity, we travel the world to discover in what way these plants have become our partners in life.

We delve into the secret life of four ordinary plants, and discover their "extraordinary" side:
- the nettle, a symbol of the fight against merchandising living things
- the lotus, a tool-box for tomorrow's technologies, inspired by nature
- the yew, a medicinal tree, the new "green gold" threatened by over-exploitation
- the arabis, a little-known plant that has become the new worldwide star of genetic research

Moss is at the origin of life on Earth. It appeared 450 million years ago and helped develop multiple different ecosystems. A world tour to discover this incredible primitive system that fascinates scientists.

We travel to Japan, Iceland, France, Ireland and Denmark to meet experts who study moss for various disciplines: biotechnology, climatology, nuclear contamination, and evolutionary biology. Visually moss covered landscapes are absolutely stunning and mysterious, and offer a great background to tell our story.
 
CLICK HERE TO SEE THE MOOD BOARD!
 

Nature is an inexhaustible source of knowledge. After 3 billion years of evolution, it has created amazing mechanisms, even at a microscopic level, that allow plants and animals around us to protect themselves, to grow, to move or to face the attacks of the elements. 

This "nanoworld" questions our imagination with its beauty and intelligence. Scientists have finally managed to unravel its mysteries, thanks to photonics. Let’s take an unprecedented journey into this other dimension, in which nature-inspired solutions are found to meet the meet the ecological and climatic challenges that threaten us.

NANOWORLD, THE KEY TO OUR SURVIVAL won the Grand Prize at the 2021 Deauville Green Awards.

An investigation into the Saint Louis giant and the recent developments it has made in biotechnology and seed control.

Since its beginnings in 1901, the Monsanto empire has been built upon on the manufacture of chemical products that have ended up being banned from the market. Every time, the multinational has lied, hidden or doctored studies that demonstrate the harmfulness of its products. It has had proceedings brought against it and been ordered to pay hefty fines, but that has not stopped its irresistible ascension.

Today, it is the world leader in GMO production.  The transgenic seeds it markets are resistant to the powerful herbicide, Roundup, its landmark product for twenty years.

An investigation into a worldwide ecological disaster that could endanger the whole of humanity.

The future of our food resources depends on one small insect - the western honey bee, or Apis mellifera. Indeed, it is the most important agricultural pollinator on our planet given that one third of our food supply depends directly on pollination from bees. 

This documentary tells the story of a worldwide ecological disaster that has been waiting to happen for several generations. 
It was filmed over an 18-month period in France, Germany, the U.S., Canada and Scotland and retraces the various leads carried out by research scientists in order to try and understand and to stop the declining numbers of domestic and wild bees. 

Scientists are not the only professionals to figure at the centre of this drama. Beekeepers are in the front line, and striking contrasts exist among beekeepers' experiences in different countries, in various economic situations. The documentary seeks to understand how the long-enjoyed harmonious relationship between man and bee has now undergone such a radical change. It seeks to find a solution that goes beyond science. A solution that cannot be found without thoroughly re-examining our agricultural practice and our model of society. Can we rise to the challenge?

Awards : 2011 : Star of the SCAM (France). 2012 : Jade Kunlun Awards

International commercial aviation produces as much CO2 as Africa. The European Union plans to double the numbers of aircrafts by 2020. Can the earth handle a growing number of carbon dioxide-emitting planes in the upper atmospheric strata forever?

The reduction of greenhouse gases is one of the main challenges of the 21st century and the aviation industry knows it will have to develop a "sustainable" aviation.  Decline or regression is not an option. So, commercial aviation is looking for the answer in a field that has always served it well: scientific and technological innovation all over the world. Luckily, some interesting solutions are actively researched by those who are inventing the eco-friendly aviation of the next 50 years. The film aims to meet the players in an incredible transformation that will ultimately change everything about air travel.

Heat waves, droughts, floods and fires, it confronts us with the reality of the violent climate emergency. One attractive solution, according to the European Union, would be to plant 3 billion trees by 2030. It looks good on paper, but what would that look like in practice?

The world's forests are carbon sinks that absorb a net amount of 7.6 billion tons of CO2 per year, or 1.5 times the amount emitted annually by the United States.

Along with winds, pollen and bees, we take off on a balloon trip into the heart of nature. Let's stop off on planet transgenia for a chat with some farmers and scientists about GMOs in farming and food.

This film was born out of thoughtful strolls through the European countryside. It is neither a biased film nor a piece of propaganda against GMOs. It simply aims to show housewives and shopaholics the facts that we don't usually hear about. Through short cartoons and a hot-air balloon trip, this documentary make sure we're all aware of what's at stake in this scientific revolution.

Pesticides, Additives, Food Colouring And Packaging. A topic concerning each and every one of us that looks into what we eat.

Is there a link between the contamination of the food chain by chemical substances and the epidemic of chronic diseases the World Health Organisation (WHO) is observing all over the world?

This is an investigative documentary that sets out to answer this question and reviews many scientific studies that have been largely ignored: the current epidemic of cancers, neurological diseases and auto-immune disorders is closely linked to our exposure to the some 100,000 chemical molecules that have invaded our food and our environment.

The enquiry highlights not only the harsh reality of the effects these chemicals are having on us, but also the food industry's and political decision-makers' lies and lack of transparency.

6 women who have never met each other, but have many things in common: they form part of an increasingly large body of voices that are speaking up to demand an economic and ecological transition that will take on the challenges of the 21st century.

They live in Canada, Germany, Argentina, Denmark, Nepal and Brazil.They have never met each other, but have many things in common. Although they are neither activists nor intellectuals, they all possess a sense of urgency in the face of the deterioration of our planet, which they see as a threat to the future of their children, and to humanity in general.
On their own individual levels, they show that things can be done differently right now, by taking part in initiatives that lead to a fairer and more sustainable society, in the area of food production (urban agriculture), energy (transition towns) and money (local currencies). Their voices are paving the way for our future.