ARTE Distribution

A suspenseful diplomatic chronicle about how the US tried to balance its democratic ideals with the practical considerations of its realpolitik during WWII. The climax of this struggle happened at the 1945 Yalta conference, where the “Big Three” (Roosevelt, Churchill, and Stalin) met to plan the postwar reorganization of Europe.

The documentary unfolds like a theatrical drama, with Roosevelt, a dying idealist symbolizing a military superpower; Churchill, the leader of a declining empire with sharp political acumen; and Stalin, a master of deceit at the height of military dominance. A fresh perspective on the 1945 Yalta critical conference through a narrative focusing on the interactions among these key figures. From a macro to a micro viewpoint during the conference, using the lens of "the little mice," witnesses like Charles Bohlen Roosevelt’s’ translator and diplomat, the documentary captures the human interplay before and during Yalta. 

Over thousands of years, we humans have mastered the use of alcohol, caffeine, cocaine, LSD, psilocybin, THC, morphine...
 
But did you know that our feathered, furry and leggy cousins have mastered it too? Way before we did, animals discovered plants, fruits, mushrooms and other animal species that get them high...

Does this altered state of consciousness serve any useful purpose for the species that indulge in it, or does it actually harm them? Do some animals seek pleasure for pleasure's sake? What are the effects of this high on the group? Can animals become addicts? And finally, what can they teach us about our own taste for these substances?
 
From elephants in South Africa to cats in Majorca, from American cows to Finnish reindeer, dolphins, shrews and birds, this is a film entirely shot and delivered in 4K.

This current affairs documentary investigates right-wing terrorism and how it’s related to the political polarization across the Western World, through an ongoing investigation conducted by European intelligence services.

Extreme right-wing terrorism is becoming an ever-bigger threat in Western societies. Since 2015, sixteen terror attacks have taken place in Europe. Far-right violent extremist groups are now the second most important threat after Islamic terrorism in Europe and white supremacism has become the greatest terrorism threat in the US. This risk has become even more present with the current crises that our societies are facing, such as the isolation related to COVID-19 or the war in Ukraine. This close-up investigation delves into the cases of previous terrorist attacks worldwide and gives voice to present and former far-right activists, victims, militants fighting ultra-right and antiterrorism officers. This film raises awareness on a growing threat which represents a critical challenge to our democracies and tries to understand the link between these acts of terrorism and the growing political polarization and the mainstreaming of extremist beliefs in contemporary societies.

Researchers are delving into the grimoires of the brilliant medieval Arab civilization to find treatments for infectious diseases. Over a 1000 years ago, Arabic scientists initiated modern pharmacy by bringing together knowledge from ancient history and faraway lands, which they then experimented with and enriched.

To help invent the medicines of the future, a cross-disciplinary team has come up with an innovative approach: making something new out of something old! A microbiologist with a passion for history and a historian who was also trained to be a chemist, immersed themselves into old manuscripts from the medieval Arab world, which dated back to the year 1000, to unearth forgotten anti-infective treatments, replicate and test them in a lab. Using modern techniques, the team hopes to derive new antibiotics and thus contribute to the fight against antibiotic resistance, which is one of the greatest challenges that medicine is facing today. In following their quest, we uncover a fascinating and little-known period of history, between the 7th and 15th centuries, when a brilliant civilization stretched from Spain to the banks of the Indus. These two stories, though a millennium apart, are proof that the future can be rooted in a brilliant past, provided we can revive long-neglected knowledge.

Algorithms and data are the new weapons in the war that is being waged between the world's major powers. This film reveals what lies behind TikTok's extrodinary rise. 

For several months, investigations carried out by journalists and information gathered by various intelligence services have shown that TikTok allows the Chinese government to access hundreds of millions of data from American and European users. This data is fundamental when it comes to conducting influence or cognitive wars and can be a real weapon in the event of an armed conflict. A war of narratives is thus being waged: banning TikTok means preserving the liberal order embodied by the United States in the face of the Chinese Communist Party, which would use artificial intelligence to undermine democracies. This emerging doctrine within public opinion, crystallizing around TikTok, is just the tip of the iceberg. Algorithms and data have become strategic assets for governments. Having control over them is essential in an increasingly polarized world.

An international team of archaeologists explores the heart of Saudi Arabia and the Black Desert of Jordan to find out more about the oldest megastructures in human history. An extraordinary story with spectacular discoveries and breathtaking landscapes.

In the North of Saudi Arabia and South of Jordan lie thousands of mysterious geoglyphs whose shape, when seen from the air, reminds us of giant kites. The oldest of these immense stone structures were built around 7000 BC, predating the Egyptian pyramids and the spectacular Stonehenge monument by over 4,000 years. Who designed these structures and why were they built? Using cutting-edge technologies, an international team of archaeologists led by French researcher Rémy Crassard and Franco-Jordanian research fellow Wael Abu-Azizeh are trying to solve this mystery, as they are determined to shed a new light on the little-known Neolithic period.

Organic farming is becoming increasingly mechanized and globalized. An international investigation inside the organic industry, filmed with hidden cameras and revealing the first in-depth study on the exact composition of the biopesticides that are produced by agrochemical giants.

Behind the fantasy of purity lies a darker reality: the agroindustry has progressively set aside the principles of organic farming to apply the same methods as conventional agriculture. The crisis in the sector, which has been lasting for over two years, is twofold: it's first a trust crisis due to numerous scandals involving fake organic products, the discovery of dubious social and production practices and state attempts of corruption but it's also a production crisis. Indeed, it's no longer possible to keep up with demand and the lowering of production costs to meet the demands of mass distribution, which has become the main sales channel. This exclusive investigation is produced by the same team as Mass-market retailing: The End of a System?

The story of several Afghan women who fled their country after the Taliban took over Kabul in August 2021, and are now living in exile in Canada. Former MPs, ministers and journalists, they are fighting to keep the spotlight on the plight of women in Afghanistan. 

Forced to flee their country after the Taliban seized power in 2021, several Afghan women are working to keep the spotlight on what is happening in Afghanistan, while at the same time accepting that their power has been usurped and that over two decades of progress have been wiped out. Now in exile, they are reinventing the struggle to keep fighting for a free and just Afghanistan. As the world's eyes are fixed on the next headline news, and even the greatest superpower admits defeat, can these women achieve their goal? 

What is the price of sugar, this delicious poison? WIth sequences set in the present day, this historical investigation reveals a global system still fueled by the exploitation of land and people that is rooted in its original sin: slavery.

What is the price of sugar? How much does the fleeting pleasure of this delicious but useless poison really cost? It's a global addiction that has been fueled by the exploitation of land and people for over five centuries. Sugar was the basis of a civilization which, from the transatlantic slave trade to modern forms of exploitation, has never ceased to brutalize labor in all its forms, and to perpetuate immense lies in order to guarantee the prosperity of its industry. The whole world has been shaped by sugar. From Brazil to Réunion, from Europe to South Africa and from India to the Dominican Republic, its production has laid the foundations for the modern capitalist system, devastated the environment, and led to massive population movements. As the curse of sugar continues to haunt certain parts of the world, we set off to these exploited lands to discover a history of which we are all heirs.

For 2,000 years, Mary, the mother of Jesus, has been the most illustrated woman in the world. And today, at a time when the patriarchal model is being deconstructed, Mary might still have a lot to tell us...
 

What can we learn about our societies by exploring the representations of a young Jewish girl who became the most famous woman in the world? What was she meant to say? By taking a closer look at the thousand faces she has been given by painters and sculptors over the centuries, the story of the place of women is told. And today, at a time when the patriarchal model is being deconstructed, Mary could have a lot to tell us...

At birth, is a girl as likely to become as rich as a boy? Statistics testify to the financial inferiority of women in today's developed societies. Although they are supposed to be autonomous and independent, surveys reveal invisible mechanisms at every stage of their lives, which are reinforced by institutional practices inherited from the past and contribute to their impoverishment.

What is this curse that prevents women from earning as much money as men? From a very early age, little girls are conditioned by the prejudices and preconceptions of the past. They get less pocket money than their brothers, who demand more... An approach that is set to remain different over the years. Girls are better at school, they do better in higher education, but they often end up choosing less lucrative careers. Is their "natural" attraction to nursing professions real or artificial? When they choose "better paid" careers, they come up against the so-called "glass ceiling". Added to this is the "motherhood penalty". Discrimination against women in the workplace is thus relayed into the private life, where unpaid domestic work gradually organizes the impoverishment of women... a long-identified plague that continues to ruin women's lives. In many countries worldwide, institutions sometimes drive the nail in, reinforcing the advantage acquired by men. Awareness is growing, and women are realizing that they must take their financial destiny into their own hands... or else they could lose their independence.

An international investigation reveals that, on Vladimir Putin’s orders, a system that was set up by oligarchs and closely linked to the Russian oil and gas industry, corrupted global finance. All this was meant to serve his revenge against the West. Discover four decades of Russian economic and financial history, through the rise and fall of the oligarchs.

Featuring testimonies and archives, the series shows how a handful of men took control of the Russian economy and established themselves as partners of the major Western powers, not only for their own benefit, but also to serve Vladimir Putin's ambitions. By focusing on their backgrounds, their motivations, methods and ambitions, the series exposes this mafia-like economic system, which reproduces itself like a sprawling octopus and adapts to geopolitical upheavals. This international investigation analyzes four decades of Russian economic and financial history, through the birth and rise of the oligarchs. Like a film noir, this series presents a bitter Russian novel, depicting the homeland of the Tsars and Lenin as a mafia-like petro-monarchy, where cynicism, violence, greed, and the thirst for power seem to have no limit.