ARTE Distribution

Over the past 50 years, the luxury market has grown twentyfold, reaching €1.5 trillion. LVMH, a flagship of the sector, has turned its owner into one of the richest men on the planet. How did such an accumulation of wealth come about?

How did the unnecessary become a necessity in society? Betting big on the luxury goods industry, using the most secret financial techniques and the most unspeakable intelligence-gathering methods, Bernard Arnault turned his company into an economic and cultural emblem of France. Between political influence, covert industrial strategies and bold economic moves, this documentary reveals the inner workings of the geopolitics of luxury and the shifting balance of power between governments and multinational companies.

As the 50th anniversary of Franco's death and the 90th anniversary of the Francoist coup near, this story looks back at the war that shook Spain to its core. A war opened in 1936, but never really closed since.

Of the Civil War that tore Spain apart, we generally retain only a few famous images, such as Robert Capa's photographs, Orwell's books, or Picasso's painting Guernica, a symbol of both Nazi barbarism and Franco's dictatorship. Through the poignant testimonies and accounts of people who lived through this tragic period, this documentary delves into the roots of dictatorial regimes to better understand what is at stake today, in Spain as in Europe, in the defense of freedom and democracy. The story is structured around two 52-minute episodes. The first covers the period from 1936 to 1939; the second covers the years from 1939 to 1953, the date of the treaty sealing a cooperation agreement between Spain and the United States.

She is the first female politician to become Italy's prime minister, but more importantly, the first far-right leader since 1945 to head a major European democracy. To shed light on the political phenomenon embodied by Giorgia Meloni, we need to retrace her political career and go back to where it all started: Colle Oppio (Oppian Hill), a section of the neo-fascist MSI party she joined when she was a young activist.

Housed in an ancient ruin on the Oppian Hill near the Colosseum, the section works as a tight-knit group bound by the ideals found in Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings, a book they hold sacred. This small group of activists known as the Gabbiani, whom she met in the early 1990s, has stood by her since the beginning of her career in politics. They are now her closest confidants, helping her head Italy. This historical investigation tells the story of how this community rose to power, profiling its key members and revealing how political decisions are made, caught between normalization of the far right and loyalty to the group’s founding values. The documentary also explores Meloni's dilemma: cooperating with European institutions or aligning with Donald Trump, who sees her as a strategic ally in building a so-called ‘reactionary international’.
 

Coups, dictatorships, revolutions, civil wars... For decades, Latin America has been a testing ground for a world marked by violent inequalities and growing polarization.

In six emblematic countries - Brazil, Chile, Panama, Nicaragua, Venezuela, and Colombia - men and women share their struggles. They recount the tragedy of a fractured continent, constantly subjected to interventions from its powerful neighbor, the United States. They are former ministers, opposition figures, secret service agents, torture survivors, guerrilla fighters, lawyers, investigative journalists, diplomats, police chiefs... They have shaped history. Through their words, we relive this historical saga in both its political and human dimensions.

At a time when our most precious commodity, water, is becoming increasingly scarce, men and women all over the Blue Planet are reclaiming ancestral knowledge or inventing new techniques to preserve the source of all life. This series takes us on a journey to meet these guardian angels of water, engaged on every continent in the battle for blue gold.

From the savannahs of Africa to the foothills of the Himalayas, from the arid lands of South America to the valleys of India, this series takes us to about ten countries, to meet communities and inviduals engaged in taking concrete action on a daily basis to conserve water in a context of increasing scarcity caused by climate change. They want to speak out to alert the world to their situation, but above all to show that concrete solutions do exist: they are the bearers of hope. This is first and foremost an immersion series of human encounters that will immerse us in the daily lives of these men and women, but it will also provide food for thought and hope about our relationship with this precious commodity. The series also holds the promise of fabulous journeys, as it takes us on a journey through grandiose scenery and spectacular human creations.

As China navigates a tense situation, this collection is full of documentaries that will take you on a journey to discover the country’s history, culture and society. From fascinating investigations to compelling history programs all the way to series featuring stunning shots from the country’s most iconic places, take a deep dive into China and learn more about its identity.

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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.

A new USA collection featuring in-depth documentaries bringing important insights and showing every aspect of the United States of America. From current affairs to art & culture, history documentaries and ARTE Reports, it offers a comprehensive look at American society. 

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The incredible and untold story of the invention, development and improvement of China's surveillance and repression system over the decades. A new light on China’s totalitarian power following the 20th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party.

LAOdong and GAIzao mean "work" and "reform" in Chinese, so LAOGAI is the concept of reform through work. Starting from the present time – the Communist party dealing with Covid – the series will take you back to the origins of the laogai and follow its evolution at the rhythm of the great political caesuras of contemporary China, each period having its share of purges, accumulating one on top of the other, and sparing no sector of Chinese society. A spectacular documentary series that will reveal that China is the greatest totalitarian power of all times.

Discover a stunning new collection of live performances featuring iconic artists across genres—from classical greats to contemporary pop legends.
 From Air’s concert at London’s Royal Albert Hall to Mozart's Requiem being performed at the Palace of Versailles, each concert is a unique experience. Enjoy great music from all over the world and step into unforgettable places!

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.

Between 1960 and 1980, the conservative movement spread across the United States of America. This movement brought Ronald Reagan to power while shaping the world as we know it today, where the free market is the new doctrine. A world where the richest keep getting richer and political discourse is completely uninhibited and less restrained. Here is a look back at these pivotal years, through the many images and myths they created.