Production
In 1937, amidst Stalin's Great Terror, a newly appointed prosecutor for the USSR is made aware of alleged corruption in the Secret Police, and takes it upon himself to investigate.
After Birgit Meier vanishes in 1989, police missteps plague the case for years. But her brother never wavers in his tireless quest to find the truth.
Recounts the tumultuous history of Cuba, a nation of foreign conquest, freedom fighters and Cold War political machinations.
Once voted out, written off countless times, convicted multiple times – and unstoppable. The comeback of the century: Trump is transforming the USA. And perhaps even the world? This documentary tells the story of an American president who stirs up and unsettles Europe with deals and harsh words. What is his strategy and what has he achieved with it so far? How is Germany responding? How is Europe faring? And what will become of the America we knew? Will the “system crasher” Trump merely dismantle bureaucracy and inefficiency – or democracy itself?
Taylor Swift is one of the defining pop icons of our time: a record-breaking musician, global superstar, and cultural touchstone for Millennials and Gen Z alike. Since her debut in 2006, her music has become the soundtrack of a generation. This series traces her extraordinary journey - from her early beginnings through personal and professional setbacks to remarkable comebacks, culminating in her status as the most successful recording artist of the modern era. Along the way, it also explores the social and cultural changes that have shaped the United States.
The People’s Republic of China now plays a central role in global politics, economics and diplomacy – more than it ever has before. Its president, Xi Jinping openly espouses the model forged by former Chairman, Mao Zedong, known as the Great Helmsman. But what do we really know about Mao? And how does his legacy relate to Xi’s ‘China Dream’? This 3-part documentary series explores Mao Zedong, his beliefs and his methods. It shows how these have shaped Xi’s philosophy and the reality of today’s China. Mao had set China on the road to true sovereignty, freeing it from the humiliation of foreign domination. Xi is now completing that journey towards the strong Middle Kingdom and cultural predominance that Mao aimed for – while sweeping under the carpet the unthinkable victims and costs of Mao’s rule. The story arc of Mao’s astonishing biography provides varied and profound insights into the ideals, strategies and ambitions of today’s People’s Republic and its position in the next decade.
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Over a dozen current and former pilots take us into the cockpits of legendary fighter planes and into the heart of legendary battles. They come from various nations, and their service ranges from the air battles of the First World War to the front lines in Ukraine. Some are well-known names. Others have had to keep their activities—and even their identities—secret. Some have broken down barriers and forged new paths. All have exciting stories to tell.
A look back at a cruel conflict, the Franco-Prussian War (1870-71), which changed the political geography of Europe and sowed the seeds of a deep antagonism between France and Germany that culminated in two world wars. Excerpts from the diaries of the witnesses, photographs and painted panoramas tell the truth about a forgotten war.
A critical and objective look back at Ukraine's tumultuous and tragic history, from its mythical founding in the 10th century to the Russian invasion in 2022.
Driven by extensive archive material and interviews with those who know her, this is the astonishing story of how a triple outsider – a woman, a scientist, and an East German – became the de facto leader of the “Free World”, told for the first time for an international audience.
The documentary “Back to the Bunker?” tells the story of traumatic bunker experiences in the World Wars, of empty ruins at the turn of the millennium, and of a bunker renaissance in Germany and Europe, based on the personal experiences of contemporary witnesses. An impressive documentary about the culture of remembrance, resilience, and the societal question of how people deal with extreme situations.
Gdańsk, Poland, September 1980. Lech Wałęsa and other Lenin shipyard workers found Solidarność (Solidarity), the first independent trade union behind the Iron Curtain. The long and hard battle to bring down communist dictatorship has begun.
Is it morally acceptable to use the civilian population as yet another tool for waging war? Is it possible to justify death and destruction for the sake of supposedly lofty ideals? The question remains as pertinent today as it was at the beginning of World War II, and it is becoming increasingly urgent to answer, as countless tragedies have been caused by unethical political decisions.
"The Pipeline of the Century -- How Soviet Natural Gas Came to the West" by director Matthias Schmidt shows touching personal memories. The production is a treasure trove of material in which previously unpublished visual material about the construction of the century and its builders can be seen. Writer & Director Matthias Schmidt ; A Co-Production by LOOKSfilm and MDR in Cooperation with ARTE
The film follows Volodymyr Zelensky through a year that pushes him to his political, personal, and moral limits. In 2025, Ukraine suffers under relentless attacks, the army is exhausted, and society is deeply unsettled. At the same time, Zelensky seeks allies between Europe and an unpredictable Washington — in a struggle for weapons deliveries, security guarantees, and a peace framework that preserves Ukrainian sovereignty.
2024 is likely to be a decisive year for Sahra Wagenknecht's political future. In the arena of power, she might assume a role that she is already very familiar with. In the early years following the fall of the Berlin Wall, Sahra Wagenknecht became the "most famous face" of the PDS, the successor party to the SED. Yet, even as the youngest member of the party's executive board, she was considered a "disruptive factor." She is unyielding and swims against the tide. Sahra Wagenknecht does not distance herself from Stalinism, nor from the Berlin Wall, and wishes for a reformed GDR.
Hannah Arendt was one of the most fearless writers of the 20th century, and her report of the Adolf Eichmann trial coined the phrase, “the banality of evil.” The German American scholar transformed her time as a political prisoner and refugee during World War II into insights about the human condition, the refugee crisis and totalitarianism.
