Mariupol: A Homecoming / 2022
#Ukraine #Donbass #Mariupol

‘Today, we have the same situation in Ukraine that was in Germany in 1941, with the difference that Germany was in Europe and Ukraine is near Russia,’ says the Donetsk People’s Republic’s first defence minister, Igor Khakimzyanov. In 2014, he was captured and tortured by Azov nationalists. After the Maidan, Ukrainian nationalists occupied Mariupol clamping down on civilian unrest with the use of arms. They shot citizens and killed policemen who dared to oppose them, claiming that Mariupol was theirs.

In 2022 things changed. After 83 days of fierce city combat, Russian troops and Donbass militia managed to liberate the city. Since 16 May 2022, 2,439 soldiers have surrendered, while the rest of the Azov nationalists and Ukrainian army were trapped on the Azovstal plant. In our new film, you will learn the timeline, shocking witnesses of Mariupol residents and militia, and the story of great victory.

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You’re My Type / 2020
#Russia

Gosha, 11, survived leukaemia after a bone marrow transplant from a stranger. His donor, Rishat, didn’t even know whose life he was saving. Every day, bone marrow and stem cell donors save the lives of leukaemia and anaemia patients. Finding a suitable donor is like winning the lottery - the chances are 1 in 10,000. And since relatives aren’t always suitable, patients rely on a donor registry.

In Russia, with a population of 144 million people, there are nearly 100,000 potential donors. However, the chances of finding a donor in Russia are relatively low compared to Germany, which boasts almost nine million donors in its population of 80 million people.

June 14 marks World Blood Donor Day! Becoming a donor is a simple but selfless act - watch the documentary and learn more about it.

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Freegans of New York / 2021
#USA

Some people don’t buy their groceries in a supermarket. Instead, they get their food for free from a dumpster. It’s called ‘freeganism’, which is how people save food from waste. An astonishing 100 million tons of food go to waste in the US annually.

Join freegans on a dumpster diving trip around New York and hear more about their philosophy. Why let perfectly good food go uneaten?

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🎲 Food Waste Facts
What do you know about food waste? 🍎 Put your knowledge to the test!

🖊 5 questions · ⏱ 1 min

Зашто? (WHY?) / 2014
#Yugoslavia

Hundreds were killed, thousands injured, and parts of a city destroyed. In 1999, NATO launched airstrikes on Belgrade.

Operation Allied Force launched 2,300 missiles and dropped 14,000 bombs during the Kosovo campaign. Collateral damage included schools, libraries, hospitals and homes. The alliance blamed Belgrade for ‘excessive and disproportionate use of force’ in a conflict with an ethnic Albanian insurgency in Kosovo.

In ZASHTO (WHY?) American and Serbian journalists look at the legacy of NATO’s bombing of Yugoslavia and how it was portrayed in their countries

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Red Waters / 2014
#Denmark

Up to 1,000 pilot whales are killed for meat each year on Denmark’s Faroe Islands. Dozens of men in small boats drive the mammals into a bay and use hooks and knives to kill them. Called the grind, it’s a terrifying sight but also a centuries-old tradition. As a result, the Faroese are sometimes called the last barbarians of Europe.

While animal rights activists call for an end to the custom, the islanders say the grind is part of the Faroese identity. Is it culture or animal cruelty?

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Theatre of War / 2022
#Ukraine #Donbass #Donetsk

'Why should I move somewhere because of somebody? My soul is right there,' says Yuri Paramonenko, the chief conductor of the 'Donbass Opera' theatre. Like many Donbass performers, he didn’t leave his hometown when Ukrainian shelling started.

They performed on stage even when the bomb explosions shook the theatre. His orchestra continues to work, although some musicians were connoscripted into the DPR forces, and the talent shortage was critical. Nevertheless, the 'Donbass Opera' never intended to stop performing during the war and continues to brighten up Donbass people’s days now.

Today many dancers and singers serve in the ranks of the DPR forces. They share their stories in our new documentary

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The Immortals / 2016
#India

Ziona Chana from India had 39 wives and up to 94 children, making him the head of arguably the world’s largest family. They all lived under one roof in a pink four-storey house they built themselves in the foothills of the Indian Himalayas.

Not only did they live together, but they all also worshipped Ziona as their God. He was the leader of the ‘New Generation’ sect, whose members believed in immortality, practice polygamy and led a communal life.
Ziona died in 2021.

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Caravan of Dreams / 2019

In June 2022, some 6,000 migrants set off from Mexico in one of the largest caravans bound for the United States. Over the last four years, migrant caravans have become a common phenomenon. Men, women and children from Central and South America trek hundreds of kilometres on foot across multiple borders. As a result, hundreds of thousands are caught at the doorstep of the US, but migrants remain undeterred and keep marching towards a safer life in the United States.

June 20 is World Refugee Day. Watch this documentary to learn why people are forced to leave their homes.

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My Baby My Way / 2015
#Egypt

PE instructor Lena Fokina has come up with an unorthodox way of making babies strong and resilient, but her method makes a lot of people cringe. Elena grasps the little tykes by their wrists and feet and spins and flips them over and around her head like they were rag dolls.

Lena teaches her bizarre ‘baby yoga’ to parents who want to discover their babies’ natural abilities, but some critics say her innovation is actually baby abuse. Videos of the PE teacher spinning newborns and dipping their heads in the sea have been removed from social media and petitions have appeared on the web calling for Lena’s methods to be banned.

Baby yoga or baby abuse?

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Torched: Sri Lanka's Economy / 2022
#SriLanka

'We can afford only one meal a day, because our wage is low, only 800 rupees. It is enough only to buy two flatbreads and a pound of dhal. We don’t have enough money to eat properly,’ says Marimuttu Kumarasamy, a tea picker from Sri Lanka. Poor people on the island face absolute disaster – their low wages are not enough to feed themselves.

That was caused by the US embargo on Russian oil, leading to fuel shortages in Sri Lanka. As a result, the prices skyrocketed, putting people on the brink of starvation. How is the country going to recover?

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Remembrance / 2018
#Europe

Statues and memorials commemorating Soviet soldiers and the Red Army have been torn down in countries across Europe. As a result, some see the Red Army’s role in defeating Nazi Germany in World War II as being systematically diminished.

‘In fifty years, Polish kids will think that it wasn’t the Red Army that liberated Poland... but the American one. But we won’t allow it!’ says Polish activist Tadeusz Kowalczyk. Unfortunately, few Europeans and members of memorial societies still honour the sacrifices made by Soviet soldiers. Watch the documentary for a closer look at the battle of World War II history.

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World War II Leaders / 2022
#world

Clementine Churchill, Winston Churchill’s wife, visited the USSR during WWII. As a result, she created a foundation to help the Soviet people. From 1941 to 1951, it raised £9 million, which today equals $200 million. The foundation shipped medicine, food and equipment to Soviet hospitals. For her charity work, Clementine Churchill was awarded the Order of the Red Banner of Labor in the Soviet Union. But at the end of WWII, while his wife was helping the Soviet people, Churchill was considering an attack along with the remaining German troops on the USSR. Find out more about the Big Three’s rocky relationship and how the United States and Great Britain used the war to weaken the Soviet Union.

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Bear with Me / 2018
#Russia

Bear cubs stay with their mothers for about eighteen months. Orphans have very little chance of surviving on their own. Biologist Valentin Pazhetnov dedicated his life to saving orphaned bear cubs and reintroducing them back into the wilderness.

Valentin rescued and raised more than 250 bears in his Orphan Bear Rescue Centre. Specialists in the centre provide baby bears round-the-clock care but avoid bonding with them. “The main thing about our method is to preserve their fear of humans,” Valentin said.

The centre, which Valentin’s son and grandson now run, is considered a world leader in bear rehabilitation. In June 2021, Valentin tragically died at the age of 84.

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🎲 Quiz 'All About a Bears Quiz! 🐻'
Bears are some of nature’s most magnificent species. But what do you know about them?
🖊 5 questions · ⏱ 45 sec

Imprisoned: The Man at the Party / 2019
#USA

Jerome Morgan was 17 when his life suddenly took a dramatic turn. Jerome was at a Sweet 16 party when a fight broke out, and a teenager was shot. Weeks later, Jerome was arrested and charged with murder after two eyewitnesses identified him as the shooter. As a result, Jerome was sent to Louisiana’s notorious Angola Prison for life without parole.

Jerome had spent 20 years behind bars until his murder conviction was overturned, and he was released. Watch the documentary to find out how Jerome proved his innocence and how many are wrongfully convicted in US prisons.

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Kidless / 2019
#USA

Climate change, overpopulation, expensive economy - these and more contribute to men and women deciding not to have children. As a result, birth rates have been declining steadily in middle- and high-income countries. Moreover, childfree by choice defies the cultural imperative, opting out of parenting in favour of other goals.

Intentional childfree adults still face social stigma, like the expectation to bring children into the world is vital. Moreover, voluntary childlessness often sparks ‘moral outrage’, according to one study.

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The Long Road to School / 2016
#Nepal

Durge Kami was in his late 60s when he realised his lifelong dream of attending school. The oldest schoolboy in Nepal makes a 2-hour journey from his village to the city of Pokhara to attend classes every day!

Durge Kami’s story proves that it’s never too late to make a dream come true.

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