Hasta siempre, Comandante
#video #Bolivia

‘His bearded face resembled Jesus Christ’s!’ A woman from Vallegrande, Bolivia recalls the day she saw Ernesto ‘Che’ Guevara’s body put on display in a laundry house. The Argentine-born revolutionary died a year after he began to create his guerrilla army in Bolivia.

In 1966, Che Guevara travelled to Bolivia incognito to incite a revolution. Despite early successes, he and his guerrilla force found themselves on the run from US-backed Bolivian troops. Che Guevara was wounded, caught, and eventually executed. He was buried in an unmarked grave.

His remains were dug up 30 years later and brought to Cuba, where he was buried with military honours on October 17.

Check out our documentary about the Comandante’s last days in Bolivia.

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Square metre of hell
#video #HongKong

We bet you’ve never had to live in such a small dwelling. This is what the poorest residents in one of the world’s most expensive cities can afford. They literally live in cages that cost around US$300 per month. Our film crew got to visit an apartment in Hong Kong offering cage beds for rent, but the inhabitants weren’t very happy about it. See it in our documentary, available here.

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Wildfire Warriors
#video #Russia

The summer of 2021 has become devastating for the Russian taiga. Recently, wildfires are spreading at a critical rate because of climate change and the collapse of agriculture. Extensive areas are grassed over and set on fire easily. This is why the Russian Aerial Forest Protection Service is out fighting the fires on one of their longest tours on the job.

Aerial Forest Protection Service is a unit in charge of putting out wildfires. The aircraft we see spraying the forest from above are only trying to cool it down to let the firefighters do their job. They get parachuted to the site and start their work. They have to act very quickly because there is always a chance of a fire spreading. They dig firebreaks and set up backfires. No need to say that their job can often get dangerous or even life-threatening. But they still manage to soldier on.

Tune in for the premiere of Wildfire Warriors and see what it takes to become a firefighter.

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Rudolf Nureyev, Galina Ulanova and Mikhail Baryshnikov are world-famous Russian dancers and they all went to the same school - the Vaganova Ballet Academy. Aspiring dancers from Russia and beyond still dream of studying there.

Future ballet stars have perfected their art here for nearly 300 years. To become a professional ballet dancer, you have to start at an early age. Every year, thousands of children head to St. Petersburg to try their luck. Only around 70 are accepted, competition is tough and only the most promising dancers succeed.

Entering the academy is only half the battle. Completing a gruelling eight-year curriculum and living far from your family is much more difficult. Only half the students make it throughout the whole programme. But it can pay off - graduates get the chance to dance with the world’s best companies.

Today is World Ballet Day! Check out Olya's story, along with many other young hopefuls, who really want to become prima ballerinas.

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From white-collar to freediving champion
#video #Russia

Andrey Matveenko used to be an economist and worked in an office. He has always been into sport, but when he tried freediving, that was it. He quit his accounting job and became a full-time freediver.

Andrey became an instructor and set multiple records by diving deeper than 100 metres. Having conquered warm seas, his friends dared Andrey to try it in cold water, under the ice.

Freediving is challenging in itself, as athletes plunge to great depths while holding their breath. Try doing that when the water is minus 2 degrees Celcius. Andrey took it to a different level and decided to break the world record of 71 metres.

How do you think he did? Find out here.

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#video #UK

Eleven years ago, WikiLeaks released a trove of classified US documents relating to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The media called it ‘the greatest leak in the history of the US military’. The published materials shed light on how the US and Britain ignored prisoner abuse, as well as civilian deaths.

As of today, WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is incarcerated in the UK. The US government is seeking to extradite him to face espionage charges.

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Raised by the Streets
#video #Congo

They are only 15-17 years old, but they steal, do drugs, and terrorise their neighbours. Youth gangs are running rampant in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The delinquents are called Kuluna.

Kuluna gangs exist in almost every Congolese city. Each group claims their own turf and fights other gangs for respect. They make money from racketeering, fencing stolen goods, and running small businesses. According to the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project, Kuluna gangs are often affiliated with local police.

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North Korea’s cult of personality
#video #NorthKorea

What happens when Kim Jong-un visits a North Korean school?

Right, everything he comes in contact with becomes an exhibition item. We try to delve into Kim’s bizarre cult of personality in this short episode from our documentary about life in the world’s most isolated country.

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Deadly Vapes
#video #USA

Can vaping kill you? Sixty-eight people have died from a vaping-related lung disease called EVALI in the US alone. Nearly 3,000 cases have been reported since 2019. Alex from Provo, Utah, was lucky not to die. He spent three terrifying weeks on life support. His lungs failed after he tried a new vape juice. Alex’s parents thought he was on his deathbed.

Now Alex and his family want his case to become a cautionary tale, as some 1.5 million people are taking up vaping in the US every year. While health experts are trying to determine what exactly causes the illness, vape proponents still claim it’s less harmful than smoking tobacco and helps smokers quit.

What’s true and what’s myth about vaping? We talked to Alex, his family, vape proponents, and health officials to find out more. Check out our YouTube for a new documentary that’s premiering right now!

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Why coca is king for Colombian farmers

Colombia is the world’s largest producer of coca, the primary ingredient in cocaine. It’s a multi-billion-dollar industry, but rural coca growers don’t reap the rewards. For them, harvesting coca leaf is the only way to put food on the table.

In 2016, a historic peace deal between the government and the Colombian Revolutionary Armed Forces (FARC) pledged to provide rural farmers with legal alternative crops and subsidies. These promises have failed to materialize, however. The crop substitution payments don’t reach farmers, while armed groups battle openly for control, and aerial fumigation destroys the environment and endangers peoples’ health.

Sandwiched between the government, armed groups, and poverty, Colombian farmers keep growing coca and come out to protest. In the meantime, the coca crop area in Columbia expanded in 2020. Check out our documentary about Colombian farmers struggling to give up the illegal plant.

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#video #Iraq

Hicham al-Zahabi has witnessed wars, America’s invasion of Iraq, and the rise of Islamic State. He’s seen what happens after children lose their families and homes in tragic events like these. ‘Most of them were sniffing acetone. They were wearing rags, and their hair was matted,’ the Baghdad resident says.

Hicham started working with street kids in 2003. He first took in four street boys to live with his family. From there, his concern has grown into the Iraqi Safe House for Creativity, where children can feel safe and find a hobby. Dozens of boys have gone through Hicham’s orphanage over the years.

Muqtada was brought to Hicham’s orphanage by his mother, who’s afraid he’s spending too much time on the streets. Check out the full documentary to find out more about Hicham’s mission and the boys he’s raising.

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The church that Don Justo built
#video #Spain

For 60 years, Justo Gallego Martinez has been building his own cathedral. He’s 96 years old and has devoted most of his life to the DIY church. According to Don Justo, he’s had no blueprint or even drawings in mind. He’s been relying on proportions and intuition. Materials he uses in the construction are scavenged or donated. That’s why it’s sometimes called a ‘garbage cathedral’.

Some consider Don Justo a saint, others say he’s crazy. He started the construction after tuberculosis forced him to leave a Trappist order. The former monk has since devoted his life and much of a family inheritance to the cathedral. He’s never been married and eventually fell out with his relatives.

Don Justo’s cathedral won’t be completed during his lifetime. And its future is uncertain since the creator has never building approval from the city authorities. Make sure you check out Don Justo’s chaotic, yet impressive work in our documentary.

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