Seeds of hunger: Ukraine 1933 • 2022

50:04

Was the Sphinx originally built with a lion's head and later remodeled? Dr. Zahi Hawass presents the latest theories and evidence in the mystery of the Sphinx. Egypt is a land filled with hidden treasures, buried secrets, and centuries of old mysteries left unsolved. Perhaps the greatest of these is the Sphinx, no one knows for sure who built it, or when. This Sphinx, a lion with the face of a pharaoh, towers above the Giza Plateau. It is a four-and-half thousand -year old puzzle, but now the latest science is offering new clues.

Part 3 • Egypt Unwrapped • 2008 • History

42:09

In 1984, Tom Clancy, who works as an insurance salesman, publishes a book, The Hunt for Red October, which contains some of the Cold War's best-kept secrets. Where does the information come from? The book is followed by a hit film, the story of which appears to be strongly linked to one of the largest operations in CIA history.

Part 1 • The Real Hunt for Red October • 2020 • History

45:29

Microscopic armies have waged war on humanity for thousands of years. Medicine is our great weapon to fight back against invisible, unthinkable death.

S1E2 • Origins: The Journey of Humankind • 2017 • History

104:23

A suspenseful, immersive look at the lengths to which people will go to gain freedom. The film follows various individuals as they attempt to flee North Korea, one of the most oppressive places on earth and a land they grew up believing was a paradise. At the film's core are a mother desperate to reunite with the child she was forced to leave behind; a family of five - including small children and an elderly grandmother - embarking on a treacherous journey across the Yalu River and into the hostile mountains of China; and a South Korean Christian pastor on a mission to help them. Leaving their homeland is fraught with danger - severe punishment if caught and possibly even execution - as well as potential exploitation by unscrupulous brokers. Family members who remain behind may also face retribution. Yet these individuals are driven to take the risk. Gripping, visceral and urgent, Madeleine Gavin's film embeds the viewer with these family members as they attempt their perilous escape, palpably conveying life-or-death stakes.

2024 • History

54:08

This in-depth documentary examines the life of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, who founded the Republic of Turkey from the ruins of the Ottoman Empire. One of the most fascinating personalities of his time: Mustafa Kemal Ataturk. November 10 2018 marks the 80th anniversary of his death. His revolution, which quickly and radically transformed the declining Ottoman Empire into today's Turkey and profoundly changed culture and society, is rooted in European thinking. But Ataturk's unconditional determination also shows dictatorial traits. Mustafa Kemal Ataturk - Monuments to the father of modern Turkey can be found in every city, the anniversary of his death is commemorated every year, derogatory words about him are punishable by law. Rarely has a politician changed a society so radically in such a short time as Ataturk did in Turkey, which was born out of the declining Ottoman Empire. He acted with unconditional determination when it came to catapulting a deeply backward country into modernity. His reforms still have an impact today. Ataturk's revolution is rooted in European thinking, in the French Enlightenment, in the process of secularization in western states. In many ways it is a turning to the West. It is also based on the idea of equality between men and women - unique in the Islamic world at the time. With his cultural revolution, however, he also overwhelms many traditionally oriented Turks. It still has an effect today. How did a young Ottoman officer become the hero of Gallipoli in World War I? How did this hero become the charismatic founder of today's Turkey through the war of independence? How does he push his reforms through in just fifteen years: abolition of polygamy, introduction of Swiss civil law, dress reform, hat reform, language and writing reform? The docu-drama tells the story of Mustafa Kemal Pasha - from his birth in multicultural Salonika to his death on November 10, 1938. Along with interviews with historians, a rich trove of archival footage and photographs enhance the documentary. These are further illuminated by reenactments depicting the intellectual evolution of Ataturk the man, as well as his revolution and political philosophy. Inner monologues drawn from the wide range of the nation's founder's writings and diaries, notes and letters lend authenticity and credibility to the film.

2018 • History

43:58

This is one of the last and greatest untold stories of the Second World War, revealed by the last surviving Chief of State, King Michael I of Romania. “We took the train to Berlin to see the other side of the coin and we had lunch with Hitler. It wasn’t an enjoyable meeting.” It is the story of a King’s decision who, in a critical moment of the Second World War, relinquished Germany’s support, guiding Romania towards the Allies, thus bringing about a quicker end to the war. It is a story of palatial intrigues. And a story of deceptions. From Buckingham Palace to Bucharest. From Moscow to Washington. Lost diplomatic signals, aristocrat spies and blackmail at gun point. And the courage of a young king who dared. Romania, at the outbreak of the Second World War, was a very young nation, with an age of only 20 years.

2017 • History