On December 8 2024, Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad and his entire family fled his country and sought refuge in Russia. The swift fall of the Butcher of Damascus, the man who had made a startling comeback after nearly losing everything during the Arab Spring, took everyone by surprise. This film, shot before and after the fall of the regime, tells the story of why his bloody dictatorship fell so quickly. How Syrians experienced the end of the Assad clan and their hopes and fears for the future.
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For the past decade, this small ex-Soviet republic in Central Asia has been one of the main breeding grounds for jihadism. Why?
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Ruja Ignatova is believed to have stolen at least €3.2 billion from OneCoin investors before disappearing on going on the run in 2017. Since then, everyone from the FBI and German police to former victims and criminal gangs have been trying to find her. It was even claiming she had was murdered at sea. In this film, we debunk that rumour and reveal what happened to some of the OneCoin money. Is Ruja Ignatova still alive and residing in South Africa?
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In Marseille, criminal gangs wage turf wars. In this city alone, drug trafficking has claimed the lives of 73 people in the past two years. More and more innocent victims are caught in the crossfire of drug trafficking. Is France tipping over into the kind of ultraviolence more commonly seen in South America?
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"Blank Plate: Creating the Best Restaurant in the World" takes us on the journey of Disfrutar as it rises to be crowned the best restaurant in the world. As well as documenting this achievement, the film delves into the personal stories of its three chefs – Eduard Xatruch, Mateu Casañas and Oriol Castro – tracing them all the way from their demanding years at El Bulli to the creation of their own restaurant.
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In the prisons of Al-Hol and Al-Roj camps, Kurdish forces are managing what many Western countries regard as a time bomb: 60,000 prisoners affiliated with the Islamic State. Nearly three quarters of them are under the age of 15. Here, ISIS still reigns supreme. The prisoners believe it's only a matter of time before ISIS return and frees them.
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In 2023, we reported on the ways paedophiles were exploiting post-COVID poverty in Thailand to abuse children. In this documentary, we return to the place where it all began, checking in with stories that have continued since the first film aired and examining whether any real reform is happening.
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Endless beaches, majestic mountains and villages with multi-coloured houses: Cape Verde has become one of the hottest new destinations for Instagrammers. Here, tourists can enjoy a week in an all-inclusive resort for as little as €700, including travel. But virtually none of this benefits the island.
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For centuries, Vietnam, the Philippines, Taiwan, Malaysia, Brunei and China have disputed territories in the South China Sea. But China’s claims of overriding sovereignty over the entire sea, supported by annexations and aggressive military patrols, have turned the sea into a global hotspot.
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