Captagon: Inside Syria’s Drug Trafficking Empire
This investigative documentary reveals direct links between the multi-billion dollar Captagon trade and senior members of President Bashar al-Assad’s family and the Syrian Armed Forces. Through court records, bank transactions, WhatsApp messages, and police operations, we documented how an elite army unit provided armed escorts for drug shipments. The documentary includes testimonies from a former Syrian officer, a soldier involved in the scheme, and a German organized crime investigator exposing the alleged links to Syria’s ruling family.
Leaving Afghanistan
This groundbreaking documentary provides an intimate and unflinching look at Afghanistan in the wake of America’s withdrawal, offering unprecedented access and insights into a nation at a critical turning point. Filmed during the pivotal months surrounding the U.S. military departure, the documentary explores the complex power dynamics that emerged in the vacuum left by Western forces.
Through exclusive access to a militant wing of the Taliban, the film reveals the organization’s internal workings and their vision for the country’s future. The documentary also extensively investigates Iran’s growing influence across Afghanistan, examining how regional powers are reshaping the geopolitical landscape.
This FRONTLINE special not only documents a crucial moment in Afghanistan’s history but also provides vital context for understanding the broader implications of America’s longest war and its aftermath for both regional stability and international security.
Coming Ashore
Coming Ashore is a short multimedia documentary that gathers the graphic coverage on the Eastern Mediterranean migratory route by journalists Santi Palacios and Mikel Konate.
Nearly one million people risked their lives by crossing the Mediterranean in 2015, aboard precarious plastic or wooden boats, to reach Europe. Some 800,000, from countries such as Syria, Iraq or Afghanistan, made it across the Aegean Sea, between the Turkish coasts and the Greek islands.
This 10-minute piece combines video, photography and voice-over to show the risk that these people faced when trying to reach the European coasts in search of refuge, and that many of them lost their lives in the attempt.
The Cruel Sea
“The Cruel Sea” follows the dedicated crew of a Spanish rescue vessel as they navigate the treacherous waters of the Mediterranean, responding to distress calls from migrants attempting the perilous crossing to Europe. Shot over several months, this documentary for ABC’s Foreign Correspondent provides an intimate look at the humanitarian crisis unfolding in one of the world’s deadliest migration routes.
The film captures the complex reality of maritime rescue operations, where a small team from Barcelona covers an vast expanse of sea, racing against time to locate and assist overcrowded boats. Through powerful imagery and firsthand accounts, it documents both the remarkable dedication of rescue workers and the desperate circumstances that drive thousands to risk everything for a chance at safety.
Who’s Getting Rich from Moroccan Hash
In northern Morocco, cannabis farms stretch as far as the eye can see. This illegal trade is a lucrative one, yet many of the half a million Moroccans farming the crop live between poverty and fear. Shot across North Africa and Europe, this doc investigates the lives of the farmers, consumers in the West and the web of money and politics behind the world’s largest exporter of cannabis resin.
Sex Tourism – My Father’s Secret
Sex work is a significant industry in the Philippines, yet the lack of contraception and the illegality of abortion often lead to lasting repercussions.
Men from overseas, including Australia and New Zealand, are estimated to have fathered tens of thousands of children with sex workers. Many of these children grow up in poverty, having never been acknowledged by their fathers.
An innovative Australian-led project is now utilising DNA testing to identify these sex-tourist fathers. The project aims to track them down and demand child support, offering a chance for these children to have better futures.
This documentary explores the lives of the children, their mothers, and the individuals involved in tracking down the absentee fathers.
By shedding light on these stories, the show highlights the ongoing impact of sex tourism and the efforts to hold those responsible accountable.
Russia’s Info War
This documentary delves into the resilient community of independent Russian journalists who have established a new base in Latvia after being forced to leave their homeland following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The documentary explores how these media professionals continue their mission to provide accurate, uncensored information to Russian audiences despite operating from exile.
Through intimate access to newsrooms and personal stories, the film shows how these journalists adapt to their new reality while maintaining their commitment to truth-telling. Working from Riga, they leverage digital platforms and innovative broadcasting methods to circumvent state censorship, ensuring that alternative perspectives on the war reach Russian citizens.
The documentary also examines the broader implications of information warfare, highlighting how these independent voices serve as a crucial counterpoint to state-controlled media narratives. Their work represents not just journalism, but an essential effort to maintain bridges of understanding between Russia and the wider world during a period of increasing isolation.
Old King Coal
This documentary explores the complex transition away from coal in two distinct regions: Spain and the United States. This documentary examines how different approaches to phasing out this traditional energy source impact local communities and economies that have relied on coal mining for generations.
Through interviews with miners, local officials, and community members, the film contrasts Spain’s structured phase-out program, which includes worker retraining and economic support, with the more challenging situation in American coal country. In Spain, the government negotiated a comprehensive plan with labor unions to ensure a ‘just transition’ for affected workers. Meanwhile, in the United States, despite political promises to revive the industry, many mining communities face an uncertain future as market forces and environmental policies accelerate coal’s decline.
The documentary provides a balanced perspective on the global shift toward renewable energy while highlighting the human story behind this industrial transformation. It raises important questions about how societies can manage the necessary transition to cleaner energy sources while supporting the communities most affected by these changes.
The Gourougou Trial
N.D. and N.T., two young men from Mali and Ivory Coast, leave their homes and undertake a long journey to Europe. They reach Morocco, where they remain for two months in an illegal camp on Gourougou Mountain, very close to the Spanish border in Melilla. We met them in this camp. Two weeks after meeting out protagonists we follow them in the dead of night as they descend the mountain and scale a huge metal border fence and cross into Spanish soil. However, as soon they are across the border they are arrested and immediately returned to Morocco under a procedure known as “pushback”, an instantaneous deportation. Two lawyers with the German non-profit organization European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights (ECCHR) Hanaa and Carsten commence and fight an action against the Spanish state for violating the European Convention in the treatment of the migrants using pushback. Heard before the Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg we follow the trial as Spain protests its right to use pushback under certain circumstances. It is a judicial thriller where European political power and two migrants are confronted, revealing a gulf between the institutions that determine Europe’s migration management strategy and the reality of those suffering the consequences.
A New Crusade
This documentary explores Poland’s cultural divide as the Catholic Church and government form an alliance against liberal values. The film examines how religious authorities, including Krakow’s Archbishop Jedraszewski, compare LGBTQ+ rights to a “rainbow plague,” drawing parallels to Soviet occupation. Through interviews with key figures like democracy icon Lech Walesa and local LGBTQ+ leaders, it reveals growing tensions between traditional Catholic-nationalist values and progressive movements. The documentary highlights concerning developments, including the declaration of “LGBT-free zones” in one-third of the country, while questioning whether Poland’s religious revival might be undermining its democratic foundations.
Cartas Mojadas
Thousands of people risk their lives crossing the Mediterranean Sea every year in an attempt to reach the European shores. In her new film, renowned documentarian Paula Palacios sheds light on the urgent migratory crisis taking place today. While a mysterious voice coming from the depths of the sea reads letters written by mothers to their children, Drowning Letters follows a rescue ship of the Spanish NGO Open Arms as it embarks on a dramatic mission to save the lives of 550 people stranded in international waters. The film also takes us aboard a Libyan Coast Guard military ship and shows us the most dangerous place in the world, Libya, where human beings are abused and enslaved.
Chemnitz: The Rise of Far-Right Extremism
This documentary examines the complex transformation of this former East German industrial powerhouse. The documentary explores how a city once celebrated for its manufacturing prowess and working-class solidarity has become a focal point for far-right movements in modern Germany.
Through interviews with local residents, political analysts, and community leaders, the film traces Chemnitz’s journey from the fall of the Berlin Wall through the challenges of reunification and deindustrialization. It shows how economic uncertainty, demographic changes, and a sense of cultural displacement have contributed to growing political polarization.
The documentary provides balanced coverage of the city’s social dynamics, examining both the factors that have fueled extremist sentiments and the efforts of local initiatives working to promote dialogue and integration. It highlights how Chemnitz serves as a microcosm of broader tensions between East and West Germany, while exploring the ongoing challenges of building an inclusive, democratic society in the face of rising populism.