Drone warriors - Autonomous weapon systems and the wars of the future

For some he's a hero. For others, he’s public enemy number one. Certainly, his revelations challenged US power. This film follows the WikiLeaks founder’s extraordinary life story. With the publication of thousands of secret US military and diplomatic documents in 2010, WikiLeaks ushered in a new information age. Suddenly, thanks to founder Julian Assange, state secrets were out in the open — and under scrutiny. For many journalists and activists, Assange was a pioneer who used new technologies to evade both censorship and reprisals. For others, he symbolized an openness that could bring both nation states and multinational corporations to their knees. For seven years, Assange sought refuge in the Ecuadorian embassy in London. After that, he spent five years in a British high-security prison facing US charges of espionage carrying a potential sentence of 175 years. Following a deal with the US Department of Justice, he was finally released in the summer of 2024. The film tells the story of Julian Assange and asks the question: in a world of radical change, what remains of the fight for truth?

Before the Taliban’s return, a brief hope was ignited. Could Afghanistan become a more just country? A group of Afghan women sat at the negotiating table. But after the Taliban took power in 2021, those dreams were dashed. Four women were part of an Afghan negotiating team that included representatives of the former government. They wrestled with the Taliban over the future of Afghanistan. Although it was life-threatening for them to raise their voices against the Taliban's misogynistic regime, they never gave up hope of preserving the women of Afghanistan’s hard-won rights. The team's intelligence, perseverance and bravery in the face of a hopeless situation are characteristic, when it comes to women around the world who fight for both peace and equality. But the Taliban were not interested in a democratic, free society in which girls and women have basic rights and can go to school, study or work. After decades of war and chaos, Afghanistan has become safer under the Taliban. But the price for women is high: they have paid with their freedom. ______ DW Documentary gives you

An integration experiment, in the heart of Germany: Refugees move into a vacant hotel, where they receive targeted support. The aim is for them to find work or a training placement, ultimately fostering a successful integration. An empty hotel in downtown Düsseldorf is ready for a new idea. Karin Jungjohann has one - and isn’t afraid to experiment. "What do people need most, no matter where they come from? A sense of hope for the future," said Karin Jungjohann, one of the founders of the Düsseldorf language school "Hispi". For years, she had observed how refugees in accommodation centers struggle to progress in their lives. At the same time, she was being approached by restaurateurs in Düsseldorf looking for people to fill jobs in the catering industry. This gave rise to the idea for a project designed to rethink the accommodation, support and integration of refugees: the House of Friends. A film crew follows the initiator of the integration experiment from the initial selection of participants, through to their successful integration into the labor market and society. ______ DW Documentary

Ebola, COVID-19 and mpox - some of the illnesses caused by germs that jump from animals to humans. In the Central African Republic, researchers are searching for the origins of these zoonotic diseases. Frédéric Singa is a WWF veterinarian working in the Dzanga-Sangha Protected Areas in the Central African Republic. He captures bats, collects samples from gorilla droppings, and talks to people with diseases to better understand which pathogens are circulating in the forest. As part of his research, Singa also plans to regularly test bushmeat sold in local markets, but to do so he needs the community to be on his side. Will he manage to convince skeptical hunters and market vendors to support his project? The samples Singa collects are analyzed in a field laboratory in the rainforest and sent abroad, including to Germany, for further testing. Professor Fabian Leendertz at the Helmholtz Institute for One Health in Greifswald, Germany researches the emergence of new infectious diseases and maps global risk areas. The connection between the rainforests of Central Africa and the health of people in Europe is

On 4 August 2020, some 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate destroyed the Port of Beirut. The explosion killed over 200 people and devastated large parts of the capital city. It was one of the most powerful non-nuclear explosions in history. To this day, the causes of this disaster remain unclear, and the official investigation has stalled. That's why citizens have launched their own inquiries. They seek to reconstruct a tragedy that may have also been a crime. Examining opaque procedures and warnings that were ignored, they attempt to break the silence. The investigation traces the path of a ticking time bomb that should never have made its way to Lebanon. ______ DW Documentary gives you knowledge beyond the headlines. Watch top documentaries from German broadcasters and international production companies. Meet intriguing people, travel to distant lands, get a look behind the complexities of daily life and build a deeper understanding of current affairs and global events. Subscribe and explore the world around you with DW Documentary.

The sensational abuse trial involving Gisèle Pelicot, as seen through her daughter’s eyes. A documentary about the harrowing reality of drug-induced sexual violence and the courage of the victims to speak out. Over a period of ten years, Gisèle Pelicot was systematically drugged by her then-husband in Mazan, in the south of France. On numerous occasions he invited men from the area to sexually assault her. Central to the film is the personal perspective of their daughter, Caroline Darian, who speaks at length for the first time about her mother’s story and her own experiences during the trial. Darian has become an important voice for victims in recent years. As a whistleblower, she draws attention to the hitherto overlooked role of substances in sexual violence - an aspect that is often neglected in criminal proceedings. Gisèle Pelicot made the decision to waive her anonymity and insist that proceedings be open to the public rather than behind closed doors, as is common for rape cases in France. This sent a major signal to society. Thanks to the close relationship of trust