Politicians, economists and the media are obsessed with economic growth. But why do we still cling to this concept? Clearly it is impossible to have infinite growth on a finite planet. In SYSTEM ERROR award-winning director Florian Opitz (“Speed, In Search of Lost Time” and “The Big Sellout”) examines the fundamentals of capitalism. He reveals unexpected correlations and lays bare the pathological nature of the current system.
It's the soft, natural fabric associated with high quality and versatility. Used to make everything from jeans and t-shirts to tarpaulins, oil and cattle feed, it powers a 37 billion euros a year industry. But is cotton really as pure as it seems? Claims of forced labour, pollution, and even slavery have stained its wholesome reputation, creating a market for 'ethical, responsible' cotton.
A fascinating story of conspiracy and revenge. On the 15th of March 1921, Armenian student Soghomon Tehlirian, walked up to Talat Pasha, the former ruler of the Ottoman Empire, and shot him in the head. There were numerous witnesses and everyone expected an easy trial, resulting in a death sentence for Tehlirian. But the trial turned into a judgement of his victim, one of the architects of the Armenian genocide.
The Citarum river in Indonesia, is the world's most polluted river. A reporter teamed up with international scientists to investigate the causes and consequences of this pollution. One of the main polluters is actually the fashion industry : 500 textile factories throw away their wastewater directly into the Citarum river.
Children as young as three are becoming addicted to mobiles, harming their development and causing possible long-term damage. We follow some of the youngest cases and hear how our brains are affected by exposure to screens. We also learn how platforms like snapchat or facebook are engineered to make them hyper-addictive. Today, scientists are convinced that screens affect our brain development.
The environmental problems caused by fracking in America have been well publicised but what’s less known are the gas industry’s plans for expansion in other countries. This investigation, filmed in Botswana, South Africa, Alaska and North America, reveals how fracking plants are quietly invading some of the most protected places on the planet - including Africa’s national parks.
How has the extremist group Boko Haram, which began as a small Islamic sect, managed to make Nigeria, the richest country in Africa, and all its neighbours, tremble with fear? Who are they and how did they become so powerful? Xavier Muntz spent a month in Northern Nigeria, in the heart of the red zone, to answer these very questions. He met with many people, all directly affected by this religious uprising. Victims, soldiers and even Jihadi sympathisers.
