ARTE France (Firm)

Alfred arrives in Xi’an in the province of Shaanxi. The Silk Road caravans used to end their long journey in this millenary city. He comes by stylist Fan Yanyan’s studio and visits the great mosque of Xi’an, the oldest in China, in the neighborhood inhabited by the Muslim Hui minority. Ideas and religions travelled the Silk Road as well as valuable goods. Professor Yue Yu tells Alfred the story of Xuan Chang, a seventh-century sage who went...

Hailing from New York City, Rob Weiner was Donald Judd's assistant until his death, helping the master to build his desert dream, the Chinati Foundation. As the current director of the Foundation, Rob Weiner explains in this first episode how Chinati came to fruition and, ultimately, how it has become over the years a world class conceptual art museum— hosting the monumental artworks of artists such as Donald Judd of course, but also Dan Flavin,...

All-nighters, romantic wanderings, a trend for laziness: the young Chinese generation is in search of itself. Born into a consumer society, this generation straddles yesterday’s society that was rooted in collectiveness, and tomorrow’s society that is much more individualistic. Photographers follow these young people in their personal lives. Black and white Snapshots from the Birdhead collective in a festive and melancholic Shanghai, and the introspection...

Born in France, around the Commune de Paris, and in the wake of the French Revolution, anarchism rapidly disseminated its theories throughout the world. When the brand new International Workers’ Association was created, anarchism even became predominant within the workers’ movement. Yet early on, anarchism instilled fear in people, not only because all over the world it waged the war for an 8-hour working day, founded schools with no God and no...

A breaking lesson with Mounir. Mounir dissects the classic moves and choreographic structure of breaking. He provides a step-by-step demonstration of famous moves like the toprock, which allow dancers to adapt to the music. Through a series of floor-based moves, he shows how dancers can integrate acrobatics into their own personal style. Featuring Mounir, from Vagabond Crew.

From the sky, it resembles a serpent, a whale, a bulging vein or a river. From inside, it looks like a huge stained-glass window. Dreamed up by the experimental, provocative Israeli designer Ron Arad, whose playful furniture designs featuring rounded, sculptural shapes have made him world famous, this startling construction swells, curves and winds its way through Médiacité, Liège's gigantic shopping center, for over 350 meters. It is a covered...

As a former CIA and NSA collaborator, Edward Snowden leaked the biggest mass surveillance scandal of the century. A secret meeting between him and global freedom and civil rights campaigners, Birgitta Jonsdottir and Larry Lessig turns into a freewheeling discussion about the future of democracy. Russian hints that the country could hand over America's most wanted whistle blower as a favor to Donald Trump place Snowden in even greater danger than before....

Between 1895 and 1945 Japan was constantly at war in Southeast Asia. After its defeat in 1945, Japan pushed the population to turn inward to a strong and revisionist nationalist power. But is this ideology from the past a threat to its present democracy? This documentary is built around present footage in four places that resonate with Japan's past; Tokyo, a place where electoral issues coalesce; Manchuria, the region conquered by Japanese imperialism;...

China's New Silk Road project is one of President Xi Jinping's grandest designs—perhaps even the grandest—a vast plan to create land and sea trade routes across the whole of Eurasia, stretching right into Europe. Central to this strategic development project is the Eurasian Land Bridge, a 10,000-kilometer road and rail network that will run across western China to Central Asia via Kazakhstan, then along the edge of the Urals to Moscow and ultimately...

In this Islamic Republic,a creative and daring young photographic scene is committed to giving its country a new image to the world. The film presents us with a unique artistic scene in the world – always using humor and metaphor in their work to bypass censorship. This movie sheds a new light on Iran, a complex country torn between tradition and modernity – a country in which these photographers have chosen to stay, out of passion and pride,...