Wine and War

The untold story of wine in the Middle East

Woven into Lebanon’s ancient history is a rich tale of wine-making, resilience, and entrepreneurial spirit. Unravelling the story of the world’s fist wine merchants, Wine and War is a complex testament to the Lebanese people’s courage in the face of adversity, and a deep dive into the history of a nation which has bred masters of crisis management; a skill personified by the winemakers who for thousands of years have gone about their work in war, famine, occupation and the constant hum of political instability.

Undercover Jihadi

What drives a person to extremism?

Each time a young man leaves a quiet suburb and runs off to join ISIS, the baroquely violent group determined to carve out a caliphate of brutality, we are shocked. Why do they do it? How can they be stopped? Or brought back to our world? And if they come back, what to do about them? These are the questions that drive Mubin Shaikh on his quest to stop potential jihadis. Mubin Shaikh went from militant extremist to undercover operative, exposing a major terrorist cell. Now as a well-connected Counter-Terrorism expert, Shaikh takes to the frontlines of the battle against violent extremism around the world.

Russia's Libyan Front

Inside the Wagner Group

The Wagner Group is a shadowy Russian private military contractor renowned for their secrecy. Now, two former employees have unveiled the motivations of those who join the mercenary group. Involved in the Libyan civil war, Wagner's mercenaries have been accused of war crimes - including mining and booby trapping civilian houses - and have access to weapons so sophisticated, they are alleged to be Russian military supplies. Just what goes on within this mysterious group, renowned for their brutality?

Murder in the Cove

What happens when members of a tight-knit community kill one of their own?

A cluster of postcard-perfect Acadian fishing villages off the coast of Nova Scotia, Canada made international news in 2013 when Phillip Boudreau, a local man known for poaching lobsters, was killed by fishermen in a crime the media dubbed ‘Murder for Lobster.’ But as anyone from the community will tell you, it’s a lot more complicated than that. People don’t just go around killing each other over lobster.

The Colonel's Stray Dogs

When dreams of revolution die, what is left behind?

For over 40 years Ashur Shamis was a member of the Libyan Muslim Brotherhood and Colonel Gadaffi’s enemy number one in exile with a $1m bounty on his head. His dream of a ‘free’ Libya almost cost him his life and his family. When the 2011 revolution rid the country of their dictator, Ashur finally returned home to a hero’s welcome but soon found a land vastly different to the one he left. As Libya slipped into civil war he was rejected by the new country and found himself exiled once again. His dream of Libya now distorted, Ashur’s son uncovers a dangerous past and questions the choices his father made to inherit the mess Gadaffi left.

Bangla Surf Girls

Never have the stakes and the waves been so high

Bangla Surf Girls is an immersive documentary that takes us into the heart of Cox’s Bazar in Bangladesh. We witness the transformation of young girls who join a local surf club and dare to dream of freedom and escape from a life of drudgery and abuse. The documentary captures the raw emotions, the family dynamics, and the complex pressures of poverty. Balancing the freedom of the waves with the restrictive realities of their circumstances, we experience the thrill and struggle of coming of age in a developing country. Broadcast cut coming soon

By Rook or Left Hook: The Story of Chessboxing

Rocky meets The Queen's Gambit as brain and brawn are put to the test

Follow a self-defeating promoter from London and a self-promoting artist from Berlin as they fight for control of professional chessboxing, a sport which taxes mind and body through alternating rounds of chess and boxing. While Londoner and chessboxing aficionado Tim Woolgar toiled away and carried the financial burden to get the sport into the spotlight, Iepe Rubingh, the sport's inventor, used his status to garner all of the media attention at his events. As relations turned sour, Tim cut ties with Iepe and the two squared-off in a behind-the-scenes battle to decide who would become the 'Don King of chessboxing.'

Operation Wolf Patrol

One man's battle to end wolf hunting in the States

Eco-activist Rod Coronado has made it his life’s mission to advocate for the planet and the rights of animals. In 2014, he formed Wolf Patrol, an activist group which fights to preserve the grey wolves which roam Wisconsin’s forests. After 30 years of radical environmental action that earned Coronado the label, "eco-terrorist," Operation Wolf Patrol follows Rod's journey to redefine his activism. As ‘hunter harassment’ laws strengthen the rights of hunters in the States, Coronado is forced to make a momentous choice: retain his own freedom, or risk prison to continue his quest to protect America’s wildlife.

North by Current

A family death spurs an exploration of grief, time and transformation

After the inconclusive death of his young niece, filmmaker Angelo Madsen Minax returns to his rural Michigan hometown, prepared to make a film about the family’s wrongful persecution at the hands of authorities. Instead, he pivots to excavate struggles of generational addiction, Christian fervor, and trans embodiment, and in the process, creates a breathtaking reflection on the challenges of creating identity, the agony of growing up and the ever-fickle nuances of family.