Der Pfälzerwald rund ums Jahr

Investigates how the multi-billion-dollar weight-loss industry systematically buys scientific research and uses it in its favor.

Since the summer of 2020, boats along the Atlantic coast from the Strait of Gibraltar to the Bay of Biscay in the north have been repeatedly attacked by orcas. The whales purposefully attack the rudders and destroy them. Researchers are trying to find out what drives them. Curiosity? Competition for food? Or play?

A fascinating look at the myth and the man behind it, who, in just a few short years transformed himself from a skinny orphan boy to the most feared man in the West and an enduring western icon.

Explore the innovative and highly flexible ways that snakes survive in the extreme environments of Australia and Africa. Examine the longest, strongest, heaviest, deadliest and most venomous snakes, across the two continents that shaped them.

What is behind the myth surrounding the founder of anthroposophy, Rudolf Steiner? The documentary shows Steiner's life from the beginnings in Vienna, the crises in Weimar, the wild times in the Berlin bohemian scene to the esoteric leader and busy founder whose reform movement was followed by thousands. Around one hundred years after his death, the question remains: Who was Rudolf Steiner?

This German format is not a series properly speaking, as it has no permanent cast or script continuity, but presents each time a 45 minutes documentary, usually in part presented as a docudrama (not faction, as close to scientific knowledge as possible, but visually attractive), elaborating a specific historical theme, widely varied, often exotic in the sense of a far time (as far back as prehistoric times) and/or place (around the globe), although some episodes fit together well, chronologically or thematically, but always fit to be watched separately. Usually authentic locations are used, as well as scenes from and/or interviews about the scientific research it is based upon.

Oases are more than fairytale places in the desert sand. Amidst the stony heights of the Andes, the endless expanse of the Pacific, or the hectic concrete sausages of Mumbai, islands of life flourish. In breathtaking shots, the documentary explores the phenomenon of oases – and the magical places in the Saharan sand are of course included.

Apocalypse series such as "Fear the Walking Dead" have shown us all too distressingly that, in the face of the apocalypse, stockpiling may secure your own supplies in the short term, but in no way offers protection against the actual threat. And an end-time classic like “Contagion“ already preached ten years ago that hand hygiene and face masks are essential if a global pandemic is to be contained. In "Fiction for Future", we ask old masters of the genre such as Roland Emmerich, Terry Gilliam and Frank Schätzing what the nightmarish tales of doom tell us about the horrors of our future. How will global challenges such as climate change and pandemics change our lives? Can we master the major challenges of our future? And if so, how?

Single mothers Anulawathi, Thushari and Jega drive tuk-tuks to earn money to support their families. In Sri Lanka, most drivers are men, but these women are breaking the mold for the sake of their children's futures.