ARTE GEIE

Paris, France, February 2, 1922. The novel Ulysses, by Irish writer James Joyce (1882-1941), is published by US poet Sylvia Beach (1887-1962), owner of the small bookstore Shakespeare & Co. The book, whose writing consumed seven years of Joyce's life, years in which his family was in financial need, would have a profound and unprecedented impact on 20th century literature and culture.

In the heart of the Arctic, the Yamal peninsula is the world’s largest gas exploitation zone, a symbol of Russia’s energy hyperpower, which caused the appetite of oil corporations. But the Yamal peninsula is also the ancestral home of the Nenets, who have been pasturing here with their droves for over 200 generations. Every year the nomads undertake a journey of 1500 km. But for how much longer can they survive? Today in Yamal, pastures have given way to gas fields. Growing towns, a railway, an airport, the deep scars on the landscape caused by extraction of gas and oil, and the new nuclear-powered icebreakers, which will create busy shipping lanes in the Arctic, are all changing the local ecosystem. With the industry dramatically modifying the landscape, accelerating the effects of global warming, the Nenets way of life is under threat. The documentary gives a unique insight into a vanishing way of life, enhanced by stunning aerial footage, and rare access to an extraordinary people.

Dalida was an international star, selling over 140 million records in 10 languages. But behind her glittering career and dramatic and tragic personal life, was her ever supportive younger brother Orlando. The documentary sheds light on the professional and personal relationship between the music icon and her producer, between sister and brother.

The Versace story is a family story of glory and tragedy that reads like a glamorous soap opera. In the late 1970s, Gianni Versace founded a small family business that would grow into a global fashion empire with his older brother in charge of the finances and his sister as artistic director. His audacious designs would revolutionise the fashion industry.

They learned to play tennis in one of the worst American ghettos and still reached the top of the world rankings, dominating the women’s game for decades. The story of Serena and Venus Williams is one of overcoming sexism and racism to transform the sport

The story of a powerful political and economic dynasty, fundamental to understanding the turbulent destiny of the United States of America throughout the 20th century; of nine brothers who had truly extraordinary lives, marked by both greatness and tragedy: the story of the Kennedy family.

An American low-budget action film celebrated an unexpected worldwide success in 1988: "Bloodsport". With its, the world of film fans and martial arts cinema discovered a new idol: Jean-Claude Van Damme. In the 1970s there was Bruce Lee, but at the end of the 1980s a Belgian won the day. Van Damme was a karate master and had unparalleled strength and flexibility. For ten years he was one of Hollywood's hottest action stars. But excessive overconfidence and drugs bring him down again. At home in Europe he becomes a laughing stock on talk shows. Only with "JCVD" does he manage to get back on his feet, playing his character with perspective and self-irony, but without ever giving up the reputation that his action films brought him and which has been a cult for several generations. The highs and lows of his eventful life are told through archive footage and contributions from people close to the popular Belgian actor.

A look at the life and work of the iconic US actor Charlton Heston (1923-2008); the embodiment of many mythic heroes who was both a staunch defender of the Civil Rights movement during the sixties and a spokesman for the National Rifle Association in his later years. The extraordinary and controversial public and personal career of one of the greatest film personalities of all time.

A journey into the mind of French actor and director Jean-Pierre Mocky (1929-2019), author of films both playful and profound, of an impressive richness.

The unique and enigmatic journey of the writer Milan Kundera: from communist Czechoslovakia to exile in Paris, from his quest for glory to his withdrawal from the media scene.

Elina Mäkinen, a fan of traditional "avanto" swimming - in holes dug in the ice - is preparing for the Ice Mile, a swimming event organized in the Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard, where the water temperature is around 0°C. How does the young woman resist these extreme conditions? What effects does the cold have on the body? Beyond the risk of frostbite, hypothermia alters the cardiovascular system, even causing death when the internal temperature drops below 25°C. Different factors such as age, fatigue, dehydration or disease can accelerate body cooling.

At a time when Lebanon is undergoing a very acute existential crisis, look back at the history of Hezbollah, a controversial party supported by Iran. An inside story that benefits from unpublished testimonies from the Shiite fighters themselves.

Although a lowlander, Marco is a robust fellow. He is now working as a farmhand for mountain farmer Alois in a remote Swiss alpine village and, even at the regulars’ table at the local inn, people are slowly learning to appreciate this iced tea drinker. Anna is a local village girl; she has a daughter, Julia, from a previous relationship. Some doubt whether this new relationship will work out – but not Marco or Anna. They get married. Their love is gentle and beautiful; unable to fully fathom it, they express it in simple words. The trust between them grows and their tenderness endures; the happiness they feel at every touch is only surpassed by the warmth of stroking a cow. But soon Marco seems to be losing control of his impulses more and more often.

A documentary using fiction to bring Martin Suter's novels to life.

An account of the life and work of Spanish actress Penélope Cruz: a long journey that began in the working-class neighborhoods of Madrid and ended in the hills of Hollywood.

Paris, 1954. The story of the meeting, known thanks to the fortuitous discovery of a forgotten notebook, full of notes and photographs, between a white British aristocrat, Baroness Pannonica de Koenigswarter, writer and jazz patron, and a talented black pianist, Thelonious Monk, one of the best bebop jazz musicians of all time; a prodigious union of wills that overcame the most extreme prejudices of the very conservative US society.