SWR

In 1938, Joseph Goebbels is at the height of his power for the time being, while Hitler is celebrated by the people. The dictator now marches resolutely towards war. However, the propaganda has put a lot of strain on the subject of peace, so that a sudden change of direction is not possible so quickly. Goebbels' work comes under heavy criticism from his Führer and he does everything he can to regain his reputation and fuel the population's enthusiasm for the war. He triggers the pogrom of 9 November 1938 and plans anti-Semitic films, in the realization of which Hitler intervenes in every detail. An almost perfect and controlled staging succeeds, especially in connection with large mass events. The highlight was the victory parade after the capitulation of France, which was planned down to the last detail. In 1941, Goebbels is back on top with Hitler. With the "Russian campaign", the war really begins for Hitler and the mass murders reach their climax.

This year marks the 50th anniversary of ABBA’s iconic Eurovision victory, a milestone that calls for a celebratory cinematic tribute fitting for the ultimate pop band. ‘ABBA: Against the Odds’ unveils the epic journey of ABBA’s rise to global fame. Starting with the moment they won Eurovision, it tells the story of how they overcame critical backlash, societal attitudes and marital break-up to deliver their ground-breaking music and prove themselves as a live act.

Gerd Meineke is a committed member of the Bundestag and member of the Parliamentary Assembly in the Council of Europe. And he has a problem: Leyla, the daughter of his partner Alina, was taken into custody as an opposition figure in her country of origin, Azerbaijan. The blogger fights there for democracy and against environmental destruction. Gerd travels to Baku as an election observer for the Council of Europe, where he wants to campaign for the release of Leyla and other political prisoners. Only on site does he realize that the government and the lobbyists of influential companies are using politicians like him to gain credibility for the ruthless, environmentally destructive extraction of critical raw materials. Leyla and her friend Valentina open his eyes to the extent of corruption that does not stop at Western European politicians. Will Gerd, together with Leyla and the help of her friend, be able to make the corruption of politics public?

They call themselves Fancy Bear, Cozy Bear or Voodoo Bear. Elite units of the Russian secret services are hidden behind these code names. They are among the most dangerous hackers in the world. The bears were already in the computer of then-Chancellor Angela Merkel in 2015, interfered in the US election campaign in 2016 and are currently influencing the war in Ukraine. The makers of the successful YouTube channel “Simplicissimus” in co-production with funk and SWR are back and show the destructive potential of state hacking with this documentary. With the help of leading German hackers, cyberspace experts and a lot of humor, they delicately demystify the Russian bears: Who are the people behind them? How do they operate? And what makes them so incredibly dangerous?

Summertime, on a deserted river. 75-year-old Yvette is determined to obtain her pedal boat license, a way to make up for the life she never fully lived. Brian is approaching his thirties and has worked at Pedal'eau for the past ten years. Trapped in this menial job and suffering back aches, he dares not dream of another life. These two individuals, seemingly living in isolation, unknowingly venture down a stream of personal freedom. Between them, it's a matter of give and take.

Skalde lives in a small rural community, far from a world that may no longer exist. She is an interloper in her own home, having been born to an ‘outsider’ mother and therefore marked by a social stigma she cannot easily erase. Displaying a loyalty to the codes of the community, she has earned the respect of the village elder. However, when she encounters a mysterious girl in the local woods, Skalde risks everything by befriending her, eventually giving the girl a home. She attempts to hide her subterfuge to maintain her standing with the villagers, but her plans threaten to unravel.

GDR, August 1989: Hanna and Andreas became a target of the secret police and had to give up their plans for their future studies and desired professions. Instead, they face arbitrariness, mistrust and reprisals. Their only chance for a self-determined life lies in fleeing across the Baltic Sea. Fifty kilometres of water separate them from freedom - and only a thin connecting rope around their wrists saves them from absolute loneliness.

Pianist Jenny, once a musical prodigy, finds her footing in the Christian faith after serving 15 years for a murder she didn't commit. When she learns that her childhood sweetheart, once responsible for her ordeal, has become an internationally acclaimed star, the overwhelming need for revenge threatens her fragile agreement with God and her relationship with a Syrian musician who offers Jenny honest care and trust.

They wanted to unhinge the republic and turn Germany back into the "Reich" in its old borders and structures. The "Patriotische Union" around Prinz Reuss planned a civil war in Germany and sought to depose the federal government using paramilitary force. They were exposed in December 2022. This was followed by one of the largest anti-terror operations in the history of the Federal Republic with 5,000 police officers, raids and numerous arrests. But the suspected terrorist group seems more like an aged ideological cult made up of elderly pensioners and weirdos. Are these men really that dangerous? This investigative documentary tells the almost unbelievable story of the alleged terrorist cell, follows the traces of the members, reconstructs the meetings of the inner circle in the year before the unmasking and how the group secretly forged absurd plans, expanded their network and recruited military personnel and policemen, all of that in order to presumably seize power in Germany.

Elaha, 22, believes she must restore her supposed innocence before she weds. A surgeon could reconstruct her hymen but she cannot afford such an operation. She asks herself: why does she have to be a virgin anyway, and for whom?

Documentary about German comedian Loriot alias Vicco von Bülow, who would have been 100 years old in 2023.

A drama centered around a German construction manager who works with undocumented workers and an Albanian girl searching for her missing father.

An ackward triangle forms among Philipp, her girlfriend Henriette, and Johanna, Henriette's daughter. Mother and daughter know exactly which buttons to press to get on the other's nerves. Does Johanna want the best for Henriette?

The extraordinary story of a man who risks everything to preserve freedom of speech in Russia. In December 2021 Dmitry Muratov is awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. He is the editor-in-chief of Russia’s only independent newspaper, Novaya Gazeta. Six of his journalists have been murdered, after their reports displeased the state. In February 2022 Russia invades Ukraine. In early March, using the cover of a documentary film festival, Muratov secretly negotiates free passage for forty journalists with the Latvian government. Then he returns to Moscow to look after his paper and its remaining staff. To this day, he refuses to leave Moscow, whatever the pressure on him and his team. "Putin stands for death. I stand for life."

The German ex-top model candidate Luna imagined it completely differently. She stands at the train station in Linz with all her luggage because she was promised a place in an influencer shared apartment. But Luna has too few clicks, too few followers and too little fame, which is why she's thrown out of the shared apartment before she's even been inside. Things are also going differently than expected for programmer Heribert, because he actually wanted to present the app idea at a pitching contest at Ars Electronica Center that would free him and his development team from his boring help desk job. But his pitch is at first pathetic, then embarrassing and ends in a faux pas with a shitstorm. And so he and his colleagues are thrown out before they can even develop. When the completely inexperienced but fearless would-be influencer Luna Heribert discovers first in the viral video and then in real life in Linz, she makes him an offer because she knows: we are better together than alone!