History and society
At the heart of our civilisation
Collection Reportages
Settlers, soldiers, activists... Enlisted Israelis and Palestinians talk about their combats since the start of the war in Gaza on 7 October 2023. With the bloody attack by Hamas and the Israeli counter-offensive, has the hope of coexistence in dignity and safety for all been abandoned for good?
March 2023. The Vanuatu archipelago north of New Caledonia, which is bearing the full force of extreme weather events, is emerging as a trailblazer in climate justice and has obtained a United Nations resolution to bring an issue before the International Court of Justice. The outcome may set legal precedent.
Focus on the fight by adopted children in Mali and their biological families for recognition by France of the illegal adoptions they experienced. We take this opportunity to follow Marie Marre in Bamako: the doctor and militant has filed charges against the accredited organisation, Rayon de Soleil de l'enfant étranger.
They ensure the safety of the French, in France and abroad. But we know little of the challenges they face. Who looks after their mental wellbeing? Members of the armed forces, police and gendarmerie often pay a heavy price for their commitment. We meet the nation's sentinels, reconstructing their lives.
So, how about singing a song in French, wherever you live in the world? That was the competition launched by France, early in 2024. Over three hundred contestants answered the call. Frantz Vaillant followed the winners of this fabulous adventure and painting a picture of the French language today.
At 30, the triple jump world champion, Burkinabé Hugues Fabrice Zango, is an exceptional athlete with a PhD in electrical engineering from Artois University in the Nord, France. An immersive visit behind the scenes as he prepares for the Paris Olympics, and a look back at his remarkable career.
As they confront the Russian invader, the Ukrainians are fighting back on two fronts: military and cultural as Ukrainian artists spearhead their country's international cultural diplomacy. To understand their strategy, we meet Ruslana Khazipova, member of Dakh Daughters, and Roman Yasinovskyi, actor with the Ivan Franko National Theatre in Kiev.
For the city of Saint Louis, Senegal, climate change is not only a threat but a reality. Rising sea levels and coastal erosion have already forced over a thousand people to leave their homes, their land, sometimes even their family or their work, fishing. But some decide to remain. Portraits.
The 'roof of the world' is in danger: by the end of the 21st century, 80% of the Himalayan glaciers could melt due to global warming and cause natural catastrophes. In the State of Uttarakhand, Joshimath, an important town in Hindu pilgrimages, has become a symbol of this fragility.
In Mauritania, several thousand young men have moved to the desert, to the north and west of the country, to try to make their fortune. In a hostile and dangerous setting, they search for gold. Very few succeed. The environment also suffers, due to the massive use of mercury.
To safeguard its primary forest, threatened by climate change and human activities, Congo is extending its protected areas. Is the country sacrificing its indigenous peoples, notably its hunter-gatherers, in the name of protecting nature? Today, the traditional way of life of the nomadic Baka people could well be under threat.
Confronted by the worst drought for forty years, Morocco is banking on science and technology to save its agriculture and is training a generation of researchers and entrepreneurs already aware of global warming. Illustration in the "Moroccan Silicon Valley" and Salma Bougarrani's revolutionary sewage works.
Torn apart by war for thirty years, north-eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo is a region in agony. In the midst of a war zone, the Rutshuru General Hospital is a haven of peace and neutrality, caring for victims without distinction. Interview with Dr Safari Lambert Sekabouro.
Each day, Ghana takes delivery of 160 tonnes of second-hand clothes, symbols of overconsumption in the west. In Accra they are sold at the Kantamanto market, but most end up in the canals or on the beaches, a danger for public health and polluting far beyond the Ghana's borders.
Since the Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan, girls and women have been ostracised. Deprived of their fundamental rights, teenage girls are no longer welcome in school. Portraits of a childhood without hope, in a country falling ever-deeper into poverty.
January 2021. A gripping immersion within the Ouagadougou university hospital, as the first open-heart operations are carried out on children with serious heart problems. We follow the cases of Isaac and Zalissa, 5 and 15 years, operated on thanks to Dr Adama Sawadogo and the NGO La Chaîne de l'Espoir.
2019. Complaints for rape have soared by 70% in Guinea. This figure doesn't signify that there are more rapes, just more people willing to report them. A victory for the authorities, who have created the OPROGEM, dedicated to fighting this scourge. We examine the case of 9-year-old Fatou.
This first edition of our "Collection Reportages" is dedicated to Bissie and Eyenga, two conjoined sisters from Cameroon who underwent surgery in Lyon on 13 November 2019. Beyond the sheer medical prowess, the story highlights the rejection of conjoined twins in certain countries like Cameroon, where such births are considered to be the result of a curse.
At the end of the 1980s, several hundred Malian children were adopted in France thanks to the charity Rayon de Soleil de l'Enfant Étranger. Abusive or illegal practices, lack of verification, negligence by the French legal system and the Malian government: an exclusive investigation by TV5MONDE and "Le Monde".
The Democratic Republic of the Congo, country consumed by poverty, illiteracy and war, where a commonly-held belief ends in tragedy for thousands of children. Beaten, rejected, the "child witches", such as Jonathan and Ornella, wander the streets. A phenomenon making the fortune of the evangelical churches, paid to exorcise them.
A practice that previously only concerned adults, now also extends to children. Skin bleaching or lightening is common on the African continent and elsewhere around the world. A phenomenon that is fashionable but also taboo, dangerous to health and without limits. Investigation from Conakry to Lomé, Libreville and Marseille.
Since the start of the Russian offensive in Ukraine, civilians have been the main victims of the shelling. Blocks of flats, hospitals, schools: nothing and no-one is spared. During these early weeks of the war, from Zythomyr to Kyiv and on to Lviv, TV5MONDE's cameras have travelled the country. Report.
From Detroit to Manchester and on to Boston, innumerable American towns, streets and rivers carry francophone names. Why? The rapper Biz and globe-trotter Jean-Michel Dufaux set off in the footsteps of those who travelled and dreamed of America in times gone by. The story of a history forgotten or erased.
December 1944. They thought that the war was over because Belgium had been freed three months earlier. But the families in Ardennes saw the Germans return by surprise. We look back at a terrible battle, through accounts, sequences from the archives and interviews with historians.
Wherever man is found, members of the crow family are nearby, watching. Since time immemorial, they have followed the hunters, farmers, soldiers and persecutors, scratching the soil in gardens, ploughed fields, battlefields... Crows and their cousins study us, passing on the knowledge gleaned to their offspring. Chronicle of an inquisition.
6 May 1994, Coquelles, Pas-de-Calais. The meeting between Queen Elizabeth II and President François Mitterrand puts the final touch to the most important civil engineering project of the 20th century. We look back at an international technological exploit and an exceptional adventure for the workers involved.
Struck by a fire on 15 April 2019, Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris will reopen on 7 December 2024. For five years, the religious building has been the centre stage of an unparalleled human and technical adventure. We dive into the heart of this enormous restoration site, alongside exceptionally skilled tradesmen.
The Indian Taïno people, who are almost extinct, leave a culture full of legends, sculptures and beliefs, but also a way of living, in harmony with nature, and values of sharing and solidarity. So many aspirations that appeal to certain contemporary young people. Story of a rediscovery.
"I come from a people, the Fang, where the dead never leave the living. But since we have become Christians, we are no longer able to hear them." Lost between the here-and-now and the beyond, Natyvel Pontalier's spiritual quest in Gabon takes her back to her family's roots.
1804. Haiti is the first modern nation to gain its independence, thanks to a slave revolt. But France imposed a colossal debt on its former colony, condemning it to poverty and chronic under-development: political instability, food crises and violence ensued. This ransom continues to haunt the present-day situation.
"Whether I wanted it or not Vietnam has forever accompanied me, every step along my path through life". Narrated in the first person, Mei-Chen Chalais recounts the story of a childhood steeped in war, her mother's courage, the flight to Hanoi, Saigon and then to France...
April 2018. At 3,000 metres above sea-level a group of experienced mountaineers find themselves caught in a storm on the Haute Route, near Pigne d'Arolla. Seven die of hypothermia, three survive. Despite an in-depth investigation and legal proceedings, innumerable questions remain unanswered. We take a look back at the tragedy.
Between 1931 and 2002, Switzerland issued six million seasonal residence permits to migrant workers, a status that prohibited them from entering Swiss territory with their families. In a series of open letters, former beneficiaries and their children, talk about the impact that status had on their family lives.
And what if the news channels had existed in 1944. As Allied forces prepare to land on France's beaches, the France Télévisions editorial teams are waiting to take you to the heart of the action, to relive the longest night, that of 5 June 1944, as if you were there.
Why did the cinema remain morally backward for so long? Despite its pioneers' insistence on modernity, why did this new art form find itself imprisoned in the moralism of the French Belle Époque and America's narrow-minded Puritanism? From total exclusion to a precarious tolerance, the story of an uncertain war.
In the 20th century, what was life like for the mountain farmers? Accustomed to the Alpine meadows, how did they get through the harsh winters? Which other professions did they exercise to help them survive? Samuel Dupasquier and his sister Lucie Beaud continue this Swiss tradition, whilst also questioning it.
The story of a pioneer, Germaine Le Goff (1891-1986). After World War I, the Breton teacher left Douarnenez for adventure, with a journey that led her to Senegal. In 1938, she founded and directed a teacher training college in Rufisque, near Dakar, the first for primary school teachers in Africa.
22 July 1871. Lucy Walker (1836-1916) is the first woman to successfully climb the Matterhorn. A hundred and fifty years after the British climber's exploit, Marie-France Hendrikx, a mountain-loving historian, follows in the pioneer's footsteps and sets off, in 19th century clothing, to climb the Matterhorn.
Where do Swiss-made weapons end up? This investigation traces the path taken by guns, planes and tanks, from the factory to the war-torn territories around the world. It is the opportunity to show, for example, that planes intended for civilian transportation are used in Afghanistan for intelligence missions.
From all four corners of the world, they are the last surviving witnesses who directly experienced the First World War. They recounted their stories between 1996 and 2008. Personal accounts that are both rare and remarkable, with additional material provided by the French historian Jean-Pierre Verney.
Tamatave, eastern Madagascar. Cut off from their families, young men from different regions work at a car wash. With no identity papers and exploited by their boss, they are regularly suspected of stealing by the neighbours. Michaël Andrianaly offers us a different view of them.
A look back at an incredible challenge that combines human adventure and historic exploit. In 1909, Louis Blériot made the first flight across the English Channel, propelling aviation into the modern era. 110 years on, a team of enthusiasts attempt a mad-cap gamble, to fly a replica Blériot XI.
2015, eleven students from the Maisonneuve Secondary School, Montreal, are arrested for trying to join the jihad in the Middle East. The events led to a 2017 documentary, covering a pilot project intended to encourage a rapprochement between communities. Today, students and teachers remember the identity crisis of those years.
The fascinating story of the Parisian newspaper kiosks, veritable emblems of the French capital. For over 150 years they have been part and parcel of everyday life in their neighbourhoods but 2018 saw all that begin to change, a reflection of our changing relationship with the written press.
For the first time in Belgium's history, a princess will become queen. Before her, the destinies of ten daughters of kings were occasionally glorious but more often tragic. Family dramas, broken hearts or broken ambitions... From Charlotte to Élisabeth, heir to the throne, we look back at Laeken's royal princesses.
Around the great arc formed by the Alps, Neolithic peoples built their houses on piles at the edges of lakes and marshes. Rising water levels eventually forced them to abandon their villages but also preserved the remains of the submerged buildings until the present-day. We explore these little-known archaeological treasures.
From Paris to Puducherry, via Rio, Buenos Aires and Tsiroanomandidy, to meet some of the men and woman continuing to spread the influence of the French language and francophone culture across the world. With personal stories from Irina Bokova, Bernard Cerquiglini, Laurent Fabius, Julia Kristeva, Erik Orsenna, Sebastião Salgado...
In Europe, witch hunts were responsible for 100,000 deaths. And it's Switzerland that holds the record for the highest number of victims: men, women and children. We look back at the history of this mass persecution and explore the imaginary world of witchcraft crimes.
1940. When de Gaulle called on the French to join him he hardly imagined that he would be leading the struggle to liberate France from the heart of black Africa. Brazzaville became the capital of Free France. In these mobilised colonies, an immense desire for independence was coming to life.
The radio, an invisible thread connecting people, irrespective of the distance between them. A powerful alchemy between technological innovation and human passion. From the first makeshift radio transmitters to the sophisticated filmed radio of the 21st century, a look back over a century of radiophonic adventures in Switzerland.
Martine Delumeau had long observed Guadeloupe, island of her parents' birth, from Metropolitan France... But everything suddenly became much closer as the film-director watched the images filmed by Guadeloupians during the 2009 general strike. A look back at forty-four days of industrial action, unique and powerful.
Dixence, Hongrin, Rossens, Émossons: names that carry so much weight. Far more than simply concrete monuments in the Swiss Alps, these dams recount an unprecedented energy transition and a leap forwards towards modernity. We look back at the stories of those who were part of these mammoth projects.
Shortly before his speech to the United Nations, Volodymyr Zelenskiy welcomed Cyril Viguier to Kiev for an exclusive interview. Together they look back at the war shaking Ukraine since February 2022 and discuss international news. With the exceptional participation of Alain Delon, talking to the Ukrainian president via video link.
Artists talk about their 11 September 2001 and offer a very personal artistic performance. How did this event mark and influence an entire generation of young creative talent in Quebec who had their roots in the Arab world? Shared secrets, thoughts and reflection, between laughter and emotion.
From the 1950s onwards, many Swiss discovered Africa via the books, television programmes and films by René Gardi (1909-2000). Through them, the Bernese writer and filmmaker offered an enchanted pre-modern vision of the continent, an imaginary paradise. An absorbing exploration of his archives.
Light bulb, battery, aeroplane, television... so many inventions that turned our everyday life upside down and led to a veritable evolution in society. Behind each object are inventors, failures, unexpected developments and, above all, an unending quest for progress. "Primo" recounts their stories.
Born in Neuchâtel, Maurice Bavaud (1916-1941) was sentenced to death in1939 and guillotined in Berlin, after several attempts to assassinate Adolf Hitler. A case in which the Swiss federal police went as far as to interrogate him on behalf of the Gestapo. Maurice Bavaud's name was cleared in 2008.
After the Second World War, over seven thousand Swiss joined the French Foreign Legion. Why, when their own country was hardly on its knees after the war? Those who directly experienced this little-known page of history recount their battles in Indochina and Algeria.
Swiss women obtained the right to vote on 7 February 1971, fifty years ago. Unimaginable for 18 year-old Kelly Santos da Costa. The young woman from the Vaud meets Élisabeth Copt, Béatrice Caspecha Aebischer and Gabrielle Nanchen, who were all part of the battle for gender equality.
And what if beauty YouTubers had always existed? In the Middle Ages, the roaring twenties, Ancient Egypt, the 19th century... These "Damoiselles" share their beauty tips with the camera and strip the make-up from the face of history at the same time! A darkly humorous glimpse of women's lives down the centuries. And, for each period, our history consultant separates the episode's fact from fiction in "L'Éclairage de Julien".
Archives
What shaped Swiss thought? By analysing the history of the country, Tristan Miquel and Julien Girardin question the ethical and philosophical challenges facing their society and draw up parallels between the past and the present to stimulate reflection on different schools of thought.
Wendy Pillonel's docu-drama follows the fate of the Brefin family. Two members of the family are searching for Mireille and Rosette, who disappeared in the 2004 tsunami. An opportunity to look back at their moments of hope and despair, the difficulty of grieving to continue to live. Firsthand experiences.
December 1944. They thought that the war was over because Belgium had been freed three months earlier. But the families in Ardennes saw the Germans return by surprise. We look back at a terrible battle, through accounts, sequences from the archives and interviews with historians.
Jonas Schneiter is celebrating the 70th anniversary of Télévision suisse romande. This is the opportunity to watch outstanding images and personalities again from French-speaking Swiss television from yesterday and today. On the programme: emblematic sequences, memories, laughter and emotion, under the eye of a new generation of viewers.
June 1955. One year after the battle of Dien Bien Phu, French captain Paul Belmont is sent back there to find the remains of dead soldiers. He identifies eight among thousands. A look back at his journey and a tribute to the fallen soldiers of the Indochina war.
A century ago, Paris hosted the Olympic Games. Set in the unique social, cultural and political context shortly after WWI there were two notable absences: Germany and Russia. A look back at the Games, that saw the consecration of Paavo Nurmi, the "Flying Finn", and the American swimmer Johnny Weissmuller.
One of the 20th century Belgian artists who was the most idolised, exhibited, published, sold... Yet the artist himself, Jean-Michel Folon (1934-2005), whose work became controversial because deemed insipid, with its mannerisms, pastel tones and colours, remains little-known. Through previously unseen archive footage, Gaëtan Saint-Remy offers him a voice.
A look back at an incredible challenge that combines human adventure and historic exploit. In 1909, Louis Blériot made the first flight across the English Channel, propelling aviation into the modern era. 110 years on, a team of enthusiasts attempt a mad-cap gamble, to fly a replica Blériot XI.
A competition that largely contributed to writing the history of motor sport, a human and technological challenge, sensational victories, disillusions... We look back over 100 years of a legendary race: the 24 Hours of Le Mans. An adventure recounted by Jacky Ickx, Tom Kristensen, Henri Pescarolo, Lilou Wadoux, Christine Beckers...
For Christmas, a present in black and white and every colour: legendary archive footage, humorists Brigitte Rosset, Vincent Kucholl and Simon Romang, (real) nativity animals... Christmas trees, decorations, presents, songs, food, wishes, everything goes under the microscope along with cult scenes and plenty of totally tasteless jumpers!
The programme that (finally) explains the ins and outs of Swiss well-being, and offers the keys to understanding that renowned "Swiss attitude. A fun guide to Homo Helveticus, using archive footage from years past and recent times, all in a light-hearted, sunny mood with plenty of laughter thrown in.
One hundred minutes of archive footage from fifty years of Swiss television. A joyful immersion in a series of short stories, each funny or moving, sequel or response to the previous one. Holidays, school, flirting, army, money plus a host of other themes for a fascinating journey back in time.
An opportunity to delve into the RTS archives, appropriating them to create original works was the project proposed by the cinema department of the Geneva University of Art and Design (HEAD). The result: films built around the theme of struggle, created by students specialising in film editing.
1970. Alain Tanner directs the documentary "La Vie Comme Ça", for the programme "Aujourd'hui", about the artists from the Jura, Jeanne-Odette and Jean-Claude Évard, known as Claudévard. A series of twenty-four vignettes: blue Mondays, fallen conifers... An opportunity for the Swiss film-maker to deepen his experience of the televisual language.
Sixty years of music, thousands of concerts, four and a half million albums sold, fifteen gold discs, thirty schools bearing his name... Henri Dès is a monument. In Switzerland, France, Belgium and Quebec, four generations of children know his songs. An intimate look at the creator.
Claudia Lebeuf arrived in Toronto fifty years ago, to marry an Egyptian widower. Later, when selling the family property, La Reille, in Carcassonne, she discovered a series of letters between her ancestors. For Claudia it's the start of a quest for identity, in the footsteps of her great-grandmother Rosine.
Before starting her career as a citizenship judge, Suzanne Pinel captivated the heart of thousands of children across Canada with her iconic character as Marie-Soleil. A great ambassador for French-speaking culture, she highlights the importance of protecting all languages and cultures in a multicultural Canada.
1950. At the dawn of the wildest decade in Argentina, a promising Italian illustrator arrives in Buenos Aires. He is dazzled by the country's dramatic economic development and its lively cultural scene. The young man soon makes a name for himself, and Hugo Pratt is born.
How to become the funniest and most popular cartoonist of your time? We discover the archives of Philippe Becquelin, alias Mix & Remix: from childhood and through the lean years to final fame... His friend Frédéric Pajak, writer and illustrator, paints his portrait in the form of an open letter.
Being confronted with having a family member in prison is always difficult, particularly for children. Prisoners' families, around 50,000 people in Switzerland, feel as if they are sharing the sentence and with few organisations offering support coping is even harder. Their personal stories come across as a cry for help.
They were aged between 5 and 12 in 1940. The war and the Occupation would forever mark their lives. For four years, every day, mostly at school, sometimes at home, these children were brainwashed into supporting Marshal Pétain, the self-proclaimed saviour of a crippled France. Here are their testimonials.
With some sixty works to her name, including "Claudine at School", "Chéri", "Green Wheat" and "Gigi", over two thousand press articles, correspondence covering half a century... Colette (1873-1954) is one of France's favourite writers. A look back over her life.
He thought that television would revolutionise the world and that no subject was taboo. Claude Torracinta, who died on 29 May 2024 aged 89, was a pioneer, journalist and producer with TSR (Télévision Suisse Romande) and the man behind programmes such as "Tell Quel" and "Temps Présent". Portrait.
In Switzerland, land of consensus and neutrality, previously unheard women's voices are being raised against structural racism and stereotypes. A context in which the Swiss-Congolese journalist Rachel M'Bon begins her own quest for identity and freedom, questioning her past and her present, holding up a mirror to her peers.
Accompanied by his father Mohamed, the Quebec actor and humorist Rachid Badouri returns to Morocco in search of his roots. From Tangiers to Hadria in the Rif Mountains, he gradually pieces together his identity: a father-son journey filled with laughter and emotion, for an immersive view of Berber culture.
The Cuisine and Gastronomy course run by Quebec's Tourism and Hospitality Institute (ITHQ) trains the chefs of the future. But to win the supreme accolade, they have to learn the basics, develop their creativity and impress their lecturers. We see them evolve, get acquainted and, above all, get stuck in!
After spending three years on dating apps resulting in any number of short-lived affairs, "as ephemeral as they were enjoyable", Céline Pernet, film director and anthropologist questions her relationship with men. She brings together thirty of them, aged from 30 to 45, to talk about masculinity, seduction, sex, coupledom, love, fatherhood...
Motivated by health problems and determined to improve their poor self-image, Rachel Duperrault, Stef Paquette and Joëlle-Renée Ethier decide to lose weight. A look back at their story and the support they each provided for the others. What did the experience teach them? Portraits.
1986. Béatrice Dalle hit the cinema screens as Betty in "37°2 le Matin": a veritable shock. Launched as the Bardot of the 1980s, the French actress embodied total freedom and a rock'n'roll femininity, far from the conventions of the day. A look back at her career, narrated by Béatrice herself.
Can murderers sentenced to life really be rehabilitated? In search of an answer Alain Gravel interviews four in exactly that situation. What led them to commit the irredeemable? How have they changed during their time in prison? The journalist also looks into the Canadian parole system.
Agit, Ahmad, Parham, Kianush and Sinan have something in common: they are linked to the notorious criminal families of Berlin, Hamburg or Essen and are (or were) gang members. All are trying to find a way between their loyalty to their clan and their wish for an honest future.
"Zvicra" means "Swiss" in Albanian. Switzerland counts some 300,000 residents of Albanian origin. Since the 1990s, they have formed one of the country's largest foreign communities: for some integration is easy, for others it's more difficult. But for each, Albania remains forever engraved on their heart. Interwoven portraits.
Jules Guarneri grew up in La Belle Poule, on the heights of Villars, between an adopted brother and sister, in a chalet haunted by his mother's ghost, Cristabel. His father, wealthy, solitary, offers him his diary on film. A somewhat cumbrous present that Jules transforms, possesses, makes his own.
Who are the health care workers in the psychiatric hospitals, helping the mentally ill? In the Laurier Ward of the Maléviz Hospital, Céline, Adrien, Adam and Naïma do their best to connect with patients who are confused and distressed. We discover their daily lives from the inside.
Nineteen women, unknown or famous, experts or enthusiasts, untangle the aesthetic, social and political history of the "hair of contention". We discover the world of afro hair, from the pre-colonial era to the Black Panther movement and the modern-day world with its YouTube tutorials.
February 1982 marked the creation of Couleur3: the success was immediate and overwhelming. Backed-up by archive footage and personal stories, a look back at the bold avant-garde beginnings of RTS's third channel. 40 years later, Couleur3 remains the most insolent voice of Romandy's radiophonic landscape.
Virginie, Petra and Estelle are stuntwomen. Knocked over, struck, abused, killed... what impact does their profession have on their private lives? As the #MeToo movement brings new impetus to the denunciation of sexism in the film industry, is the stereotypical on-screen representation of women finally changing?
From all four corners of the world, they are the last surviving witnesses who directly experienced the First World War. They recounted their stories between 1996 and 2008. Personal accounts that are both rare and remarkable, with additional material provided by the French historian Jean-Pierre Verney.
Over several months, as war continues to rage in Ukraine, Elena Hazanov and Thomas Queille follow Ukrainian refugees in Switzerland, the families that welcome them and those organising humanitarian convoys. How do they manage to adapt to their new situation? Overcome the obstacles they face? We discover their daily lives.
The small regional hospitals of Vevey, Montreux, Aigle and Monthey are closing in favour of the new Rennaz Central Hospital. Whilst waiting for building completion, Daniel Maurer follows the daily lives of emergency doctors Éric and Frédérique, and Giuseppe, a dialysis patient. An immersive hospital experience, between life and death.
A somewhat sedentary father, Philippe has always harboured a secret dream: to swim across Lake Saint-Jean. Determined to succeed, he challenges his 14 year-old daughter Clara. Together they go into training to cross the 32 km separating the two shores, an experience that will change their lives forever.
Leading post-war film-director, initiator of the Nouvelle Vague, acknowledged by Hollywood during her lifetime, Agnès Varda's work (1928-2019) was quirky, open to the world, sensitive to society's most vulnerable, often zany. She frequently recounted her life, her work, building her legend. But was reality even more extraordinary? A free-ranging portrait.
Pillar of the Swiss national football team, Yann Sommer is driven by his passion and desire for perfection. But what hides behind the successful sportsman? The film followed him for a year, from the qualifying match against Italy to the start of the World Cup in Qatar.
One of the 20th century Belgian artists who was the most idolised, exhibited, published, sold... Yet the artist himself, Jean-Michel Folon (1934-2005), whose work became controversial because deemed insipid, with its mannerisms, pastel tones and colours, remains little-known. Through previously unseen archive footage, Gaëtan Saint-Remy offers him a voice.
"What I'd like to do, is die whilst I'm still alive!" an oft- repeated saying by Coluche, who left us on 19 June 1986. Thanks to AI and using his own words, the French comedian and humorist is back. Thierry Ardisson paints his portrait from the Parisian hotel Le Meurice.
A look back at an incredible challenge that combines human adventure and historic exploit. In 1909, Louis Blériot made the first flight across the English Channel, propelling aviation into the modern era. 110 years on, a team of enthusiasts attempt a mad-cap gamble, to fly a replica Blériot XI.
A wide-ranging look at the careers of the women conductors redefining the world of classical music. Previously dominated by men, this musical genre is being transformed from the inside by the passion of women musicians pushing out the boundaries. In Canada, we meet Dina Gilbert, Mélanie Léonard and Naomi Woo.
Lila Ribi spent years filming her grandmother, Greti, constantly repeating the same question: "what is there after death". The centenarian invariably gave the same reply: "Nothing". Disagreeing with her grandmother's opinion, the film-maker set off in search of different perspectives.
"And God Created Woman", "Il Sorpasso", "A Man and a Woman", "The Conformist", "Amour"... the list of successes by Jean-Louis Trintignant (1930-2022) may be impressive but his films say little about the man himself. A look back over the life of a discrete and deliberately enigmatic actor.
In film, television, radio or his cabaret performances, Jean Yanne (1933-2003), through his portrayal of surly characters and low-life crooks, relentlessly attacked all that was wrong in society. Portrait of a debonair entertainer, who, with his caustic sense of humour and cheeky irreverence, respected no boundaries.
How truly understand the work of Honoré de Balzac (1799-1850)? Through his life: a prodigious literary, romantic, political and financial adventure, that saw a young provincial become the most famous writer of his time, producing a monumental volume of work. With personal accounts by Adrien Goetz, Dan Franck, Marc Dugain...
For the first time in Belgium's history, a princess will become queen. Before her, the destinies of ten daughters of kings were occasionally glorious but more often tragic. Family dramas, broken hearts or broken ambitions... From Charlotte to Élisabeth, heir to the throne, we look back at Laeken's royal princesses.
Age 20, Thomas Edward Lawrence (1888-1935) headed off to visit the Crusader castles in France and then in the Levant. A journey of near-fatal dangers, Eastern wonders and fascinating encounters... Between Lebanon, Jordan and Syria, traveller and writer Sylvain Tesson leads an expedition to retrace Lawrence of Arabia's epic voyage.
After a long period of isolation, Antonin, a young man suffering from persistent fatigue, rediscovers the world and life in the Genthod bird shelter in Geneva. In this strange place, invaded by the noise of aeroplanes, the teams save injured birds and lost souls.
A foray into the unique world of the logging camps, where men and women from very different backgrounds live and work together. Through the eyes of women who have chosen to work in the timber industry, we discover a microcosm of society as each forestry season follows the last.
A special programme dedicated to Ukraine, a year after the country's invasion by Russia. Interview with Olena Zelenska, wife of Volodymyr Zelenskiy: the First Lady reveals the tragic everyday lives of the Ukrainians and talks about her foundation. With Alain Delon, Catherine Deneuve and Natalia Omelchenko.
Carpenter, archaeologist, stonemason, crane operator, security specialist... Discover the different professions of ten men and women in action on a worksite. We followed them at work, during the renovation of the Cité Internationale de la Langue Française, in Villers-Cotterêts, France, a lively cultural centre, dedicated entirely in the French language and French-speaking world.
24 February 2022. Vlada and her family flee the war, leaving Ukraine in haste to find refuge in Najac, a small village in southern France. Settling in, learning French, adjusting to a new way of life... As the months pass, the teenager, her parents and her twin sisters adapt as best they can to this major upheaval.
Shortly before his speech to the United Nations, Volodymyr Zelenskiy welcomed Cyril Viguier to Kiev for an exclusive interview. Together they look back at the war shaking Ukraine since February 2022 and discuss international news. With the exceptional participation of Alain Delon, talking to the Ukrainian president via video link.
Cyril Viguier is welcomed by a First Lady of the seventies. At 88, Anne-Aymone Giscard d'Estaing, president of honour of the Valéry Giscard d'Estaing Foundation, often considered as a woman who prefers life out of the spotlight and far from the cameras, granted Cyril Viguier an exceptional and exclusive interview.
From his childhood to his ultimate works, introducing the world of the artist, graphist and scenographer from Neuchâtel, Jean-Pierre Zaugg (1928-2012). Every day for thirty years, JPZ painted a stone and questioned the world. In his workshop, the artist talks about his early success in Paris and ensuing identity crisis.
Convinced they were moving to a prosperous and fertile land, they unpacked their bags and their hopes in Switzerland. Where are they now, those who featured in the documentary "Bonjour la Suisse"? Lisa, Aziz, Rahul and Megha recount their successful experience; Iain, from Scotland, looks back at his failure.
A total of twenty women, aged 18 to 40 years, spend five months preparing to become beauty queens. But the competition in view is unlike any other, this is a beauty pageant to elect French-speaking Switzerland's very own Miss Ronde. Through their interwoven portraits, we discover their personal stories.
For Gérald Métroz life changed forever at 2 years old, when he was hit by a train and lost the use of his legs. Today, he has learnt to accept himself as life has made him and no longer wears his artificial legs. sAn adventure filled with courage, willpower, humanity.
A personal quest in search of a lost friendship, in today's social and geopolitical context. Radio presenter and journalist from Quebec, Raed Hammoud tries to understand why his friend Youssef left Canada for Syria to join the ranks of ISIS. He pieces together the path taken by the young Muslim.
Seven French-speaking Swiss for whom winter is part and parcel of working life. Passionate about their jobs, they take us behind the scenes of their professions, before sitting down together to enjoy a soup with authentic regional flavour. At the end of the final episode, each designates their personal favourite!
Los Angeles spreads its wings like tentacles. Twenty million people live in this megapolis between ocean and mountains. There is no city centre, but instead many districts and regions where all the flags of the world fly, including the Helvetic banner. We follow the day-to-day lives of five Swiss folk.
Ever wonder what goes on in the mind of a coward, a seducer or a genius? Includes moving portraits, experiments involving volunteers, analysis of CCTV footage and expert opinions.... We analyse human behaviour which is sometimes incomprehensible, reprehensible but nevertheless very real!
