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Around one billion people worldwide struggle with stress-related illnesses - and the trend is rising. What protects those who stay healthy? Is their resilience innate? Or can the ability to withstand chronic stress and crises be learned? In search of answers, ARTE embarks on a cinematic journey to leading minds in resilience research.

Under the baton of Jordi Savall, the Concert des Nations performs Mozart's "Requiem" on period instruments.

A dreamy and enigmatic film about facing your own shadow and stare back at it through the viewfinder of a camera. A hybrid fiction-documentary film about a traveller from Iran whose shadow wants to make itself independent upon arrival in Germany. Facing it and gazing at the shadow with the help of his video camera, memories and flashbacks cut rhythmically into the traveller’s records of the present until a remix of his past and future occurs. All this in an in-between space, in a non-place, ‘In Transit’.

A tiny seed is feeling trapped in her paradise by a gentle giant who seems to be the nature’s force. Impelled by her curiosity she falls out of Eden. adrift among dark caves she discovers being in fact a volcanic rock covered with soft plants. Only then she finds the way back to the Giant the old volcano guarding the paradise from its own fire.

How can cinema engage with complicity in crimes against humanity, extreme violence and state terror without conniving in it? De Facto finds answers to this question via two actors, a precisely compiled collage of texts and a deliberately reduced setting.

Jackie Jencquel, author and activist, is not terminally ill when she announces her death date—she simply refuses to live beyond a certain age. This unconventional conversation between a mother and her son, the filmmaker, tackles desire, personal autonomy, vanity and money.

19-year-old Jamal loves music. But his friends don't appreciate his taste in music. When he meets the young musician Victoria, he is able to embrace his romantic nature and finally come to terms with his father's death.

When Mara, a social worker at a drug consumption room, meets the heroin addict Ole, the boundaries between work and friendship between to blur. Now she is faced with the question of whether she can handle the job or if her friendship with Ole will get in the way.

In this remarkably tactile animation, Alisi Telengut reimagines the formation of a sacred lake in Siberia and draws connections between an endangered Indigenous language and matters of history, ecology, and humanity.

In some sibling groups, united by a powerful bond, closeness stimulates creativity. Five celebrity duos open up about their relationship with a brother or sister and how it benefits their creative process.

An inventor creates a device to fulfill her fantasies of omnipotence.

A pregnant woman and her best friend navigate Beirut at night in order to obtain an illegal abortion.

The shy Hugo is a caretaker in a prefabricated building. He feels at home here, is appreciated by the residents and sings his songs in the corridors. Dramatic changes make Hugo uncomfortable in his home. Similarly dissatisfied is Johanna, who lives in a bus in front of the house and faces racism and sexism on a daily basis. The two grow closer - sharing a sense of not quite belonging and, above all, a love of music. For Hugo, the world is visibly coming apart at the seams: birds that reject freedom, a dollhouse that develops a life of its own - At the same time, a catastrophe is brewing in very real life that puts Hugo and Johanna's friendship to the test.

Filmmaker Stella Traub accompanies her little brother during his last four weeks in their former home village. He wants to go to Berlin, catch up on his A-levels, study - while he spends his last summer days with the friends he will leave behind, the filmmaker wonders whether she herself has ever arrived. A suitcase, ships on the Neckar and the question of whether and how one can leave a precarious social background behind.

Yen was born in Germany, her parents in Vietnam. Being different is not a foreign feeling for many Vietnamese-Germans. Since studying in Norway, Yen understands how hard it is to build a new life in a foreign country with a different language. She learns to classify her identity, fears and, above all, her strengths.

KAy Garnellen, a transgender sex worker, gets a special Testo-shot from his friends.

Anyone who sits in a tractor all day has a lot of time to think. Jürgen gave up fattening bulls when he took over the farm and set up a contracting business - where there used to be animals, there are now machines. The single father continues to work day in, day out, weighed down by economic constraints, social expectations and strokes of fate. He says: “Every dad in agriculture wants his son to carry on at some point.” But what if his son is ill?

For his application at a renowned film school Sandro asks his school friend Emil to help. After growing apart, Sandro has to overcome his ego to be close to Emil again.

Documentary following Germany's representatives Lord of the Lost on their journey to Eurovision.

The right of the firstborn is irrevocable - in the Bible as in the British monarchy. No matter how hard the second-born tries, he will never receive the privileges of the first - unless the first dies. This relentless rule weighs heavily on the relationship of the world's most famous princely couple: Harry and William.

In a near-future Romania, young Ozana (Silvana Mihai) is chosen to work as a food taster for the leader of forces occupying her country. The sole rule for her to follow is that she must never look this man in the eye.

Filming for this picture took place in Russia over the course of a quarter of a century: in 2000, 2010 and 2022. The film is preceded by an epigraph: “The fate of every person depends on the country where they live, just as the fate of a country depends on its citizens”.

Police tackle mysterious deaths tied to recent vaccinations. A New chief eyes an English Duke as a suspect as they embark on an investigation, unearthing peculiarities, including one cop's obsession with vampires.

In associative montages of images and conversations with people in Germany, Poland and ultimately in Israel, this film explores persistent traumas, mechanisms of repressing the pain, and attempts at reconciliation. What kind of dialogue is possible between relatives of perpetrators and victims? How does one’s identity or membership in a community mould one’s awareness and perception? With these questions in mind after his return, Avnon also takes a different view of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which is visibly inscribed in the social space of his home town of Haifa.

They are young, rich, opinionated, famous - or want to become just that: Streaming stars! Many of them grew up with gaming. "I know no measure in everything I do," confesses LeFloid. He is part of the Twitch channel DoktorFroid, which he runs with his friends Paul and Olli and which has 230,000 followers. For months, we followed DoktorFroid, Shurjoka and Bdarf in their everyday lives. They are all almost always online, in contact with the community every day and can't miss a trend! This film was produced in the year 2023. All statements and facts correspond to this status and have not been updated since then.

In summer Berlin’s lakes become mystical places where people go to transcend their mundane lives. ECSTATIC UNITY follows Jorge and Gerard on a ritualistic trip to one of these lakes. Enraptured by their natural surroundings and guided by primal instincts, the bearded boys spin themselves into a whirlwind of blissful breath and tantric touch.

Wanjugu Kimathi is the daughter of Dedan Kimathi, legendary leader of the Kenyan Land and Freedom Army, or Mau Mau. This resistance group fought the British colonial regime from 1952 to 1960 to stop it from confiscating land, a conflict known as the Mau Mau Rebellion. In 1957, the British authorities hanged Dedan for possession of firearms, and then dumped his body at an unknown location.

There are more than 300 Bach choirs and Bach ensembles worldwide, most of which are made up of amateurs. For many, their lives are inextricably linked with the music of Johann Sebastian Bach. What do people seek and find in his music? What connects them across continents? What fascination lies in the music of the famous German composer, which manages to transcend borders, cultures, religions and centuries? The film embarks on a journey through six continents to meet amateur musicians and singers who have made Bach their "centerpiece".

Once again, the night sets in the city. Two young people look through faces on a phone, deciding and agreeing. ’He’s hot, him too.’ The decision is made before sunrise – a biology student with beautiful curly hair and shiny skin.

Günther has disappeared and it's up to Ursula to help him get over his slump and craft the perfect plan.

What's the meaning of life? How do I find my way? In his existential philosophy work CITADELLE, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry posthumously gives us uncomfortable answers.

Niger is one of the poorest countries in the world and is also plagued by numerous terrorist organizations that repeatedly kidnap people. Accompanied by a military convoy, the travel group explores the country and the cultural traditions of two of the last nomadic tribes, the Woodabe and the Tuareg. From the capital Niamey in the southwest, the journey continues through the interior of the country to Iférouane, where the Nigerien tour guide provides information about the country and its people.

A chance encounter between two acquaintances leads to a friendly beer and warm commiseration about life’s little struggles: lost keys, bad roommates, awkward exes, and annoying grant deadlines.

The story of two people who feel lost in their own lives and, through their encounter, find a piece of themselves again.

A young German actor, Niklas, is preparing the biggest role of his lifetime to be filmed in Sarajevo, where a screenwriter, Selma, is living in the shadow of the Bosnian War. After Niklas arrives only to learn that his big break has been cancelled, he decides to stay in Sarajevo for New Year’s Eve, where he crosses paths with Selma. Their worlds collide, and the two experience a night together that will change their lives forever.

Sergei S. Prokofiev's monumental setting of Leo N. Tolstoy's epic novel, War and Peace. The composer and his wife Mira compressed the plot, set during Napoleon's Russian campaign, into a powerful sequence of scenes in which the love story between Natasha Rostova and Andrei Bolkonsky and the description of the Russian army's fight against the French invasion alternate in rich contrast, and at the same time are closely interwoven. All is related by the music in its fullness of splendid themes and touchingly quiet moments. Prokofiev's musical-dramatic masterpiece combines social drama and historical chronicle in its 13 scenes to form an exuberant panorama. In this production by Dmitri Tcherniakov, the opera is performed in in Munich for the first time ever.

German short film.

The film crew travels on a train in a reserved seat across Russia, talking with passengers about the war. The main characters are guys of military age, ordinary Russians, without savings and the opportunity to leave the country. They are against war and are not afraid to talk about it and, moreover, they are not afraid to fight for their rights even where it seems that this is impossible. Bad and good Russians. Who are they and what do they look like? Did all the good people really leave Russia, or is there still someone left there?

Visual interpretation of Gero König's musical piece "Chordeograph_AR_workshop_excerpt"

By an unexpected and mysterious coincidence, Silas suddenly finds himself in the sacred halls of the divine office. Overwhelmed by the surreal surroundings and fascinated by the presence of the Creator, he seizes the unique opportunity to ask God questions about world events in an extraordinary dialogue. Against the majestic backdrop of divine power and wisdom, Silas' questions are eager to be answered by the source of all knowledge.

A boy raised in the mountains films his home surroundings. He shows his sister, his father, their house with a treehouse in the garden, and the family’s old dog. He runs and cycles while holding the camera, creating choppy, chaotic images that match the energetic life of a child.

Dita Rita Scholl has been an actor and pioneer of queer performance art since the 1970s. Having experienced frequent rejection throughout life, Rita developed a strong longing for physical and emotional touch. This short documentary provides intimate insight into the search for human connection and how this endless hunger can be satisfied through tantric rituals.

A black-and-white film about the color red. What sounds like a pointless endeavor is perhaps the smartest solution. The Color Red is about learning to see red with different eyes. The film accompanies - representative of 8 billion pairs of eyes - an optical physicist and a painter in their preoccupation with the color red. The question of how different red can be is ultimately joined by curiosity: do we "see" the color without the film having to show it?

Elina's boyfriend left her for her best friend. The girl takes a bottle of wine and decides to remember the last best moments of her life.

In the run-up to parliamentary elections in mid-October, Polish filmmaker Marcin Wierzchowski travelled across his country to gauge the atmosphere in a society that is more divided than ever.

The story about a girl who is trying to figure out her relationship to her boyfriend with a twist.

The girls of Champ Camp are typical teenagers — eager to challenge the old ways and looking to make their mark. But there are differences. For one thing, Adla, Rahmeeh and We'am are Palestinians growing up in Jordan’s Al-Baqa’a refugee camp. For another, they can lift as much as 100 pounds and are aiming for an Olympic medal. Heavy Metal is a powerful film asking just what it means to be a strong young woman.