The World of the Chinese

China is playing an increasingly important role worldwide. Under President Xi Jinping, substantial investments are being made in communication and cooperation and industrious Chinese people are settling abroad in large numbers. Documentary maker and China expert Ruben Terlou visits them in the new VPRO travel series ‘The World of the Chinese’. Who are they, what do they want to achieve and what impact does their presence have on the local population?

Trump Takes On the World

After one of the most shocking presidencies in history, Donald Trump's top advisers and the leaders who clashed with him lift the lid on the critical moments of his foreign policy.

永远在路上

Madam Secretary

After years away from the CIA, Elizabeth McCord is pulled back into the political arena. The newly appointed Secretary of State is tough, fair, and smart, driving international diplomacy, wrangling office politics, and circumventing protocol as she negotiates global and domestic issues, both at the White House and at home.

Bitter Rivals: Iran and Saudi Arabia

Bitter Rivals illuminates the essential history - and profound ripple effect - of Iran and Saudi Arabia's power struggle. It draws on scores of interviews with political, religious and military leaders, militia commanders, diplomats, and policy experts, painting American television's most comprehensive picture of a feud that has reshaped the Middle East.

Crazy Borders

Enclaves, loaned territories, disputed areas and microstates: This is the series that looks at places with absurd borders.

El Gran Reseteo

Conflict

A small, Finnish seaside town is preparing to celebrate midsummer's eve. An unknown enemy arrives and takes the entire area hostage.

State Supervision

Empire

Empire is a unique programme that reports on and debates global powers on behalf of an international citizen. It does so in a way whereby it questions those geopolitical, geoeconomic, corporate, and other forms of power that influence citizens across borders. Many of those are not held accountable by any one government or any one nation, and so looking at the world as the global village it has become - with its integrated societies - we try to answer the questions on the minds of many of our viewers: why and how does global power act, react? And how does it throw its weight around?

Putins Agenten

This three-part investigative documentary follows former members of Russian intelligence who reveal how the Kremlin’s spy networks operate. Through insider testimony and expert analysis, it examines recruitment methods, covert missions, cyber operations, and the mechanisms used to silence opposition and project influence abroad under Vladimir Putin’s rule.

永远吹冲锋号

TikTok: Under the Influence

The most downloaded app in the world is raising serious geopolitical concerns. How did TikTok become a central player in the ongoing trade and political tensions between Beijing and Washington? As a key decision looms regarding its future in the United States, this documentary offers an in-depth look at the platform and sheds light on the growing global battle over data control.

零容忍

Nordkoreas Geheimnisse

North Korea's Secrets offers a comprehensive look into the secretive regime of Kim Jong-un. The first episode, The Dictator's Weapons, explores North Korea's rise as a nuclear power, its growing alliance with Russia, and the human cost of the regime's military buildup. The second episode, A Glimpse into a Closed Country, presents the stories of four defectors who share their experiences of oppression, forced labor, and survival. Satellite images reveal the stark contrast between the elite's luxurious life and the majority's suffering, painting a vivid picture of life in North Korea under Kim Jong-un's rule.

Clash of the Superpowers: America vs China

From tariffs to TikTok. The inside story of Trump vs Xi - and the personalities, policies and pivotal moments that have shaped a world-changing battle for power and influence.

An Ocean Apart

When the 20th century opened, Britain dominated world affairs, and America stood on the sidelines. Now their positions are reversed. This is the story of how it happened.

The Great Wall of Iron

Much of the world first became aware of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army in the tragedy of Tiananmen Square in June 1989. However, only weeks before, filming had been completed on an extraordinary examination of China’s military machine. Boasting unprecedented access to all areas of the People’s Liberation Army, this five-hour documentary reveals with unerring insight and exceptional clarity the enigma which is the modern Chinese army.

Thinkerview

Reinventing China

China's history of the last 200 years seems like a boomerang, returning to the West what it once unleashed. The series reveals how devastating the struggles for identity and power have been for the population since the fall of the "Middle Kingdom," and how closely these tragedies are intertwined with our own. Great hopes were placed in a wide variety of visions for the future—and each time, bitter disappointment ensued. From the decline of the empire to its resurgence as a superpower, China's history is both a dream and a nightmare, in which human life is of little value.