Documentary AreaSimply the best Documentaries

In March 2022, the Russian army was closing in on the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv, and it was expected to fall in a short period of time. But in fact, many citizens chose to remain in their beloved city and provide resistance in whatever way they could. Despite daily missile attacks and the fear of an impending urban war, they were united in their efforts to protect their freedom and democracy. This documentary looks at the people of Kyiv through the eyes of a Ukrainian filmmaker.

Tim Whewell is in St Petersburg to meet the self-styled Russian nationalists and patriots who are volunteering to join the fighting in eastern Ukraine. He joins a group of volunteers as they undertake military training, and travels to Ukraine to see how the volunteer force is fighting on the ground.

'The Coldest War': With the polar ice caps shrinking due to global warming, new trade routes are being exposed, along with billions of dollars' worth of natural-resource reserves. The five nations bordering the Arctic are readying themselves to fight for it. The problem is that there's one non-NATO country that already considers itself rightful owner of the region: Russia. With Vladimir Putin's recent military annexation of Crimea, there's a definite possibility its aggressions will boil over, returning the international community to precarious Cold War footing. We will head north to witness NATO forces participating in the largest polar military exercise in history. 'Heroin Warfare': Since the U.S. occupation of Afghanistan, heroin production in the region has skyrocketed, making the country the number-one producer by a large margin. Though Iran, Afghanistan's neighbor, is an ultraconservative country, Afghan heroin flowing across the border has actually caused Iran to have the worst heroin use problem in the world. Suroosh Alvi gets a rare look inside Iran to meet the suffering heroin addicts, and see how the country is coping with the illegal drug trade.

Hector Berrellez identifies the mysterious Cuban who interrogated Kiki Camarena: a veteran CIA operative, Felix Rodriguez, a key figure in the Iran-Contra scandal. Although warned not to take his investigation further, Hector refuses and is eventually forced into retirement. The case languishes for years, and then a new source comes forward with a shocking allegation.

Arrested and charged in 2019 with child sex trafficking, Jeffrey Epstein took his own life while behind bars in a federal prison of New York City in unclear circumstances. Many claim that Epstein had an international sex trafficking ring and he would take a lot of people down. Epstein signed a will two days before he committed suicide to move his money over to the Virgin Islands. It made it much more difficult for the victims to get restitution. Nor would the survivors see him in jail for life. But the judge was going to let some of the victims have their day in court.

Egypt on the Brink: Arab Spring climaxed in the overthrow of President Mubarak in Egypt. But for many Egyptians, the situation has actually gotten worse. China's Ghost Towns: Fifteen years ago, China changed its policy so people could buy their own homes. Real-estate investments boomed, and new cities began popping up. The problem is: people don't live in what have become 'ghost cities.'