DW's TV highlights in July

SOS Amazon 

Images of surging Amazon rainforest wildfires in the summer of 2019 triggered worldwide horror. When the Earth’s green lung goes up in flames, it’s not just alarming for international experts and politicians. Starting July 22, the documentary SOS Amazon examines the background to this ecological and humanitarian catastrophe.

A man uses his mobile phone next to an electric bicycle in Pyongyang

North Korean Odyssey 

Filmmakers Gregor Möllers and Anne Lewald visited North Korea in 2013 and 2017 and did something that’s strictly forbidden: They secretly filmed their journey. The result is an extraordinary glimpse into one of the world’s most secretive societies. Watch the documentary A Postcard from Pyongyang starting July 10.

Quacking Conservationists 

A farmer in Thailand is training ducks to become nature conservationists in pursuit of more sustainable agricultural practices. The documentary Duck Academy observes the 12-week training course teaching the feathered creatures to be “rice protectors.” An amusing, moving and highly informative film about efforts to grow foods without toxic pollutants and residues. Starting July 27.

Facade Art 

Lego bridge in Wuppertal

A bridge made entirely of Lego traversing a real street – surely that’s not possible? In the western German city of Wuppertal, that structure does actually exist. Although the Lego bricks aren’t real, they’re a perfect illusion. It’s the work of street artist Martin Heuwold. He turned the bridge into an eye-popping work of art – winning the German Facade Prize. Euromaxx stopped by to watch the artist at work. Tune in to this edition, starting July 11.

Fly Rocket Fly 
Swabian aero- space engineer Lutz Kayser founded the world‘s first private space travel company, OTRAG in the 1970s. But what began as a daring start-up adventure soon got tangled up in international politics. The company needed a test site for its rockets and at the height of the Cold War, the flashpoint zone of then Zaire proved to be a highly sensitive choice by Kayser and his team. Starting July 16, DW broadcasts the documentary Fly Rocket Fly.

Tanzania Transit 

A Maasai living the traditional culture of his tribe takes a trip with his grandson – by train through Tanzania. They share a carriage with a businesswoman and a distinctly dubious preacher. The documentary Tanzania Transit reveals a microcosm of Tanzanian society – and tells the stories of people heading into an uncertain future. A film that’s both tragic and comic, full of conflicts and dreams. Starting July 29.

Solitary Islands and Lonely Hearts

The Faroese have a problem: while the men work out at sea, young women often move abroad to study and pursue their careers – and most of them don’t return. Now men far outnumber women in a population of just over 50,000. The local government is attempting to make the islands more attractive: It’s hoped that new degree courses and more jobs will lure Faroese women back home. Watch the documentary The Faroes – Solitary Islands and Lonely Hearts starting July 18.

To Live for Film 

Ines Moldavsky receives the Short Film Award in Gold for the movie "The men Behind the Wall" at the Berlinale international film festival in 2018.

Starting July 11, Arts.21 presents three young talents with a common vision: to live for film! - Diana Saqueb Jamal, who swapped a comfortable life in Canada, to portray the issue of women’s rights in Afghanistan; Ines Moldavsky, who used a dating app to meet young Palestinians, showing just how easy it can be to overcome barriers. And Laurentia Genske, who documented the lives of socially vulnerable people over a long period of time – with humor and affectionate observations on eccentricities and the daily grind.