Global Affairs Documentaries
Citizen Quinn: Bankrupt Billionaire
This is the story of the man who personified Ireland’s boom and subsequently, its bust. Sean Quinn was the world’s biggest single loser in the 2008 global financial collapse. This fascinating documentary looks at the man who gambled his business empire on a single investment and lost everything. Once worth an estimated $6 billion, can he somehow get his fortune back?
Is China Watching You?
China’s surveillance and facial recognition technology is arguably the most advanced in the world. Their products account for over 40% of global sales to places like Germany, Ecuador, Uganda and the UK. However, this documentary reveals that some are worried that the countries going big on digital CCTV might also be opening the door to being spied on, but do these fears have any foundation?
Gay Under The Taliban
For LGBTQ youth in Afghanistan, in the years before the return of the Taliban, life was showing signs of improvement. But when the Taliban retook control in 2021, those freedoms quickly evaporated and gay people were forced back into hiding. This LGBTQ documentary follows the story of a handful of people trapped in hell, running for their lives for the crime of being nothing but themselves.
Boxing Day Tsunami
First came an earthquake deep below the Indian Ocean. Minutes later, in the early hours of Boxing Day 2004, a 100-foot wall of water ripped through Indonesia. Then the tsunami reached Thailand, leaving unimaginable devastation in its wake. Using eye-witness accounts, BBC Select presents this gripping documentary investigating this horrific natural disaster. Could the catastrophe have been averted?
India's Partition: The Forgotten Story
The Partition of India was one of the most seismic events of the 20th century. In 1947, the country was divided into two new nations, independent India, and Pakistan. The split led to violence, disruption, and death. Filmmaker Gurinder Chadha, director of Bend It Like Beckham, travels from London to Delhi meeting people whose lives were torn apart by Partition.