Crime & Military
On board a nuclear-powered submarine
On board the Vigilant, one of France's 4 nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines, men and women are working in the greatest secrecy.
This ultra-sophisticated vessel is capable of diving to a depth of 400 meters and staying undetected for several months.
Its highly qualified and trained crew regularly embarks on missions in real conditions.
A MERCILESS WAR IN THE CARIBBEAN [70’]
The French army against drug traffickers
Martinique and Guadeloupe, known for their dream beaches, have become hubs for international drug trafficking.
Located just a few kilometers from drug-producing countries such as Colombia and Venezuela, these islands are the gateway for narcotics to Europe.
To combat this scourge, the French army is waging a daily battle against traffickers in the Caribbean Sea.
A MURDERER AT THE WEDDING [100’]
A French serial killer
In the Alps, 28 people mysteriously disappeared between 2007 and 2017. A sad unexplained record for the region. This is the story of one of the greatest failures of the French judicial system.
Maëlys, 8, disappears during a wedding. Her remains are found six months later. Nordahl Lelandais, one of the guests at the party, faced with overwhelming evidence, confesses to the crime. From that moment on, the police officers wonder whether the suspect may be involved in other misdeeds in the area. Their intuition will prove correct when they discover that, a few months before Maëlys' disappearance, a young 24-year-old Army corporal also fell prey to this man, without arousing the slightest suspicion.
In France, serial killers are considered a fantasy, a legend straight out of an American movie. This may explain why justice has not sought links between these different cases.
AL QAEDA: WORLD TERRORISM [52’]
The birth of the jihadist movement
The years from 2001 to 2011 have been plagued by Al-Qaeda and Osama bin Laden. But to understand how this former business student from a wealthy Saudi family became the leader of the international jihadist movement, we must go back in time and dive into the various episodes of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.
After the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center and 9 years of relentless hunting, Osama bin Laden was killed by US commandos in May 2011. Although his death didn’t mean the end of Al-Qaeda it did speed up the decline of an organization challenged by the emergence of ISIS.
AMERICA AT WAR [90’]
The world seen from Washington
The world is in the grip of numerous conflicts, both ongoing and in the making, all of which share a common denominator: America's involvement. And yet, not all of these countries are on America's doorstep.
But is there such a thing as a conflict in which America is absent?
ARMY, THE SCHOOL OF COMMITMENT [6x52’]
Intense training
In order to adapt to modern forms of combat specific training centers for enlisted soldiers have been set up.
To prepare these soldiers for the most difficult terrains, the army now trains in different parts of the world.
AVIATOR [2x52’]
Masters of the sky
From inside the cockpit, a flight is no longer exactly the same.
This series focuses not only on pilots but also on the mythical planes that have graced our skies.
During a flight aboard one of these extraordinary aircraft, we discover the reality, the complexity, and the ingenuity of the machines and the men who work in this world driven by passion.
BLACK NIGHT IN PARIS [52’ or 90’]
An indelible trauma
Police officers, first-aid workers, and victims tell us about the course of events that occurred on the fatal evening of November 13, 2015.
We follow each stage of this murderous night, from the attacks at the Stade de France, the shootings at the terraces of bars and restaurants in the 11th district, to the bloodbath at the Bataclan. 3D images help understand the events and their preparation.
The film also looks at Salah Abdeslam's arrest in Molenbeek, Belgium, and the attack on Brussels airport, which shed new light on the terrorist networks operating between France and Belgium.
Also available as a 90'
BLOODSHED ON THE RIVIERA, THE TERROR ATTACK IN NICE [54’]
86 dead and 458 wounded
On July 14, 2016, at 10 pm, fireworks illuminate the city of Nice. Tens of thousands of onlookers came to watch the festivities on the Promenade des Anglais. The show is breathtaking, and the atmosphere is friendly. But it will not last.
A truck rams through the crowd, spreading terror and chaos. The attack leaves 86 dead and 458 wounded.
Four years later, through the accounts of direct witnesses and families of victims and thanks to a thorough investigation, this film looks back at the circumstances of the tragedy.
COMMANDING A NUCLEAR SUBMARINE [52’]
Impervious to stress and error free
The commander of a nuclear submarine has the power to start an atomic fire. This is an immense responsibility that requires being extremely reliable and inaccessible to stress.
Consequently, this position requires special and ruthless training because one mistake can mean millions of deaths.
CRIMINAL INVESTIGATIONS [21x52’]
Blood dramas
This series tells French and international crime stories using re-enactments interspersed with testimonials and archive footage.
DEATH AND THE SOLDIER [52’]
The ultimate sacrifice
What is death to a soldier? Why is he willing to sacrifice his life? How can one prepare to die or to kill? How do newly enlisted men experience their first battles?
This film is not about the merits of that profession or a military or anti-militarist manifesto. It’s an attempt to penetrate the psyche of soldiers confronted with the idea of death. Their own, that of their comrades as well as their foes.
FIFTEEN YEARS OF TERROR [2x52’]
Terrorism recent history
In 15 years, from the 9/11 attacks against the World Trade Center to those in Paris in November 2015, dramatic and deadly strikes have been targeting Western countries like never before and have changed the face of the world. In between these two major events, the aggressions and victims kept piling up.
How and why did we go from a terrorist group like Al Qaeda to an even crazier and bloodthirsty one like ISIS? Who are these terrorists? What is radical Islam? Why do they target our democracies?
From Afghanistan to Western societies, through Syria and Iraq, this film investigates the recent history of terrorism.
INNOCENT UNTIL PROVEN GUILTY [21x90’]
Investigations into crimes which made the news
This collection is about violent criminal cases that have been in the news and focuses on those involved, but still presumed innocent since their trials have not yet taken place.
Our teams investigate the tragic events, trying to understand how the persons implicated found themselves in such tragic situations.
ISIS: TERRORISM 2.0 [52’]
How did the World let it emerge?
On November 13, 2015, a new terrorist organization strikes at the heart of a major Western capital: Paris. The toll is terrible giving ISIS an overnight and sinister fame.
What is this terrorist group? Who are its men? Why going after France and the West? How did we let such a monster corner a huge swath of land and thus gain unmatched power? Why is it attracting so many youngsters around the world?
This exceptional film sheds light on the emergence and expansion of a new and disturbing phenomenon: 2.0 terrorism.
LIFE ABOARD AN AIRCRAFT CARRIER [56’]
The largest ship in the French Navy
The aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle is the largest ship in the French Navy.
Longer than 2 football fields, as high as a 20 floors building, it is a floating city with 2,000 inhabitants. It includes a hospital, a post office, and a self-service where 4,000 meals are served each day.
We share the out-of-the-ordinary daily life aboard this ship like no others.
LIVING WITH PTSD [52’]
An invisible disease
Post-traumatic stress disorder, or war sickness, is now recognized as an injury in its own right, even if it remains an abstract and invisible disease.
Through the testimonies of the wounded and their families, this film retraces soldiers' inner struggles upon their return from war zones.
With the help of an army program, they try to overcome their difficulties to restart a family and civilian life and build the possibility of a peaceful future.
MAFIA AND ITALY, A BLOODY PACT [55’]
Dangerous liaisons
In 1992, the anti-mafia magistrates Falcone and Borsellino were murdered in Palermo, the capital of Sicily. For a long time public opinion believed in a story of revenge; that of Toto Riina who was head of Cosa Nostra, the fearsome Sicilian mafia.
Today, a lawsuit is challenging this hypothesis. Within the Italian state, someone is said to have guided the murders.
With exclusive testimonies from judges, politicians and witnesses under protection, this film reveals several decades of incestuous links between the State and the mafia.
MISSING, THE STORY OF ELOI ROLLAND [6x26’]
The tragic fate of a young expatriate
Eloi Rolland, 18, arrives in New Zealand to learn English and live new experiences away from his parents.
On the evening of March 6, 2020, he leaves his host family, but no one knows where he’s spent the night. The next day, he is spotted at the Britomart station to catch the train to Swanson. He gets off in New Lynn and heads for the intersection of Scenic Drive and Piha Road, his last known location.
At this point, his phone stops ringing for good.
SPECIAL OPS [6x52’]
In the heart of combat
This series takes us inside armed combat through different missions of the French Special Forces, thanks to CGI and archives of the US Army.
War has never felt so real.
Also available as 6x70'
THE "ACTION DIRECTE" ORGANISATION SECRET HISTORY [52’]
A murderous ideology
In 1979, with the launch of Action Directe, France follows the path of its German and Italian neighbors with the emergence of domestic terrorist violence which culminates with the murders of Army General Audran in 1985 and of the chairman of Renault in 1986.
The following year, the 4 leaders of the movement are arrested and sentenced to life in prison. According to the media, they were targeting the symbols of capitalism but none of the victims had the profile of a free marketeer.
This film sheds a new light on the bloody trajectory of this mysterious organisation.
THE INSIDER [12x52’]
Embedded into elite units
The 13th RDP of the French Special Forces. The SWAT from Miami. The Star & Rescue from Singapore. Each of these structures has its own training and intervention techniques.
In this series, a martial arts expert and renowned stuntman infiltrates these prestigious elite units to offer a unique perspective on the world's best and most secret special forces.
THE SCHOOL OF THE GREEN BERETS [93’]
The ruthless selection of marine commandos
Each year, nine-week training sessions are organized to test candidates, aged 20 to 30, who want to join the 2,500 men composing the French army marine seals and special forces. The program includes: aptitude tests, diving, shooting, strategy, survival and nights with no more than 3 hours of sleep.
The recruits of this elite corps will be responsible for carrying out secret missions in hostile terrain and must be able to face any kind of extreme situations.
USURPATION [28’]
The swindles of day-to-day life
This film is about the swindles that individuals can be subjected to daily and provides tips on how to avoid them.
XDDL, THE FATHER IS THE KILLER [84’]
A family murdered
In April 2011, in France, the bodies of a woman, her four children, and two dogs were found buried under the terrace of their house. Only the body of the father, Xavier Dupont de Ligonnès, a.k.a. XDDL, is missing.
Everything points to him being the executioner of the carefully planned and executed murder of his whole family. But how did this apparently harmless conservative catholic come up with this devil enterprise?
Mixing re-enactments and testimonies, this riveting docudrama revives a criminal affair from the standpoint of the presumed murderer. To this day, XDDL’s whereabouts remain unknown, making this case a real mystery.