The Choice

Every August the Pine Ridge annual powwow is held to celebrate the culture and traditions of the Lakota people, but it looks like a feast in a time of plague, as most of them have lost all hope of getting through the dire straits. 

Single dads are both breadwinners and nurturers: they raise their children without their wives. Learn the reasons behind single fatherhood in Russia on RTDoc.

Two decades since collapse of the Soviet Union many former republics are still in many ways parts of Russia. Uzbekistan and Tajikistan's economic situations are so troubled that their residents are forced to flock to Russia to earn some money. 

Escaping harsh reality or relaxing after a hard working day? A guilty pleasure or the only reason to wake up in the morning? Computer games are made for fun, but sometimes they cause one's real life turning into a slaughterous level which inevitably results in Game Over. 

RT takes an exclusive look at North Korea, the world’s most closed-off country. Life here is isolated from the outside world and every aspect of existence is regulated by order of the "Great Leader", from the art you’re allowed to see, the books you can read, even to your hairstyle.

An estimated 290,000 Indian farmers have committed suicide in 20 years. Small farms used to be the country’s economic backbone but now, owners struggle to make even a meagre profit and drown in debt. For some, the pressure is too much. Many blame GMO cotton for the failing farms, having cornered the market and replaced organic crops; they have failed to live up to expectations.

They’re only children, but they already have medals for bravery. They saved someone else's lives while risking their own. A burning house, a frozen river, or a bullet. There is no threat big enough for the young and the brave when others are in danger.

One man's personal journey through his own mortality is changing the way an entire city thinks and talks about death. 

For some people, the so-called ‘Tower of David’ is just an unfinished skyscraper. For others, it’s an asylum for robbers and murderers. About 800 families call this place home. RTD presents a film about people that live in this tower.

The shooting of Michael Brown by a police officer in Ferguson, Missouri, unleashed a wave of mass protests that shook the whole of the United States. His death was the catalyst that set off an already highly explosive atmosphere in the town. RTD visits Ferguson to hear what its residents have to say about the issues in their community.

It all started with a trolleybus that served as a meal station for homeless people. Now, a small trailer park has grown around it. It’s a place that welcomes anyone who has nowhere else to go, offering them the chance to get back on the right track.

Recently, the German city of Cologne made the news for a string of attacks against women that many blamed on migrants. The deepening refugee crisis is polarising German society. Still, no social tensions can stop the sweet celebration of Cologne’s famous Carnival, even if this year’s also came with a bitter pill. 

The old saying, “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure” has a very literal meaning for the residents of one small town on the outskirts of Cairo in Egypt.  Zabbaleen is home to a large community of rubbish collectors who gather and sort all of the capital’s waste. The process provides work for whole families as well as toys for the children and fodder for livestock.

Prisoners of a psychiatric ward. They are criminal offenders suffering from mental disorders. Can art therapy relieve their troubled souls and minds? Artist Alexandr Semyonov gives them a chance to change and get better. 

These women are not ashamed of their appearance – on the contrary, they live happy lives and are proud of what they have achieved. They are called little ladies, but the life they lead is full of big accomplishments and great events. We meet two little ladies to hear their stories.

Time is running out for a tightly-knit community of less than 1,000 people on Tangier Island, Virginia, where crab fisherman and oystermen have made a living for generations amidst idyllic beaches and unique wildlife.

Cossack troops return to France 200 years after the Napoleonic wars were over. They'll show traditional riding tricks, wield swords while on horseback and perform other spectacular stunts, but no bloodshed or wounded people this time, just fun and games. 

They are not afraid to follow their dreams and live to the max. Instead of putting up with the fact their life is inevitably coming to an end, they seem to convince the laws of biology to freeze the time for them. 

An homage to “women of a certain age”! Their beauty is much more than skin deep, enhanced by wisdom, life experience and achievements. A beauty pageant for women over 50 inspires RTD writer and director, Alyona Simikina, to document her own mother’s life.

“Gender equality gives children a fantastic opportunity to be whoever they want to be.” This is the basic idea of the gender-free pedagogy taught in Sweden. Any reference to gender is eliminated from toys, books and even speech. Tanja Bergkvist, a Swedish blogger, shows how this process can reach absurdity.