Schedule

Three years after Jacobo Arbenz was resoundingly elected president of Guatemala, he was forced to resign by armed intervention. He was just one of many leaders to suffer a similar fate after falling foul of the US. In this film, author and academic Stephen Kinzer explores the motives, formula, and justification America uses to topple governments it doesn’t like, as illustrated in Guatemala, Libya, and Hawaii.

Meet the ‘Beasts’ of the Northern Fleet – Shchuka-B class hunting submarines. Combat Approved gets to meet these underwater ‘predators’ face-to-face as we climb aboard the Panther during an exercise, and go to a shipyard to see the Wild Boar getting an overhaul. We also talk to submariners serving aboard the vessels.

They serve a prison sentence, but they committed no crime. They are born behind barbed wire and all they can hope for is their mothers' love. But love is not a regular guest in jail. Are they atoning their mothers' sins or standing on a path to new ones?

Getting to film indigenous people patrolling the coastline of Chukotka during the bear and walrus migrations took lots of time, several failed attempts, and various means of transportation. An RTD crew shot a documentary about their adventures in this remote land and fantastic wildlife.

Jaffar and Abdullah are only teenagers, but they’ve already been to war, fighting alongside ISIS-affiliated militants in the southern Philippines. It wasn’t their choice though. The teens’ relatives sold them to the Abu Sayyaf extremist group for less than $500 . The boys took part in the battle of Marawi before surrendering to government forces. A year after the traumatic events, ex-child soldiers describe the horrors they lived through, while they struggle to build new lives.

For more than 2,000 years they've been making wine along Russia's Black Sea coast and it's still big business today. Join James Brown as he tries to find out what makes a great Russian wine, meets the men growing the grapes and looks into a legend that's very much close to home.

Mica is a shiny mineral that’s all the rage in modern-day makeup, helping to give beauty products a bright gleam and natural-looking glow. This beauty, however, comes at a price that most are unaware of. Those who pay it are the poorest and the most vulnerable. RT Doc visits India’s illegal mica mines where child labour is rife. 

A cross between a documentary and an action movie, 'Shugalei' is the true story of two Russian researchers, Maxim Shugalei and Samer Sweifan , captured by Islamic terrorists while working in Libya as it was ravaged by civil war. The events described in the movie are still unfolding, and the story will hopefully have a happy ending, with so many supporters currently campaigning for their release.

Natalya Kuznetsova is a Russian bodybuilder who could easily be mistaken for an Amazon woman. Known as ‘Amazonka’, she can bench press 175 kilograms and deadlift 240. Her stunning muscles have earned Natalya the nickname ‘Amazonka’, as well as internet fame. She has half a million followers who enjoy checking out her selfies and intense training sessions on Instagram. Natalya is considered Russia’s heaviest female bodybuilder, and some refuse to believe she’s a woman when they see her. The powerlifting champion pays no attention to derogatory comments, however, and says everyone should follow suit and do what they’re good at.

The Great Silk Road once connected China with the Mediterranean, joining East and West. The Chinese government is now reviving the trade route with its ‘One Belt, One Road’ initiative. Join us as we see how ancient trading centres, including X’ian, Lanzhou, Dunhuang, and QorGhas, are evolving into high-tech metropolises.

Kristina was 19 when she and her brothers and sisters lost both parents within a year. She had no time to grieve, though, as her family of six could have been taken into care. Kristina put her studies aside and moved back to her home village to become her siblings' legal guardian. Big Sister is in charge, but the kids all play their part in running their hectic household. They milk cows, care for their numerous pets, chop wood, mow, fix, build, and they still go to school. They even find time to play. Find out how Kristina handles being a Mum and the head of her big family.

Eight years after the Fukushima nuclear disaster, former residents of nearby Okuma, evacuated due to high levels of radiation, have been allowed to move back to parts of the town. RTD visits wrecked homes with former residents and meets some who have recently returned. The choice between going back and staying put is not an easy one, however.

China was the first country to recognise internet addiction as a clinical disorder. It has hundreds of rehab camps where concerned parents can send their web-dependent kids, who don’t always go willingly. The path to recovery isn’t easy but it is most effective, if the parents walk it with them.

To them, boxing is more than just a sport: it gives freedom, empowerment and the confidence to stand up for themselves. They're the students of Karachi’s first boxing school for girls. Training here, they feel better able to protect themselves but more than that, they also know they achieve more than what their conservative society expects of them.

A stranger in his homeland and a stranger in his adopted country, a former Soviet soldier had to stay in Afghanistan for 29 years after being captured by the Mujahideen and made to fight on the side of his country's enemy. In this film, he finally comes back to his native land, but is he welcomed?

Water shortages, movement restrictions, and the constant presence of the Israeli military – this is what life looks like for millions of Palestinians living in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. With no end in sight to the decades-long conflict, protests and clashes continue. RTD travels to the occupied territories to meet people of the Palestinian resistance, from members of the Tamimi family to activists expressing their anger and pain through art.

Albinos in Tanzania are frequently beaten and murdered simply because they are not like other people. People fear them. They are outcasts, treated with contempt.Their skin is a different colour. This is not a film about the African-American civil rights movement in the mid-20th century. These twenty six minutes tell the story of those with the misfortune to be born an albino in Africa today.

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. 

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. 

On the second day of the contest, Kotelnikov’s unit leaves for mountain training. While his group gets real field experience, Tulsky’s unit goes wall climbing in the gym. However, the easier conditions don’t lead to better results, and most of the new privates can’t accomplish the task.

A cross between a documentary and an action movie, 'Shugalei' is the true story of two Russian researchers, Maxim Shugalei and Samer Sweifan , captured by Islamic terrorists while working in Libya as it was ravaged by civil war. The events described in the movie are still unfolding, and the story will hopefully have a happy ending, with so many supporters currently campaigning for their release.

Natalya Kuznetsova is a Russian bodybuilder who could easily be mistaken for an Amazon woman. Known as ‘Amazonka’, she can bench press 175 kilograms and deadlift 240. Her stunning muscles have earned Natalya the nickname ‘Amazonka’, as well as internet fame. She has half a million followers who enjoy checking out her selfies and intense training sessions on Instagram. Natalya is considered Russia’s heaviest female bodybuilder, and some refuse to believe she’s a woman when they see her. The powerlifting champion pays no attention to derogatory comments, however, and says everyone should follow suit and do what they’re good at.

Vyacheslav is suffering from a rare genetic disorder that causes abnormal bone growth. This results in his body being painfully disfigured, but worse than that, it causes damage to his internal organs. Will Sklif surgeon Evgeny Tarabrin be able to perform the operation other doctors refuse to do?

Meet the ‘Beasts’ of the Northern Fleet – Shchuka-B class hunting submarines. Combat Approved gets to meet these underwater ‘predators’ face-to-face as we climb aboard the Panther during an exercise, and go to a shipyard to see the Wild Boar getting an overhaul. We also talk to submariners serving aboard the vessels.

They serve a prison sentence, but they committed no crime. They are born behind barbed wire and all they can hope for is their mothers' love. But love is not a regular guest in jail. Are they atoning their mothers' sins or standing on a path to new ones?

Getting to film indigenous people patrolling the coastline of Chukotka during the bear and walrus migrations took lots of time, several failed attempts, and various means of transportation. An RTD crew shot a documentary about their adventures in this remote land and fantastic wildlife.

Jaffar and Abdullah are only teenagers, but they’ve already been to war, fighting alongside ISIS-affiliated militants in the southern Philippines. It wasn’t their choice though. The teens’ relatives sold them to the Abu Sayyaf extremist group for less than $500 . The boys took part in the battle of Marawi before surrendering to government forces. A year after the traumatic events, ex-child soldiers describe the horrors they lived through, while they struggle to build new lives.

In Russia, every schoolchild knows the name of Aleksey Maresyev. The legendary WWII fighter pilot’s heroic story was retold in a 1948 book, “The story of a real man”. After his plane was shot down by Nazi fire, he survived in the Russian wilderness for 18 days with broken legs and found his way to safety. Despite losing both legs in hospital, he still convinced doctors and military commanders that he should continue to fly. His example helped many who might otherwise have given up, some handicapped pilots say it inspired them to survive and continue with their careers.

For more than 2,000 years they've been making wine along Russia's Black Sea coast and it's still big business today. Join James Brown as he tries to find out what makes a great Russian wine, meets the men growing the grapes and looks into a legend that's very much close to home.

RT Doc visits Angeles City in the Philippines, an infamous and popular sex tourism destination. The city is home to many children conceived by foreign holiday makers who took what they wanted and left offspring in their wake.

Mica is a shiny mineral that’s all the rage in modern-day makeup, helping to give beauty products a bright gleam and natural-looking glow. This beauty, however, comes at a price that most are unaware of. Those who pay it are the poorest and the most vulnerable. RT Doc visits India’s illegal mica mines where child labour is rife. 

On the second day of the contest, Kotelnikov’s unit leaves for mountain training. While his group gets real field experience, Tulsky’s unit goes wall climbing in the gym. However, the easier conditions don’t lead to better results, and most of the new privates can’t accomplish the task.

The Great Silk Road once connected China with the Mediterranean, joining East and West. The Chinese government is now reviving the trade route with its ‘One Belt, One Road’ initiative. Join us as we see how ancient trading centres, including X’ian, Lanzhou, Dunhuang, and QorGhas, are evolving into high-tech metropolises.

Racial disparities and inherent biases are still alive in many American towns and cities. In St. Louis, Missouri, the black-and-white divide is palpable, affecting many aspects of life for African-Americans. The first episode offers an insight into St. Louis' black neighbourhoods through the eyes of activists, still forced to fight for justice and equality.

Kristina was 19 when she and her brothers and sisters lost both parents within a year. She had no time to grieve, though, as her family of six could have been taken into care. Kristina put her studies aside and moved back to her home village to become her siblings' legal guardian. Big Sister is in charge, but the kids all play their part in running their hectic household. They milk cows, care for their numerous pets, chop wood, mow, fix, build, and they still go to school. They even find time to play. Find out how Kristina handles being a Mum and the head of her big family.

Eight years after the Fukushima nuclear disaster, former residents of nearby Okuma, evacuated due to high levels of radiation, have been allowed to move back to parts of the town. RTD visits wrecked homes with former residents and meets some who have recently returned. The choice between going back and staying put is not an easy one, however.

To them, boxing is more than just a sport: it gives freedom, empowerment and the confidence to stand up for themselves. They're the students of Karachi’s first boxing school for girls. Training here, they feel better able to protect themselves but more than that, they also know they achieve more than what their conservative society expects of them.

Urusov has a day-off and invites his unit buddies for a family celebration. Tulsky decides to train his shooting skills. While his commander is not around, Shevchuk also takes a break and goes to meet his friend.

A stranger in his homeland and a stranger in his adopted country, a former Soviet soldier had to stay in Afghanistan for 29 years after being captured by the Mujahideen and made to fight on the side of his country's enemy. In this film, he finally comes back to his native land, but is he welcomed?