Asia Videos - The Documentary Network

The Happiest People on Earth. North Korea: Rulers, citizens & official narrative

Documentary.net staff — Mon, 03 Jul 2017 05:28:23 +0000

North Koreans say they’re the happiest people in the world. Their great leader is like a father who takes care of them and all their needs. They’re told that he’s made their country the most powerful and economically developed on the planet. A quick look at the World Wide Web or any international media might lead to a different conclusion but in North Korea, they’re banned.

Fighting the Islamic State with Iraq’s Golden Division: The Road to Fallujah

Documentary.net staff — Mon, 20 Jun 2016 15:44:35 +0000

In 2014, Islamic State militants swept into Western Iraq's Anbar Province, overrunning Iraqi security forces, enslaving minorities, and causing thousands to flee for their lives. The jihadist group captured Iraq’s largest city, Mosul, and the cities of Ramadi and Fallujah, where hundreds of US troops died fighting the Islamic State’s predecessor. Now, two years later, the Iraqi security forces, with help from Iranian-supported Shiite militias and US military advisors and warplanes, are fighting to take back towns and cities in Anbar, one battle at a time. But it’s a difficult task: Anbar has been the crucible of Iraq’s insurgency, and is the country’s Sunni heartland — long marginalized by and hostile to the Shiite-led government in Baghdad. VICE News embedded with Iraq’s Golden Division Special Forces unit as they fought their way into the villages surrounding the city of Hit, where they encountered ambushes, sniper fire, and tried to sort suspected Islamic State operatives and sympathizers from innocent Iraqi civilians.

Bangladesh – An Attack on Bloggers

Documentary.net staff — Wed, 25 Nov 2015 15:12:33 +0000

Blogging is a dangerous business in Bangladesh. Four prominent secular bloggers have been brutally murdered this year and a publisher linked to one of them was recently slashed to death. Police blame religious hardliners for the killings, and there are fears more attacks could follow. But it’s not just hardliners who are causing concern. The government too, appears to be cracking down on free speech. Some bloggers are now leaving Bangladesh while others have gone into hiding. In this edition of 101 East, we meet people whose lives are in peril because of the opinions they share online. Are the attacks on bloggers a sign of a deeper problem in Bangladesh?

Becoming Pacquiao

Documentary.net staff — Mon, 17 Aug 2015 15:33:04 +0000

Motivated by the rags-to-riches story of national hero Manny Pacquiao, many Filipinos see boxing as a ticket out of poverty. But success stories are rare. 101 East follows a group of young fighters as they try to survive a brutal boxing industry. The crowd bays for blood as boxer Brian Diano steps into the ring. Tonight, the Filipino underdog fights for his life... and more. His impoverished teammates back home are counting on his paltry prize money to feed their hungry stomachs. Their manager and father figure Jun Gandeza is near bankrupt but refuses to abandon the close-knit boxers. Inspired by the rags-to-riches story of national hero Manny Pacquiao, many Filipinos see boxing as a ticket out of poverty. But success stories are rare. Meet those fighting for a brighter future and asks: Will these young fighters survive the brutal boxing industry?

Thai Meth Epidemic and Vomit Rehab

Documentary.net staff — Thu, 06 Aug 2015 14:36:56 +0000

Thailand is in the midst of epidemic. Due to its affordability, 'yaba' has supplanted heroin as the golden triangle's main product and now Thailand is dealing with a generation hooked on this new and dangerous form of meth. We went to investigate and visit a monastery running a rehab program that involves daily group vomiting sessions.

Jiro’s Sushi

Documentary.net staff — Tue, 21 Jul 2015 09:20:14 +0000

The story of 85 year-old Jiro Ono, considered by many to be the world’s greatest sushi chef. He is the proprietor of Sukiyabashi Jiro, a 10-seat, sushi-only restaurant inauspiciously located in a Tokyo subway station. Despite its humble appearances, it is the first restaurant of its kind to be awarded a prestigious 3 star Michelin review, and sushi lovers from around the globe make repeated pilgrimage, calling months in advance and shelling out top dollar for a coveted seat at Jiro’s sushi bar. For most of his life, Jiro has been mastering the art of making sushi, but even at his age he sees himself still striving for perfection, working from sunrise to well beyond sunset to taste every piece of fish; meticulously train his employees; and carefully mold and finesse the impeccable presentation of each sushi creation. At the heart of this story is Jiro’s relationship with his eldest son Yoshikazu, the worthy heir to Jiro’s legacy, who is unable to live up to his full potential in his father’s shadow.

Escaping From a North Korean Concentration Camp

Documentary.net staff — Tue, 14 Jul 2015 09:39:54 +0000

Kim Hye-sook was born in North Korea, and at the age of 13, along with her family, was sent to Bukchang concentration camp (also known as Camp 18) as a punishment for her grandfather's attempt to escape North Korea. She spent 28 years as a prisoner at the camp and eventually managed to run away and defect to South Korea. Since her escape, she drew maps and pictures of her experience at Bukchang that were used by UN investigators to identify and prove the existence the camp from satellite images. Ben Makuch met up with Kim Hye-sook in Seoul, where she currently resides, to talk about her pictures and experiences from her 28 years at Bukchang labour camp.

Should Qatar Host The FIFA World Cup? Part 2 on Qatar 2022

Documentary.net staff — Fri, 12 Jun 2015 08:31:27 +0000

Discover the Hidden Brutality Of Qatar's FIFA World Cup Preparations. “We have been here for two months […] for two months we haven’t been given beds.” Such is life for a migrant worker. Lured to Qatar by the promise of good salaries and regular trips home – they have their passports confiscated on arrival, and their wages slashed. Some work seven days a week, fifteen hours a day, returning home to overcrowded slums where even stray animals struggle to survive. The 2022 World Cup in Qatar will cost the country $200 billion, and for the contractors charged with making it happen – finance is all that matters. “They don’t care how many die, only how much they get” claims one insider. Yet despite the appalling conditions, some are better off in Qatar than back home. "This is our life. In my country there is no work. Too much corruption. No money, no work."

Peshmerga vs. the Islamic State: The Road to Mosul

Documentary.net staff — Fri, 12 Jun 2015 08:16:19 +0000

A year after the Islamic State's lightning conquest of Iraq's second-largest city of Mosul, the poorly-trained and equipped Kurdish peshmerga forces are the international coalition's only reliable boots on the ground in northern Iraq. The Pentagon's hopes of recapturing the city by spring 2015 have been dashed by the military failures of the Iraqi Army further south, leaving the peshmerga to defend a 600-mile long frontline almost encircling Mosul, fending off constant Islamic State (IS) assaults with insufficient supplies of ammunition and modern weapons. For one month, VICE News embedded with the peshmerga fighters on the Mosul frontline, gaining an insight into the coalition's faltering war against IS through the eyes of the Kurdish volunteers bearing the brunt of the fighting.

Rent-a-Foreigner in China

Documentary.net staff — Mon, 08 Jun 2015 17:45:42 +0000

In this short documentary, housing developers in China hire ordinary foreigners to pose as celebrities, boosting flagging property sales. In China, it’s hard to find a city that has not built ambitious new districts on its rural periphery. But overbuilding has led to ghost towns: Towering rows of luxury apartments sit completely empty, especially in smaller cities in China’s hinterlands. The lifeless streets seem to contradict official claims that these new developments will become booming, globalized cities. In this Op-Doc video, David Borenstein profiles one interesting solution: the rent-a-foreigner industry. In provincial West China, David filmed specialty firms that collect groups of foreigners whom they rent out to attend events. Clients can select from a menu of skin colors and nationalities; whites are the most desirable and expensive. The most frequent customers are real estate companies. They believe that filling their remote buildings with foreign faces, even for a day, suggests that the area is “international,” a buzzword in provincial areas that often translates to “buy.” The operation usually works by recruiting a few of the thousands of ordinary expatriates in China, and paying them to play whatever role the client feels will best convey its building’s desirability. Musicians and models — often amateurs billed as “famous” — are the most popular personas. But while making this video we also encountered Westerners posing as businessmen, athletes, diplomats and some simply as city residents.

The devastating truth about Qatar’s world cup bid – Part 1 on Qatar 2022

Documentary.net staff — Mon, 08 Jun 2015 11:37:10 +0000

In Qatar, 4000 workers will die to put on the 2022 Football World Cup. This staggering figure indicates the slave-like conditions the builders of football's most expensive construction project are enduring. Workers won't speak out for fear of being fired, but for some, hopelessness outweighs the fear. Qatari labourers building for the 2022 World Cup are forced into long hours on the side of roads or inside factories in the sweltering heat. Their living situations are just as trying: "We have been here for 2 months. And for 2 months we haven't been given beds." These workers entered into pseudo slavery due the loans they took to travel that they can't afford to pay back, as the hope of the income they were promised was a lie. They can't return home, and if they’re sick "the company cut their salary for going to the hospital". Take an inside look at the conditions of these impoverished and undervalued workers, who risk overworking to the point of death for fear of unemployment.

Scuba Diving in 360° Green Island, Taiwa

Documentary.net staff — Wed, 20 May 2015 18:42:46 +0000

PLEASE NOTE: To view the 360 degree experience please make sure you are watching on the latest version of Google Chrome on your desktop or the latest version of Android on your smart phone. A 360° Video Project about scuba diving in Green Island, Taiwan Popular diving spot include Shihlang (石朗), Iron Reef (鋼鐵礁), Big Mushroom (大香菇), Telephone Pole Reef (電線桿礁)

Japan’s Disposal Workers: Net Cafe Refugees

Documentary.net staff — Wed, 11 Mar 2015 21:06:57 +0000

Internet cafes have existed in Japan for over a decade, but in the mid 2000’s, customers began using these spaces as living quarters. Internet cafe refugees are mostly temporary employees; their salary too low to rent their own apartments.

Under the Dome – Investigating China’s Smog (Censored in China) CC available

Documentary.net staff — Tue, 10 Mar 2015 18:45:49 +0000

Former celebrity TV anchor Chai Jing quit her job after her baby daughter was born with a lung tumor, and after a year of rigorous investigation, launched this 1 hour 40 minute documentary about China’s smog: what is smog? Where does it come from? What do we do from here? "In Beijing in 2014, I could only take her out when the air was good," she says during a presentation to a studio audience that appears in the documentary. "There were 175 polluted days last year. That means that for half of the year, I had no choice but to keep her at home, shut in like a prisoner." Chai used $160,000 of her own money and one year to make Under The Dome, the same title as a Stephen King novel. Some scenes in the film are shocking, including a visit to a hospital operating room, where viewers see the damage China's polluted air can do to a person's lungs. Chai asks some tough questions about the politics and economics behind the smog, but often with a gentle, funny tone. She talks to a local environmental official so powerless to enforce the country's laws that he admits, "I don't want to open my mouth because I'm afraid you'll see that I'm toothless."

Bandung: Street Food City

Documentary.net staff — Mon, 09 Mar 2015 12:34:32 +0000

The documentary is a colourful and mouth-watering trip through the street food culture of Bandung, Indonesia, a city famed for its culinary adventurism. These are the street food sellers of Bandung, the fourth largest city of Indonesia, where you’re never more than 100 yards away from something delicious. The street food culture is fuelling a series of festivals which are at the heart of this creative city.