Content from Format TV

The execution of Nicholas II and his family gave rise to one of the most mysterious questions in Russian history. Did Princess Anastasia manage to escape? Anna Anderson spent her life trying to prove her royal origin. Would modern science put an end to this story? Memories of witnesses, historical documents, genetic analysis, and the letters of Anastasia-Anna Anderson will bring the viewer to the era of terrible shocks in Russia and disclose the secret of the daughter of Emperor Nicholas II.

In spring, as soon as the ice descends from the Siberian rivers, Plavpoliklinika goes on a semi-annual route. Doctors are taking medical care to remote Russian villages. Ahead of six months of testing the climate and living conditions, separation from the family and meeting people from the outback.

A family of Altai ornithologists will go to the south of the continent following the endangered steppe eagles. A similar trip — from the north of Russia to Africa — will be made by Vologda ornithologist Miroslav Babushkin. Sensors mounted on birds will allow scientists to track the eagles’ route and understand the dangers they can face. Ospreys and steppe eagles are birds living in Russia. They were much less fortunate than leopards and Amur tigers. And although feathered predators have all the makings of a “national brand” (remember whose image is displayed on the national emblem and minted on coins), it is likely that these species will soon remain only in heraldry, forever disappearing from the wild.

The bear — a powerful and horrendous wild beast, a symbol of strength and might — now is under threat himself. Danger comes from poachers, who hunt for bear fur and bile, which is believed to heal. Danger comes from illegal hunting centers, enslaving baby animals for dog training. Yet a human becomes stronger not through a struggle or hunt — but… love. And care — for a bear. ‘’Land of Bears’’ is a film about the country, where love between a man and bear is mutual.

A film about a unique operation that took place during the Holocaust. In August 1942, 270 Jewish people went on a mortal campaign. They had to cross the front line and go through the territory completely occupied by the Nazis. Go through to survive. This group was headed by Nikolay Kiselyov. Leon Rubin is one of the few children who survived. He did everything to immortalize the name of their savior, partisan Kiselyov. “I did everything I had to. I want this to never happen again”. Never again.

Little dogs in a big space... They were launched into weightlessness one after another. It was the only way to discover what problems and complexities the one who flies next will face — the human. Dozens of dogs’ lives were sacrificed to the science and safety of people. The pioneers of Soviet space, the first to fly around our planet, Belka and Strelka, became sym bols of the breakthrough beyond the limits of gravity. Colossal work preceded their flight. Why were these dogs chosen for the experiments, how were they trained for flights, what was waiting for those which could return alive?

The pride of Soviet engineers, a secret project hidden in the impenetrable taiga, among swamps and fogs — for a long time the Plesetsk cosmodrome was a serious issue in the confrontation between the USSR and the USA. Today the Plesetsk is a unique launching complex that provides for both Russian defence and scientific space programs. We will go to the extreme north, to the very heart of the taiga, to live one day at the cosmodrome with its inhabitants and witness the launch of a real rocket.

Now Siberia is considered to be the heart of Russia. However, many centuries ago it was just another unexplored territory, full of mysteries and danger. Our documentary series explores the most interesting of them. The episode about the discovery of Siberia is ready-made. Another 3 episodes will tell the story of surviving in severe frost, explore the deepest Siberian caves and cover the story of gold-mining in Siberia.

The October Revolution in Russia: Was it a national catastrophe that interrupted the natural course of the country’s development, or the beginning of a powerful breakthrough from age-old backwardness? The film tells about the fate of people who endured the impossible burden — they raised a country that was not ready for it. They had incredible plans — to organize a world revolution. But their lives were cut off just as tragically as the fate of the Russian Empire that they had crushed.

Residents of big cities sometimes do not even suspect how much garbage we produce. This film explores the most urgent topic of plastic pollution. From Brussels to Lake Baikal and Indian Dehli, eco-activists invent new ways of recycling to make use of the omnipresent plastic garbage — the film shows their inventions and researches the attitudes towards waste in different countries, leading viewers to the main question: Did you know that some bacteria are able to recycle plastic and decompose it into harmless components? But will our planet be able to cope with the volume of garbage?

Recounts the tumultuous history of Cuba, a nation of foreign conquest, freedom fighters and Cold War political machinations.