DW's TV highlights in December

Lipstick – Make-up Power

December 3

What makes lipstick a symbol of power? Throughout history, lipstick has triggered a range of associations: from sexuality and prostitution to progress, empowerment, and self-confidence. Though a staple item for most women, historically, wearing lipstick hasn't predominantly been a female-only practice. In the early 20th century, the suffragettes in the United States were the first to use lipstick symbolically to shock and to draw attention. With access to archives, film excerpts, journalists and historians, this documentary (1x52') reveals the surprising and significant evolution of lipstick through the ages. While touching on serious issues, from gender to feminism to ecology, it follows major cultural and political events that have shaped the laws and trends governing the wearing of lipstick from antiquity to the present. 

Once the Dust Settles – Three Stories

December 7

Amatrice, Chernobyl and Aleppo: the film begins after the dust has settled in the once bustling, now devastated zones. It makes its first stop in earthquake-ravaged Amatrice, the historic Italian town whose community has found solace in prayer. Then there is the eyewitness to the catastrophic explosion of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in 1986, who guides tourists through the deserted site. The film also hears from two tour guides in Aleppo who saw the old city reduced to rubble. One speaks of lost dreams, while the other, eager to get back to work, finally gets the chance to resume her tours of the city. Will she come to terms with pointing out the landmarks that are no longer standing?

While you're checking out this highlight, do keep an eye out for Silent Terror (December 9), which hears testimonies about the Ukrainian city of Kherson after it fell under Russian control.

Silent Terror – Kherson Is Ukraine

December 9

This documentary comes at a time when Putin's military operations are rarely out of the headlines. The film gives an eyewitness account of the horrors that awaited the residents of Kherson, the southern port city of Ukraine, following the Russian occupation in March. Locals open up about what life was like as Russian rockets and mortars rained down on the city and access to food, medicine and cash was cut off.

Disappear – Cover Your Online Tracks

December 13

How to fly under the radar in a digital world? The protagonists of this documentary present practical solutions for covering one's tracks online. In Berlin, a music performer offers artists and clubs an alternative to Facebook. In Casablanca, school students learn about the dangers of cyberbullying. In Hong Kong, a researcher figures out how to become digitally invisible. And in the U.S., investigative journalists explore ways to keep communications with their sources confidential. 

The North Drift – How Plastic Ends Up in the Arctic

December 15

Filmmaker Steffen Krones sets out on a quest to find out what happens to the trash that ends up in rivers and seas. From Dresden, accompanied by friends and scientists, Krones journeys through the Elbe River and the North Sea en route to the Lofoten Islands in Norway to learn about the human impact of plastic waste. After a three-year wait, we are promised breath-taking landscapes, a blend of personal travelogue and an exploration of the overarching issues of nature and environmental protection. A must-watch!

The True Story of Santa Claus

December 22

It’s time to jingle all the way to a Christmas documentary. Here's something to get you started. This film tells the story of the legend that is Father Christmas. This is your cue to clock out of work and start the holiday season. Out December 22.

Robert Wilson – The Beauty of the Mysterious

December 28

Forty-six years since his legendary opera "Einstein on the Beach" was first produced, which propelled him to global stardom, theater producer Robert Wilson is known for his signature use of light, his investigations into movement and gesture, and the classical rigor of his set and furniture design. This documentary takes a look back at half a century of artistic creation and collaborations with leading writers, musicians and artists, including conceptual and performance artist Marina Abramović.