Get curated editors’ picks, peeks behind the scenes, film recommendations and more.
Mao’s Mango Cult provides a fascinating slice of the history of China’s Cultural Revolution in the late 1960s. The short chronicles the peculiar story of how mangoes became a venerated item in the country after Mao Zedong regifted a box of the titular fruits to factory workers. Eventually, mangoes grew in the public imagination to become a symbol of Mao’s affection for and generosity towards the working class, and even resulted in a death sentence for a man who dared to publicly disrespect the fruit. Featuring evocative, impressionistic animations from the Hong Kong-born, Paris-based animator Kayu Leung, the film explores how this tale of mango mania signifies the all-encompassing reach of propaganda in Maoist China, and the violent power it was capable of wielding.
video
Illness and disease
Humanity eradicated smallpox 45 years ago. It’s a story worth remembering
25 minutes
video
Human rights and justice
Surreal, dazzling visuals form an Iranian expat’s tribute to defiance back home
10 minutes
video
Art
When East met West in the images of an overlooked, original photographer
9 minutes
video
War and peace
Two Ukrainian boys’ summer unfolds just miles from the frontlines
22 minutes
video
Archaeology
What’s an ancient Greek brick doing in a Sumerian city? An archeological investigation
16 minutes
video
History
From Afghanistan to Virginia – the Muslims who fought in the American Civil War
22 minutes
video
War and peace
A frontline soldier’s moving account of the fabled ‘Christmas truce’ of 1914
12 minutes
video
War and peace
‘She is living on in many hearts’ – Otto Frank on the legacy of his daughter’s diary
12 minutes
video
Political philosophy
The radical activist couple who fought for social change in the courtroom
21 minutes