Tony Leung is considered Asia’s most successful actor. Born in Hong Kong, Tony grew up without a father, he found refuge in Hong Kong cinema during his youth. Connecting with his emotions through cinema would end up paying off for Tony, who would take up acting because his friend, Stephen Chow, told him to audition. This is the story of an acting legend: “the man who can speak with his eyes.”
The Police force in Pakistan is changing. Women only make up 1.5% of the police force in Pakistan, but Neelam Shaukat is trying to change that. She's training the next generation of police women to protect communities, in ways that aren't possible without more women. In Swat Valley, a conservative part of Northern Pakistan where honor killings still happen, Neelam is one of few female police chiefs. There she and her crew of other police women have to be ready for everything from supporting domestic violence survivors, to being ready to protect if a terrorist strike happens. This is a day in her life.
Northern Myanmar, 1950’s. Olive Yang was born a princess, but would become the second biggest drug dealer in the world. She ran away from home after being forced into a traditional arranged marriage, and from there led a guerrilla army to fight for freedom from the Burmese government. From kidnapping silver-screen lovers to smuggling heroin into the US, the former princess would eventually embrace her truth as a narco warlady. Until one day, everything changed...
A world without women is chaos. In the small, fading Japanese town of Kumano, economic prospects are low. This makes fishing, one of the few remaining industries, crucial to sustain. Regardless of gender. Rimi Tanaka is one of the sole fisherwomen who recognizes this need. Raised in Kumano, she's been knocked down for her pursuing her career and passion because of the cultural beliefs held by older generations. They don't believe women can fish. Rimi Tanaka wants to change that, and is amongst the first to break down this barrier in her town, making the way for more women to follow in her wake.
Meet the artists behind your favorite Hong Kong Gangster films. Cowman, Wen Qiming, took the Hong Kong cinema to a whole new level with his 古惑仔 (Young and Dangerous) comic series. His story comes from what he's seen and the life he lives everyday, pulling references from real gangsters, his friends, and his city. “All of my Triad friends had tragic or fatal ends.” - Cowman
Climate change is here and Kyrgyzstan's century-old glaciers are melting. This was the second glacier collapse of the week. On July 3rd, Eleven hikers died from an avalanche caused by falling glacier chunks as large as an apartment building in Italy’s Dolomites region. The country has more than 8,000 glaciers that are receding at an alarming rate. If this continues to happen by 2050, the volume of water could be down by 12%, and by 2100 by 44%. This is devastating for millions in Central Asia who get 70% of their water from glaciers and natural water reserves. The world was struck with extreme heat with temperatures well over 40 degrees celsius in China and the UK issued a red heat warning for the first time ever. Researchers say these events underline the dangers of a rapidly warming world and are expected to increase unless greenhouse gas emissions are curbed.