Video report (52 min), written and directed by Julien Hamelin.

Produced by MedienKontor.

Broadcast in 2017 on Arte in the program 360°GEO.

Camera: Ion Casado - Sound: Thomas Ballschmieter - Editing: Oliver Walz - Assistant: Charlotte Mallet.

Indonesia has the largest Muslim population of the world. Yet, there, thousand-year-old legends of the ancient Hindu religion are still alive and well. Countless stories of gods, kings, warriors and princesses are still told by the puppeteers of Wayang Kulit, a shadow puppet theater on the island of Java. This sacred art is inscribed on the UNESCO list of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. More than just entertainment for the Javanese, ​Wayang Kulit is also a sought-after way of life for young people. Puppeteers, or "Dalangs", enjoy high social prestige that sometimes ​propel them to stardom. Today, some young people want to embrace this profession. Among them is Ganesh, an apprentice from a modest family who accompanies a master puppeteer on tour.

Video report (52 min), written and directed by Julien Hamelin.

Produced by MedienKontor.

Broadcast in 2016 on Arte in the program 360°GEO.

Camera: Roland Wagner - Sound: Michael Haesters - Editing: Oliver Walz - Assistant: Alejandro Gamero.

Even if it is one of the largest and most frightening predators of South America, the Orinoco crocodile is threatened with extinction due to hunting and the degradation of its natural habitat. There are probably not more than 2,000 specimens left. In Venezuela, despite economic and political difficulties, enthusiastic people are fighting for the survival of this fascinating and little-known animal. They set up a farm where they raise babies until they are strong enough to be released into the wild, where they can reach 6 meters long.

Video report (52 min), written and directed by Julien Hamelin.

Produced by MedienKontor.

Broadcast in 2014 on Arte in the program 360°GEO.

Camera: Jochen Bartelt - Sound: Andreas Buttner - Editing: Oliver Walz - Assistant: Amanda Molloy.

In the spring, huge blocks of ice break away from Greenland and drift slowly to the south, along the "iceberg road". Some run aground along the wild coasts of Newfoundland, an island in eastern Canada. These white giants represent a great danger to ships and oil platforms, but some Newfoundlanders have taken advantage of this great and beautiful gift of nature: they attack the icebergs with diggers to extract one of the purest drinking waters on earth.

Video report (52 min), written and directed by Julien Hamelin.

Produced by MedienKontor.

Broadcast in 2014 on Arte in the program 360°GEO.

Camera: Roland Wagner -  Sound: Vivien Vogel - Editing: Oliver Walz - Assistant: Thao Tran Phuong.

In Vinh Son, a small village in Northern Vietnam, many inhabitants make a living from snake breeding, a financial windfall that has made this town the first domestic producer of snakes. Cobras and rat snakes are mainly used to produce drugs and alcohol or to be served at gourmet restaurants. This lucrative trade was initiated in part by the president of the Association of Reptile Breeders, who launched his business in the late 1970s, encouraging friends and neighbors to follow his example. Now, at the age of 75, he wants to hand over the trade to the next generation.

Documentary film (52 min), written and directed by Julien Hamelin.

Produced by Kanari Films.

Broadcast in 2013 on France ô.

Camera & sound: Philippe Thomas -  Editing: Gwénaël Giard Barberin.

Biblical in name only, City of God, the favela of Rio de Janeiro, has a history marked by violence, poverty, and drug trafficking. A reality recounted in 2002 by an eponymous film, that made City of God the most famous favela in the world and a symbol of the tough reality facing a big part of the Brazilian population. However, the last few years have seen City of God experience a real revolution. Rio De Janeiro being a host city for the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil and the 2016 Olympic Games, local authorities have implemented a new security policy based on the installation of “Pacifying Police Units” in some of the poor neighborhoods such as the City of God, with the goal to restore order and promote security. And while some of the problems facing this community still exist today, guns have turned silent in the streets of the City of God. And the 47 000 inhabitants of this favela can now reveal another facet of their lives:  one of a community that works, sings, and laughs. In a word, a community that thrives. “City of God, the redemption of a favela” is a positive film that goes beyond the usual clichés (so often portrayed in the media) by bringing together artists, former drug traffickers, police officers, and simple citizens who made, and are still making, the City of God into what it is. 

Video report (52 min), written and directed by Julien Hamelin.

Produced by MedienKontor.

Broadcast in 2012 on Arte in the program 360°GEO.

Camera: Roland Wagner - Son: Satish Sathiyaseelan - Editing: Michelle Barbin - Assistant: Vish Patil.

Every day in Hubli, southwestern India, a group of fifty men undertake the monumental task of feeding nearly 180,000 children and must do so in a few hours. These men aren’t superhuman in any way. They are the humble local employees of the Akshaya Patra Foundation. Every day, across the country, this NGO provides free meals to more than one million children. In the Foundation’s enormous kitchen in Hubli, the challenge begins in the middle of the night. The highly mechanized kitchen is tailor made to cook over 9 tons of vegetables, 15 tons of rice and spices.   All the meals are to be delivered without delay to the different public schools in the region. And for students in poor and isolated villages, this makes all the difference. Throughout the day, this film sticks its nose first in the giant pots of these special cooks and then in the plates of the children who rely on them.