Frédérique Pittau

Cargill: Feast or Famine?

American mulitnational, Cargill, trades in food commodities. The corporation is at the center of a controversy regarding destruction of food crops and local jobs, pollution, and deforestation. In France, the U.S., and Amazonia, farmers and residents sound the alarm about the negative consequences of the global agri-business. This program investigates the multinational and its business practices.

Lords of Water

They call it ’blue gold.’ Around the world, demand for water is exploding. By 2050, at least one in four will live in a country suffering from water shortages - creating ideal conditions for a new market. Goldman Sachs, HSBC, UBS, Allianz, Deutsche Bank, BNP. Banks, investment funds and hedge funds are all rushing to invest billions of euros in anything related to water. A real monopoly of water has begun. From California to Australia, from New York to London via Marseille, we investigate the financialization of water. New power relations are being established and access to water is being threatened. It’s a battle taking place on many fronts: ideological, political, environmental, and of course, economic. The fate of nearly 10 billion inhabitants around the world depends on its outcome.

Belarus: An Ordinary Dictatorship

It’s the last dictatorship of Europe, caught in a Soviet time-warp, where the secret police is still called the KGB and the president rules by fear. Disappearances, political assassinations, waves of repression and mass arrests are all regular occurances. But while half of Belarus moves closer to Russia, the other half is trying to resist…

Everything's Better than a Hooker

The tragedy of Eva-Marree, deprived of her children for prostitution then killed by their father. In a convincing indictment, director Ovidie denounces the abuse of power by a supposedly protective Swedish state.

Pirates: Threatening Global Trade

The French researcher Bertrand Monnet visits pirates in Nigeria and Somalia to learn how they make money from oil theft and kidnapping.