Danger, desire and ice cowboys: they’re all on SBS VICELAND in March

Documentary filmmakers bring a wide variety of topics to us this month, from all around the world. We start in Australia with our very own Tiger King. This is March on SBS VICELAND.

Source: SBS VICELAND

Searching for the Tassie Tiger

‘Searching for the Tassie Tiger’. Source: Distributor

Neil Waters looks every bit the retired gardener he is. But he also harbours a passion: to discover traces of the Tasmanian tiger. Although it is thought to have been extinct since the death of the last thylacine in Hobart Zoo in 1936, a growing civilian movement, of which Waters is president, is determined to prove the Tassie tiger has survived. Waters commits his life savings to the search, but has this commitment been worthwhile?

Searching for the Tassie Tiger aired Wednesday 2 March on SBS VICELAND and is now streaming at SBS On Demand for a limited time:

Secrets of America’s Shadow Government

‘Secrets of America’s Shadow Government’. Source: Vice TV

The US is the wealthiest country on earth. Why then does daily life for many of its citizens feel insecure? Covering eight topics, ranging from nuclear danger to the big players in food, this American documentary asks why is life solidly comfortable for some powerful, wealthy people, and what impact are the actions of these people and their companies having on the population’s health, and our planet. And if, as the documentary says, things really hit the fan, who will be protected? 

Season 2 of Secrets of America’s Shadow Government  premiered 8.30pm, Saturday 5 March on SBS VICELAND. Seasons 1 and 2 are also streaming now at SBS On Demand. Start with season 1: 

Ice Cowboys

‘Ice Cowboys’. Source: Distributor

“There’s no days off,” says dog musher, Lance. A former Iditarod champion, Lance has dedicated his life to sled dog racing. He has also overcome various addictions and brushes with the law, and will face immense heartache over the course of this series. Hosted by veteran sports journalist Greg Heister, this show is about the people who choose this extreme off-grid lifestyle in the Alaskan wilderness. You have to be a strong character to survive and thrive here. And you must love dogs.

Ice Cowboys premiered at 7.30pm, Sunday 6 March on SBS VICELAND. It is also screening on NITV on Sundays at 7.40pm. Episodes air weekly and will be available at SBS On Demand after they air. Start with episode 1"

Subjects of Desire

‘Subjects of Desire’. Source: HEM

Told from the perspective of women, Subjects of Desire explores the portrayal of Black women in media and the trend towards embracing Black female aesthetics and features. What is the impact of this cultural shift? Incorporating the 50th anniversary of the Miss Black America Pageant – originally a political protest – the documentary deconstructs what we understand about race and the power behind beauty. It premieres on International Women’s Day.

Subjects of Desire premieres Tuesday 8 March on both SBS VICELAND (at 8.30pm) and NITV (at 10.30pm). The documentary will be available at SBS On Demand for 30 days after it airs. 

Fukushima: Nature in the Danger Zone

‘Fukushima: Nature in the Danger Zone’. Source: Distributor

Airing on the 11th anniversary of the Fukushima nuclear disaster on the east coast of Japan, this one-hour special investigates the animal population thriving in the area, despite its toxicity, specifically, “20 times the radiation of a nuclear bomb”. Experts take a closer look at the flora and fauna in this area now abandoned by humans, including the wild boar, monkeys and the Japanese field mouse, to work out how they’re not only surviving, but thriving here. An English-language doco.  

Fukushima: Nature in the Danger Zone premieres at 9.25pm, Friday 11 March on SBS VICELAND. The documentary will be available at SBS On Demand for 30 days after it airs. 

Inside the Christchurch Mosque Attack

Patrick Gower goes ‘Inside the Christchurch Mosque Attack’. Source: Distributor

On 15 March 2018, an Australian white supremacist live-streamed his attack on the Al Noor and Linwood mosques in Christchurch, using automatic rifles and killing 51 people. Four years on, journalist Patrick Gower investigates the complex story of the attack. Gower explores whether he may’ve been complicit by reporting on extremist views in the past. He asks what role tech giants play in radicalising people? And could New Zealand have been more prepared? As Gower says, “this is a story that needs to be told, through the victims, for the victims”. A sensitive and moving documentary.

Inside the Christchurch Mosque Attack premieres at 8.30pm, Tuesday 15 March on SBS VICELAND.

Stacey Dooley: Stopping Stalkers

‘Stacey Dooley: Stopping Stalkers’. Source: Distributor

Incidents of stalking have doubled in the last year in the UK, with life-changing injury resulting 30 per cent of the time. Stacey Dooley talks to both victims and perpetrators, and spends time with police on the ground, including when they make arrests. Should the stalkers be in prison, or in therapy? Episode 1 focuses on ex-partner stalking, the most common form, while episode 2 focuses on stranger stalking.

Two-part doco Stacey Dooley: Stopping Stalkers airs back to back from 8.30pm, Tuesday 22 March on SBS VICELAND.

 

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Atlanta

After 3 long years, season 3 of Donald Glover’s uniquely brilliant comedy is coming! Fast-tracked from the US, we kick off with a double episode.

Winner of multiple Golden Globe awards, if you haven’t seen Atlanta yet, now is the time.

Glover (Community) stars as Earn Marks. While languishing at a job he’s over-qualified for yet no good at, he discovers his cousin Alfred (Brian Tyree Henry) is up-and-coming rap star, Paper Boi. Earn is determined to better his life through managing Alfred’s career. Every step of the way, though, such issues as race, poverty and status, and navigating relationships and parenthood, face and challenge the men. This show is a gem.

Season 3 of Atlanta premieres exclusively in Australia at SBS On Demand on Friday 25 March. The season launches with a double episode, with episodes then streaming weekly on Fridays. Seasons 1 and 2 are now streaming. Start at the beginning:

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