After winning in battle, Commander Macbeth receives a prophesy that he will one day become King of Scotland. Influenced by the whisperings of his wife, he literally stops at nothing to fulfil the prophesy. But racked by guilt, the Macbeths soon sink into delusions and become victims of their own thirst for power. Anna Netrebko reprises her electrifying portrayal of Lady Macbeth opposite Plácido Domingo  at the Berlin State Opera. Maestro Daniel Barenboim leads the opera icons along with the Staatsopernchor and Staatskapelle Berlin.

Verdi: Macbeth

A pain management specialist in a Berlin hospital laments how difficult it is to see if black skin has turned blue. The patient, 15­year­ old Arlette, doesn’t understand German. Her knee was injured in the war, and unknown wealthy Germans have helped pay for her trip to have surgery in Europe.  The camera follows Arlette on her journey, from her worried family in Central African Republic to the desolate rooms of the hospital and the rehabilitation centre. The girl’s gaze is captivating but impenetrable, and the easily bored teenager surrounded by adult strangers is only cheered up by an interpreter who knows her mother tongue. The story takes a gloomier turn when it transpires that rebel forces have taken up arms in Arlette’s home country.

Arlette. Courage is a muscle

When Khalil, a primary school teacher in Berlin, gets hold of images of war from his Kurdish hometown of Cizre, he is forced to question his entire existence in Berlin. His life spirals out of balance as he seems to recognise his long lost sister in the videos – whom he thought long dead. He tries everything to get in contact, to save his sister, to inform the public about this brutal war. And loses himself.