iwonder: February highlights

In February, Streaming platform iwonder will mark a one year invasion of Ukraine with documentaries on the art of war, including some that look at peaceful revolutions and dissent.

Untold Arctic Wars
Thursday 23rd February
In the first ever documentary series to reveal the role of the Arctic nations in WWII, discover the importance of the region in the most globalised war to date, along with echoes of places and events resurfacing through Russia’s Ukraine invasion. Against the backdrop of the stunning yet unforgiving Arctic circle, follow divers as they locate sunken German aircraft wrecks, archaeologists as they investigate hidden mass graves, and historians as they track down secret coastal fortresses. Through never-before-seen colourised archive footage, high-end CGI and animated maps, unearth the ground-breaking events that took place in the icy Nordic battlefields.

The Long Road to War
Thursday 23rd February
At one time, The Great War was the bloodiest conflict ever to take place. Using rare archive footage and expert interviews, this series revisits the dramatic chain of events that started the war and explains how the causes of WWI have triggered every major contemporary conflict since, up to today, when Europe once again finds itself divided.

Violence. Distressing footage.

How to Start a Revolution
Thursday 23rd February
One man’s ideas continue to inspire, mobilise and unite protestors, giving them the tools to topple authoritarian regimes. Quiet, unassuming, and softly spoken, the late Professor Gene Sharp is celebrated by revolutionaries and feared by dictators. So what are his ideas, how have they spread, and how are they actually used on the ground? With exclusive footage and unprecedented access, this film shows how Nobel Peace Prize nominee Gene’s controversial book ‘From Dictatorship to Democracy’ has been used against dictatorships. We see how the book’s 198 strategic ‘weapons’ of non-violent direct action have brought dramatic results, and why it has become the standard manual for anyone wanting to start a revolution. With revealing footage filmed covertly in Egypt and Syria, it explores how social media can now be used to threaten dictators. This is the inspirational story of the power of people to change their world, the modern revolution, and the man behind it all.

Can Art Stop a Bullet?
Thursday 23rd February
New to iwonder this February, this film examines the stories behind the most iconic artworks to be born out of conflict, exploring the role of art in achieving change in times of crisis. Meeting leading artists who have depicted war, this is a journey encompassing people, places and events from every continent. Hiroshima survivors share their testimonies, as well as Iranian musicians, Indigenous Australian artists and photographers of the Civil War in Northern Ireland. Art has never been in a more powerful position to bring an end to global crises. At a time of assaults on human rights, social justice and free speech, the voices of journalists and artists are under threat. Drawing on iconic works that have shaken the world, this film reaches from our past to our collective future.