FRANCE    FRANCE3

Le chant des vivants
(Songs of the Living)

Every school holiday, Anas, Egbal, Bailo and the others arrive in the small village of Conques in Aveyron. All are survivors of Libya's torture camps. All have buried the memory of their exile and locked up their hell within themselves. Thanks to musical work carried out during the stays, they will try to bring these buried words to the surface and express them in the form of a simple song.

ITALY    RAI

La Traviata

After the extraordinary television and critical success of The Barber of Seville, a new film of the opera La Traviata by Giuseppe Verdi comes from the renewed collaboration between the Teatro dell'Opera di Roma and Rai Cultura. The decision to close theatres to the public due to the health emergency generated an immediate response from the television network, which offered to help the theatre translate its work and share it on its channels. This period offers a new opportunity for the arts to interact, making opera into film, as Director Mario Martone says. The Costanzi theatre is transformed into an extraordinary set. The musical story takes on a new rhythm and the story unfolds thanks to a narration that is free from the limitations of the stage and which can finally explore the characters in a detailed and exhaustive way.

POLAND    TVP

Antyle Chopina
(Chopin. Caribbean Key)

It is a story about the Antillean history of Chopin's music and the fate of its creators. The music of the greatest Polish Composer, Fryderyk Chopin, reached the Caribbean Island of Curaçao in the 19th century. It inspired local musicians to compose the Caribbean Mazurka. The music and its variations reflect the tragic history of the island and, although the tunes are seemingly distant, they profoundly resemble Chopin's compositions. The film centres on Randal Corsen, the most outstanding local pianist, who plans to write pieces inspired by Chopin for traditional instruments and in some new arrangements. He is joined by Janusz Olejniczak, an internationally recognised composer, enthusiast and interpreter of Chopin's music. The artists intend to invite contemporary musicians from Curaçao.

SWEDEN    SVT

Lerins lärlingar i Brasilien
(True colours goes to Brazil)

Twelve people with different disabilities get the chance of a lifetime - to attend an art school led by one of Sweden's most renowned painters, Lars Lerin. All the students have a form of autism or Down Syndrome. In the second season of True Colours, the school is invited to Lars's flamboyant husband Junior's hometown of Rio de Janeiro. Here they explore Brazilian culture, paint, and get inspired before bringing their own carnival home to Sweden. Some apprentices stay behind to get lectures with guest artists and prepare the carnival. The others make the long journey to Brazil where they get to try both graffiti, salsa and drawing the coastline of Rio from deck chairs on the beach. Upon their return the season finale ends with a carnival through the streets of Karlstad and the opening of their show at the gallery.

UNITED KINGDOM    BBC

Crip Tales

It's 1981. Hamish's parents have been fundraising to buy him a new wheelchair. Crucially, it is a self-operated vehicle and a chance for independence. Pushed everywhere by carers before this, Hamish heads for the woods to find sexual pleasure. But he hasn't counted on such rough terrain. This piece was written, directed and performed by disabled people as part of a pioneering series of critically acclaimed monologues.

UNITED KINGDOM    CH4

Me and My Penis

An exquisitely filmed, provocative and powerful portrait of men and their bodies. Artist Ajamu X, known for his conceptual homo-erotic imagery, self-portraits and constructed images of the male body, creates intimate photographic portraits with men. Centred around their experiences, they rethink the way they see their bodies and themselves. Men discuss the pleasures and physical realities of the penis including sex, masturbation and erections. But tell stories of infertility, violence, sexual abuse, homophobia and mental health too. They question the taboo that still surrounds the penis, the rigid definitions of masculinity and call for change: to let men be whoever they need to be. The film asks how men of all ages and life experiences see the world and tell the truth of how it feels, and what it means, to have a penis.

UNITED KINGDOM    SKY UK

Marina Abramović Takes Over TV

The Artist Marina Abramović takes Sky Arts over for an evening - to perform, curate and present. The evening includes world premieres of new works by Marina and a diverse range of emerging artists. In total, the work of 78 artists is featured, from 32 countries.