Videoteca

The Deadly Truth Behind Smoking Scorpion Venom 2023
"The dry and arid Khyber Pakhtunkhwa region – home to the mighty black scorpion – has emerged as the epicentre of a rare drug culture. People in Pakistan’s borderlands are no strangers to narcotics; the Soviet-Afghan war in the ‘80s made sure of that. But scorpion venom is a wildcard drug ripping through communities that no one knows what to do with. People who have smoked it say the high is powerful and can last for days. Its side effects, however, seem too heavy a cost to bear. VICE travelled across Peshawar, Mattani and Dir to speak to users, researchers, a former narcotics-control officer and a journalist to understand why people smoke scorpion venom and how it’s changed their lives."

What the Gambling Industry Doesn’t Want You To Know 2022
"A former employee for one of the biggest betting companies reveals the major flaws in the industry, from gambling addictions to money laundering. With over ten years of experience in betting, he has seen just how much the algorithms and systems are designed to encourage losers to lose more, and winners to stop winning. He describes how management has little care for customers, particularly when it comes to losing it all."

We Stitched Together All the Footage from the Capitol Riot 2021
"This treatment of the insurrection recreates the attack moment by moment, tracking the protesters mounting agitation and rage, and some rioters breaking into various fronts of the U.S. Capitol, eventually marching the Confederate flag into the building and occupying the halls of Congress. It also reveals the diverse and competing ideologies that coalesced on Jan. 6: angry Trump voters marched alongside sovereign citizens, Three Percenters, Proud Boys, and Christian Nationalists. Some rioters demonstrated solidarity with the police as others brutally assaulted officers."

Redefining the Separation of Church and State 2020
"Louisville Kentucky has seen sustained and continued demonstrations in the wake of Breonna Taylor’s death and when the protests were at their most volatile one church in Louisville opened its doors as a sanctuary for protestors. The controversial Pastor, Timothy Findley Jr. of The Kingdom Fellowship Church has been the tip of the spear in these grassroots movements fighting for racial justice in Louisville, even being arrested himself while leading marches through the streets of the city. He has penned open letters criticizing evangelical leaders in Louisville for not joining him in his efforts and criticized Trump openly. Vice joins Pastor Tim before the election for a weekend of events designed to inspire and galvanize black voters to take their protest to the polls - but will it make a difference?" (Vice).

Why Women Are The Unequal Victims Of Kashmir's Lockdown 2020
"A few weeks before the COVID-19 pandemic hit India, VICE travelled to Jammu and Kashmir to report on the mental health in the region. Years of inhumane lockdowns, military presence, and gross human rights violations continue to impact women in the state, making them an unequal target of the region's instability. "On August 5, 2020 Kashmir completes a year of losing its special status since the abrogation of Article 370 of the Indian Constitution by the majoritarian BJP government, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. In this documentary, we interview women with husbands in jail because of unlawful arrests, daughters with fathers subject to enforced disappearances and those blinded by pellet guns."

Inside Brooklyn’s Illegal Firework Scene 2020
"Throughout June and July of 2020 large displays of fireworks were illegally being set off daily around many US cities. New York City specifically saw large scale nightly displays. "Each night residents of New York City would be jolted by the booming sounds of firework explosions, for hours at a time. Record breaking numbers of complaints were received for nights on end. "Many were unsure of the inspiration and motivation behind the displays, sparking conspiracy theories to circulate online regarding the supply of these fireworks and the reasons behind it. "We went out to Canarsie, Brooklyn to join members of the community and attend a display while attempting to understand the supposed mystery behind it all."

Bernie Blackout 2020 star_border 7
An investigative deep dive into the corporate news media’s coverage of Bernie Sanders’ 2020 presidential campaign that asks: who actually gets a say in American politics?

Burn the House Down 2019
In the lead up to the next great Kiddy Smile concert, diverse and passionate members of Paris’ glamorous ballroom community break down issues of race, immigrant culture, queer visibility, and free expression in a diverse but also deeply divided contemporary France.

Black Conservatives Debate Black Liberals on American Politics 2019
"Who voted for Donald Trump? Who voted for Barack Obama? What’s it like seeing a black person wearing a MAGA hat? Has the black vote been taken for granted? "Black conservatives and liberals hash it out in the VICE Office."

Zimbabwe's Codeine Cough Syrup Epidemic 2019
"Zimbabwe is at risk of losing its youth to codeine cough syrup, as the addiction epidemic has already engulfed what the experts estimate could be over half the country’s young people. Despite the growing problem, Zimbabwe’s government has not yet opened rehabilitation clinics, meaning addicts are often sent to prison or psychiatric wards. "The cough syrup, often of the brand BronCleer, is imported illegally from South Africa, and is sold on every street corner, in bars, school yards and on busses for as little as $3 a bottle. "We meet current and former users, as well as the NGOs pushing the government to open up rehabs, to find out why cough syrup has become the drug of choice for so many young Zimbabweans."

Being a White Student at a Historically Black College 2018
"On this episode of 'MINORITY REPORTS,' we met up with Tiago, a white freshman at Morehouse College, an HBCU in Atlanta that counts Martin Luther King, Jr. and Spike Lee as alumni. "We sat down with him to hear why he decided to enroll in the school, asked his peers for their thoughts on having white students on campus, and followed along as he showed us what it’s like to be one of very few non-black students at school."

Out of Control: Ukraine's Rogue Militias 2018
"In 2014, Ukraine was under siege and the military was unprepared. Desperate, the government urged anyone to get to the front and fight the Russian-backed separatists. As the war drags on, Ukraine claims their military is now in control and the volunteers have all been disbanded. But we tracked down some rogue volunteers still out there fighting, not prepared to hand over their weapons anytime soon."

Inside a Gang Initiation with the Silent Murder Crips 2017
"For JT, a young prospect making his way into a local branch of the Crips in Brooklyn, joining the gang is about family: Getting close to a group of men that care about him, and are willing to back him up if he ever finds himself in trouble. "But getting initiated isn't easy. We followed JT through the process of getting made to see what drew him to the gang, and to hear why he's willing to be "squared in"—suffering a brutal beating at the hands of his best friends."

From Rehab to a Body Bag | Dying for Treatment 2014
"In the United States, more people between the ages of 25 and 64 die of complications from drugs than car crashes. According to a 2009 study published by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 23.5 million people in this country over the age of 12 need treatment for drug and alcohol abuse, and only 2.6 million of these afflicted individuals actually receive it. In response, drug and alcohol rehab has blossomed in the past three decades into a $35 billion industry with nearly 15,000 facilities across the country. Although non-hospital residential treatment serves only about 10 percent of those in recovery in the US, the exorbitant cost of such care--as high as $75,000 a month--has made it extremely lucrative. And thanks to popular TV shows like Celebrity Rehab, which have installed the luxurious rehabilitation center in the popular consciousness, the national enrollment figures keep growing."

The Return of the Black Death 2014
"The black plague has broke out in Madagascar. In late 2013, a deadly outbreak of the plague hit small villages around the country killing dozens of people. Rumored to have taken root in overcrowded prisons, the disease has flourished amid Madagascar’s increasing poverty and poor waste management. Antibiotics to treat the disease have been developed and are available in most countries, but Madagascar’s rudimentary healthcare system has left a number of people stranded without care."

Martin Scorsese on the Films of Roberto Rossellini 2014
"Director Martin Scorsese looks at the importance of three films by Italian director Roberto Rossellini, all starring Rossellini's then-wife Ingrid Bergman. "In the late 40s, Ingrid Bergman was the coolest, hottest, and most talented lady around Hollywood. She saw some Italian neo-realist films by Roberto Rossellini, wrote him a letter, starred in a number of his movies, and proceeded to have a scandalous affair and marriage with him. In each film, Bergman experiences some sort of deep existential crises in the midst of political and social upheaval. Since every major player who worked on those films is dead, Martin Scorsese (who was heavily influenced by the films) gives us the 4-1-1 on the three movies in this short doc and it’s fucking fascinating" (Vice).

Superpower for Hire: Rise of the Private Military 2014
"Vice takes an unprecedented look into the shadowy industry of Private Military Companies. For the past two decades these private companies, like Black Water, Aegis and G4S have silently consumed military operations around the world, doing everything from back end logistics, protection of government VIP's and diplomats to actual combat duties. In this documentary we explore the origins of this industry, their rise in the war on terror and their future operations around the world."

Arkansas: The Worst Place to Rent in America 2014
"Arkansas is one of the worst places to be a renter in America. It is the only state in the US where tenants are treated as criminals for paying rent late and landlords are not required by law to maintain their properties. "Its failure-to-vacate law lets landlords give tenants a 10-day eviction notice if they are even one day overdue. Tenants who can't or won't leave within that span face fines for every day they remain on the property and up to 90 days in jail. "This makes things difficult for the third of Arkansas's residents who are renters and have legitimate concerns about the properties they are occupying. The combination of failure-to-vacate and the lack of warranty of habitability make it almost impossible for tenants to challenge their landlords for legitimate reasons. It's estimated that criminal evictions occur everyday in Arkansas, resulting in over 2000 failure-to-vacate cases being filed each year."

The Truth Behind Modern Day Satanism 2014
"Despite the spooky overtones, modern Satanism actually has a lot in common with self-help, the green movement, and spunky American individualism. We traveled to Cleveland with Thomas Morton to meet Eric Freeman, authority on the duality of evil, to learn about altering reality through the power of the mind."

Thai Prison Fights 2013
Prison fights--the last thing you'd think about when you hear someone got a shorter sentence behind bars. Not in In Klong Prem. In this high-security prison in Bangkok, inmates box outsiders for money, shorter sentences, and the greater glory of Thailand.

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Zealandia 2017 star_border 10
Stories from Aotearoa and the South Pacific.