The Trouble with Pirates

Below Deck: An Interactive History Of Pirates

December 2003 •English

Pirates: Threatening Global Trade

April 2016 •French

The French researcher Bertrand Monnet visits pirates in Nigeria and Somalia to learn how they make money from oil theft and kidnapping.

Last Hijack

April 2014 •Dutch

Documentary that follows the lives of two pirates and their community on the Somali coastline; what are the incentives of the pirates, why did they become pirates, how did they grow up in a country with political chaos, war and extreme poverty? The narrative structure is built around two interweaving story-lines; one depicting the "present", the daily lives of the pirates and their community, and the second in the "past", revealing through epic animation, the unfolding of a recent hijacking.

Love Letters in Somalia

April 1982 •French

In this epistolary film, the traveler gives us his impressions of Africa parallel to the expression of his amorous distress. The images of the present intertwine with the incessant echoes of lost love, combining intimate pain with the misery of a country torn apart by internal struggles and poverty.

The True Story of Pirates

December 2022 •French

Thanks to new excavations in Mauritius and Madagascar, as well as archival and museum research in France, Spain, England and Canada, a group of international scholars paint a new portrait of the world of piracy in the Indian Ocean.

Cinema Dadaab

September 2018 •Somali

In one of the world's largest and oldest refugee camps, Dadaab, the inhabitans survive by watching films and dreaming. The refugees cannot leave the camp, but they let their minds escape the harsh reality: by going to the simple cinema hall run by Abdikafi Mohamed, the film's protagonist.

Pirates of Somalia

January 2011 •English

What happens to the crew aboard a pirated ship, the MV iceberg 1, hijacked for over 11 months.

Nice People

January 2015 •Swedish

As the first African team ever to do so, Somalia has just signed up for the Bandy World Championships. The young players don't live in Somalia; they live in Borlänge, Sweden, where xenophobia has taken hold.

The President vs. the Pirates

December 2013 •English

The make or break story of a Somali-Australian refugee who went back to where he came from to do battle with ruthless pirates and Islamic militants - and transform his broken homeland into a modern African State.

Somalia: The Forgotten Story

October 2016 •English

This documentary reaches to the depth of Somali history, starting from the strong kingdoms that ruled areas far away into Africa, passing by the Portuguese raids and ending with its division into five colonies ruled by different European forces, leaving the people of the same race and language separated by geographical borders. It addresses problems of civil war, chaos, theft, and mass destruction. It also focuses on valuable attempts by national organizations to resist occupation and foster peace.

Pirating pirates

November 2014 •Czech

Sea Gypsies: The Far Side of the World

August 2017 •English

The vessel is Infinity, a 120-foot hand-built sailboat, crewed by a band of miscreants. The journey, an 8,000 mile Pacific crossing from New Zealand to Patagonia, with a stop in Antarctica. Unlike all the other boats heading to the Southern Ocean, Infinity is no ice-reinforced super-yacht crewed by professional sailors; rather, Infinity lives in the moment and sails on a whim. What can be found in abundance on board is blood, sweat, enthusiasm, risk tolerance, disdain for authority, and an ample supply of alcohol – all in all a mad voyage of reckless adventure just for the sheer joy of it. Along the way the crew will battle a hurricane of ice in the Ross Sea, assist the radical environmental group Sea Shepherd in their fight with illegal whalers, and tear every sail they have. At the heart of their journey is a quest for awe and a sense of wonder with the raw power of the natural world.

The Essence of Terror

October 2013 •Swedish

Journalists Johan Persson and Martin Schibbye talk about the horrendous days in the desert, rail executions and false terror charges. They were arrested before they could report on the violence in the closed state of Ogaden. But the Ethiopian regime failed to silence them. With the help of never-before-seen video material and testimonies smuggled out of the country by a high ranking official, the whole story can finally be told. About Johan and Martin. About the violence in Ogaden. And about the prisoners of dictatorship.

Black Hawk Down

Invalid date •English

The story behind the infamous downing of an American Black Hawk helicopter by Somali gunmen.

Escape from the World's Most Dangerous Place

April 2012 •English

Successful model Samira Hashi makes an emotional return to Somalia, one of the most dangerous places in the world and the place she was born. Civil war broke out in 1991, 10 days after Samira's birth, but two years later her family managed to flee the country and she grew up in the UK.Now, as Samira and the war both turn 21, she's going back for the first time to visit the people and places she left behind. The contrast with her safe and glamorous life in London could not be starker as she experiences firsthand the war's effect on a generation of young people growing up in conflict.

The Pirate Tapes

July 2011 •English

Exposing piracy in Somalia from the inside out, The Pirates Tapes follows Mohamed Ashareh, a young Somali-Canadian, as he travels to Somalia in hopes of joining an active pirate cell. Armed only with a hidden camera, Mohamed works his way into a cell run by a ruthless warlord, Jama Donyal, and is assigned to his first hijacking mission. When things take an unexpected turn, Mohamed finds himself on the run from the law with the danger of execution looming.

The Perfect Story

October 2022 •English

The Perfect Story offers a riveting, intimate look at the ethical and moral challenges sparked by the relationship between a foreign correspondent and a young Somali refugee. By revealing the boundaries of journalism and filmmaking, the film questions what stories are told, why, and who gets to tell them.

Somali Pirates: Fighting Back

January 2012 •English

Patrolled by desperate gunmen looking to capture any vessel that strays into their path, the waters off East Africa are among the most dangerous in the world. With Somali pirates continuing to make headlines, this timely documentary tells the story of the US container ship Maersk Alabama, which was stormed by bandits in April 2009. With the captain taken hostage, the unarmed crew made the remarkable decision to confront the gun-toting invaders in a brave attempt to save their skipper and the ship. Now, using dramatic recreations and interviews with the crew and their families, this exclusive one-hour special reveals the incredible events that took place over those few days.

The True Story of Black Hawk Down

June 2003 •English

On October 3rd, 1993, 120 Delta Force Commandos and Army Rangers were dropped into the heart of Mogadishu, Somalia. Their mission was a fast daylight raid to kidnap lead terrorist Mohammed Farrah Aidid, who had been killing U.N. workers delivering food to starving Somalis. Aidid’s goal was to control the country by controlling all the food. The mission abruptly changed to a rescue operation. Surrounded by Somali militia, a fierce firefight ensued that left American troops trapped and fighting for their lives. The ordeal left 18 American men dead, 70 wounded, with 3,000 Somalis casualties. This brilliant documentary tells the true story of "Black Hawk Down" through the memories and voices of the American Special Forces survivors. Also included are Somali militiamen as they recount their harrowing experiences of battle.

The Pirates of Buban

January 1972 •Japanese

By going to the Philippines, Imamura comes to meet people living in an extreme poverty. He discovers very quickly that some communities are under the control of cruel & armed pirates. Imamura will come to meet those men in order to understand their position.