11 Of The World's Most Powerful Documentaries Collected for THE SHORT LIST WITH SUROOSH ALVI

So often, the world's most powerful and important documentaries are only available at film festivals but not to the general public. Today, VICE announced a new streaming series that will showcase a collection of groundbreaking documentaries, curated by VICE founder Suroosh Alvi. Re-creating a film-festival experience, the 11 selections in The Short List With Suroosh Alvi, directed by a diverse group of filmmakers from around the world, will live on a dedicated microsite that launches January 31. The Short List is produced by VICE World News, VICE Media Group's newly-launched content HUB producing hundreds of hours of international television, digital and audio news programming for a global audience.

With the pandemic shuttering many of the usual screening venues, Alvi will showcase incredible documentaries, giving the filmmakers a platform to entertain and inform VICE's audience. Each film focuses on one or more of the core issues that define VICE's content: politics, extremism, climate, drugs, privacy, inequality, and race. The episodes include an introduction to the documentary from Alvi and interviews with the directors and subjects at the end of the film. The conversations explore the themes of the films, unpack the journeys the filmmakers embarked on when creating these projects, and delve into the documentaries' impact on audiences.

In celebration of the kickoff of the microsite, The Toxic Pigs of Fukushima will air at 9:30 a.m. ET on Sunday, January 31, on VICE TV, and the microsite will go live at 11:00 a.m. ET, immediately following the airing.

"Since VICE began, we've strived to report on the underreported, give a voice to the unheard, champion unique storytelling, and challenge the status quo. It's key to who we are and what we do," said Alvi. "I wanted to continue this pursuit with a new initiative for VICE that highlights some of the world's best filmmakers and give them an opportunity to tell these important stories."

The Short List With Suroosh Alvi is produced by VICE World News and distributed worldwide by VICE Distribution. Executive producers are Suroosh Alvi and Maral Usefi; directed by Caroline Pahl and Brett Karley; producers are Caroline Pahl and Zara Meerza.

Here's a list of the documentaries featured in 'The Short List With Suroosh Alvi':

The Toxic Pigs of Fukushima

Filmmaker: Otto Bell

Synopsis: Twenty years after the Fukushima nuclear meltdown, a toxic landscape remains. Amid the desolation, local hunters search for the animals that embody the disaster: radiated wild boars.

Showgirls of Pakistan

Filmmaker: Saad Khan

Synopsis: Fighting the law, rogue managers, and bad boyfriends, three women on the periphery of Pakistani society risk everything to make a living dancing on stage.

We Hold the Line

Filmmaker: Marc Wiese

Synopsis: In the Philippines, journalist Maria Ressa and her team at Rappler fight for democracy against a dictator president who executes tens of thousands of people with death squads.

Sakawa

Filmmaker: Ben Asamoah

Synopsis: Welcome to the world of Sakawa, where voodoo, e-waste, and internet scamming intersect in Ghana as con artists outsmart Westerners to escape poverty.

Another Kind of Paradise

Filmmaker: Isabel Morales Bondy

Synopsis: A portrait of a young man who was pulled out of prison in Afghanistan at age 14 and how he's dealing with the traumas of his past.

Dope Is Death

Director: Mia Donovan

Synopsis: The story of a radical movement that sought to end heroin addiction in communities of color with acupuncture, led by Dr. Mutulu Shakur, the stepfather of Tupac.

Mayor

Director: David Osit

Synopsis: An intimate and darkly comedic look at what it takes to be Musa Hadid, the beloved mayor of Ramallah, during the Israeli occupation of Palestine.

The Donut King

Director: Alice Gu

Synopsis: The unlikely story of a Cambodian refugee arriving in America in 1975 and building a multimillion-dollar empire baking America's favorite pastry.

Yung Lean - In My Head

Filmmaker: Henrik Burman

Synopsis: Rapper Yung Lean was on top of the world, but behind the scenes he struggled with fame, drug addiction, and mental health issues. This is his coming-of-age story told with unparalleled access on his road to recovery.

Two Gods

Director: Zeshawn Ali

Synopsis:An intensely cinematic portrait of male friendship and mentorhood. In Newark, New Jersey, a Muslim casket maker and ritual body washer brings two young men under his wing to teach them how to live better lives.

The Prophet and the Space Aliens

Director: Yoav Shamir

Synopsis: Religion. Cults. Aliens. Follow Raelians from Burkina Faso to Japan as we meet the charismatic Frenchman who is the leader of their faith -the world's largest UFO religion.

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