Each year, the Why Stories team sources and curates the most inspiring human-focused documentaries from around the world. Through a cornerstone partnership with BBC World News established ten years ago, the documentaries are aired in every country in the world, shedding light on some of the most powerful stories about the human experience and giving millions of people a nuanced understanding of what is happening in our world.

Since its inception, the Why Stories initiative has prioritised curating films that tell stories about the global south through local filmmakers and in local languages. With over 100 films successfully aired throughout the collaboration with BBC and countless filmmakers given a platform to tell their stories, Why Stories producer Mathilde Kirstein says the impact of the project is difficult to measure:

After several months of screening films and negotiating with filmmakers, I’m really excited that we will be able to announce the titles of Season Seven soon,” she says, “the films have a great global spread and are made by local filmmakers, giving us a window to the world in a fascinating and alluring way. For me, reality always surpasses the imagination, and that’s why it’s rewarding to be able to select the best human rights documentaries and reach people from different economic and social stratas - all over the world. 

This season promises to bring some of the most meaningful stories yet - from press freedom under a dictatorship to refugee rights and climate change dismantling traditional nomadic life. The films have been chosen with geographical spread in mind and tell stories from Syria, Turkey, the Phillipines, China, Latvia, Afghanistan and Northern Siberia.