2020

S2.E1 ∙ Ending 'Enduring Freedom'

Thu, Sep 02, 2021

On August 15, the Taliban seized Kabul, cementing their control of Afghanistan less than six weeks after President Joe Biden began the final stages of the Trump administration's withdrawal plan from the country. With the president of Afghanistan having fled the country, and the final deadline for the withdrawal of U.S. forces approaching, tens of thousands of people rushed to the Kabul International Airport hoping to be airlifted from the country during final evacuation of U.S. and NATO forces. Civilians, service members, and military contractors filmed what they saw in these final days of America's longest War.

0 /10

S2.E2 ∙ Gaza

Sun, Oct 24, 2021

On May 10, 2021 violence once again erupted between Israel and Hamas. The lopsided conflict, with up to 3 million pounds of munition dropped on Gaza, and 174,400 pound of munitions fired at Israel, resulted in the deaths of 13 Israeli and 260 Palestinians, including Ahmad al-Mansi, a father of three who in his final days was captured by both his daughters' and brother's vlog.

0 /10

S2.E3 ∙ Parallel State

Sun, Oct 31, 2021

On July, 15 2016 a faction of the Turkish Military attempted to overthrow the government. During the short lived coup attempt 246 people were killed, 179 of which were civilians. In the aftermath President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had thousands of members of the military and judiciary arrested, had at least 21,000 teachers fired or suspended, and shut down 2,500 educational institutions.

0 /10

S2.E4 ∙ The Almeda Fire

Sun, Nov 07, 2021

On September 8, 2020, a grass fire started in Ashland, Oregon. In less than three hours it spread to neighboring Talent. A separate ignition added to the blaze, resulting in the fire spreading to Phoenix, and Medford. 2,500 homes were burnt down, displacing 3,000 people, and killing three. This is the first hand look at what it was like inside the fire.

0 /10

S2.E5 ∙ Flood

Sun, Nov 14, 2021

On January 1, 2020, flash floods hit the Jakarta region of Indonesia. The waters reached as high as 10 feet in areas, trapping people in their homes and killing 66. Climate change is increasing rainfall and causing sea level rise around Jakarta, exacerbating the region's flooding crisis. In this episode of Source Material, watch emergency responders attempt to reach and provide aid to a person experiencing a medical crisis while trapped in the flooding.

0 /10

S2.E6 ∙ Police Riot

Sun, Nov 28, 2021

On Aug. 7, 1988, the East Village erupted into a six-hour frenzy fueled by growing tensions from the cultural and economic shifts in the neighborhood, which boiled over when the NYPD issued a 1 a.m. curfew for Tompkins Square Park. What resulted was a bloody, all-night melee that ended with dozens of injuries and six cops indicted by the New York District Attorney. Using footage captured by Lower East Side artist Clayton Patterson, Keith Maitland's "Police Riot" is visceral, immersive, and all too familiar.

0 /10

S2.E7 ∙ The Death of the Poets

Sun, Dec 12, 2021

On February 1, 2021 the Myanmar military overthrew the democratic government, announcing a one year "state of emergency" in a challenge to the fall elections. In the days that followed several dozen elected officials were arrested. The public responded with mass protests, with hundreds of thousands of civilians taking to the streets. Poets, by pen and by megaphone, have been distilling the moment and inspiring the continued resistance. The military has responded with force. Poet K Za Win was killed. After his death, the military arrested and allegedly killed the poet Khet Thi. At least two other poets have been killed, along with more than 1,000 other civilians.

0 /10

S2.E8 ∙ To The Ends Of The Earth

Sun, Dec 19, 2021

Border closures amid the initial COVID-19 outbreak left thousands of babies born via surrogacy in limbo. Travel restrictions forced Ryan and Megan to rethink their plans to meet their soon-to-be born child in Ukraine. Ryan traveled alone for 32 hours to Kyiv, Ukraine in time for their daughter's birth. His six-week journey to meet and bring Indi home was captured in his personal video log.

0 /10

S2.E9 ∙ Capitol Police Story

Tue, Jan 04, 2022

On January 6, 2021, hundreds of people breached the United State Capitol Building in an attempt to stop Congress from certifying the 2020 election. Many participants documented their actions on social media for the world to see. The attack left 5 dead, at least 138 police officers injured and resulted in more than $30 million in damage and security upgrades. On July 27, four of the police officers who helped defend the Capitol that day provided testimony to Congress. In this special episode of Source Material we hear their testimonies and see the violence they were subjected to.

0 /10

S2.E10 ∙ Force May Be Used

Sat, Feb 26, 2022

In the months before Russia invaded Ukraine, a crisis was brewing at the border between Belarus and Poland. Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko announced in June 2021 that he would stop policing his country's border with Poland, where thousands of desperate migrants had gathered in the hopes of reaching the EU. Lukashenko and Polish President Andrzej Duda each used state media to portray themselves as heroes and victims, while threatening to pull in their defense allies, Russia and NATO. Russia deployed 30,000 troops to Belarus and the countries began joint military exercises. Thousands of desperate asylum-seekers from war-torn countries like Iraq and Syria were caught in the middle. In this episode of Source Material, we see the countries' propaganda machines at work, the proxy war of words that preceded the Ukraine invasion, and the dire and terrifying reality for asylum-seekers.

0 /10