Al Jazeera World

The Aral Sea, located between Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan, was once the fourth-largest lake in the world, but has diminished since. Al Jazeera travelled to Kazakhstan and found a faint glimmer of hope on the horizon.

This film tells the story of Arab and Palestinian captives who were detained in Israeli jails and how they had to adapt to a new life after their release. Upon release, the prisoners faced a number of difficulties adjusting to a new life of freedom, albeit within an occupied territory. They explain their mixed feelings to the change in society, and in the political landscape, which they experienced upon being released from the day-to-day monotony of prison life. Beyond The Walls contains beautifully-filmed interviews and novel graphics to provide a moving portrait of the interviewees and the emotions and feelings they are describing.

The downfall of Libyan leader Colonel Muammar Gaddafi last year was greeted with great hopes for the rebirth of a nation. But there was another hope felt by many inside and outside of the country - that the end of his 42-year rule would allow some light to be shed on the fate of a charismatic Lebanese cleric. Imam Musa al-Sadr, the leader of Lebanon's Shia Muslims, disappeared, along with two companions, in the summer of 1978 during a visit to Libya to meet Gaddafi. As in the Shia myth of the 'hidden imam', this modern-day cleric left his followers upholding his legacy and awaiting his return. The enigmatic cleric's popularity had transcended religions. Calling for social justice and development, in 1974 al-Sadr founded the Movement of the Deprived - aiming to unite people across communal lines. Archbishop Youssef Mounes of Lebanon's Catholic Information Centre remembers a sermon al-Sadr delivered in a church, in which he warned of an imminent sectarian war. "It was a surreal scene," Mounes says. "Seeing the turban of a Muslim imam under the cross in a Christian church. He delivered a sermon at a very significant time." Raed Sharaf al-Din, al-Sadr's nephew, recalls how his uncle believed that Lebanon's sectarian nature could cut both ways: "Imam al-Sadr used to say that sects are a blessing, but sectarianism is a curse. It's a blessing to have this diversity of sects in Lebanon. But when there is strife among them, sectarianism is the worst thing for a country." When civil war erupted in Lebanon in 1975, al-Sadr led anti-war protests. And as the war intensified, so too did al-Sadr's efforts to end it. As part of this, he toured the Arab world to plead the case for south Lebanon. In 1978, this took him to Libya where he was due to meet Gaddafi. He was never seen again. In the years since, conflicting stories have emerged about what happened to al-Sadr and his two companions. Now hopes have been raised that new evidence and witnesses will emerge to help solve the mystery of the missing imam.

Israeli checkpoints in the occupied West Bank have become part of everyday life for the thousands of Palestinians who must pass through them daily. Israel claims that the checkpoints are vital to stop suicide bombers entering its cities. But critics say they are a form of collective punishment - effectively sealing off Palestinian cities, hindering travel and access to schools and medical care and jeopardising any hopes for peace. Hazem al-Qawasmeh, the founder of Karama, or the International Campaign for Freedom of Movement for Palestinians, says: "These military checkpoints restrict Palestinians' movement and turn their cities into prisons. The West Bank has now become a big prison. It is separated from the Gaza Strip and Jerusalem. "Qalandiya checkpoint is one of the worst checkpoints in the West Bank. Palestinians have to wait there for hours as they try to cross from the West Bank to Jerusalem." Hard Crossings follows the Palestinians who must navigate these checkpoints and for whom they have become a frustrating and often humiliating feature of daily life.

In July 1995, an estimated 8,000 Muslim men and boys - sons, husbands and brothers - were dragged away never to be seen again. The Srebrenica massacre marks a particularly inhumane and brutal act within the tragedy and bloodshed of the 1992 to 1995 Bosnian War. This film follows four survivors of the massacre as they look to the future despite the pain of their loss and the angst of trying to make sense of the past.

In an area 100 kilometer west of Alexandria in northern Egypt lies the famous region of el-Alamein – scene of a mighty battle between the UK and its allies fighting German and Italian forces for control of North Africa in 1942. With no natural barriers in the desert, Rommel ordered half a million mines to be laid around the coastal town, while the British reportedly put down even more. About 70 years after the battle, the area remains riddled with debris from the hostilities – including an estimated 17 million landmines.

With all the drama of the revolutions in the Middle East, one tiny revolution may have gone unnoticed. On February 10, 2011, an estimated 8,000 spectators filled the Feisal al-Husseini Stadium in the West Bank to witness the opening match of the Palestine Women's National Football League. This film follows the Palestinian girls facing challenges on and off the pitch as they pursue their passion for football.

Its epic battles are legendary. Its influence is undeniable. And it is hard to imagine that, in 1971, it took just a handful of individuals who were strongly opposed to nuclear testing to give birth to this worldwide organisation. So where did it all begin?

On May 18, 1944, Joseph Stalin deported 218,000 Crimean Tatars to Central Asia. Using personal testimonies, this film tells the story of the Tatars' expulsion from their homeland and their long struggle to return. It was only in 1989, with the opening up of the Soviet Union, that they were able to come back in large numbers. Most, finding Russians living in their former homes, built shacks in which to live. Today, 300,000 Tatars live in Crimea - 5,000 of them still in shacks. Even those with houses suffer because they only have minority status. Despite this, 150,000 more are still hoping to return home.

The film, Songs of War explores the relationship between music and violence. The film’s main protagonist is Christopher Cerf. The award-winning musician is a composer for Sesame Street, a popular American children's educational series.

For years the Muslim Brotherhood was officially banned by Egypt's government, but following the 2011 revolution, the fall of Hosni Mubarak and the country's first free parliamentary elections, the Brotherhood - with its political arm, the Freedom and Justice Party - has emerged as Egypt's most powerful political force.

The traditional storytelling of indigenous cultures is moving into a new era and new forms of transmission. Indigenous TV programming has found an audience in countries like Australia, Canada and New Zealand - earning nick-names such as 'satellite dreaming'. "Traditionally we put songs and stories to a picture anyway. That's part of our culture," says Tricia Morton Thomas who works with an indigenous broadcaster in Australia. "Television is something that is just an extension of it." The challenge for these broadcasters, apart from the ever-present lack of funding, is to give the viewers what they want. They must provide a perfect mix of education and children's programmes as well as mainstream programming. And special attention must be paid to the fact that many viewers do not speak the language fluently. The shows need to be entertaining and educational at the same time, according to Jean LaRose at APTN Canada. "Our audience is looking to us to not only provide language programming, they're looking to APTN to provide entertainment that could be in languages," he says. The key seems to be in providing content with specific relevance for the respective communities. Just like pretty much everyone else, indigenous people like to watch people they know and places and situations they can relate to. Some broadcasters have more clearly stated language education objectives than others. Maori TV puts a lot of effort into producing content for children. However, this does not only mean education as such - the goal is to "normalise" the Maori language. Maori independent TV producer Kay Elmers says: "They get the language in the classroom. But we can give it to them out and about. We actually show the kids that it is a real living language that can be used anywhere. It's not just for school."

Miki Cohen is a 58-year-old Israeli attracted to Sufi mysticism and the writings and philosophy of Rumi. We follow him to Kony, the resting place of Rumi in central Turkey and the religious centre for his followers, as he becomes the only Israeli granted access to the inner sanctum of the whirling Dervish order of Islam.

A look at the historical context behind the decision in 1915 to deport Armenians from Anatolia to other regions.

This two-part series examines three individuals and their 25-year, 24/7 peace vigil in front of the White House, revealing how the bizarre act of a man labelled the 'first domestic terrorist' in the US brought them together.