Known for drug-trafficking, kidnapping and guns, Colombia has a well-earned reputation for danger. Diego gets his first taste of this treacherous lifestyle after meeting a tailor who specializes in bullet-proof clothing - everything from bullet-proof underwear to suits. In a country that produces 80 percent of the world's cocaine, Diego goes on patrol with the farmers tasked with destroying cocaine plants one-by-one in the mine-littered fields of guerrilla country. Travelling to Medillin, Diego visits the abandoned home of notorious drug lord Pablo Escobar, where he tours Pablo's dinosaur park full of towering dinosaur statues, and visits Pablo's pet hippos. Diego also meets one of Pablo's former hired gunmen who now teaches the children of his fallen friends. On Dead Man's Road, Diego heads to Cali, where travelling at the wrong time of day can get you kidnapped. Kidnapping is so prevalent, one radio station has developed the 'Hostage Voices' programme so relatives can send messages to hostages over the radio. Despite the rampant civil war dividing the country, Colombia has made steps forward - in Picalena Prison, one warden has helped unite right-wing paramilitaries with left-wing guerrillas through an unlikely tactic: soccer.
The Economist called Pakistan "the worlds most dangerous place." And so Diego Buñuel had to head over there to see for himself. In his show "Dont Tell My Mother," Diego travelled for a month across Pakistan. And after some 2000 kilometers, he discovered an incredibly diverse and surprising land, where stereotypes and assumptions about religion and pakistanis came crashing down one after another. Get ready to see Pakistan like youve never imagined it before.
Ten years ago, Venezuela was only known for it's Miss Universes and sugar cane plantations. Today, the country's most important export is socialism. This political system that seemed dead and buried back in the 20th century, is reborn from it's ashes with such a strength, that it's stricking fear in halls of the White House. Because in Venezula, there is oil, lots of oil. Hugo Chavez is heading this new revolution and in eight years, he transformed this sleepy Latin American country in a true world power. With barrel prices topping 100 dollars, revolutions have never been this well funded.
Forced to leave behind his cell phone, GPS and even newspapers before entering the country, Diego Buñuel must pose as an actor to enter North Korea. Every move he makes is constantly monitored, with two watchers 'escorting' him wherever he goes. Starting in the capital of Pyongyang, Diego is housed in a hotel built on an island to keep visitors from interacting with locals, and where all the rooms are bugged. Attending a Catholic mass in Pyongyang, Diego finds that there are no ordained priests in North Korea; mass is led by party members. Diego also tours a fairground where children have the chance to 'Kill American Imperialism' in a shooting game. Venturing to the world's largest stadium, Diego watches 100,000 dancers perform in celebration of 60 years of dictatorship. While this festivity paints an image of happiness and unity, the portrait is not quite as picturesque in the countryside. The effects of poverty, famine and oppression are deeply etched in the faces of its people and the landscape. Even in Pyongyang, the signs of repression are omnipresent - from the number of dances allowed to be performed (only 5-7 according to one party member) to the images of Kim Jung Il found in every corner.
Don't Tell My Mother.... I'm in the Holy Land. And for good reason! After five wars and two Intifadas, the morning papers are still filled with stories about another shooting, air strike, rocket or suicide attack. And it's been going on like this for sixty years! Despite it all, our eternal optimist Diego Buñuel takes us on a behind-the-scenes journey through yet another region with a particularly bad reputation. We go from the Gaza Strip to Jerusalem, with stops in the occupied territories. We meet a lively cast of characters, including: a printer of the Martyrs of Gaza; Nadim, a Christian brewer in Muslim lands; Lucy, who rescues Palestinian donkeys; and rappers at a Gazan bachelor party. Don't Tell My Mother.... the people of the Holy Land like you've never seen them before.
In a new series of documentaries, Don't Tell My Mother intends to show what life is really like in a war zone. In this episode about the current war in Afghanistan, the viewer will hear new stories from a country where death, destruction and mayhem has at times reigned supreme. Every day, millions of people in Afghanistan keep on living, laughing and struggling to make their country, their city, their future a better place. These are the people who have attracted the attention of Diego Buñuel, an American reporter well known in France for his work as a foreign correspondent in Iraq, Afghanistan, the Congo and other hot spots around the globe. In Don't Tell My Mother... That I am In Afghanistan , Buñuel takes a 52-minute road trip from the capital Kabul to Taliban hotbed Kandahar, stopping by Mazar-e-Sharif and Herat. From the Kabul golf course, to a female Army helicopter pilot, from an interview with Mullah Omar's look-alike who spent two years in hiding, to the first night-club open to Afghanis, Diego leads us head on into fascinating and unusual stories about a country that many have tried to boil down to burkas, bearded fighters and poppy harvests. But don't tell his mother he's traveling in Afghanistan!
With its history of gang violence and political instability, the Democratic Republic of Congo is a risky place to travel. In the capital city of Kinshasa, Diego Buñuel visits a nuclear power plant, where a single guard and a padlock are all that separate him from the nuclear reactor. Visiting the stadium where boxer Muhammad Ali famously fought in the 'Rumble in the Jungle', Diego meets female Congolese boxers who are hoping to fight their way out of poverty. In Katanga, Diego meets the province's first democratically-elected governor whose dedication to the people provides hope. Diego then flies to Goma - one of the wildest parts of country. He meets with UN peacekeepers and Congolese soldiers tasked with protecting mountain gorillas in the first park in Africa to be listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. To save these endangered animals, soldiers must bring helmets and an assault rifle. The park is filled with rebels who are killing the gorillas - and the rangers protecting them - to gain international attention. Entering deep into the forest, Diego and the soldiers find the elusive gorillas, which pause long enough to take an inquisitive reach towards the cameras. Finally, Diego meets with a former beauty queen who is now preparing girls for the Miss HIV contest, created to help raise awareness about the disease.
ifteen years after the most murderous war in Europe since World War II, what has happened to the Balkans? The region dropped of the media radar and Diego Bunuel had to go and see for himself. In a road trip through Croatia, Bosnia, Serbia and Kosovo spanning some 1,000 miles, Diego has met the most unusual people trying to pick up the pieces and move beyond the cliches. But with some 300,000 dead and over 1 million displaced people, can they really lay the past to rest? To find out, follow Diego Bunuel and discover the Balkans like you've never imagined it before.
Iraq has been in the headlines for all the wrong reasons this century. Foreign correspondent Diego Buñuel sets out to see if there isn't more to say about a country with a 3,000 year old history.
Iran is the Middle East's second largest oil exporter and strongly anti-American. Which explains Diego Buñuel's surprise at uncovering rappers, basketballers, fashionistas and even a "Quran Idol".
Johannesburg's risen to become the thriving economic hub of the continent.Get ready to see a surprising side of Johannesburg that you never imagined.
Tokyo is by far the biggest city on the planet. Diego explores where past and present collide, the line between reality and science fiction is thin.
Diego crisscrosses Lagos to find out why lots of newcomers arriving the city every day despite its problems of traffic jam, poverty and pollution.
Diego travels to Delhi to experience firsthand its explosive modern economy which has attracted a massive migration in the last 20 years.
Diego Bunuel dives into the sewers and runs from canine immigration agents to discover just how creative the residents of Ciudad Mexico really are.
Diego mingles with graffiti artists and dodges bullets to search for a common thread that unites the extremes of rich and poor in São Paulo.
Diego travels from the sun kissed seaside to the snow capped mountains, meeting some surprising black market dealers in Beirut.
Under the glow of the golden sun, Cairo stretches as far as the eye can see. Diego Bunuel explores ancient and modern elements of the Cairo.
Diego begins his adventure in an area of Dhaka where the term urban jungle is given new meaning. In this area, Macaque monkeys have taken control.
Manila faces some of the world's worst urban problems but Diego quickly finds out there is an energetic and quirky side to city and its people.
A modern democracy or a hotbed of Islamic fundamentalism? A natural paradise or a man-made environmental disaster? Diego is on the hunt for the real Indonesia.
Piracy, lawlessness and Islamic extremism. Diego returns to his roots as a war reporter to learn why Somalia has earned the title of the world’s most failed state.
Recovering from Islamic extremism and the ravages of Soviet rule, Diego’s journey to Kazakhstan uncovers a country of hope with its eyes firmly on the future.
Diego flies through ferocious forest fires and meet some gun-slinging school girls on a wild ride from the materialistic riches of Moscow all the way to the silent spiritualism of Siberia.
Deep political and moral divides have emerged across the United States. Diego meets the people living, thriving and struggling in the America’s western states.
Join Diego as he encounters the troubling and often uplifting stories that lay behind the beautiful playgrounds of Thailand and the people who are trying to make a change for the better.