Films — Affairs

Athens is the hottest capital city in mainland Europe and temperatures continue to rise. That's why Eleni Myrivili was appointed as the city's – and continent's – first chief heat officer last summer. We meet her on Philoppapou hill to hear about how urban design can help to build resilience against rising temperatures. [Read more in the July/August issue of Monocle.](https://monocle.com/shop/product/2169322/issue-155-double-issue/)

In this digital age, do we need more forgiveness and sacrifice in our lives? And where can we look for direction? Monocle Films sat down with Archbishop Elpidophoros of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America to find out how the church strives to address contemporary needs and remain relevant in the Greek society.

Technology is everywhere but that ubiquity can come at a cost to our health, wellbeing and the quality of our conversations. View our manifesto for a more dignified relationship with all things digital and learn to be a little kinder and more cautious online.

Norrbotten in Sweden is blessed with natural resources but more recently has been turning heads because of its growing roster of innovative start-ups. We bear witness to the region's effort to change heavy industries into clean businesses.

The first edition of a Georgian festival that’s bringing together musicians from the Caucasus to discuss their shared future.

From social media to mass surveillance, we know that we are losing the ability to be private, to have lives for us and our children that are off-grid. But we can regain some control. This is how.

We gathered together a peerless group of thinkers, entrepreneurs, reporters and makers for our fifth annual conference. It was a unique mix of debate, dinner and hospitality; we look back at some of the moments that made our sunny 2019 edition such a success.

From the revived Le Corbusier Pavilion to a slick airport extension, we take lessons in living better from this year’s winning city.

What makes cities tick: security, nightlife, infrastructure? Join us on a round-the-world trip of places that we’d like to call home.

Taking an interest and making connections have been at the heart of our unmissable annual gatherings. Tune in for a preview of the Monocle Quality of Life Conference programme, which is packed with thought-provoking ideas and inspiring speakers. This is where you need to be. Book your ticket [here](https://conference.monocle.com/payment/).

Prompted by Brexit, among other things, we’ve embarked on a design update. We’ve changed up the paper stock and fired up presses just outside of Hamburg to keep Monocle at the top of the pile. Join us for a tour of the on-page innovations in the [April issue of the magazine](https://monocle.com/shop/product/1473872/issue-122/).

Many seamen see icebreaking as a career pinnacle. We peek into the snug cabins, well-kitted kitchen and memorabilia-filled gym to see what serving on icebreaker ‘Kontio’ is really like. You can also catch up with episode one [here](https://monocle.com/film/affairs/icebreakers-rescue-know-how/).

Finland has obvious natural advantages that have helped it become an icebreaking powerhouse but the country’s dominance in the field is startling. We travel to the Bay of Bothnia to bear witness to the beginning of the icebreaking season. You can also watch episode two [here](https://monocle.com/film/affairs/icebreakers-life-on-board/).

Throughout the long Finnish winter, the country’s ports are kept open by a small but determined fleet of icebreakers. Monocle Films hops on board to see how it’s done.

With its liberal and energetic approach to diplomacy, and a growing influence in art and sport, Belgium has plenty to offer on the world stage.

We join the conga of the top 25 nations that got it right (and wrong) in this most delicate of diplomatic skills.

From a thriving economy to potent soft-power credentials, we unpack what keeps Canada on the up.

Our conference has become a key gathering for people who want to create better cities, homes and lives. Bringing together a global audience who see the bigger picture, it's a unique mix of debates, dinner and hospitality. So how can you get involved? We look back at the moments that made the sunny 2018 edition in Zürich such a success. [Next stop: Madrid. Buy your ticket for the 2019 edition of the conference](https://conference.monocle.com/).

With a cosmopolitan capital, picturesque countryside and improving – albeit fluctuating – security, Lebanon is on the up.

Celebrations have been erupting in Ethiopia and Eritrea as their 20-year conflict comes to an end. We board the first flight between Addis Ababa and Asmara since 1998 to capture the mood as friends and families are finally reunited.

Monocle Films travels to Paris to bear witness to the French capital’s efforts to mitigate terrorism through smart design and architecture.

Our annual ranking is back as we take a fresh look at the best cities to call home. From open-minded mayors and improved transport links to fresh retail openings and investment in public space, find out who’s doing it best.

We take lessons in liveability from the winner of 2018’s Monocle Quality of Life survey. Join us for a tour of the Bavarian capital, where we cover everything from improved infrastructure to new clubs.

This east African anchor boasts world-famous writers and athletes but corruption and flawed infrastructure hold it back.

Monocle editor in chief Tyler Brûlé takes a look at how nations are using the world stage of the Venice Architecture Biennale to reflect their identity and build their brand.

Monocle Films travels to Copenhagen and Mexico City with Audi to see how cities and their citizens are facing the challenge of building sustainable mobility in urban settings.

In our animated series we assess how the Dutch are performing on the world stage as well as at home.

Monocle Films visits Poland's land-forces academy, which is nurturing the next generation of officers to fuel its expanding defence forces.

The soft power of the world’s largest country has taken a hit of late. We look at Russia’s ups and downs in our animated nation survey.

This June we're discovering all this Swiss city has to offer from dips in the lakeside pools to post-event escapes in the mountains. Prepare to be challenged and inspired by a host of thinkers who will be reimagining urban living and exploring our key theme: ‘made in the city’.

Who's in and who's out in 2017? We survey the top 25 nations who got it right (and wrong) in this most delicate of diplomatic skills.

To celebrate this year's soft power survey winner, we visit an emerging roster of budding businesses in Montreal. Canada's innovations minister Navdeep Bains reveals how the country is capitalising on the US's restrictive visa policies.

We travel to the Aegean Coast in Turkey, where tourism may be falling but its beach clubs are buoyed by a homegrown crowd escaping city life and political upheaval.

Our new venture 'Monocle – The Summer Weekly' will hit newsstands on 10 August. We talk to editor in chief Tyler Brûlé and editor Andrew Tuck about the concept, design and power of print. Available to order now at [The Monocle Shop](/shop/magazine/other/).

The German capital has become home to numerous new businesses and start-ups, attracting people from around the globe. And despite its complex past, it is an outpost of liberalism, possibility and ambition. How can other cities learn from Berlin’s successes – and the challenges it’s faced?

Across an enthralling weekend in Berlin, Monocle’s third annual conference saw us mull over a subject that has preoccupied us since launch: Quality of Life. From urban planning to the health of the media industry, the future of entrepreneurship, hospitality, property and more, we brought together more than 30 expert speakers and 150 delegates for a fresh perspective on the world we live in. [Next stop: Madrid. Buy your ticket for the 2019 edition of the conference](https://conference.monocle.com/).

From Amsterdam to Zürich, find out who's up and who's down in our global ranking of the best cities in the world to live in.

Hotel? Tick. Sun lounger? Tick. Reading material? For four weeks this August our brand-new sunny newspaper will be hitting newsstands in cities and resorts around the world. Kick back with 48 pages of global affairs, comment and reportage, alongside arts, business and design coverage. Tick. Available to order now at [The Monocle Shop](/shop/magazine/other/).

The flare-up in the Baltic region has seen tensions rising in Sweden. We visit Gotland to see what action the government is taking to fortify the island.

Monocle Films meets the little-known International Ice Patrol that is keeping ships safe as they navigate Atlantic waters.

In this year's Soft Power Survey we look at the hard truths of politics and how a tumultuous year has affected the softer sides of nations. Find out who’s in and who’s out as we count down to the winner.

With its intriguing mix of grand colonial boulevards, art deco façades and buzzing plazas, Uruguay’s capital is emerging as a beacon of creativity and democracy in Latin America. Monocle’s Tomos Lewis and photographer Ana Cuba travelled to Montevideo to find out more about Latam’s most liveable, lovable and liberal capital.