The new series reveals how the Cold War nearly ignited the Third World War – set in our northern home region. NTRNZ’s major production is a continuation of the most widely distributed Finnish documentary series ever.
View trailer
Untold Arctic Wars has spread into more than 100 countries
Untold Arctic Wars – The Cold War is a sequel to Untold Arctic Wars, the 2022 series about the events of the Second World War. The first season has been broadcast in over 100 countries on major media outlets including The Walt Disney Company, NATGEO, BBC Alba, SBS Australia, Al Jazeera, and RTL.
NORDICS:
YLE Finland, NRK Norway, SVT Sweden, RUV Iceland, DR Denmark
EUROPE:
The Walt Disney Company Benelux, ERR Estonia, NatGeo Eastern Europe, FTV Prima Czech Republic, Polsat Poland, Telewizja Polska Poland, RTL Germany, BBC Alba, Histoire France & French speaking countries, IFC Media, Czech Republic, Games Media Turkey, LNK TV Lithuania
ASIA & AMERICAS:
Phoenix Satellite Television Co Ltd, SuccessGlo Inc China, CCII Taiwan, iQiyi, China, SBS Australia, A&E Ole Networks, Latin America, Al Jazeera Middle East, SBS Korea, Union Media Company Middle East
View first season:
SBS Australia: Untold Arctic Wars
Yle Areena: Vaietut arktiset sodat
Nuclear weapons and environmental destruction
Untold Arctic Wars – The Cold War reveals the big picture and many unknown details about the Cold War in the Arctic.
The rivalry between the US and the Soviet Union for control of the North lasted from the 1940s until the late 1980s. The battle was fought through the development of nuclear weapons, missiles, and missile technology. The target was to reach the other side of the Northern Sea and to gain control with increasingly powerful reconnaissance, bombers, and nuclear submarines.
In the North, the Cold War meant spying operations by NATO, the CIA, and the Soviet Union. In the Arctic, the two sides had secret plans of attack, and nuclear bomb sites were drawn on maps of the Nordic countries. The technological development and race for control also caused environmental damage, the impacts of which are still to be found.
New insights and perspectives on the events are provided by war history experts, ongoing field research, recently opened archives, and sometimes unseen footage. The result is a documentary series with impressive content and visuals.
USS SKATE -ydinsukellusvene noussut jään läpi pohjoisnavalla. USS SKATE nuclear submarine rises through ice at the North Pole. Copyright: Naval History and Heritage Command
Experts explain Arctic war history
More than 20 international experts have been filmed and interviewed for the series. They include historians, researchers, and authors from Finland, Sweden, Norway, the UK, Denmark, and the US.
International perspectives are provided by Edward Spiers, Professor Emeritus at the University of Leeds, Kristine C. Harper, an American professor at the University of Copenhagen, Tomas Ries, Associate Professor at the Swedish National Defence College, and Marianne Neerland Soleim, Professor of History at the University of Tromsø.
Finnish contributors include author Mika Kulju, intelligence expert Mikko Porvali, authors Pekka Iivari and Veikko Erkkilä, and researcher Sari Autio-Sarasmo.
Lyngenin puolustuslinjan tutkimukset Norjassa. Lyngen defense line research, Norway. Copyright: NTRNZ media
Long lost, scary things found in the Arctic landscape
Each episode follows historic fieldwork and unique discoveries made in the northern region. Dedicated researchers defy the sometimes harsh conditions in their search for new evidence of events on land and underwater.
The researchers study the northern defense lines of Norway and Sweden, Finland’s border guard network, and a military aircraft that crashed into Lake Päijänne, for example. They study the effects of nuclear tests in the sediment of Lake Kevojärvi and the ice cover of Svalbard. A research team also travels to measure a radioactive leakage from a nuclear submarine that sank in the Norwegian Sea.
Kadonneen lentokoneen etsintää, Suomi. Looking for missing airplane, Finland. Copyright: NTRNZ media
A visually stunning and beautifully finished history documentary
Untold Arctic Wars – The Cold War challenges the war documentary genre with its visuals. In addition to stylized imagery, the series uses unseen archive videos and 3D-animated archive images to bring the stories to life. Modern map animations also keep the viewer engaged. As usual, the opening title alone sends shivers down the spine, with its arresting images and the lyrics and tunes of IRENE’s Wars Untold.
Untold Arctic Wars –The Cold War is narrated by actor Peter Franzén and produced by Teemu Hostikka, Executive producer. The series is written and directed by Teemu Hostikka and Anna-Reeta Eksymä. The production is the work of the experienced NTRNZ team.
The series will be first broadcast by Nordic broadcasters Yle, NRK, SVT, DR and RUV.
Further information:
Teemu Hostikka
+358 45 639 8664
teemu.hostikka(a)ntrnz.com
International sales and distribution:
The six-part history documentary series Untold Arctic Wars – The Cold War airs on YLE TV1 on October 17, 2024, at 7 PM. The whole series can be streamed on YLE Areena on October 14.
