40, 000 years ago the steppes of Eurasia were home to our closest human relative, the Neanderthals. Recent genetic and archaeological discoveries have proven that they were not the dim-witted cave dwellers we long thought they were. In fact, they were cultured, technologically savvy and more like us than we ever imagined! So why did they disappear? We accompany scientists on an exciting search for an answer to this question and come to a startling conclusion …
Les volcans tueurs : le pays aux 127 volcans
Documentaries by Katia and Maurice Krafft feature some of the amazing footage shot by the renowned volcanologists, who perished in 1991 while filming a volcano in Japan. The duo documented more active and erupting volcanos than any other scientists in the world, and their dedication shows in Deadly Peaks and Killer Volcanos, two educational films that capture the scientists on the edge of a hot ash blast and floating on a lake of sulfuric acid. The films visit Mount Kilimanjaro and examine some of the less-known dangers such as carbon monoxide gas that builds under crater-formed lakes. They also take an in-depth look at the eruption of Mount St. Helens and the lengths to which people will go to save their communities. Venturing to places where most people would never dare, the Kraffts gave their lives to promote the study of volcanos and left behind a legacy of courage in the name of science. --Shannon Gee
Herzog and cinematographer Peter Zeitlinger go to Antarctica to meet people who live and work there, and to capture footage of the continent's unique locations. Herzog's voiceover narration explains that his film will not be a typical Antarctica film about "fluffy penguins", but will explore the dreams of the people and the landscape.
Joel, an 11-year-old boy, will guide us through the forest of the Popocatépetl volcano and with his childlike wisdom leaves us lessons on a natural life.
Earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions, and extreme weather. Has Earth always been this way? Featuring footage of top geologic hot spots on every continent, the film traces the scientifically-based story of the 4.5 billion-year-old Earth, from the core to the crust and up into the atmosphere.
A close examination of the Whakaari / White Island volcanic eruption of 2019 in which 22 lives were lost, the film viscerally recounts a day when ordinary people were called upon to do extraordinary things, placing this tragic event within the larger context of nature, resilience, and the power of our shared humanity.
Ring of Fire is about the immense natural force of the great circle of volcanoes and seismic activity that rings the Pacific Ocean and the varied people and cultures who coexist with them. Spectacular volcanic eruptions are featured, including Mount St. Helens, Navidad in Chile, Sakurajima in Japan, and Mount Merapi in Indonesia.
Last Hours of Pompeii
Five times, Earth has faced apocalyptic events that swept nearly all life from the face of the planet. What did these prehistoric creatures look like? What catastrophes caused their disappearance? And how did our distant ancestors survive and give rise to the world we know today?
A rampant, street level story of mentorship and everyday heroism in tough circumstances. An inner city coach's son, estranged in his youth from his father, spends five years on ball fields in inner city Oakland and Havana, following the lives of two extraordinary youth baseball coaches, Roscoe in Oakland and Nicolas in Havana. The coaches meet on videotape and two years of red tape later, Coach Roscoe and nine Oakland players travel to Havana to play Coach Nicolas' team. For one week, the players and coaches eat, dance, swim, argue and play baseball together. But when the parent of an Oakland player is murdered back home, it brings back the inescapable reality and challenges of life in an American inner city.
The fascinating landscape formations of Iceland in the North Atlantic bear witness to the beauty and primal power of nature. They were created through the interaction of powerful volcanic, geological and biological processes that have been changing the face of the earth for billions of years. This is what the Earth might have looked like four billion years ago. Iceland is the realm of ice and fire. Nowhere else is there such a high density of volcanoes. The landscapes, which are continually reshaped by eruptions, make the island a natural laboratory full of clues about the formation and development of the earth. The documentary follows a group of scientists through the most active areas of Iceland, along a mountain range that has emerged from the ocean. On the slopes of the volcanoes, in the fog of the fumaroles and on streams and rivers, the three researchers explore how the first forms of life populated the earth's surface and in what evolutionary steps they took over the earth.
Short Belgian documentary on volcanos in the former Belgian Congo
Short French documentary on volcanos.
Short Belgian documentary on volcanos.
On the morning of August 27, 1883, the rumbling volcano of Krakatoa stood more than 6,000 feet high, with a diameter of approximately 10 miles. Later that day, this giant cone exploded so violently it was literally blown away. The effects of the volcanic explosion caused a tidal wave more than 140 feet high; one ship was carried more than two miles inland. Hail-sized stones fell as far as 100 miles away, and the city of Jakarta fell into total darkness. For many of the area's inhabitants, Armageddon had arrived. Over 36,000 people were killed immediately, and countries all over the globe were affected by the volcano's devastating after-effects.
Hawaii, with its tropical rainforests and diverse coral reef is a spectacular natural paradise for travellers, surfers and all fans of breathtaking sandy beaches and lush green mountains. But life on the American island chain also has a dangerous side: permanently active volcanoes, lava caves, and even burning lava pours into the sea! Here you can see black smoke rise up, spray the red-hot magma into the sky and feel how the earth trembles. Located on the Pacific plate is unusual for volcanoes, Hawaii is thus researchers a fascinating destination. At Kilauea, the most active volcano on earth, the inhabitants have to live in constant danger found over the centuries cope. Lava Land - Glowing Hawaii takes you into the world of researchers and residents on the Big Iceland, the largest island of Hawaii.
In 1980, the eruption of Mount St. Helens leveled 230 square miles, sent 540 million tons of ash and volcanic rock twelve miles into the air, and blasted one cubic mile of earth from the crest of the Cascade Mountain Range. Illustrates the terrifying fury of the most destructive volcanic disaster in American history through aerial photography and survivors' own words. Shows examples of nature's plant and animal recovery seventeen years later.
Dominica: Charting a Future for Paradise is a 2011 documentary short film about the history of the Commonwealth of Dominica and the challenges it faces as a young independent nation.