Secrets of Life

Following Sir Brian May over a decade-long journey to understand the crisis caused by bovine tuberculosis and his opposition to the controversial badger cull, implemented to curb the spread of the disease in cattle. It’s a story surrounded by controversy, but one little known to many - a tale of tragedy for both humans and animals.

The many lives of Henry Azadehdel, aka Armen Victorian, aka Henry X, as told by the peace activists, UFO researchers, botanists and everyday people who encountered him - whoever he was.

Mythos Wald

From infinitely small to super-predator, from the earthworm to the whale, from the blade of grass to the giant tree, Vibrant takes you on a journey to discover the biodiversity one country can host. Through the breathtaking natural environments of France, it is an exploration of the pyramid of life. It is also, and above all, an opportunity to marvel at these species capable of a thousand feats, subtly connected to each other and of which the human being is an integral part. A link that we have too often forgotten and that it is time to reweave.

The Everglades of Florida abduct us into an alien world. The phenomenon of an endless, flat, water surface produces a rich and beautiful flora and fauna. The abundance of fish provides food for countless species of birds and the boss of all swamps: alligators - gigantic, primeval reptiles as neighbours of the people that live here. However, the main goal of this journey is to find the Florida manatees. They are regarded as the most serene and gentle animals in the world. Year for year, they migrate up the rivers from the Gulf of Mexico. It is only here, at the pleasantly warm springs, where one can experience this comparatively unknown and extremely threatened species first hand. They move their stately bodies astonishingly graceful, as if they were dancers in an underwater ballet. Magical light effects of the sun enable a backdrop of turquoise coloured water and roots to shine brilliantly. All in magical 3D.

Two otter pups have been carefully watched over by their mother for a year, but her tireless work will soon come to an end. From here on the pups will have to fend for themselves, one day maybe starting an otter family of their own.

Alsek – ledová řeka

With the help of diver and biologist Laurent Ballesta, a scientific expedition explores three sunken Italian volcanic sites in the Mediterranean.

Nature documentary that takes a breathtaking flight on the wings of birds across six continents and experiences some of the world's greatest natural spectacles from a bird's-eye view.

It takes two or three generations for the monarch butterfly to reach the Canadian breeding grounds, but it is one "supergeneration" that makes the 2,000 mile return trip back south into central Mexico. The documentary film covers Dr Fred Urquhart's interest in monarch butterflies, with perspectives of Urquhart as a child wondering where the butterflies went, his years of research and study into their life and migration, to his time decades-later as a senior scientist looking back at his investigations and discoveries about the insect's life pattern.

Egyptian archeologists dig into history, discovering tombs and artifacts over 4,000 years old as they search for a buried pyramid in this documentary.

A unique behind-the-scenes access to NASA’s ambitious mission to launch the James Webb Space Telescope, following a team of engineers and scientists as they take the next giant leap in our quest to understand the universe.

Pure sound unaltered by human hands is becoming increasingly difficult to find. Gordon Hempton is an Emmy Award-winning sound recordist who has spent the last 30 years trying to find and record the vanishing sounds of nature in an attempt to capture a disappearing sensory experience. Filmmaker Nick Sherman observes Hempton in the wilderness for 30 days and uncovers an obsessive artist on a quest for perfection in this obscure medium. Hempton’s natural ability to locate and articulate himself through sound has a contagious energy and gives his work a transportive quality. Soundtracker is a fascinating meditation on the world’s changing landscape and the things we may be leaving behind in the service of progress.

Flyways follows endangered migratory shorebirds as they travel their ancient migration routes around the planet. Using nanotechnology and global tracking from the International Space Station, the project will uncover the paths of the world’s greatest, feathered endurance athletes and shine a light on the scientists and international lawyers who are collaborating to save them.

Hundreds of great white sharks have recently appeared on the doorstep of one of America’s most popular tourist destinations, hunting in ways never documented before. To understand why the sharks are here and what this means for Cape Cod, a team of scientists are studying this new phenomenon to try to keep people safe. Are the sharks changing the natural ecosystem … or restoring it?

Documentary narrated by Tom Brokaw. National Geographic delves into the untold storylines and unresolved mysteries surrounding the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941. Oceanographer Robert Ballard dives deep into the waters of the harbor to find the remains of a Japanese sub and closely examine the famous wreckage of the USS Arizona. This footage is mixed with interviews with survivors of the attack.

In an increasingly urban nation, Canada’s national parks are a treasured escape into extraordinary beauty and rugged wilderness. If the Group of Seven were an introduction to the landscape’s majesty, National Parks Project is the next logical chapter. Fifty-two contemporary artists from across the country, whose talents are as diverse as the parks they set out to explore, used their surroundings as a source of inspiration to blend musical and cinematic skills into collaboratively crafted vignettes. Epic in its ambition to celebrate these locales during Parks Canada’s centennial year, this omnibus film resonates with the knowledge that our unprotected land is more vulnerable than ever. Including films by Zacharius Kunuk, Peter Lynch, Sturla Gunnarsson and John Walker, and music by Sarah Harmer, Sam Roberts, Cadence Weapon and The Besnard Lakes, among many others, National Parks Project is a one-of-a-kind documentary experience.

A documentary that focuses on how animals born with unusual colours have a much harder struggle than normal. Follow white lions, a white baboon and a yellow crocodile.

Living in an ancient redwood tree for more than two years to prevent the tree from being clear-cut, Julia Butterfly Hill captured our hearts and minds by showing us that one person can make a difference. Through interviews with Hill, filmmaker Doug Wolens paints a portrait of an intensely spiritual and articulate woman who encountered both beauty and horror (she was assaulted by lumber company helicopters at one point) during her time above ground.

Bill Mason imparts his affection for the big northern timber wolves and the pure-white Arctic wolves. Filmed over three years in the Northwest Territories, British Columbia, the High Arctic and his home near the Gatineau Hills in Quebec, Mason sets out to dispel the myth of the bloodthirsty wolf. Going beyond the wolf's natural habitat, Mason relocated three young wolves to his own property and was able to film tribal customs, mating and birth - moments in wildlife never before seen on film.