Wild Side of Cats

Etienne-Jules Marey, a French inventor who turned a gun into a camera. A hand-drawn hunter whose weapon, instead of firing ammunition, shoots photographs. Carlos, a Mexican wildlife photographer who used to be a real life hunter until he chose to get rid of all his guns. All come together in this poetic yet approachable animated documentary short film.

Is wilderness more valuable than money? It depends on who you ask. Loon is a through hiking naturalist who understands what’s truly valuable in life. At 80 years old with more than 2,000 acres of wilderness to his name, he must decide what to do with this precious asset.

Our story begins with The Red Hen’s brother and their parents being slaughtered by the evil Queen Gedren’s army because The Red Hen rejected the Queen’s sexual advances. The Red Hen survives violent assault by Gedren’s troops, and even gives Gedren a kind of souvenir: a brutal scar on her face. Later that night, The Red Hen is visited by a spirit who grants her the strength to seek her revenge. In her quest, The Red Hen accepts the company of the mighty Lord Kalidor, but also gives him a warning: she will never lie with any man unless he can defeat her in a swordfight. Kalidor challenges her and they spar, but neither of them is able to defeat the other. They call it a draw. Kalidor at least wins her heart.

Documentary on the village of Viganella, in the Piedmont Alps, and on its mirror that reflects the sunlight on the hamlet, which otherwise would not reach the valley.

Presents the history of the domestic cat, tracing the animal as a house pet and as a symbol of mystery and worship from ancient Egypt to the present day. Offers hints on the care and treatment of cats in homes of today.

Explains that many animals bear protective coloration that blends with their surroundings. Shows examples of such coloring on the bark moth, the tree frog, the ground squirrel, many birds and the young of many animals. Includes views of representative members of species which change their color to match their backgrounds, as well as those whose body outlines are broken by bold areas of contrasting colors.

Their huge ears locate the underground crawling sounds of beetles, larvae, and other insects in the sands of the Kalahari desert. But their resemblance to the thieving jackal lead to their inadvertent targeting by farmers defending their livestock. With their numbers dwindling, the bat-eared foxes of southern Namibia have become the passion project of veterinarian Margit Du Toit.

Shark: Mind of a Demon With Fabien Cousteau is a 2006 documentary/reality television special. The film was the result of an attempt by Fabien Cousteau to study the great white shark in its natural surroundings using a submarine shaped like a shark called Troy.

People talk about their psychic connection between animals.

Jane Goodall has spent five years observing the chimps in Tanzania (formerly Tanganyika), Africa. One of her discoveries is that they use primitive tools. The film shows the life of the chimps. Retrospective note: This documentary features remarkable historical footage of Goodall, her original camp, and the Gombe chimpanzees. It shows the early years of Goodall establishing the site before it went on to become a world-renowned research center.

Grand Canyon is a 1958 American short documentary film directed by James Algar and produced by Walt Disney Productions. It is a pictorial interpretation of Ferde Grofé's Grand Canyon Suite. Grand Canyon is one of Walt Disney's more unconventional and experimental works, as it has musical accompaniment, but no dialogue or narration. The short won an Oscar at the 31st Academy Awards in 1959 for Best Short Subject (Live Action).

David Attenborough investigates the remarkable life and death of Jumbo the elephant - a celebrity animal superstar whose story is said to have inspired the movie Dumbo. Attenborough joins a team of scientists and conservationists to unravel the complex and mysterious story of this large African elephant - an elephant many believed to be the biggest in the world. With unique access to Jumbo's skeleton at the American Museum of Natural History, the team work together to separate myth from reality. How big was Jumbo really? How was he treated in captivity? And how did he die? Jumbo's bones may offer vital clues.

A place of biological superlatives with a flora and fauna that have only just begun to be researched: Lord Howe Island, between Australia and New Zealand. This is the first documentary on what may be the most isolated nature reserve on the planet.

A walk in the woods become a metaphoric journey in Chloé Leriche's short film. As a solitary figure moves through the forest, the texture of stone, the movement of water, all the infinite pageantry of the natural world is captured in its richness and detail. With the help of an orchestrated soundscape and composed cinematography, Blue Suns catches the miracle and mystery of this world as it unfolds.

Africa's giant rats – the size of a cat – can be trained to detect land-mines by smelling them. Giant rats are clever and they learn fast. Their sense of smell is better than a dog's, they have more stamina, and they're a lot cheaper to train. This documentary follows "Miss Marple", who was born in a training lab and who goes through a year's training before being sent on her first mission to Mozambique. A shorter version (43 minutes) screened at festivals in 2009 but was never widely released.

An educational film about the life cycles of various types of pond life.

Using only nature and his immediate surroundings, filmmaker Brandon Wilson creates an experimental documentary that ignites the imagination of wandering in nature, and creates a loving portrait to the woods he calls home. Over the course of a year, Wilson set out to document— and accentuate—his surroundings through camera filters, angles, repetition, and audio. The end result is a hypnotic journey through the hidden wonders and beauties of the Northwest forests, in vivid colors and immaculate black-and-whites.

The unlawful killing of a dog leads to conflict in a part of US society when a later investigation shows that while Americans view their pets as family members, the law sees things differently.

“…this documentary capturing important aspects of Thoreau’s life and writings is highly recommended.” Video Librarian, May 2018 Made over the course of 13 years, Henry David Thoreau: Surveyor of the Soul tells the story of Thoreau in his time and the story of the impact Thoreau’s writings and lifestyle have in our time. Surveyor of the Soul has interviews and commentary by: Laura Dassow Walls (author, Henry David Thoreau: A Life), Bill McKibben, Howard Zinn, Richard Primack, Megan Marshall, Rep. John Lewis, Robert Bly, Wai Chee Dimock, Spencer Crew, Darren Ranco (Penobscot), Rochelle Johnson, and more. “If you are not yet a Thoreau enthusiast, this beautiful, engrossing documentary just might turn you into one. If you already are, it will remind you of the many reasons why.” Lucille Stott, Appalachia, Winter/Spring 2019

Thaïlande, à l'école des canards