Ferdinand Magellan and Juan Sebastian Elcano set sail to gain control of the global spice trade, but end up becoming the first expedition to circumnavigate the earth. The yearslong voyage—along with the suffering, the violence and the loss of life and property—were all in pursuit of a shorter route to the so-called Spice Islands (now the Maluku Islands) and their much-coveted aromatics. The film puts in perspective the 16th century—the Age of Exploration, the Age of Discovery and the Age, problematically, of Colonialism. It also was an age of heroes. As the documentary insists, the journeys undertaken by the men whose names we learned in grade school and whose exploits straddled the 1400s and 1500s—including Ponce de Leon, Vasco da Gama, Lope de Aguirre and even Columbus—were about money, sometimes trade, sometimes plunder. But just as advances in medicine have often been propelled by war, knowledge about the world has been a byproduct of profit-seeking. Likewise, heroism.
At the far tip of South America, lies a magical realm that seems frozen in time. Known as 'the end of the world', this is Patagonia. Vast glaciers shaped it into an Eden like no other. Adaptable and resilient creatures evolved unique survival strategies to flourish across its remarkable habitats. From precipitous mountain citadels and icy desert plateaus windswept steppe uplands through remote, primal forests to a mosaic of glacial valleys. To thrive here is to be as extreme as the land itself.
The film challenges many of the commonly held assumptions about our water systems and how people think about water. Its goal is to bust the global sense of impending doom by painting an alternative, optimistic water future and mapping out the ways to get there. The filmmakers believe that even one person with enough knowledge can make a difference and inspire a movement. The film tries to provide that knowledge and to envision a day when everybody has access to clean water and sanitation and in our lifetime. Narrated by Liam Neeson, featuring Matt Damon and Jaden Smith, 'Brave Blue World' paints an optimistic picture of how humanity is adopting new technologies and innovations to re-think how water is managed.
Using cutting-edge research, a dedicated team of archaeologists has compiled the evidence to fill in a 400-year gap in man's knowledge of the bluestones of Stonehenge. By combining innovative 3D scanning techniques, traditional field archaeology and novel laboratory analysis, the team has discovered where the stones were quarried and where they first stood. Professor Alice Roberts shows how the team made its discoveries and joins Professor Mike Parker Pearson to piece together the final parts of the puzzle, solving one of the toughest challenges ever faced by archaeologists.
The film takes viewers behind the scenes of one of the world’s greatest institutions of learning. The film examines how this legendary establishment has continued to go about its regular activities while adapting to the digital revolution. 'Ex Libris: The New York Public Library' explains how libraries inform and educate in many ways: books, concerts, conferences, classes and much more. This library strives to inspire the study of advanced knowledge and to strengthen the community.
Cities are growing at a faster rate than any other habitat on Earth. They may seem an unlikely place for animals to thrive, but they can be a world of surprising opportunity. Leopards prowl the streets of Mumbai, peregrine falcons hunt amongst New York's skyscrapers, and a million starlings perform spectacular aerial dances over Rome. In Jodhpur, langurs are revered as religious deities and in Harar, locals live in harmony with wild hyenas. Many animals, however, struggle to cope in the urban jungle. As the architects of this environment, can humans choose to build cities that are homes for both them and wildlife?
The film puts in perspective the 16th century—the Age of Exploration, the Age of Discovery and the Age, problematically, of Colonialism. It also was an age of heroes. As the documentary insists, the journeys undertaken by the men whose names we learned in grade school and whose exploits straddled the 1400s and 1500s—including Ponce de Leon, Vasco da Gama, Lope de Aguirre and even Columbus—were about money, sometimes trade, sometimes plunder. But just as advances in medicine have often been propelled by war, knowledge about the world has been a byproduct of profit-seeking. Likewise, heroism.