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RIVER KING
Some parts of Africa have not been explored by even the most adventurous anglers. Wars, upheavals and uncertainties have made large areas of the Nile Basin in particular too challenging and dangerous to visit. Wim Seffelaar is a teacher in daily life, but a keen angler whenever he has the chance. Over the decades he has explored some of the remotest rivers of Africa. Now he is on a quest to catch one of the most iconic and elusive of all African river fish – the legendary Nile perch. They grow to enormous proportions on a stretch of river bordering South Sudan – an area normally off limits to tourists, but with the help of local friends, Wim manages to secure the permits to allow him into this troubled area. As he follows the river searching for likely locations, he immerses himself in the tribal life along the waterways. Everyone seems to be fishing here, albeit each with their own methods. Not only the many kingfishers, pelicans and crocodiles, but also the people, young and old. What may be sport to the angler is the livelihood of many here. If you don’t catch something, you and your family go hungry. Child hunters convince him to follow them to their inland lake and show off their skill at catching a variety of fish, but the most remarkable local fishing tactics take place on dry soil. During the dry season, fish survive by burrowing themselves in the mud and staying dormant until the rains form new rivers. The locations of these buried fish or ‘mudfish’ can be given away by subtle movements of the ground. A man whose feet can detect that faint movement above ground can spear the fish through the soil, dig it out and slowly hook it free from the earth. As he continues his way upstream, enormous bush fires stand in his way, the temperature rises to unbearable heights and the water level drops. The turning point in his expedition comes when he gets help from a former rebel who has fought in the area and knows the river like the back of his hand. With the help of his new friend he moves further afield, onwards to deeper water, indicated by the presence of large crocodiles. Here lies the promise of the giant. After landing a few huge tigerfish, Wim eventually hooks into a goliath that turns out to be no less than 113 kg, one of the largest Nile perches ever caught on a rod and fishing line.
THE TREE-CLIMBERS FROM CALIFORNIA
Rick Dirks is one of the best tree climbers in California. He is able to climb 100-meter tall (328-foot) redwood trees with skill and courage and do so at breathtaking speed. He even ties himself to the crown of these giant trees in a sleeping bag for the night. In addition to trimming the trees and installing measuring tools, Rick collects the tree’s cones and seeds at dizzying heights – because the redwoods can only continue to survive if they are cultivated. In California, these giant trees are still cut down for timber.
ARCTIC: THE ROUTE OF THE NUCLEAR-POWERED ICEBREAKERS
This report accompanies a polar cargo ship through the Arctic Sea and provides a rare insight into the interior of the Russian nuclear-powered icebreaker float. Along the north coast of Russia, a land of climatic extremes, lies one of the most difficult to navigate straits in the world. The Northern Sea route is a 6,000 kilometer shipping lane through the Polar Sea.
JOURNEYS IN INDIA
THE LAND OF RUDYARD KIPLING. With classic tales as The Jungle Book to his credit, Rudyard Kipling brought India to life for many readers around the world. In this episode, Bill steps back into Kipling’s wild world while exploring Kanha and Bandhavgarh National Parks, the inspiration for The Jungle Book and many other tales. There, we track tigers and search for jackal, sambar, chital, monkeys and wild boar. We round out the episode with jeep safaris, elephant rides and dinners around the fire.
JOURNEYS IN INDIA
BANGALORE AND OOTY. Bangalore is a city with many names: the Garden City, the Pub City, the Fashion Capital the list goes on. Follow Bill as he journeys through this city of contrasts and touches on its many faces. We visit Cubbon Park and Lal Bagh Gardens, shop in the markets and explore the nightlife of the modern city. We also explore architecture, from ancient Bull Temple, the legendary source of the Vishva Bharti River to the largest legislative building in India. Bill’s final stop is the “Queen of the Hill Stations” Ooty, where he tours the plantations, rides the historic narrow-gauge railroad and visits the Stone House, which was built by the British in the days of colonial rule.
THE SCIENCE OF MAGIC
Our film follows researchers who are bringing magicians’ tricks into the laboratory. With impossible magic, amazing facts, and opportunities for viewers to participate in the magic tricks, this extraordinary exploration peeks behind the curtain into a fascinating world where ancient magic meets modern science. Magician Julie Eng not only mystifies us with magic, she also takes us to Montreal’s McGill University to meet Jay Olson who is using card tricks to study consciousness. His research also includes an MRI machine that can apparently not only read minds, but also manipulate thoughts. In the US we meet with professor Anthony Barnhart. He’s a magician turned scientist who is using magic principles to investigate why we sometimes don’t see what’s right under our noses. We also meet Professor Amory Danek who is using the conjuror’s craft to study creativity and problem solving.Professor Ronald Rensink at the University of British Columbia discovered how small distractions can blind drivers to obvious dangers. These studies naturally led him to work with magicians to explore possible new experiments.In London England Gustav Kuhn conducts a study that tracks the eye movements of the magician’s audience. We see tricks that fool us despite nothing actually happening, as well as demonstrations that reveal we can be blind even to our own choices. Colourful and compelling, our film takes a critical and engaging look at the fascinating facts revealed when you see the human mind through the eyes of a magician.
EUROPEAN ISLANDS EP
02: MADEIRA. The European islands are renowned primarily for their hotel resorts. However, we will show you a completely different face of theirs: forests, beaches, coves, mountains, valleys and rivers. Perhaps you will find places that will take your breath away. Why just lie on the beach when there is so much to see? Put on some good hiking shoes, pull your shoelaces tight, and get to know the entire island like the back of your hand.
EUROPEAN ISLANDS EP
03: TENERIFE. The European islands are renowned primarily for their hotel resorts. However, we will show you a completely different face of theirs: forests, beaches, coves, mountains, valleys and rivers. Perhaps you will find places that will take your breath away. Why just lie on the beach when there is so much to see? Put on some good hiking shoes, pull your shoelaces tight, and get to know the entire island like the back of your hand.
THE PAST HUNTERS
THE HAUNTED MILL – PART 1. Derek Acorah’s The Past Hunters travel to Stockport and investigate an abandoned Mil, Weir Mill, said to the most haunted Mill in the UK. Demonic figures haunt anyone that enters. Will the team survive the night with the spirits?
YVES SAINT LAURENT
FIRESTARTER. A documentary of a true pioneer of fashion. Sabbatical Entertainment celebrates one of the most influential designers ever as we explore the designer's unparalleled professional acclaim, as well as his fascinating and tumultuous personal life. Yves Saint Laurent can be credited with both spurring the couture's rise in the 1960s as well as the tuxedo suit for women. He was able to adapt his style to accommodate the changes in fashion during his entire career. Sabbatical Entertainment’s original documentary shows viewers how YSL approached fashion with a different narrative by wanting women to look comfortable yet elegant at the same time.
LOOKING FOR SULTAN
Despite efforts to protect tigers for the past 4 decades, tigers continue to be hunted down - poached, poisoned and squeezed into small pockets of protected forests.Tigers play a pivotal role in maintaining the health of the forest ecosystem and there is an urgent need to protect the tiger and its habitat.In India and across the world, Tigers have captured our imagination for centuries. We have feared them, respected them and even worshipped them. But during the colonial times tigers were hunted in thousands.At the turn of the century over a 100,000 tigers existed on the planet. Almost 40,000 of these were in India. But today only 3800 tigers survive across the world and 70% of these are in India.Today each and every tiger is important and that’s why we need to find Sultan.This film follows the story of Sultan, the up and coming dominant tiger of Ranthambore Tiger Reserve who vanished suddenly.Father and son wildlife filmmakers, Mike and Gautam, had been following and filming him since he was a cub and are now trying to put the pieces together to solve this mystery.More than 12 tigers have gone missing in Ranthambhore between 2012 and 2017. Young tigers who go missing are usually thought to have been poached or just lost forever. But the story is much more complicated.Tigers are born in parks and forests - a safe, secure place protected by their mother. But once these tigers mature they must find new homes but the question is where will they go? Trackers on ground have proved that tigers leave the protected territory of national parks to walk great distances in search for new territory. Tigers know no borders and young sub adult tigers must walk hundreds of kilometres to find a new home, prey and a new mate. Once they walk out of the protected area of the forest they are in direct contact with human habitation. People and tigers now share a complicated relationship - one of constant fear of the other.This is the story all across the country. Isolated populations of tigers in small fragmented forests surrounded by human beings and villages. The film looks at broader issues of conservation of tigers and their relationship with the people who share their habitat and the different efforts being made towards conservation in India through the story of Sultan.
COLONIES UNDER THE SEA
The film follows four unique divers as they explore shipwrecks in the heart of the Bahamas archipelago in order to discover the unexpected life they harbor.
MAN EATERS
The first documentary about the Human-leopard conflict in Sri Lanka, “Man Eaters: A Human Leopard Story” approaches the conflict by analyzing past and present cases of man-eating leopards in Sri Lanka and what led to their strange behavior. Unlike India, man-eating leopards in Sri Lanka are very rare.
OUTTA TOWN ADVENTURES (9)
S3. Outta Town Adventures travels both near and far to discover the best advenures the destinations have to offer. This TV series is dedicated to presenting history, culture and geography in a fun and pisitive way. It encourages people to explore this beautiful world - something that starts with simply getting out of town!
OUTTA TOWN ADVENTURES (10)
S3. Outta Town Adventures travels both near and far to discover the best advenures the destinations have to offer. This TV series is dedicated to presenting history, culture and geography in a fun and pisitive way. It encourages people to explore this beautiful world - something that starts with simply getting out of town!
THE MYSTERY OF DARK MATTER
Dark matter, which is unknown and undetectable in our physical models, would appear to populate the cosmos on a massive scale. For the first time, a film portrays the wild scientific quest that dark matter gives rise to. A real thriller. In our physical models, the weight of all observable matter (stars, galaxies, etc.) accounts for just 4% of the universe, whereas an invisible, unknown matter that no tool has ever been able to detect appears to populate the universe on a massive scale. Today, astrophysicists and cosmologists - researchers in the fields of the infinitely large and the infinitely small - are joining forces to solve a major mystery: what is this famous “dark matter” made up of? A breath-taking thriller that leads us to the dawn of a scientific and metaphysical revolution, akin to Copernic’s or Galileo’s. It could totally change the way we perceive our world. 2013 : Best film Award at the International Science Film Festival (Athens, Greece).
WILD ONES
EP. 09. Camouflaged cats. Some animals will never be inconspicuous, others blend so perfectly with their surroundings that they can move through them without detection. For many of the cats of Africa, camouflage is key to survival. From the spots of the cheetah, the rosettes of the leopard and the stripes and dots of the serval, these cats have evolved to merge with their habitat. Hidden lizards. Feeding on these harvester ants, is a beautifully adapted predator, the regal horned lizard. Merging perfectly with their surroundings these small reptiles live in the rocky, gravelly, desert like habitats of Arizona where they make a living almost exclusively on ants. Cryptic snakes. In the leaf litter of Australia’s woodlands and scrub hides one of its most cryptic and dangerous snakes – the death adder. The camouflaging patterns of snakes are mesmerizing – from the pearly multicolored sheen of the carpet python to the mottled bands of the death adder, snakes can be hidden right before our eyes. Shimmering cuttlefish . Many animals can hide and many can disguise themselves to some degree, but few can rival the camouflaging capabilities of the magnificent cuttlefish. Cuttlefish can not only change color, they can also change their shape as well as their texture as they morph through seamless variations of themselves.…. and concealed chameleons. Making camouflage an art form are the verdant sauntering highly distinctive chameleons that make their homes in rain forests, grasses, trees and bushes. There are well over 100 species of chameleon around today, ranging from the tiny pygmy chameleon to the prehistoric looking horned chameleon, most are found in Africa and Madagascar. Birds. In the frozen climbs of the northern hemisphere winter, ptarmigans blend against their snowy surroundings. Invisible spiders - Crab Spider. There is one tiny creature that has evolved a camouflage that is so perfect in its simplicity it is often overlooked by the casual human observer. Adapted to their hunting terrain the crab spiders that are found on bark and leaves are darker in coloration than those found on flowers which is the master of disguise?
WILD ONES
EP. 10. The most venomous snake on land. The deserted heart of the Australian outback, where people seldom venture, is the hot, baked home of the most venomous land snake in the world – the inland taipan, a two meter long snake with enough venom in one bite to kill a quarter of a million mice. The rare envenomating lizard. Venom is not the exclusive domain of snakes and spiders. In the deserts of the south-west United States and the north west of Mexico lives the striking and venomous Gila Monster – the largest land lizard in North America. Blue ringed octopus. In the shallow waters of the Pacific Ocean is an animal the size of a golf ball that carries with it not one, but two types of venom. One is used on its main prey of crabs and is relatively harmless to humans, the other is used in defense and can kill an adult human in minutes. The tiny toxin wielding Red-backed spider. In secluded outhouses, under fences and letterboxes, under barbeques and amongst garden litter are the messy webs that hold the killing fields and the hundreds of offspring of a very deadly female. Tucked in the corner of her web the scarlet stripe of the red-back spider advertises her lethal capabilities. The ferocious Sydney funnel web. In contrast to the timid red-back spider, the fearsome Sydney Funnel-Web is more inclined to stand its ground than to run. And in contrast to the red back, it is the male funnel-web that is the more dangerous of the two sexes. Funnel-webs can be extremely aggressive and are armed with downward pointing fangs that are strong enough to pierce fingernails as they deliver their highly toxic venom – which has the deadliest venom?
THE CONDOR MAN FROM ARGENTINA
Patagonia, a land of eternal winds and unspoilt nature, is home to the world's largest bird - the Andean Condor, with its average wingspan of 3 meters. In many places, the species has already become extinct. Ornithologist Lorenzo Sympson has been studying the birds for 25 years now. Lately, he has been focusing increasingly on the young animals. This year, he even wants to attach small webcams to the birds' nests that will provide a unique insight into the breeding and rearing behaviors of the rare Andean Condor.
GALICIA'S DEATH COST
360°GEO - Report accompanies goose barnacle fishermen on a trip to the deadly cliffs. But even there, the goose barnacle population is declining rapidly.Their working district is the "Costa del Morte" - the "Coast of Death", where the oil tanker "Prestige" split apart in 2002. Here, the waves of the Atlantic are often lashed against the rocks by northwest gale force 8 winds.Their working district is the "Costa del Morte" - the "Coast of Death", where the oil tanker "Prestige" split apart in 2002. Here, the waves of the Atlantic are often lashed against the rocks by northwest gale force 8 winds.
UNBREATHABLE CITIES ON THE VERGE OF ASPHYXIATION
With an epidemic of cancers among adults, and widespread asthma among children, China and India are on a constant health alert. Nor is the rest of the world free from harm as the pollutants are travelling.
SARAH SHARK
EP. 03. Sarah travels to one of the top 10 dive destinations in Australia (Julian Rocks, Byron Bay, NSW) to dive with three species of Wobbegong Sharks within the Cape Byron Marine Park. She also conducts a street poll with members of the public to find out what they think about sharks.
SARAH SHARK
EP. 04. Sarah travels to one of the top 10 dive destinations in Australia (Julian Rocks, Byron Bay, NSW) to dive with three species of Wobbegong Sharks within the Cape Byron Marine Park. She also conducts a street poll with members of the public to find out what they think about sharks.
NICKEL, THE KANAK'S TREASURE
In the heart of the Pacific, in New Caledonia, the Kanaks have been fighting for their independence for over 40 years, and they use nickel as a weapon to achieve their end. The subsoil of the island is filled with this ore essential for global growth. To finance their future state, the Kanaks open mines, build factories, to have a part on the materials market. Is this nation of 100,000 people at risk of losing far more precious by gambling with raw material and to shift from political dependence to a financial one?
SALTY LOVE
Salty Love is an underwater story of love and how marine life has found ingenious ways to reproduce. From the magic of coral spawning, the dance of the manta ray, the bond of marine mammals, the dedication of the male sea horse, the labour of love by sea turtles there are so many amazing underwater relationships.
ANIMAL DOCTORS
Explore how animals developed over time and generations their own medicine and health care strategies. How have these been passed onto early humans ? Questioning traditional boundaries between human and animal, we will travel from Central African Republic, to Tanzania, from the US to France with the leading experts in animal behaviour. Today\'s science revisits the birth of animal intelligence and culture.
SPEED KILLS
EP. 01. Desert creatures endure searing heat and zero rainfall, but speed is their ticket to survival.A Tiger beetle runs at the human equivalent of 500 miles per hour. A caracal jumps six feet to swat a weaverbird out of midair. And the world’s fastest chameleon hunts on the desert floor.Only the hardiest, fastest animals survive. Nothing else stands a chance.
CHANEL NO. 5, THE LEGENDARY PERFUME
A revolutionary fragrance needs a visionary woman to create it! Gabrielle Chanel, the woman liberated others from corsage made the delightful perfume Chanel N°5 which remains the symbol of elegance around the world. This documentary will take you to Grasse to Paris & tell you the story of the legendary perfume.
ON THE CITIES’ ROOFTOPS
BARCELONA. How is life on the city’s roofs? This series scales new heights, exploring apartment buildings, towers and monuments to discover a world full of unsuspected treasures : our rooftops. By day and night, the population changes on these heights. There are people who work here, people who live here, and others who come here to relax. The world’s rooftops are a continual hive of activity…
KYUCHU: WHERE THE GREEN TEA GROWS
This report shows how the famous Japanese green tea is cultivated, explores its healing power and explains how deeply the tea has penetrated Japanese society. For the Japanese people, green tea is more than just an ordinary beverage. It is the key to the national culture - it combines enjoyment, philosophy and the art of living. In springtime, the entire country waits for the first flush, the very first harvest of the precious Sencha tea from the island of Kyushu, the world's biggest organic tea production region.
A YEAR IN THE WILD
EP.2. A resident baboon on one of the ranches requires some human help to extract a snare. The splinters pack run into a coalition of cheetahs. Jess visits the new-born Splinters pups. Pungwe are on the hunt for big game as they take on formidable buffalo. The Splinters once again demonstrate their extraordinary hunting tactics.
JOHANA: MAKE UP AND MOTOR OIL
Colombia is the third largest exporter of coffee in the world. The main status symbol of its flourishing regions is the Willys Jeep. We met Johana, the only Willys female driver, who is entering this year's Willys contest. This is the jeep "that won the Second World War", the model that created the later legendary "Jeep". About 600,000 Willys Jeeps were manufactured by the US-Army during World War II. After 1945, many discarded Jeeps were delivered to Colombia, considered as "mula con motor","donkeys with engines". Mostly men can be found behind the wheel. But Johana is an exception.
VERSAILLES FURNITURE
Via six masterpieces, the film reveals the beauty of the spirit of Versailles of the 17th and 18th centuries. A unique homage to the people that crafted it, the furniture reveals the personal tastes of its commissioners, and portrays something that has ceased to exist! These unique items of furniture that once belonged to Louis 14th, Louis 15th, Marie-Antoinette and Louis 16th have fascinating stories to tell: the tortoise-shell chest-of-drawers with inlays of brass; an astronomical clock - a veritable miracle of science; the most emblematic example of French furniture art in the world - the King’s Desk; and the exquisite items made for Marie-Antoinette - the queen’s jewellery case and the wheat-sheaf furniture.
GROSSLOCKNER KING OF THE HIGH ALPS
The report accompanies Austrian farmers in the highest mountain of the country - the Glossglockner - from July until Christmas, throughout the changing seasons. It is mid-June and summer is finding its way into the valleys of East Tyrol, even though the Hohe Tauern Mountains are still covered with snow. In the distance, the Grossglockner gleams bright white above the Tyrol mountain village of Kals. This summer, mountain climbers from all over the world will scale the Grossglockner. Toni Riepler, a mountain guide from Kals and his wife Gitti have a lot of work to do. They run the "Glorerhütte", one of the oldest mountain huts in the area. For 3 months, from mid-June to mid-September, the family lives high up in the Alps. In the winter, they stay down in the valley.
SHOW ME WHERE YOU LIVE
VIETNAM. Show me where you live is a documentary series that aims to answer the following question: How can human beings claim ownership to a space so that they can live safely within it, function as a society, and above all be in harmony with the environment around them? As we discover cultures and emblematic populations, we follow Philippe Simay who is at the heart of Inhabiting the World and represents its identity and originality. Philippe takes us on an epic adventure around the Human Habitat and sets the tone for the journey. As a humanist and philosopher, Philippe is a tireless surveyor of the city, and an explorer of living spaces. Determined to travel around the world, Philippe unveils how the populations that he encounters claim the space they occupy, shapes it and adjust to it. In this series of 20 films, of 26 minutes each, the habitat will be a major showcase revealing our capacity to adapt ourselves at a time where we need to find solutions in order to address immense changes.
SHOW ME WHERE YOU LIVE
THE KOROWAI, AT THE HEART OF THE FOREST. Show me where you live is a documentary series that aims to answer the following question: How can human beings claim ownership to a space so that they can live safely within it, function as a society, and above all be in harmony with the environment around them? As we discover cultures and emblematic populations, we follow Philippe Simay who is at the heart of Inhabiting the World and represents its identity and originality. Philippe takes us on an epic adventure around the Human Habitat and sets the tone for the journey. As a humanist and philosopher, Philippe is a tireless surveyor of the city, and an explorer of living spaces. Determined to travel around the world, Philippe unveils how the populations that he encounters claim the space they occupy, shapes it and adjust to it. In this series of 20 films, of 26 minutes each, the habitat will be a major showcase revealing our capacity to adapt ourselves at a time where we need to find solutions in order to address immense changes.
DAY WHEN, THE…
In February 1945, it was known that Nazi Germany lost the war. But the real winner remained uncertain. In Yalta, Americans, British and Soviets, compete for the domination of Europe. Two-on-one, English and Americans views should prevail. But thanks to his maneuvers, masterpiece of cunning and skill, Stalin tips the scales in favor of the USSR.
PATHS OF READING
How do our brains carry out the process of reading? A professor emeritus guides us through this fascinating exploration of a high-precision neural mechanism. The film structures itself around a central question we ask as an enigma: how to reconcile the cultural singularity that is reading, developed recently by our single species, with the slow pace of genetic evolution, and therefore with the fixity of brain biology? Stanislas Dehaene proposed an astonishing scientific hypothesis: neuronal recycling. In other words, our cultural inventions, such as reading, resulting in the diversion of pre-existing brain function.
THE PAST HUNTERS
THE HAUNTED MILL – PART 2. Derek Acorah’s The Past Hunters continue their investigation of Weir Mill and the search for paranormal activity takes a darker turn. Will they finally uncover the truth behind the buildings dark hauntings?
OH DIOR!
Sabbatical Entertainment’s exclusive original documentary admires Christian Dior, the famous French fashion designer whose post–World War II creations were wildly popular and whose legacy continues to influence the fashion industry.
STOLEN TREASURES
EP. 4. It’s the biggest museum in the world…the museum of artworks stolen over the centuries and never rediscovered. These works haunt the nightmares of their owners, and occupy the days of hundreds of police officers across the world, as well as those of a handful of private agencies; no country or museum of importance can claim to have been spared. According to Interpol, art theft is the fourth largest criminal trade, after the drug trade, the weapons trade and money laundering. How could it be otherwise, when the soaring price of art propels the value of some paintings into the tens of millions of Euros? This world appears to be full of mysteries. Crime syndicates rub shoulders with petty criminals and the police care more about recovering the items than they do about arresting the perpetrators.
INDIA'S JUNGLE BOOK HOSPITAL
In the densely populated India, living space for wild animals is getting short. Around the country land is being cultivated and houses are constructed. India's only scientifically run rehabilitation center offers shelter for wild animals. Here veterinarians Dr. Phulmoni Gogi and Dr. Prasanta Boro take care of ill and injured animals, which got in conflict with civilization and would have hardly survived on their own: a feverish buffalo, a dozen orphaned elephants and a young rhinoceros. With a lot of dedication and patience, the doctors aim is to slowly raise the awareness of the people to save the wild animals.