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MEFLOQUINE
Developed by the US Army after Vietnam to combat malaria in troops, Mefloquine became available to the public in the 90s. However, in the following decades it became most well-known for reports of its serious psychiatric side effects. Questions about why it has been so widely and easily dispensed have been raised for some time. The director’s personal investigation seeks to understand why those affected have been left in the dark for so long. In doing so he uncovers some surprising truths about the powerful players involved in this controversial drug’s story.
CAMBODIA'S LAST BAMBOO TRAIN
This report climbs aboard the bamboo train, learns about its passengers and portrays life as it currently is in Cambodia. Without this bamboo train, people would not be able to go do their daily tasks such as going to work or to the doctor.Deep in the Cambodian Battambang region, a small bamboo train called "Norry" makes its way through rice fields and jungle passages. It is considered to be one of the most important lifelines into the poor region. But it looks like Norry's time is running out, because of the changes in Cambodia over the last years.More and more fields are being cleaned of land mines, new roads are being built, and many Cambodians are now able to afford a motorbike. The people fear that in a few years' time the bamboo train will stop operating.
STOLEN TREASURES
EP. 3. 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.
THE AUTHENTIC BAHAMAS
The Bahamas - an archipelago in the western Atlantic that has long been the subject of legends. Over 700 islands and 2,000 coral reefs form this island paradise. Cat Island is one of the few continuously populated islands. In 2011, it was devastated by Hurricane Irene - the population is still coping with the aftermath. Untouched by tourism and tax havens, many people live on the poverty line. There is barely enough money to survive. Unemployment and hopelessness plunge them into lethargy. A few highly motivated women are now collecting ideas to inject hope and economic success into this island.
MONGOLIA, STEPPES EMIRATE
Battered by strong winds, and seen as a grazing land, Mongolia is the kingdom of steppes. With important mineral resources such as copper or uranium, coal and rare soil, Mongolia future is secure: the economy shows a significant growth rate and it is a business paradise for some expatriates. But for most of the population, needs remain unfulfilled.
MIND IN MOTION
Our exploration will lead us into the depths of the brain and to the very sources of consciousness, for a fascinating glimpse into the process of thought. How can we decide whether a person in a coma is likely to return to consciousness? How can a person see with the tongue? Why do amputees experience phantom sensations in missing limbs? What do we have in common with the fruit fly? What are the effects of meditation on the brain? Scientific answers to these questions and others are now within our reach, thanks to stunning new research in the neurosciences. It focuses on the brain, our mental mechanisms, the connection between body and mind. Why we need to represent ourselves and others consciously in order to survive? In our quest for answers, we have met some remarkable scientists - high-ranking pioneers who are innovative yet modest. They share their discoveries and questions with us while stressing that it is vitally importance for our society to try and understand why we have conscious brains. The story of their search, across North America and Europe, will be vividly told through evocative visuals and original imagery from new brain exploration technology.
SAINT PIERRE AND MIQUELON
ARCHIPELAGO IN ISOLATION. 360° GEO - Report shows the people from St. Pierre and Miquelon, a French overseas collectivity, in their struggle between self-preservation and responsibility against nature.Saint Pierre and Miquelon - directly in front of Newfoundland's coast lays a French archipelago forgotten from the far motherland. For centuries, the codfish brought prosperity to the group of islands, until a French-Canadian agreement prohibited catching it due to overfishing.Today, even the rough beauty of the island nature is threatened - because environmentalists are powerless against the frustration and indifference of the island's inhabitants. The environmental activist and passionate naturalist Roger Etcheberry lives on St. Pierre and Miquelon since childhood.Together with a Parisian botanist he explores the few pristine places on the archipelago and fights for their conservation.
JOURNEYS IN AFRICA
TARANGIRE: LAND OF THE ELEPHANT. This is definitely the land of the elephant. Large herds of pachyderms roam this marshy park putting on a show for whoever wants to watch. But that’s not the only big boys of this park—buffalo, lion and a host of hoofed game make this a wonder to behold.
WONDER
PERCEPTION. Seg 1 Saccadic Eye Masking. Saccadic eye movements are characterized as the fast movement of eyes when perceiving motion. These are so fast that they are blurred. To compensate for the blurriness, our brains mask these blurred visions to help us see a completed albeit masked version of sight. Seg 2 Plant Movement. While plants do not exhibit movement for locomotion or moving from place to place, they still exhibit movement in response to different stimuli. These movements are plant adaptations for food production, plant reproduction and survival. Seg 3 The Language of Color. Language plays a major role in how people from different parts of the world perceive color. The fact that some languages completely lack terms for some colors that other languages have come to know offers insight on how much influence it has on the way people see colors. Seg 4 Color Blindness. Color blindness is the condition that makes people not able to properly see and perceive colors. Color blindness is the result of damaged or underdeveloped rods and cones. these are the light sensitive cells that can be found in the part of our eyes known as the retina which are responsible for seeing colors. Color blindness can either be genetic or caused by sustained damage to the retina over time. Seg 5 Perspective Illusion. This is a technique used in illustrations to render scenes and objects in 3 dimensions with depth and foreshortening. The technique was pioneered by Italian painters during the renaissance period. It involves drawing objects with reference to points measured from a constant line of sight.
INDIANS IN CANADA
The six remaining Indian tribes of the Tsilqhot’in in Canada are trying to combat the commercialization and exploitation of their land. The Xeni Gwet'in First Nation has been litigating to finally secure rights to their own land against the British Crown in a huge court case going back over 20 years. Representing all Indian tribes, Chief Roger William is the chief plaintiff in the most significant case in the history of indigenous case law. The Supreme Court of Canada in Ottawa has handed down its verdict.
THE NEW NOMADIC PEOPLE OF KYRGYZSTAN
360° GEO - Report accompanies the Kyrgyzstani nomad family and their 600 animals as they trek through gorges and rapid mountain springs. 40-year-old Kyrgyzstani Bachit makes his living by pasture farming. He is an astute shepherd and realized long ago that major changes were taking place in his homeland, the Tien Chan Mountains, on the Chinese border: the high mountain peaks - some of them at an altitude of 7,000 metres - are thawing rapidly. This is an effect of global warming, with as yet unknown global consequences. Bachit has adapted to the new situation: fince several years now, he has been leading his huge flock anually from the village to a 3,000-meter altitude summer pasture - a risky adventure.
ROLL ON CINEMA
This film endeavours to show how the invention of cinema was in no way inevitable, and how it may well have been a mere accident. To pinpoint the start, it all began in the heart of Paris, in the depths of darkened room, on 28 March 1798, when Etienne-Gaspard Robertson gave one of his first screenings of his "Fantasmagoria" - making ghosts and spectres dance. But how did we move from perfecting the magic lantern to the cinematography of the Lumiére brothers? The invention was born throughout the 19th century, out of the unpredictable crossing of two parallel research paths - that of philosophical toys and the photography of movement. Originally-named optical devices - such as the kinesigraph, the zoetrope, the praxinoscope and the phenakistoscope, without forgetting the photographic revolver or gun - associated the realm of toys with the realm of thought, reflecting both a fascination for the magical effects produced by animation and speed, and a desire to understand human anatomy, and analyse the phenomenon of vision. All these pre-cinema optical devices literally stemmed from a desire for spectacle and the will to acquire knowledge. Robertson, Reynaud, Plateau, Muybridge and Marey spearheaded the adventure. Thanks to these brilliant inventors, we travel across the 19th century, ending in Paris in 1895 in the Salon Indien du Grand Café, where the first public movie screening took place.
THAILAND'S ELEPHANTS, GET OUT OF THE CITY!
In former times, 4.000 elephants and their Mahouts used to work in Thailand's forestry but nowadays, they are no longer welcome in Bangkok. Since then, at the end of the 1980s, when the government stopped deforestation, they have been unemployed. More and more elephant guides have moved to the big cities. For 4 years now, the government has been trying to ban them from the cities, as they are a safety risk for street traffic. Non Yamdee lives with his elephant Poon Thap in the outer districts of Bangkok but doesn't want to be caught by the police and resettled. He has heard about a new elephant camp in the south – and that is where he intends to go.
OUT OF TOWN ADVENTURES
S1 EP 11: TEMECULA. Outta Town Adventures travels both near and far to discover the best advenures the destinations have to offer. Season 1 visits attractions from California to Rwanda, Switzerland, Iceland, Utah, Zambia, Mexico, The Grand Canyon, Georgia (the Eastern European one) Louisiana, Hawaii, Mauritius and Seychelles. 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!
OUT OF TOWN ADVENTURES
S1 EP 12: LAKE CHARLES. Outta Town Adventures travels both near and far to discover the best advenures the destinations have to offer. Season 1 visits attractions from California to Rwanda, Switzerland, Iceland, Utah, Zambia, Mexico, The Grand Canyon, Georgia (the Eastern European one) Louisiana, Hawaii, Mauritius and Seychelles. 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!
LES ACORES, LE SORT DES BALEINES
There is a goldmine atmosphere in the Azores: in the crystal-clear water live 21 species of whales and dolphins. Their instinct for play and their empathy for humans make them a fantastic source of capital. Several whale-watching companies have been founded in recent years – and swimming with dolphins has become one of the most sought-after tourist attractions. But there are also critical voices, such as the biologist Maria de Cruz, who is attempting to find out how much stress it causes the marine mammals.
SEED HUNTER
Our planet is heating up and one of the first casualties will be the crops that supply our food. Scientists are working overtime to find solutions including going back to the ancestral origins of our staple foods. SEED HUNTER will take you on a remarkable journey from the drought ravaged farms of Australia, to the heart of the Middle East, to the mountains of Tajikistan where charismatic Australian scientist Dr Ken Street – a real life version of Indiana Jones – and his team of ‘gene detectives’ hunt for plant genes that will help our food withstand the impact of 21st century global warming. Along the way we meet farmers around the world who are struggling to grow crops in a climate that’s gone haywire, as well as scientists working at the front line of gene technology to save tomorrow’s food. At journey’s end, deep in the Arctic Circle, Ken deposits his bounty of seed in the newly constructed seed bank known as the ‘doomsday vault.’
SOKOTRA, ENDANGERED TREASURE ISLAND
Sokotra, an island off the Horn of Africa, has been a Unesco world heritage site since 2008, but the strict rules that once enabled the Beduoins to protect their biodiversity are now being relaxed. 360° GEO follows in the footsteps of a Yemeni goatherd on the island. Many rare species are being threatened by the increase in extensive grazing, which is even affecting the goatherds' very existence. 55-year old Abdullah Ablihin finds it hard to make ends meet with just his herd of goats.Sokotra, an island off the Horn of Africa, has been a Unesco world heritage site since 2008, but the strict rules that once enabled the Beduoins to protect their biodiversity are now being relaxed. 360° GEO follows in the footsteps of a Yemeni goatherd on the island. Many rare species are being threatened by the increase in extensive grazing, which is even affecting the goatherds' very existence. 55-year old Abdullah Ablihin finds it hard to make ends meet with just his herd of goats.
CAPTURE WILD SCHOOL
EP. 01. Very quick intro to the history of the course and the make up of the influx of new students as well as a look at some of the lecturers and their characters. Darting practice and drug theory: Students practice with dart guns from certain distances and learn the theory of dangerous drugs. The next step is learning to dart from a helicopter. A moving target is towed by a vehicle, and students have 1 dart to prove their accuracy. Darting practice on donkeys: 3 teams are formed and they have 3 donkeys to dart and check all vital signs. Darting 2 young antelope: 2 students are chosen to dart a young Rhone antelope and young Sable needing medical attention.
CAPTURE WILD SCHOOL
EP. 02. A student darter is selected to dart from the helicopter and soon a suitable giraffe is located. The dart location is perfect and the giraffe begins to slow down as the rest of the team jump into action. The giraffe becomes more of a challenge as it wrestles with the rope and breaks free. The drugs eventually take full effect and the giraffe is subdued. The team carry out all the checkups, take samples and reverse the drug in good time to see it run off in good health. The vet lecturers give the debrief and conclude with all the positives and negatives.
CAPTURE WILD SCHOOL
EP. 03. One of the students is selected and soon locate a huge bull elephant from the helicopter. The dart successfully finds it mark and the bull takes 20 minutes to lie down. The rest of the team rush in to do the necessary data entries and reverse the drug within 20 minutes. The vet lecturers give the debrief and conclude with all the positives and negatives.
FRAGRANCE & EMOTIONS
Unique documentary that takes you to discover the secret of some of the most luxurious perfumes and emblematic fragrances in the world. Visit the famous city of Grasse to meet the creators, the beautiful flower fields and all the incredible emotional powers of the Perfume.
SPAIN'S LAST LYNXES
10 years ago, Europe almost witnessed the first dying out of a predatory cat since the sabre-toothed tiger when only about a hundred Iberian Lynxes remained in existance. Still today, the Iberian Lynx is one of the most threatened species of predatory cat in the world. The documentary accompanies animal rights activists in their struggle to preserve and resettle the world's last lynxes. The current plan is to move the cats to safety.
HISTORIC FOOTBALL MATCH IN FLORENCE
Florence, the cradle of the Renaissance, is today a so-called "museum-city". The small city center is invaded by thousands of tourists every day. But there is one sport tourists usually don't know : the calcio florentino, a violent game with no rules, exclusively for Florentine people. Struggling with the consequences of gentrification, the city is losing its identity and its citizens. But there is still one way in which Florence and the "Fiorentini" can express their own identity - the "Calcio Storico Fiorentino" (Historical Florentine soccer), a game that has been played in Florence for 800 years but only 3 days a year in the month of June! This primitive, tough and dangerous mix of football and boxing is played in one of the world's most famous squares, the Piazza Santa Croce. The players can hit the ball with their hands or feet, and they can stop their adversaries in any way possible. These two rules make the game one of the roughest sports ever played.
THE POLAR SCHOOL OF NOMAD CHILDREN
360° GEO- Report visits the Nenets, the last true nomads on earth, on their remote Russian peninsula. Every August, on the Russian polar peninsula of Yamal, children of reindeer shepherds await a helicopter that will bring them back to school after the summer holidays. For the main part of the year, 600 nomad children from the indigenous people of the Nenet live and learn separated from their parents. Up until now, their home Yamal was an of Russia that was far from any semblance of civilization- until an enormous gas pool was discovered beneath the tundra. Now, destroyed nature and gigantic industrial plants are a common sight along the nomad's track - but this industrial development is also offering new opportunities to their children.
PARAGUAY'S NEW HOUSES
In Paraguay, the loofah plant is used to make vegetable sponges but nowadays, it can also used to build houses. 360°GEO - Report follows Elsa Zaldivar on her quest to free Paraguay from its housing shortage.Until recently, the loofah plant in Paraguay had fallen into oblivion. But over the past few years, it has experienced a successful comeback - as bath sponge. Today, loofah sponges are sold throughout the world.According to Elsa Zaldivar, loofah is now also being used in the construction of houses. The once densely wooded countryside has today been largely chopped down. Many people do not have access to affordable building materials. The idea of the loofah-cooperative is to compound loofah remains with plastic waste in order to create a a solid building material for house walls.
CROC LABYRINTH
Herpetologist Vince Shacks and underwater cameraman Brad Bestelink go on a unique crocodile diving adventure to find out more about these cave systems, and how the reptiles use them. They enter a dark underworld of mystery and danger, and they find themselves doing things that no one has ever attempted before. Apart from swimming with huge crocodiles, they’re the first to noose a wild Nile crocodile underwater, and they’re the first to attach a remote camera to it, to see where it goes.
TAIPAN, THE MOST DANGEROUS SNAKE IN THE WORLD
360 - GEO Report joins Professor Brian Grieg Fry as he carries out his thrilling job : catching the most dangerous snake in the world for his research. About 7 of the world's 10 most venomous snakes live in Australia: one of them is the taipan, said to be the most venomous in the world. Its venom can kill a horse in just seven seconds. Yet if someone actually dares to catch this extremely dangerous animal, its venom can be used as a medicine and can save lives. Professor Brian Grieg Fry is one of the very few, who takes up this life-threatening challenge. For the sake of his research institute, he travels regularly through the country catching taipans, as well as brown snakes, sea snakes and skinks.
NEW YORK
THE WORLD'S SMALLEST OPERA HOUSE. "If you can make it there, you can make it anywhere". That's the vision people from all over the world have of New York. This report takes a look behind the scenes of the world's smallest opera house, in the heart of New York. Tony Amato, the son of an Italian butcher, thought when he came to New York in the 40s that he could make it too by realizing his dream of owning an opera house. The house is 3 stories high and three windows wide. The hall feels no bigger than a living room, however its 107 seats are always sold out. Tony Amato continues to be the center and linchpin of this miniature opera. Tony is barely 5 foot tall, with his sneakers and the small, wiry man seems to be held up by his pant-suspenders. His voice is persuasive, his eyes bright. He conducts, sings, jumps, laughs and grumbles all at once. At 88 years of age, Maestro Tony Amato is in the middle of the season's last production.
SHATTERED GROUND
Hydraulic Fracturing or “Fracking” is a new technology that has opened up immense resources of natural gas buried in deep shale beds. Some see it as the answer to the energy crisis and a chance at energy independence. But fracking has become an incredibly divisive issue ripping apart communities and even families. The backlash is unprecedented, with states and countries adopting fracking bans. Shattered Ground is a one hour documentary that looks past the rhetoric and emotional arguments to find the real issues involved in hydraulic fracturing, the opportunity, and the potential health and environmental issues that will affect us all.
THE SUBVERSIVES
Theo van Boven becomes Director of Human Rights for the UN in 1977, where it was impossible to even name a country for gross violations. No bureaucrat, he battles the most repressive regimes of the late 20th century, such as Chile and Argentina and opens the UN door for the first time to "subversive" survivors from across the world. Risking everything, he even takes on the US and the Secretary General.
CORNWALL'S NARCISSUS ISLAND
360°GEO - Report spends the days in the run up to Easter on a flower farm. We also dive with playful grey seals in the Atlantic Ocean and reveal more than just the secrets of flower-growing.At the tip of the world - Landsend in Cornwall - are the Isles of Scilly. About 2,000 people live on these islands located at the entrance to the English Channel. Some of the locals are fishermen but their main activity is flower farming.The nearby Gulf Stream provides the islands with a year-round mild climate and as a result, millions of flowers are grown along the Atlantic Coast. Churchtown Farm specializes in Narcissi, and so it the pressure is on in the run up to Easter.
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?
ON THE CITIES’ ROOFTOPS
PARIS. 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…
NEW ZEALAND'S RACE OF EXCESSES
A plunge into New Zealand's Ultramarathon preparations, a tradition that comes from a Maori legend. 55 year-old Lilac Fley is an athlete and many times winner of the extreme race. A Maori legend dictates the course of the Ultramarathon. It tells the story of a boy who once lived with his tribe on the New Zealand coast. One day his mother asked him to search for some kumaras, or sweet potatoes, for a meal. Instead of digging for them, he decided to steal some from the neighboring tribe. Till this day, runners follow in his footsteps along the coastline - during New Zealand's most famous marathon.
JOURNEYS IN AFRICA
KILWA KISIWANI: SWAHILI KING OF THE INDIAN OCEAN. This ancient ruined city, lost to history, was one of the most powerful in the world during its prime. The architectural sophistication and sheer size will amaze. Then Journeys heads out to the deep ocean for some big game fishing. Will we land the big one or return empty handed?
MINDWORKS
ALTERED VIEWS. Understanding how we think and see by playing games with our brains. This factual entertainment series explores the way we see and interpret the world around us with engaging tests, activities, demonstrations and explanations. In each episode we experience visual and audio illusions, sensory puzzles and brain tricks from the worlds of art, science, nature and psychology and learn why they baffle our senses.
ANDALUSIA: THE MOORISH ARCHITECTURE
Andalusia, the Spanish territory has a confluence of cultures which is represented in its architecture! Visigothic, Roman, Byzantine and Arab - the structures in the region display all these influences. Between 8th & 15th century, several dynasties from Arab to Berber conquered Andalusia impacting the way of life of people. The film tells this story through beautiful edifices of Andalusia.
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.