In DIARY OF A BEE we follow the adventurous journey of a single bee from its birth (or hatching) to the founding of a new colony. Three years of shooting with the latest macro camera technology and special post-processing enable a unique visual language that allows completely new insights into the world of bees - without becoming unscientific. This story is told by Anna Thalbach as the "winter bee" and her daughter Nellie Thalbach, who takes on the role of the "summer bee". Welcome to the big drama of the little pollen collectors!
In 2009 a team of British cavers went on an expedition deep within the jungle of central Vietnam. To their amazement they discovered an enormous cave which they believe to be the biggest in the world. The team, the first humans ever to enter the cave, traveled 6 kilometers underground until their way was blocked by a gigantic rock face they dubbed 'The Great Wall of Vietnam'. Now they have returned, but this time with the right equipment to climb the wall and with a geologist and zoologist to discover if this is indeed the Biggest Cave in the World and what secrets lie deep within?
A documentary that shows the different fauna that populates natural habitats of France, and the people that aims to protect and preserve them.
New Zealand is one of the most remote countries in the world. Owing to the great distance from continents and, as a result of intense volcanic activity, unique flora and fauna as well as extraordinary landscapes have developed in this island country. The settlement of humans over the centuries has naturally also had an influence on the landscape. This film is an invitation to travel across the diverse landscapes of New Zealand.
A documentary on Al Gore's campaign to make the issue of global warming a recognized problem worldwide.
More than half a million feral cats prowl the streets of New York City, struggling to survive each day. With no official policies in place to aid the abandoned animals or curb their growing population, animal welfare activists enter the breach. The Cat Rescuers follows four dedicated, street-smart volunteers working tirelessly in Brooklyn to help save as many felines in need as possible, no matter the personal sacrifices they must make.
A black-and-white visual meditation of wilderness and the elements. Wildlife filmmaker Richard Sidey returns to the triptych format for a cinematic experience like no other.
The incredible true story of nature’s greatest explorers—lemurs. Through footage captured with IMAX 3D, audiences go on a spectacular journey to the remote and wondrous world of Madagascar. Join trailblazing scientist Patricia Wright on her lifelong mission to help these strange and adorable creatures survive in the modern world.
Shark expert Neil Hammerschlag and a crew of researchers search for an elusive hammerhead shark.
Something is rotten in England. A plague of North American grey squirrels threatens the beloved native red squirrel. The English are up in arms, and a band of patriots - including lords, priests, artists and farmers - has come together to fight back against the grey menace.
How would natural habitats develop without human interference? In this documentary we follow an international team of scientists and explorers on an extraordinary mission in Mozambique to reach a forest that no human has set foot in. The team aims to collect data from the forest to help our understanding of how climate change is affecting our planet. But the forest sits atop a mountain, and to reach it, the team must first climb a sheer 100m wall of rock.
Orchids are counted among the rarest and most endangered, but also the most beautiful species of plant in Germany. In this movie David Cebulla is in search of these unique plants around his hometown Jena, a university town situated in central Germany. He wants to capture impressive footage in order to make a statement for the protection and preservation of nature.
In this 40-minutes-documentary the ecologist and filmmaker David Cebulla is on a quest to find one of Germany's shyest and most endangered species: the European wildcat. During a scientific pre-study, by chance, he made the first record of a wildcat in an area near his hometown Jena. Thereupon he dedicates a whole year to get the genetic evidence and a really splendid film recording of a free-living wildcat. For this reason he sets up trail cameras and lure sticks. To find out more about these animals he meets up with two interview partners in course of the film. The Thuringian wildcat expert Silvester Tamás answers questions regarding estimates on the stock of free-ranging wildcats and the protection of the species. Matthias Krüger is head-taxidermist at the Jena Phyletic Museum and explains what we can learn from wildcats found already dead.
On January 8, 2005, the storm Gudrun pulled over southern Sweden and large parts of the Småland forest blew down. How do you cope when your food disappears overnight? Anders and Lisbeth Ericsson, who run a smaller farm, were hit hard by the storm. 70% of their 250 ha were blown down. This put them in a difficult economic and emotional crisis. They realize that it is important to find new solutions in order to live on now that the conditions have changed so completely. Johan Forsman and his father Jan have a large farm with 1500 ha of forest. For them, it is not just a financial loss, the extensive work to take care of the broken forest feels endless. It is difficult to get enough people to work. Some of the assistance is taken from other parts of the world, including Finnish forest workers. The problem is that the Finns only speak Finnish, and a little Russian…
Only twenty-five years ago, the first evidence of self-medicating behaviour among animals was reported among chimpanzees. On the basis of this pioneering research, led by the American Michael Huffman, a new science was founded: "zoopharmacognosy", or the study of animal pharmacopeia. Animals are apparently able to treat themselves actively, to detect natural substances that can provide a remedy for health problems, or to prevent them. The primatologist Michael Huffman explains how he discovered that chimpanzees can heal their diseases with medicinal plants from their environment. The scientist then comments on other very surprising examples: Birds that disinfect their nests by filling them with aromatic plants with repellent properties, a rodent that covers its coat with toxic sap as a poisonous defence against predators and elephants that place mud plasters on their injuries. Some therapeutic behaviours may even be transmitted socially among certain species.
News from the troubled Korean peninsula comes frequently and often deals with the risks of new fighting between North and South Korea. But between the two there is a zone where the wild got a chance and where rare animals can live on in the shadow of all weapons.
Cat experts explain the behaviors of domestic cats and how their sometimes undesirable actions are really innate instincts, revealing how closely they are still connected to their wild ancestors.
German nature film from 2011. Mention the "Elm Fight" in Sweden and most people there think of when protesters and police fought in Kungsträdgården in 1972. But only for a few years previously, a stealthy enemy had reached Sweden, which today threatens the elms far more than any city planner.