Explore Nature:

ICELAND, THE NEWBORN ISLAND

(SK DUB, 53')

The Arctic fox, the only autochthonous land mammal in Iceland, is one of the species that has been able to adapt to the hard living conditions on this island. A territory that was born from the fire in the heart of the Earth where life has sprouted in the most astonishing way. The fox will guide us through the island’s great biodiversity…

WHITE WOLVES – GHOSTS OF THE ARCTIC

(SK DUB, 56')

At the very northern edge of Canada is Ellesmere Island, where the unforgiving Arctic winds tear through the tundra, dipping temperatures to 40 below zero. Running through this shifting sea of snow and ice is one of the most hardened predators on the planet, the Arctic Wolf. But as the spring melt approaches, these roaming hunters must adapt…

WILD CARIBBEAN – WHALES AND VOLCANOES

(SK DUB, 53')

On the Caribbean islands of Dominica and Guadeloupe, vulcanism has many faces. Almost every one of the deeply incised valleys is home to species of animals, which exist only here. Because of these special conditions special behavioral forms could also arise. The sperm whales of Dominica eat smaller squid than elsewhere…

OYMYAKON: THE STORY OF THE COLDEST INHABITED PLACE

(SK SUBS, 28')

A one of a kind documentary Oymyakon tells the story of the people from an isolated village located deep in the Northern Siberian taiga, known as the Pole of Cold. Witness a day in the life of the citizens of the coldest inhabited place on Earth and discover the challenges they face in this inhospitable landscape where the lowest ever recorded temperature stands at -71.2°C (-95.8°F).

ROOTED – THE HOLLOW HEART

(SK DUB, 49')

This is the incredible story of a tree that has been around for eight hundred years that can withstand the harshest conditions and that is more loved by insects, birds and animals than any other, the enormous Baobab. Rooted on the savannah of Malilangwe Game Reserve in southern Zimbabwe. Baobabs are trees that can withstand extreme drought…

BAHÍA

(SK SUBS, 7')

No longer than 60 years ago, Cartagena Bay harboured more than two hundred hectares of coral reefs, a thousand of sea grass beds and eight hundred of mangroves. It was home to a countless number of marine species that coexisted in harmony with local communities that lived off that richness. Then the so-called progress came…

SPIRIT OF JAGUAR

(SK ORIGINAL, 58')

Four friends are heading into the Amazonian jungle for a challenging journey. They paddle down the wild rivers and hike through deep forests to become a part of the Indian Hodi tribe. The mysterious Sierra Maigualida Mountains, which haven´t been crossed by any European human being ever before…

THE WORLD ACCORDING TO TERMITES

(CZ ORIGINAL, 52')

Termites – for somebody exotic crap, for others, the pests that are causing tremendous economic damage. The film attempts to show them differently: as a force that significantly influences the ecosystem of our entire planet, and also as an object of intense scientific research that reveals their fascinating life and extraordinary adaptation.

THE WILD ANDES – PATAGONIA UNTAMED

(SK DUB, 50')

Surrounded by mighty glaciers and fortress-like granite peaks, battered by Antarctic winds and icy rain, a female puma tries to raise its family and tracks its prey across the rugged landscape of Patagonia. Whereas in the Valdivian rainforest Darwin beetles fight for a mate. Constant upheaval and explosive change tests life…

ESCAPE TO COSTA RICA – THE CALL OF THE OCEAN

(CZ ORIGINAL, 52')

Costa Rica’s coastline and the sea that bathes it are as sought after as the unbounded nature inland. Local beaches are attractive for their natural beauty, as well as for the miracle of creation. Evidence of Mother Nature’s – or in this case, the god Siba’s – boundless fantasies is the Osa peninsula. Long ago it was an island…

WILD AUSTRIA – CREATED BY WATER

(EN ORIGINAL, 52')

Austria’s love affair with water has given her unique and amazing landscapes and biospheres, carved out by Alpine glaciers, ancient seas and mighty rivers, home to iconic animals like eagles, wild boar, ibex and deer. The documentary melds overwhelming spectacle with miniature high drama in a portrait of a country where…

MACRO WORLDS – WINTER IS COMING

(EN ORIGINAL, 48')

As soon as the days get cold and dark insects begin to disappear from the meadows and fields. All animals have their special ways to survive winter. Migrating birds like swallows and cranes fly towards south, a lot of mammals like deer get a thick winter fur or hide away and sleep where it’s warm. But what do insects do?

THE KINGDOM – HOW FUNGI MADE OUR WORLD

(EN ORIGINAL, 52')

Hidden from sight is the Kingdom of Fungi that rules life on land. It’s an alien world with the largest and oldest organisms alive today. It was fungi that made life possible on a barren planet and it was fungi that brought life back to Earth after the last mass extinction event. By looking at fungi in the context of evolution…

AMAZING PIGS

(EN ORIGINAL, 52')

Filthy? Greedy? Lazy? Time to think again. Pigs are highly intelligent, possess acute senses and thrive in almost every habitat on earth. With some two billion of them now sharing our planet, Amazing Pigs takes viewers on a surprising, funny and fascinating journey around the world to reveal the extraordinary secrets…

COUNTRY WITH SCENT OF HONEY

(SK ORIGINAL, 56')

Man is a good observer. Harvesting honey from wild bees, man observed their lives as well. In the course of time, man came to realize when he respects the bees, he will be able to return to their nests and collect the honey regularly. However, man did not manage to tame them, he learned to make the most of them…

Success Stories:

THE CARNIVORE’S DILEMMA

(SK SUBS, 52')

As the population grows and the pressure to provide cheap food increases, there has been a drive towards relentless productivity and industrialized farming. Animal cruelty, major health issues and environmental damage are inevitable consequences. But are there alternatives? We go on a journey…

THE RIGHTS OF NATURE: A GLOBAL MOVEMENT

(EN ORIGINAL, 53')

Western views and the legal system tend to view nature as property, a commodity whose only value is to provide for human needs. But for millennia indigenous communities have viewed themselves as part of nature. As pressures on the environment mount, people are turning to a new legal strategy known as The Rights of Nature…

USELESS

(SK SUBS, 51')

In the documentary UseLess, we try to find out why food and fashion waste has become a pressing social and environmental problem and what we can do to change it. The documentary is seen through the eyes of a young Icelandic mother who is trying to understand the issues and change her ways…

BIRDS OF THE LAKES RETURN

(SK DUB, 55')

Birds of the Lakes Return is a film showing how birds returned to an environment once devastated by industry. The author unveils astonishing details from the lives of birds. Some of them live in the vicinity of the people but are hardly ever spotted. The film also shows how the industry nowadays coexists with this vibrant life…

THE MAN OF THE TREES

(EN SUBS, 19')

Daniel Balima is a senior horticulturist from Tenkodogo, a small Sub-Saharan African town in Burkina Faso, where he lives with his large family and has worked since he was born 67 years ago. In over fifty years of activity he has given life to more than a million trees and this is what is most important for Daniel…

BURKINABÈ BOUNTY: AGROECOLOGY IN BURKINA FASO

(EN SUBS, 37')

Burkinabè Bounty chronicles agricultural resistance and the fight for food sovereignty in Burkina Faso—a small, landlocked country in West Africa. Showcasing activist farmers, students, artists, and leaders in the local Slow Food movement, the film looks at how the Burkinabè people are reclaiming their land…

ACTIVIST

(SK SUBS, 57')

Activist is a modern Jeanne d’Arc story in which a determined teenager from Finnish Lapland commences a battle against one of the world’s biggest mining companies. She fights for the future of her home village and for outstanding mire protected by European Union’s nature program. Riikka Karppinen was a 15-year-old schoolgirl…

IN PRAISE OF SLOW, MONIQUE AND THE SLOTHS

(EN ORIGINAL, 53')

Surinam, South America. The under-forest beauty equals the superb littoral, and the laid back style of life gives the region a very cinematographic touch. A paradise? Not for the sloth, one of its first inhabitants, who hardly survives in a context of deforestation and lost of its last territory…

CITIES UNDER THREAT – VENICE

(SK DUB, 46')

Founded in the fifth century, Venice is built across around 100 islands linked by canals and more than 300 bridges. The city floods increasingly often. Like a journey back in time, this documentary goes from the city’s foundations to the Venice we know today. Historians, architects, engineers and residents share their love for this unique city…

GLOBAL THERMOSTAT

(EN ORIGINAL, 53')

Geo-engineering, large-scale modification of the global climate system is no longer science fiction, under the pressure of global warming. By catching the CO2 present in the atmosphere thanks to artificial tree forests, by reflecting sunlight in making a shield in the stratosphere, scientists are testing new technologies…

PLANET E.: ECO-REBELS OF THE HIMALAYAS

(EN ORIGINAL, 29')

The small Indian state of Sikkim dares to do a unique experiment: agriculture without pesticides or artificial fertilizers, 100 % organic. In Germany, like in many other countries, organic farming doesn’t gain momentum. Why is that? Could Sikkim be a role model for us?

SUSTAINABLE NATION

(EN ORIGINAL, 60')

Sustainable Nation, an hour-long documentary from Imagination Productions, follows three individuals working to bring sustainable water solutions to an increasingly thirsty planet. Using solutions developed in water-poor Israel, they are working to change the status quo of a world where one in 10 people lacks access to safe drinking water…

Current affairs:

ICE ALIVE

(EN ORIGINAL, 20')

For many, the arctic is a lifeless, sterile place, but Joseph Cook is investigating how a rich ecosystem of microbial life is thriving in one of Earth’s harshest environments. Not only that, but also these microbes could actually be accelerating the melting of our precious glaciers and ice sheets…

THE LAST GUARDIANS

(SK DUB, 44')

The Last Guardians is a documentary made alongside the indigenous Sàpara and Kichwa communities of the Ecuadorian Amazon. Bringing exposure to the threats they are facing from the oil industry, the film also sheds light on their philosophy and way of life, illustrating what the world stands to lose if their rights are not respected…

THE HIDDEN SIDE OF ANIMAL TRANSPORT

(EN ORIGINAL, 53')

Shocking undercover footage shows how animas exported from Europe as livestock are routinely exposed to inhumane conditions and abused. A ruling that EU animal welfare regulations should remain in place until the very end of the journey is not being imposed. We investigate the hidden side of Europe’s trade in live animals.

DIESEL: THE INDUSTRY’S SMOKESCREEN

(EN ORIGINAL, 55')

Meet the researchers who uncovered the cheat devise and investigate the dangers posed by NOx emissions. We meet a team of researchers from MIT who say there have been 4000 premature deaths across Europe due to NOx excessive emissions due to diesel cars marketed as ‘clean’. Thirty people in France are now taking the state to court…

GREEN WARRIORS: INDONESIA, THE WORLD’S MOST POLLUTED RIVER

(SK DUB, 54')

Citarum River, Indonesia, is the world’s most polluted river. One of the main polluters is actually the fashion industry: 500 textile factories throw away their wastewater directly into the Citarum river. Thanks to the help of concerned citizens, the Green Warriors team analyzed water samples, rice, children’s hair, etc. and found out many toxic chemicals…

WORLD WITHOUT INSECTS

(SK DUB, 29')

First the insects die, then the birds and then the humans. In parts of Central Europe, as many as 70 percent of all insects are extinct and even the birds are less. In China there are no more insects in some places and humans have to pollinate the plants. The authors show a variety of causes and offer solutions…

THE FIGHT FOR THE ARCTIC

(SK DUB, 27')

The Arctic ice is retreating due to climate change. The region’s once inaccessible raw materials have caught the attention of major world powers. And the tourism industry has also discovered the Arctic for their interests. More and more further north, the cruise ships come to previously untouched regions.

LITTLE AUK THROUGH THE AGES

(EN ORIGINAL, 14')

The Arctic is warming rapidly, what are the consequences for polar species? An interdisciplinary team has been working at a spectacular East Greenland site for the past 12 years. The researchers focused on little auks, tiny seabirds that forage by the million in the Greenland Sea. Using miniature electronic trackers, they follow the birds…

SMOG WARS

(SK SUBS, 57')

Air pollution is responsible for an estimated 50,000 premature deaths annually in Poland. On January 9, 2017, Warsaw’s air quality measured worse than any major city in the world, sparking a national conversation about how to fight smog. Featuring interviews with people from across all levels of Polish society, the film shows how air pollution can have a severe impact…

THE STORY OF A PANTY

(SK DUBS, 57')

“The Story of a Panty, and of Those Who Make It” is the story of a panty, so innocuous, that protects what is most intimate. A garment which, when one traces its manufacturing process, can symbolize on its own the mechanisms of our globalized world. A unique chance to check out what stories are behind our underwear…

ZÉ WANTS TO KNOW WHY

(EN SUBS, 27')

In recent years, the inhabitants of Elalab have been embroiled in an uphill battle against rising sea levels. Elalab is a small village on the Northern coast of Guinea-Bissau with only 435 inhabitants. Zé is one of the oldest men in the community. The question that no one can answer and that seems to be going through everyone’s mind is: “Why is this happening?”…

THE RICH, THE POOR AND THE TRASH

(SK SUBS, 28')

Trash is a symbol of our times. The amount we generate and the way we deal with it speak volumes about our consumption and prosperity – and our levels of social inequality. Godwin Ochieng lives in Dandora, Kenya, where one of the largest dumpsites in Africa is located. He spends his days combing through the piles of garbage from the city’s wealthier districts…

TERRA

(EN SUBS, 30')

Production at Russia’s enormous Bovanenkovo natural gas field began in 2012. Bovanenkovo is located on the Yamal Peninsula, a remote area of Siberia where temperatures in winter sink below minus 50. But gas production facilities obstruct the historical migration routes of the Nenets people, indigenous reindeer herders…

THE UNDAMAGED

(EN SUBS, 51')

The Balkans cradles Europe’s last wild rivers and supports abundant wildlife and healthy, intact ecosystems. These rivers are The Undamaged – clean, pristine, and undammed. With over 2,700 small and large hydro power plants planned or under construction in the Balkans, corruption and greed are destroying the last free-flowing rivers of Europe…

THE CUSTODIANS OF DOLPHINS

(EN SUBS, 48')

Over 30 species of whales and dolphins, one-third of all species, have been recorded in Taiwan. Some of these cetaceans migrate like birds and others stay year-round. Some dolphins’ preference for coastal habitats put them in historical conflict with mankind. How have the three representative dolphins of Taiwan fared?…

COLD HEARTED COAL

(EN ORIGINAL, 44')

Summertime is barbecue time: in no country in the EU is more charcoal consumed than in Germany. But summer fun has its downsides. The fact that this hides a billion-dollar business that destroys primeval forests and funds terror, among other things, is something most consumers are unaware of…

SMOKE AND FUMES – THE CLIMATE CHANGE COVER UP

(EN ORIGINAL, 52')

A story as exciting as a crime novel: This investigative documentary shows how the oil industry secretly has been financing scientific studies, launching false media reports and has systematically been deceiving the public about the consequences of climate change – since 1946.

DUMPSTER DIVERS

(SK SUBS, 46')

Imagine a world, where garbage bins are filled with flowers. A world without waste. Dumpster divers explores how far this vision is from our everyday life. The film portrays the range from institutional waste management, waste separation, recycling, to NGO’s and individuals who are striving to prevent waste in the first place…

MURDER ON THE REEF

(EN ORIGINAL, 51')

Murder on the Reef follows the hotly debated issues surrounding the world’s largest living structure, the Great Barrier Reef. But is it too late? Many scientists now believe as much as fifty percent of the corals in the Great Barrier Reef have died. But the elephant in the room is climate change and some of the exhausted scientists believe the fight is futile…

THE WATER DANCERS

(SK DUB, 25')

Dragonflies are the sentinels of the Earth. Being among the oldest creatures on our planet, they have lived in harmony with the indigenous plants and animals of Earth’s bountiful landscapes for 300 million years. We came, we conquered and we evicted them from their habitats. South Africa’s scientists and industries are working to bring them back…

SOYALISM

(EN ORIGINAL, 65')

Food production has increasingly become a huge business for a handful of giant corporations. SOYALISM follows the industrial production chain of pork and the related soybean monoculture, from China to Brazil through the United States and Mozambique. The documentary describes the enormous concentration of power in the hands…

FILM THE CHANGE: PLASTIC

(SK SUBS, 38')

4 young filmmakers document their journey through the changing world of plastic pollution and see what can happen when masses of people become aware of an environmental catastrophe – and demand change.

Shorts:

FOURTH WALL

(SK SUBS, 10')

“The 4th Wall” is the side of the society that remains invisible, but similar throughout the globe. The only significant difference is people’s characteristics. A world that is reproducing itself in order to produce, surviving rather instinctively. The film is based on the notes of a ten-month trek.

THE RIVER OF THE KUKAMAS

(EN SUBS, 7')

Being born from the Spirit of the river, Kukama people have a special connection with the water. The river shrinks and grows throughout the year, affecting the lives of its citizens. Filmed at its widest state at the end of the rain season, we learn the cosmology of this disappearing culture in Peru.

THE MAN WHO PLANTED A FOREST

(SK DUB, 6')

In 1979 a young boy saw dead animals and snakes around a barren riverbank. He went out to investigate the reason behind those deaths, he found out it was due to dwindling forest resources. To help the animals, he started planting saplings in the middle of a barren wasteland in Assam. Every day, he planted one new sapling…

FRAGILE – WHY TURTLE HATCHLINGS NEED THE SEA

(SK DUB, 8')

The life cycle of a marine turtle is complex. Nowadays, they are facing challenging changes to their habitats and encounter all kinds new dangers imposed upon them by modern humans. All sea turtle species are threatened with extinction. To help save sea turtles, marine conservation facilities around the world hatch sea turtle eggs…

M6NTHS

(NO DIALOGUE, 12')

M6NTHS is an award winning film about an animal in captivity, longing for the outside. An animal who shares with us the ability to dream, who is intelligent, curious, social and sensitive, and in whom we can clearly recognize a soul. An animal who can live up to ten years in the wild but only six months under our care…

JUNGLEKEEPERS – CRUCIAL TIME

(EN ORIGINAL, 3')

A film made while on expedition in the Amazon rainforest. The film follows a member of Junglekeepers: an organization committed to protecting this indispensable region so that countless plant and animal species can continue to thrive. The film shows a glimpse of the incredible environment while the Junglekeeper emphasizes the importance of their work.

GAJAH BORNEO

(NO DIALOGUE, 8')

Inspired by real events, the story of a Borneo elephant family comes to life in a stop motion world made out of recycled paper.

BIRTHPLACE

(NO DIALOGUE, 6')

The symbolic story of a man arriving on a perfect Earth, who encounters his nemesis in the form of ocean pollution.

SAVE OUR SOULS

(SK DUB, 4')

A giant SOS distress call has been carved into the landscape of a palm oil plantation in Sumatra by Lithuanian artist Ernest Zacharevic, calling attention to the ongoing destruction of Indonesia’s rainforests, the demise of iconic species such as the Sumatran orangutan and its effects on the global climate.

Features – Sustainability and Us:

BREATHLESS

(EN ORIGINAL, 77')

Following the deaths of his father and many others from his village, filmmaker Daniel Lambo sets off on a passionate quest to find the truth about the deadly asbestos industry. His search takes him to the largest asbestos waste dump in India and unveils a cold-blooded industry still endangering the lives of workers and consumers…

BEFORE THE PLATE

(SK SUBS, 94')

Before the Plate is a feature length documentary that follows a single plate of food backwards to the farms its ingredients came from, upsetting modern myths about farming and revealing the challenges the industry faces as it moves forwards. Starring John Horne, executive chef of the downtown Toronto restaurant Canoe, Before the Plate showcases 10 ingredients…

CAN AN ECO-LABEL SLOW DOWN THE FOREST INDUSTRY?

(EN SUBS, 97')

To stop the jungle dying, 25 years ago, an international organization was founded, the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), an association for the certification of sustainable forestry. The FSC seal should show that furniture, paper, decking, flooring etc. were made of “environmentally friendly” logged wood…

CHASING THE THUNDER

(SK SUBS, 96')

A high seas documentary about the 110-day chase of the Interpol purple noticed illegal fishing vessel the Thunder. The marine conservation activist organization Sea Shepherd’s Captain Peter and Captain Sid follow the Thunder for 16,000 km through Antarctic Icebergs and through the Southern Ocean storms…

INTO THE OKAVANGO

(CZ ORIGINAL, 93')

A passionate conservation biologist brings together a river bushman fearful of losing his past and a young scientist uncertain of her future on an epic, four-month expedition across three countries, through unexplored and dangerous landscapes, in order to save the Okavango Delta, one of our planet’s last pristine wildernesses.

Kids:

THE ADVENTURES OF ZACK AND MOLLY

(SK DUB, 12')

Zack is more interested in the small world of his smart phone than the larger world around him. His online request for a roommate is answered by Molly, a tech-savvy Dumbo octopus on a mission to tell the world about the importance of the deep ocean. Molly wants to use Zack’s apartment for her global communications headquarters…

ON THE COVER

(NO DIALOGUE, 4')

A nature photographer enters a forest and to his surprise, all of the animals begin to pop up in front of his camera, only to have their image on the cover of the magazine. But why?

LOOK

(NO DIALOGUE, 3')

Human activity does not always have a positive effect on our planet. The short animated film Look explores natural cycles of exchange between humans and animals. Dare to look and change the world.