Tag Archives: Africa

Great Scenes In Cinema: “Soaring Over Kenya” From “Out Of Africa” (1985)

Denys Finch (Robert Redford) takes Karen Blixen (Meryl Streep) flying over Kenya’s Great Rift Valley in his Gipsy Moth biplane in this breathtaking sequence from Out of Africa, winner of seven Academy Awards including Best Picture.

The most acclaimed motion picture of 1985 stars Robert Redford and Meryl Streep in one of the screen’s great epic romances. Directed by Oscar® winner Sydney Pollack, Out of Africa is the fascinating true story of Karen Blixen, a strong-willed woman who, with her philandering husband (Klaus Maria Brandauer), runs a coffee plantation in Kenya, circa 1914. To her astonishment, she soon discovers herself falling in love with the land, its people and a mysterious white hunter (Redford). The masterfully crafted, breathtakingly produced story of love and loss earned Oscars® for Best Picture, Director, Screenplay (based on material from another medium), Cinematography, Original Score, Art Direction (Set Decoration) and Sound.

Cast: Meryl Streep, Robert Redford, Klaus Maria Brandauer, Michael Kitchen, Malick Bowens, Michael Gough, Suzanna Hamilton, Rachel Kempson, Graham Crowden, Leslie Phillips, Shane Rimmer

Produced By: Kim Jorgensen, Sydney Pollack

Directed By: Sydney Pollack

Science Podcasts: Low-Cost Cryo-Electron Microscopes & Genetic Roots Of Schizophrenia

Science Magazine PodcastsStructural biologists rejoiced when cryo–electron microscopy, a technique to generate highly detailed models of biomolecules, emerged. But years after its release, researchers still face long queues to access these machines. Science’s European News Editor Eric Hand walks host Meagan Cantwell through the journey of a group of researchers to create a cheaper, more accessible alternative.

Cryo-Electron Microscopes

Also this week, host Joel Goldberg speaks with psychiatrist and researcher Goodman Sibeko, who worked with the Xhosa people of South Africa to help illuminate genetic details of schizophrenia. Though scientists have examined this subject among Western populations, much less is known about the underlying genetics of people native to Africa.

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History: “Discovering Ancient Nubia: Kings and Pyramids in the Sudan”

Take a close look at the tombs of the Napatan kings who conquered and ruled Egypt from the late 8th century to 666 BCE, using objects that the MFA excavated from 1913 to 1932 with archeologist George Reisner.

MFA Museum of Fine Arts Boston logoNapatan kings later held sway over the kingdom of Kush in the northern Sudan, and built pyramids for themselves and their wives in cemeteries at Kurru and Napata. Studying these lavishly decorated pyramids, and the mortuary rites that took place in the attached chapels, makes clear some of the differences between ancient Egyptian and Napatan beliefs and priorities.

Susan K. Doll, Nubian scholar

Wednesday, October 30, 2019

Top New Travel Videos: “SESEL SA – These Are The Seychelles” (2020)

Filmed and Edited by: Dennis Schmelz

Mother Nature was unbelievably generous with the Seychelles, a fabled paradise whose islands lie scattered across the Indian Ocean. Spellbinding beaches are the main attraction, and what beaches. Exquisite ribbons of sand lapped by turquoise waters and backed by lush hills, palm trees and Dali-esque boulders.

SESEL SA - These are the Seychelles travel video by Dennis Schmelz January 20 2020

Beyond the beach, diving and snorkelling are brilliant in the warm waters amid abundant marine life, while few places on the planet do ocean-side luxury quite like the Seychelles. Mahé is the largest island and entry point to the Seychelles, with some fabulous resorts, restaurants and beaches, not to mention the small capital city of Victoria. But it’s also the busiest island, with glorious Praslin and La Digue a short boat ride away. Even further out, there are real lost-world islands to be found.

SESEL SA - These are the Seychelles travel video by Dennis Schmelz January 20 2020

2nd Camera & Timelapses: Gloria Regonesi & Lau Fong Sung
Editing, Grading & Sounddesign: Dennis Schmelz

Music: Pioneers by Spencer Wilson & Jamie Elder

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Travel: “Okavango – River Of Dreams” Directed By Beverly And Dereck Joubert (Video Profile)

Beverly Joubert and Dereck Joubert
Beverly Joubert and Dereck Joubert

Beverly Joubert and Dereck Joubert on OKAVANGO: RIVER OF DREAMS (DIRECTOR’S CUT), a documentary premiering at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival.

Okavango: River of Dreams, follows a cast of wildlife whose destiny is forever linked to this unique desert oasis and its extraordinary journey as it winds its way to the Kalahari Desert, the only river in the world to disappear inland.

Presented by Dropbox.

Top Hotels: “Gorgeous George Hotel In Cape Town, South Africa

Cape Town’s Gorgeous George hotel exhibits the best of local design says interior architect Tristan du Plessis, in this video produced by Dezeen for the AHEAD awards. Gorgeous George, which was named Hotel of the Year at the 2019 AHEAD Gorgeous George Hotel Cape Town South AfricaMiddle East and Africa hospitality awards, is a 36-room renovation of a pair of historic buildings in downtown Cape Town, South Africa.

 

The project was the most heavily-awarded hotel at the ceremony, also taking home awards in the Renovation, Restoration & Conversion, Suite and Visual Identity categories. Located in downtown Cape Town, Gorgeous George is a boutique hotel designed for both visitors and locals to enjoy, according to du Plessis.

“We set out to create an urban hotel, a hotel that became the lounge for the local neighbourhood,” he says in the video interview, which was filmed by Dezeen in Dubai on the day of the awards ceremony.

Top New Travel Videos: “Hostile Land – Danakil Depression, Ethiopia” (Haussmann Visuals)

Filmed, Edited and Directed by: Daniel Haussmann

The Danakil Depression, one of the most hostile places on earth. It lies 100m below sea level and is the hottest inhabited place on the planet. Not only that, but it also is a quite notorious place. Various government agencies warn you from going there. Due to bandits, terrorists and border conflicts armed securities are a must.

Hostile Land - Danakil, Ethiopia Travel Video by Daniel Haussmann 2019

There is no running water, no hotel and no power out there. However once you overcome those hardships, some of the most unique and amazing landscapes await you. This trip takes you to the surreal landscapes of Dallol and the Erta Ale volcano.

Website: https://www.facebook.com/haussmannvisuals/