Tag Archives: Documentary

Climate Documentary: ‘Colorado River In Crisis’

Los Angeles Times (November 15, 2023) – A team of Los Angeles Times journalists travels along the Colorado River to examine how the Southwest is grappling with the water crisis. The Colorado River can no longer withstand the thirst of the arid West.

Water drawn from the river flows to millions of people in cities from Denver to Los Angeles and irrigates vast farmlands. For decades, sections of the river have been entirely used up, leaving dusty expanses of desert where water once flowed to the sea in Mexico. Now, chronic overuse and the effects of climate change are pushing the river system toward potential collapse, with depleted reservoirs near the lowest levels since they were filled.

A water reckoning is about to transform the landscape of the Southwest. Colorado River in Crisis follows Los Angeles Times journalists traveling throughout the river’s watershed, from the headwaters in the Rocky Mountains to the river’s dry delta. These stories reveal the stark toll of the river’s decline, responses that have yet to match the scale of the crisis, and voices that are urging a fundamental rethinking of how water is managed and used to adapt to the reality of an overtapped and dwindling river.

This documentary was filmed and produced by Albert Brave Tiger Lee, with reporting by Ian James and other L.A. Times journalists. Consulting producers included Maggie Beidelman, Robert Meeks and Erik Himmelsbach-Weinstein. (46 minutes)

Read the L.A. Times series Colorado River in Crisis: https://www.latimes.com/environment/s…

Theater: ‘Simon Schama’s Shakespeare And Us’ (2023)

BBC Select (November 4, 2023) – How much is the personality of England intertwined with the visions of Shakespeare? Acclaimed historian Simon Schama tries to get beneath the skin of the playwright and understand why his stories are so relevant today.

In this insightful documentary we are shown how Shakespeare knew the importance of not just reflecting the lives of the kings and queens who peppered his plays, but ordinary people too – including thieves, clowns and prostitutes.

Watch Simon Schama’s Shakespeare and Us on BBC Select in the US: https://bit.ly/49bpdiK and Canada: https://bit.ly/45WLLAX

Travel: The ‘Treasures Of The Mekong River’ In Laos

DW Documentary (September 28, 2023) – With its rich biological diversity, the region around the Mekong River is a jewel of Asia. The river is also known as “the mother of waters.

” It’s a transport route, water supply and food source for millions of people. The film sets out in a journey to the former royal city of Luang Prabang in Laos. It’s regarded as one of the most beautiful cities in southeast Asia and to this day, religion determines everyday life: Every morning, hundreds of monks walk through the city’s ancient center to collect their alms.

In the isolated villages, some of which are only accessible by boat, most Laotians live off the land. There are huge rice paddies on the fertile banks on the Mekong; rice is the Laotians’ main staple, eaten three times a day here. The river also provides some welcome dietary variation in the form of fish. Locals – and the odd tourist boat – also use the Mekong as a main transit route; even today, the quickest way to reach the country’s larger cities is still by river.

At some point, several hundred kilometers downstream, we reach the capital Vientiane, the economic heart of Laos and a trading center for the famous Laotian woven textiles, exported from here all over the world.

#documentary #dwdocumentary #laos #mekong

Bali Views: How A 90-Year-Old Man Fights Pollution

Each year, just about 30,000 metric tonnes of plastic pollution enter Indonesia’s waters. How does one man plan to clean it up?

In Indonesia, the ocean plays a critical role in people’s livelihood; from their food to their careers. But that important life source is under threat from overwhelming amounts of plastic. Unfortunately, this pollution is fueled from one of Indonesia’s most popular tourist destinations, Bali.

This, combined with plastic from the rest of the world, washes up on beaches, gets hooked by local fishermen, and damages marine ecosystems. This film follows Wayan, a 90-year-old Balinese fisherman using all his resources and knowledge to tackle this growing problem, one net of trash at a time. This is Voice Above Water, a production from Turning Tides Films.

Documentary: ‘Fukushima – The Age Of Radioactivity’

The USS Ronald Reagan cruised into a radioactive cloud from the Fukushima nuclear power plant in March 2011. Sailors on the aircraft carrier were exposed to radiation. This documentary looks at the event and what came before it. The discovery of the atom and radioactivity are among the most important advances in 20th Century science. This film provides a comprehensive, historical examination of a century of radioactivity. At the same time it remembers the victims – from the Curies to Fukushima.

The film-makers visit Japanese families who sued Tepco, the operator of the Fukushima reactor, after their children developed thyroid cancer following the tsunami and subsequent nuclear disaster. Sent to help tsunami victims, sailors from the USS Ronald Reagan give detailed accounts of what happened on board the carrier. Radiation victims on both sides of the Pacific recount their difficulties in getting information. The film also introduces others harmed by industrial and military secrecy over the issue. Among them are fishermen and veterans exposed to radiation during the nuclear bomb tests on Bikini Atoll, Hiroshima survivors and young women who worked with radium in US factories in the 1920s. Radioactivity is invisible and odorless, yet very harmful to life. A Japanese doctor tells viewers how radioactivity affects the human body, why it causes cancer, and what can be done to shield people against it.

World History: ‘The Decline And Fall Of The League Of Nations’ (Video)

Click here to watch on YouTube

This film is the history of the League of Nations from 1930 to the onset of the Second world War: that 10-year span ending when Geneva, surrounded by Axis Powers, almost faded into memory.

New Video Documentary: “Tending The Flame” – “Red House” Of William Morris

 

This film documents the story of furniture designer and builder Hugh Miller and the journey he embarked on, ending with his piece being inducted in to iconic Red House in Bexley Heath. Steeped in artistic history Red House was the only house designed and lived in by champion of the arts and craft movement William Morris. Today it stands as an example of the preservation of craft skills in the face of autonomy and is a lasting testament to celebrating art in it’s many forms. This documentary hopes to highlight how some of the lessons taught by Morris and his friends can be implemented in to the world of art and design today.

This film was made with the support of The Crafts Council and The National Trust.

New Short Films: “The Language Of The Trees” By BRADLEY TANGONAN (2020)

“The Language Of The Trees” is a Cinematic Poem Documentary Short Film Directed by Bradley Tangonan.

Directed by: Bradley Tangonan

The Language Of The Trees - Cinematic Poem Documentary Short Film Directed by BRADLEY TANGONAN July 15 2020

Creative Director DEBORAH ROYER
Exectuive Producer STINE CHRONE MOISEN
Director of Photography JAMES L BROWN

Original Score by JORDAIN WALLACE
Sound Design & Mix TORIN GELLER & HAYLEY LIVINGSTON / ONE THOUSAND BIRDS

Featuring EDWARD MILLER & RILEY SHAW

Set in the imposing landscape of the Kimberley in Western Australia, this short documentary follows the story of an aboriginal farmer named Edward.

Raised among elders who taught him how to thrive “out bush,” Edward navigates between the rhythmic routine of a small sandalwood farm and the vast and abundant wilderness just beyond its border.

This journey of silence and presence in nature awakens the senses, teaches us how to connect with trees and the land, and invites us to listen to the natural world around us.

Top Short Films: “Ripening” -Chef Oliver Rowe And His 15-Year “Food” Journey

Directed by: Stephen Ashwell and Miriam van Ernst

Executive Producer: Adam Penny
Cinematography: Stephen Ashwell
Producer: Miriam van Ernst

In 2005, Connected Pictures made a ten-part documentary for the BBC about chef Oliver Rowe, setting up a restaurant in Kings Cross and sourcing all his food from within London. The series was a global success, showing around the world for many years after. Since then, the seasonal and local food landscape has exploded.

However, Oliver’s journey hasn’t been quite as smooth in 2018 he wrote a book called ‘A Food for All Seasons’ about his relationship with food.

Together with director Stephen Ashwell ,we made a film to talk about his journey to today and about the important role food has played throughout his life.

Website

Art Documentary: “Words And Pictures – Ian Beck”

Directed, Filmed and Edited by: Edmund Beck

Music composed by: Simon Whiteside
Interview and Graphics by: Laurence Beck
Sound mix by: David Mead

Ian Beck - IllustratorShort documentary film about Author, illustrator Ian Beck. A brief look at his life and where he works. Included are, his inspirations from childhood reading, the making of the artwork for Elton John’s 1973 album ‘Goodbye Yellow Brick Road’ and his current project in collaboration with Philip Pullman (His Dark Materials) creating a Myriorama.

 

Ian Archibald Beck is an English children’s illustrator and author. In addition to his numerous children’s books, he is also known for his cover illustration on Elton John’s Goodbye Yellow Brick Road album. More than a million copies of his books have been sold worldwide.