Sociopolitical Documentary hosted by Aaron Gekoski, published by EarthxTV in 2021 - English narration
Environmental photojournalist Aaron Gekoski investigates our relationship with one of the planet's most popular exotic pets: ball pythons.
Sociopolitical Documentary hosted by Aaron Gekoski, published by EarthxTV in 2021 - English narration
Environmental photojournalist Aaron Gekoski investigates our relationship with one of the planet's most popular exotic pets: ball pythons.
Health-Medical Documentary with no narration published by Cadillac Films in 2013 - English language
Oxyana Tucked in the Appalachian mountains of Southern West Virginia, Oceana, is a small, once thriving coal-mining town that has fallen victim to the fast spreading scourge of prescription painkiller Oxycontin. As the coal industry slowly declined and times got tough, a black market for the drug sprung up and along with it a rash of prostitution, theft and murder. Soon its own residents had nicknamed the town Oxyana and it began to live up to its reputation as abuse, addiction and overdoses became commonplace. Oxyana is a harrowing front line account of a community in the grips of an epidemic, told through the voices of the addicts, the dealers and all those affected. It is a haunting glimpse into an American nightmare unfolding before our eyes, a cautionary tale told with raw and unflinching honesty. Winner of Best New Documentary Director, Tribeca Film Festival 2013 Special Jury Mention for Best Documentary, Tribeca Film Festival 2013
Culture Documentary hosted by none available, published by Decca in 2007 - English narration
A dazzling new version of a much-loved classic performed by the Mariinsky (Kirov) Ballet. Acclaimed Russian artist Mihail Chemiakin returned to the original story by E.T.A. Hoffmann to create a darkly magical childhood world of dancing snowflakes, sinister rats and a dangerous journey to the City of Sweets. Tchaikovsky's complete score is conducted by the celebrated music director of the Mariinsky Theatre - Valery Gergiev.
Science Documentary hosted by Don Wescott, published by PBS broadcasted as part of PBS Odyssey series in 1981 - English narration
Throughout most of the nineteenth century, it was believed that the tens of thousands of earthen mounds that dotted the central United States were engineering feats created by a mysterious, lost race - a race that had been destroyed by the less civilized Indians. Poet William Cullen Bryant, in 1832, expressed the sentiment of the period: The red man came, The roaming hunter tribes, warlike and fierce, And the moundbuilders vanished from the earth. By the late 1880s, it was becoming clear that the mounds were actually built by ancestors of the numerous native American groups that still inhabited the central states, such as the Natchez. This film reconstructs the history of ideas associated with the mounds and their builders, from the mid-nineteenth century explorations of curious citizens, to contemporary archaeological research in the Illinois River Valley. It is now known that there were at least two major mound-building cultures: the Hopewell, which flourished between 300 B.C. and 300 A.D., and the Mississippian, which peaked around 1200 A.D. Hopewellian mounds are usually conical, earthen structures concealing burials in which marvelously carved stone pipes and mica cutouts are found along with skeletal remains. The later Mississippian mounds tend to be square or rectangular, massive, flat-topped, mesa-like platforms on which houses or temples were erected. Archaeologists believe that a shift to settled maize agriculture had occurred by the time the Mississippian cultures appeared. Such an economic base permitted the growth of veritable metropolises, such as Cahokia, near East St. Louis, where the largest mound stands 100 feet high and covers an area of almost 15 acres. At Cahokia, over 100 mounds formed the heart of a city-state that may have had a population of 20,000 and dominated an area about the size of New York State. About the Odyssey series In an attempt to cut the often esoteric ice of anthropology, PBS released in 1980 the first season of ODYSSEY, a newly-created series of anthropological documentaries, with a second season in 1981. The entire series was produced by Public Broadcasting Associates of Boston, with major funding by the National Endowment for the Humanities. Additional funding was provided by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and Polaroid. Michael Ambrosino is the Executive Producer of the series.
Nature Documentary hosted by Stuart Freeman, published by ORF broadcasted as part of ORF Universum series in 2010 - English narration
With large tufted ears, a short tail and a trusting look, one could almost believe that lynxes are just big cats, when in fact they are wild and untamed. This is the story of a hard earned friendship between a ranger called Milos Majda at the Mala Fatra National Park in Slovakia and two small lynxes fresh from the zoo. It is hoped the lynxes will return to the wild. Milos and filmmaker Tomas Hulik follow the two-year journey of the lynx siblings from their warm nursery back into the wilderness.
Sociopolitical Documentary hosted by Geoff Parish, published by SBS broadcasted as part of SBS Dateline series in 2010 - English narration
Kyrgyzstan in Crisis by Geoff Parish On air: 7th November 2010
In June this year, hundreds of people were killed and thousands were displaced in ethnic clashes in the Central Asian region of Kyrgyzstan.
The violence prompted Kuranda Seyit, an Australian with Uzbek heritage, to travel to Kyrgyzstan to find out more about the killings.
He discovered burned-out buildings, scores of fresh graves, and obtained secretly-filmed video of violent attacks, which he smuggled back to Australia.
Kuranda spoke to Dateline about his journey, and provided us with the hidden-camera footage for a view of what happened.
Sociopolitical Documentary hosted by cast themselves, published by Zipporah Films in 1973 - English narration
An unobtrusive and naturalistic examination of the goings-on of a children's court, Memphis Juvenile Court 616. Here, minors of various ages are seen interacting with social workers, lawyers, probation officers, parents, psychiatrists and the residing judge in cases that range from shoplifting to indecent assault and armed robbery. Wiseman's camera takes an unflinching look at these events, leaving the viewer to assess the efficacy of the court system and the broader societal rationales behind it.
War Documentary with no narration published by PBS in 2015 - English language
For the men who fought perhaps the fiercest battle of WWII, seventy years have passed. But the memories of those thirty-six bloody days on Iwo Jima have not. In the spring of 2015, survivors of both sides of the battle returned for the last time to join a Reunion of Honor — a unique, now-peaceful fellowship first forged of fire and bullets. Iwo Jima: From Combat to Comrades chronicles dual riveting stories: the iconic battle and this historic reunion — former warriors setting foot together on the black sands of Iwo Jima. Their unforgettable journey was documented by two film crews. The American unit followed three U.S. survivors while the Japanese crew documented the only Japanese survivor able to make the arduous trip to Iwo Jima.
Sociopolitical Documentary hosted by Adam Curtis, published by BBC in 2016 - English narration
We live in a time of great uncertainty and confusion. Events keep happening that seem inexplicable and out of control. Donald Trump, Brexit, the War in Syria, the endless migrant crisis, random bomb attacks. And those who are supposed to be in power are paralysed - they have no idea what to do. This film is the epic story of how we got to this strange place. It explains not only why these chaotic events are happening - but also why we, and our politicians, cannot understand them. It shows that what has happened is that all of us in the West - not just the politicians and the journalists and the experts, but we ourselves - have retreated into a simplified, and often completely fake version of the world. But because it is all around us we accept it as normal. But there is another world outside. Forces that politicians tried to forget and bury forty years ago - that then festered and mutated - but which are now turning on us with a vengeful fury. Piercing though the wall of our fake world.