Playlist
<p>This short film about forever unfolds from the POVs of father (Max Romey) and son (Kip) as they attempt to write a book about what forever means. The father feels overwhelmed by all of the threats to forever, like forever chemicals, and calls an unlikely hero – Mark Ruffalo – to ask for help seeing the big picture.</p>
<p>In the bustling streets of New York City, daring pavement ants and a streetwise jumping spider navigate urban perils. This visually stunning nature docuseries episode reveals the hidden microcosm of city-dwelling bugs, spotlighting their survival tactics and unexpected alliances in the concrete jungle.</p>
<p>Remarkable people are dedicating their lives to saving Asia's extraordinary wildlife, using ingenious solutions.</p>
<p>In northern Asia, life defies hostile extremes. See animals from the Tibetan Plateau, the Kamchatka Peninsula, Japan, and Russia. Including seals red-crowned cranes, wolves, owls, bears, bats, and red foxes.</p>
<p>A determined biologist has single handedly rescued a fragile population of burrowing owls in Eastern Oregon amidst the shadowy bunkers of a cold war military depot. As the burrowing owl population expands, he soon discovers there's more behind the story than first meets the eye. As he continues to make new discoveries about the behavior of burrowing owls, a young family of burrowing owls face the challenges of growing up wild.</p>
<p>In 2015 a lion in Zimbabwe named Cecil was killed by Walter Palmer, an American dentist, provoking a global outcry. The story of Cecil’s death turns the gaze back on to us and our behaviour. The simplicity of the outrage is a stark contrast to the complexity of the reality.</p>
<p>Chameleon Corridors is a short film told through the all-seeing eyes of a chameleon. It tells the story of how one community in the Eastern Arc Mountains of Tanzania is striving to regenerate one of the world’s most biodiverse forests.</p>
<p>Matthieu Rytz returns to Sundance (<em>Anote’s Ark</em>, 2018 Sundance Film Festival) with this up-to-the-minute tale of geopolitical, scientific, and corporate intrigue that exposes the machinations of a secretive organization empowered to greenlight massive extraction of metals from the deep seafloor that are deemed essential to the electric battery revolution.</p> <p>Narrated by Jason Momoa, <em>Deep Rising</em> illuminates the vital relationship between the deep ocean and sustaining life on Earth. The documentary also follows mining startup The Metals Company, as it pursues funding, public favor, and permission from the International Seabed Authority to mine wide swathes of the Pacific Ocean floor.</p> <p>Rytz’s fly-on-the-wall access observes extraction companies as they co-opt scientific studies and deliver pitches to investors, proposing how the costs of industrializing our Earth’s last pristine environment can be justified to access metals they claim will benefit all of mankind. As oil conglomerates pivot investments to deep-ocean mining, <em>Deep Rising</em> examines humanity’s destructive pattern of extracting materials for profit and asks why we don’t choose, instead, to develop abundant resources to solve our energy problems.</p>
<p>In this documentary about the struggle between humans and bears, young wildlife researcher Niazul Hassan Khan returns to his community in Drass, located in Kargil, to understand the brown bear and make peace between the animals and his people.</p>
<p>This six‑part wildlife documentary series explores Europe's richest and most remarkable habitats—from icy Svalbard and Azorean seas to dense forests, mountain peaks, rivers, and urban ecosystems. Featuring rare and newly observed species such as blue whales, European hamsters, Iberian lynx, Eurasian lynx, Persian leopard, genets, wolverines, polar bears, golden eagles, and more, the series reveals the continent’s hidden biodiversity through stunning cinematography and new‑to‑science behaviors captured over 1,000 filming days in nearly 30 countries</p>
<p>From the mighty Amazon’s icy source to its plume reaching as far as the Caribbean, National Geographic Explorer teams conduct groundbreaking research to take the pulse of one of the planet’s integral and endlessly magical resources. From the health of river turtles and pink dolphins to the migration of Andean bears, extreme urgency is met by equally hopeful solutions.</p>
<p>GLADICE is an Arctic-focused visual documentary exploring dramatic environmental change in polar regions. Though full plot details are limited, it features awe-inspiring imagery and storytelling typical of the Arctic Arts Project’s climate-impact folio films, partnered with Black Mountain Films</p>
<p>Showcasing the ways humans are transforming the planet and what those changes tell us about who we are as a species.</p>
<p>Shane travels from New York City to rural Thailand to explore the Human Footprint of the supermarket – a 20th century innovation that transformed our relationship with food, reshaping our bodies, our society, and our planet along the way.</p>
<p>As humans increasingly deploy natural allies to manage ecological challenges, host Dr. Shane Campbell‑Staton investigates the world of biocontrol—visiting Thai rice fields where thousands of ducks are enlisted to suppress pests, observing drone-deployed mites combating hop-damaging organisms in Washington, and examining Australia's controversial cane toad program—with conservation scientist Rick Shine exploring whether “the enemy of an enemy” can truly be a friend.</p>
<p>“Iyo ang Dagat” is a documentary film about the relationship between people and sharks in Palawan, Philippines. It tells the stories of people interacting with sharks and rays in their everyday lives. Centered around the Sulu Sea the film follows fishermen, marine park rangers, enforcement officers, business owners and conservationists.</p>
<p>Rugari and his family live on the border of the Serengeti. During the dry season hungry lions threaten their village, and Rugari is faced with a terrible decision - save his livelihood, or find a way to live with lions?</p>
<p>This creative impact campaign invites global audiences to reconnect with whales emotionally and intellectually—drawing parallels to the environmental movement sparked by humpback whale songs in the 1970s. The project, produced by National Geographic’s Impact Story Lab in collaboration with Project CETI, highlights groundbreaking research into decoding sperm whale communication via AI and underwater robotics. It's both a scientific exploration and a plea for shared stewardship of our oceans</p>
<p>Luna, a baby orca, is separated from his family in a remote Vancouver Island fjord. When he seeks companionship from people, he becomes beloved. To boaters he’s a charming friend. To conservationists he’s a cause. To scientists he’s a puzzle. To officials he’s trouble. To Indigenous peoples he is the spirit of a chief and a teacher of fundamental truths.</p>
<p>In 1972, biologists George Hunt and Molly Warner encounter “lesbian seagulls” on California’s Channel Islands. Their groundbreaking discovery makes national headlines and ignites cultural and scientific debate. The film examines the personal and professional fallout for the scientists, their partnership, and the broader impact on LGBTQ+ history</p>
<p>Moklani follows the indigenous Mohana community as they navigate life on the floating boathouses of Manchar Lake in southern Pakistan, a place they have called home for generations. Once nourished by clean water and abundant fish, the lake is now poisoned by pollution and the slow violence of climate change. As the lake shrinks, so does a culture that has lived in harmony with nature for centuries.</p>
<p>India’s smooth-coated otters are captivating animals with distinct characters and intricate social lives. In this documentary, wildlife filmmaker Sugandhi Gadadhar explores the playful and resilient lives of an otter family residing in one of India’s most rapidly changing waterways.</p>
<p>A land of sacred peaks and secret creatures, lost in the mists of time, somewhere between folklore and magic. This is a story of India's very first UNESCO Biosphere Reserve - the Nilgiris - one of Asia's most intensively studied areas.</p>
<p>Attenborough explores the planet's undersea habitats, revealing the greatest age of ocean discovery and emphasizing the ocean's vital importance while exposing its problems and highlighting opportunities for marine life recovery.</p>
<p>The planet's life-blood, oceans, hide countless mysteries - from balmy Indian waters and fiery Atlantic depths to the Ring of Fire-encircled Pacific and frigid Southern and Arctic seas.</p>
<p>What if you lived in a coastal city never knowing that the ocean hid a deadly poison? That’s exactly what LA residents did for decades, until a scientist alerted LA Times journalist Rosanna Xia to a problem ignored by officials for years. They discover that as many as half a million barrels of DDT waste had been dumped into the ocean, and are finally able to connect the dots between sick sea lions, a poisoned ecosystem, and the legacy of health issues in all who’ve been exposed.</p>
<p>This documentary follows the journey of P‑22, a mountain lion who made headlines by crossing two major freeways (I‑405 and US‑101) to make his home in Griffith Park, amidst Los Angeles urban sprawl. It explores how P‑22’s story has catalyzed conservation efforts, including the planned Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing, to reconnect fragmented habitats and protect wildlife.</p>
<p>A man discovers purpose helping rescue a trafficked baby pangolin in South Africa. He dedicates himself to rehabilitating the endangered animal for release into the wild, in this film from My Octopus Teacher's director.</p>
<p>Pantanal captures the ecological wonder of the world’s largest tropical wetland while revealing the devastating threats it faces—from wildfires and agribusiness to land rights conflicts. Told through the journeys of environmental defenders, Indigenous leaders, and scientists, the film blends powerful cinematography with urgent advocacy.</p>
<p>With only 6000 black rhinos left on earth, one dedicated wildlife ranger, Kiloku, has made it his life mission to protect the species against all odds. Whilst more than 500 rhinos were poached in 2023 (around 5% of the total population), Kenya has lost none in the last three years, and Kiloku’s team has not lost a single rhino since 2014, a remarkable achievement that has seen the population at his sanctuary steadily growing. But now, hemmed in by ruthless poachers, with demand for illicit rhino horn ever climbing, the rhinos have run out of space, threatening to turn on each other in a deathmatch for territory.</p>
<p>In the heart of the Pacific Ocean lies a magical cluster of islands, home to a unique collection of castaways. Disneynature's "Sea Lions of the Galapagos" dives underwater with Leo, a sea lion pup who's learning how to navigate life.</p>
<p>The emperors are the largest and strongest penguins, living in the coldest and most extreme environment on Earth. Embedded with an Antarctic colony, National Geographic Explorer Bertie Gregory encounters social skills never filmed before.</p>
<p>Displays how people and wildlife thrive together worldwide, from urban nature projects to Kenyan savannahs, Mexican agave fields and coral reefs, revealing sustainable ways humans and nature coexist.</p>
<p>Aaron Blaise is a living legend in animation, capturing the beauty and complexities of the natural world in his work for more than 30 years. From the start of his career at Walt Disney Feature Animation, he brought to life iconic characters in films that include Beauty and the Beast (1991), The Lion King (1994), and Pocahontas (1995). He made his feature directorial debut with Brother Bear (2003), a film that displayed his special bond with animals and received a Best Animated Feature Oscar® nomination. For the last 12 years, he has shared his wisdom with the next generation of artists and storytellers at his renowned online art school, Creature Art Teacher. Snow Bear, a gorgeous 2D hand-drawn passion project that he created over three years almost entirely on his own, is Aaron’s latest project. Along with screening the short, he will also offer a behind-the-scenes look at his filmmaking process, answer questions, and lead us in a drawing activity inspired by the film. —Keith Zwölfer</p>
<p>Host Derek Muller explores the astonishing visual world of jumping spiders, revealing how their complex retinal structures and color perception systems, ranging from ultraviolet to green light, allow them to decode colors and sense depth in ways humans cannot</p>
<p>Get ready for a wild adventure! In this episode, we visit the Wild West, where sneaky coyotes play in the snow, and rattlesnakes come out to say hello after a long winter nap. Busy woodpeckers race to hide their snacks, and giant bison have big battles on the grasslands. You’ll also see cranes flying together on a trip they’ve been taking for millions of years! Nature is full of surprises—and this show is full of fun!</p>
<p>A filmmaker facing up to the twilight of his career sets out to use his camera skills to decipher the relationship between a million seabirds and a single hunting falcon. Ultimately his cinematic portrait of this “cosmic event” provides crucial insights into the mechanisms of the natural world and the difficulties of coming to terms with the end of a life well-lived.</p>
<p>From Brooklyn’s concrete jungle to the heart of the Everglades, Black wildlife photographer George McKenzie Jr. is transforming his lens into a beacon of change. Swapping the weight of a gun for the promise of a camera, McKenzie captures city pigeons and rats as well as elusive panthers. A rare gem in the predominantly white canvas of wildlife photography, McKenzie is empowering kids of color to shift their gaze to conservation.</p>
<p>Mathematician and broadcaster Hannah Fry investigates how AI and bioacoustic technology are beginning to decipher the communication of non-human species. She records mating elephant seals on a California beach, meets with a button‑communicating dog owner, and travels to Kenya to explore how AI-driven language decoding could help mitigate human–elephant conflict.</p>
<p>Amid persistent drought and a water conflict intensified by Afghanistan under the Taliban regime, Iran’s once-thriving Hamun Lake region has become a desolate wasteland. Its sole resident, an elderly woman, survives by collecting dead fish from the dried-up lakebed. Blending animation and documentary, The Granny & Fishes warns of the devastating impacts of water wars and mass migration.</p>
<p>Embark on an incredible journey with award-winning actor Mark Coles Smith as he explores one of Australia's most remote and majestic landscapes.</p>
<p>Two old brown bears - one male, one female - are nearing the end of their lives in Alaska. It is the fall, and the other bears are preparing for the winter, forging, fighting, and fishing. Although the old bears were once strong, they now spend their days lying peacefully on the beach, looking out onto the bounty of the Alaskan wilderness. After rich lifetimes, they will die in their winter dens in the same mountains they were born.</p>
<p>When George H.W. Bush won the presidency in 1988, scientists had already been warning for years of the dangers of global warming. Bush promised to counter the “greenhouse effect” with the “White House Effect,” but his administration’s ties to the fossil fuel industry soon undermined efforts to environmentalist intentions. This sobering yet humorous all-archival film offers captivating flashbacks to the early days of the climate crisis, raising questions about what might have been if our government was accountable to the will of its people and the health of our planet.</p>
<p>Investigative journalist Mariana van Zeller dives into the underground market for shark fins, exposing global networks involved in illegal shark hunting, trafficking, and the trade that fuels endangered species exploitation.</p>
<p>This short film dramatizes an origin myth from the Hadzabe (Hadza) of Tanzania, weaving traditional oral storytelling with cinematic visuals to explore themes of creation, identity, and ancestral wisdom.</p>
<p>Follows the heroic underdogs of the natural world, starting with their hidden talents to their bold hygiene choices, unsavory courtship rituals, devious camouflage techniques and parenting skills.</p>
<p>This animated comedic-nature series spotlights the unsung heroes, or misfit survivors, of the natural world. Each episode reveals how unconventional underdogs, through strange grooming habits, grotesque mating routines, clever camouflage, and unusual parenting strategies, survive and thrive in the wild, guided by the irreverent narration of Ryan Reynolds</p>
<p>Ryan explores how underdogs survive using gross tactics, from mucus snares to anal hideouts, succeeding in nature's challenges.</p>
<p>For the past several years, a lost Eden drowned under Lake Powell has been re-emerging, revealing the follies of the past and a new way forward for the Colorado River. What The River Knows is a film that explores this unique inflection point in a centuries-long history. At the same time that we are met with the need to redesign our systems of water management in the West, we are presented with the opportunity to restore one of the most stunning landscapes on the planet.</p>
<p>It was a late-career epiphany that led “wacky genius” Pat Brown to abandon his academic career and commit himself to fighting global warming and biodiversity collapse. He did it, against all odds, by developing a surprising product: the revolutionary and delicious plant-based Impossible Burger.</p>
<p>Beyond the sinister mythology of Dracula’s crumbling castles, there’s something extraordinary about this corner of Romania. Shielded by the arc of the Carpathian Mountains, it is one of Europe’s last true wildernesses. Forests unchanged since the Middle Ages are home to the world’s biggest wolf packs, sanctuary to magnificent lynx and European brown bear. Abandoned medieval villages are resettled by elegant storks, the mythical childbringers of old, while families of mouse-eared bats struggle to raise their fragile young within the ruins of a 500-year old church.</p>
<p>2009, Brazil. During a news broadcast in the Amazon, a reporter asks a young Indigenous woman what her wish for the future is. The woman, <strong>Juma Xipaia</strong>, smiles and replies, “Fighting for the indigenous cause. Standing up for my people, who mean everything to me in this life. I live for them and die for them. My life is going to be one of struggle.” Years later, Juma has asserted herself as a determined environmental warrior — the first female Indigenous chief of her people in the Middle Xingu — and a fearless advocate against exploitation by landowners and multinational corporations. Having survived six assassination attempts, Juma continues her steadfast commitment to her community and her fight against the seizing of Indigenous lands, as the political landscape in Brazil shifts from Bolsonaro-era suppression to President Lula’s progressive environmental battles. The more fiercely outspoken Juma is — alongside her husband Hugo, a Special Forces Unit ranger — the starker the socio-political conflict becomes. The courageous Juma and Hugo navigate dangerous circumstances while coming to terms with becoming expecting parents, furthering the stakes for their livelihoods and the livelihood of Indigenous people. </p> <p>From producer <strong>Leonardo DiCaprio</strong> and director <strong>Richard Ladkani</strong>, the riveting <em>YANUNI</em> unfolds like a tense thriller and with remarkable access, as it kinetically showcases the risks that Indigenous activists incur in their fight for sovereignty and environmental justice.—Jose Rodriguez</p>