Documentaries - Educational
PBS,BBC,Nature,HistoryChannel,ZDF,SBS,Channel4,Discovery,Science
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- DirectorSimon NashtAnnamaria TalasThe Hobbit Enigma examines one of the greatest controversies in science today: just what did scientists really find when they uncovered the tiny, human-like skeleton of a strange creature on the Indonesian island of Flores in 2003? Since the discovery was made public a bitter dispute has split the world of anthropology. Are the bones a previously unknown and bizarre primitive species of human? The Hobbit discovery forces us to rethink some of the most fundamental questions of human origins. How could the Hobbits have survived for so long and until so recently? Who were its ancestors? Is it possible that human origins are to be found in Asia, not Africa?
- DirectorRic BurnsStarsSue AllanBernard BailynMichael BraddickArguably one of the most fateful and resonant events of the last half millennium, the Pilgrims' journey west across the Atlantic in the early 17th century is a seminal, if often misunderstood episode of American and world history.
- DirectorWill KesslerStarsGary RuebsamenArianna LeeJody LeeA California family filmed strange occurrences in their home. we investigated to get the full story and never before seen footage of the first documented spirit entity ever captured on film.
- DirectorJohn HopkinsStarsCarl SafinaBrian SkerryBoris WormEndangered giant bluefin tuna have returned to Prince Edward Island, Canada in surprising abundance after a complete disappearance from overfishing. But something strange is going on. Normally wary tuna no longer fear humans.
- DirectorLuke CresswellSteve McNicholasFrom the Academy-Award nominated creators of the Broadway show STOMP and the award-winning film Wild Ocean, The Last Reef is an uplifting, inspirational large-format and 3D cinema experience capturing one of nature's more vibrant and diverse wonderlands. Exotic coral reefs, vibrant sea walls in the sub-arctic pulsating with anemones and crustaceans: these biodiversity hot spots are as vital to our lives as the rainforests. Shot on location in Palau, Vancouver Island, French Polynesia, Mexico, and The Bahamas using groundbreaking 3D cinematography, The Last Reef takes us on a global journey to explore the connection of our cities on land with the ocean's complex, parallel world of the coral reefs beneath the sea.
- DirectorLisa Quijano WolfingerStarsNicholas AsburyChristopher HaasKeith BartlettAn in-depth dramatization of the story of the Pilgrims
- DirectorMichael DurlingStarsLindsay GrandDavia GrantMartin HarcourtTake a look at how history is written and reevaluated as new methods of study are introduced. Using the example of Jamestown in 1607, explore the myths and misconceptions of that era: revisit the documents, artifacts, and other evidence through archeology. Learn how every generation sees the evidence in new ways, and how this affects our understanding of the past.
- StarsMathieu KassovitzMartin SheenRudolf HessThis six-part series traces the Second World War, from the rise of the Nazis to the surrender of the Japanese, with detailed portraits of key figures.
- DirectorPeter NicksStarsCat BrooksJonathan CairoBen McBrideTHE FORCE goes inside an embattled urban police department struggling to rebuild trust in one of America's most violent yet promising cities.
- StarsAndrew RobertsDavid SibleyStephane CornicardHistorian Andrew Roberts travels the world retracing the footsteps of Napoleon on the approach to the two hundredth anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo.
- StarsDavid McCulloughDocumentary about the rise and fall of one of the greatest military geniuses of modern times from his Corsican childhood to final exile in St. Helena.
- DirectorPaul OldingStarsPeter CampbellPhilip GlenisterJon HendersonJust off the southern coast of mainland Greece lies the oldest submerged city in the world. It thrived for 2,000 years during the time that saw the birth of western civilisation. An international team of experts uses cutting-edge technology to prise age-old secrets from the complex of streets and stone buildings that lie less than five metres below the surface of the ocean. State-of-the-art CGI helps to raise the city from the seabed, revealing for the first time in 3,500 years how Pavlopetri would once have looked and operated.
- DirectorPeter D. HutchisonKelly NyksJared P. ScottStarsNoam ChomskyAlan GreenspanMalcolm XRenowned academic and author Noam Chomsky elucidates 10 principles of concentration of wealth and power that have led to unprecedented inequality and the hollowing out of the American middle class.
- DirectorLouie PsihoyosStarsElon MuskJoel SartoreLouie PsihoyosA documentary that follows undercover activists trying to stave off a man-made mass extinction.
- DirectorFisher StevensStarsLeonardo DiCaprioBan Ki-moonAlejandro G. IñárrituA look at how climate change affects our environment and what society can do to prevent the demise of endangered species, ecosystems and native communities across the planet.
- DirectorDavid LavalleeStarsEmma ThompsonEmma Thompson narrates this environmental documentary about the rise of extreme energy, the end of economic growth and the people caught in the middle.
- StarsDavid AttenboroughExplores and unravels the mystery of how and why animals migrate, showing some of the most dramatic and compelling stories in the natural world through spectacular and innovative cinematography.
- DirectorJared P. ScottStarsMichael BreenSharon BurkeStephen CheneyThis Emmy® nominated investigation unpacks how climate change interacts with migration, unrest and conflict through the lens of US national security.
- DirectorRon BowmanStarsAlec BaldwinRichard BettsDuarte BorbaThe film runs through the effect each degree in temperature change has on the world.
- DirectorLeila ConnersNadia ConnersStarsLeonardo DiCaprioKenny AusubelThom HartmannA look at the state of the global environment including visionary and practical solutions for restoring the planet's ecosystems.
- StarsJanina RamirezFrançois NeveuxNigel SaulThis 3 part series explains the various strategies and battles between the French and English in the Hundred Years' War that took place between the 14 th and 15 th centuries. The host has a Doctorate in Cultural History and she visits the various towns and country area that were sites for events. The host is very articulate and passionate and with a pleasing voice.
- StarsDan JonesChristophe LombardiJay DeeHistorian Dan Jones explores the millennium of history behind six of Great Britain's most famous castles: Warwick, Dover, Caernarfon, the Tower of London, Carrickfergus, and Stirling.
- DirectorLaura WilsonLisa WilsonStarsJonathan BateCharles BeauclerkWilliam BoyleThis documentary explores the ongoing debate about the authorship of the works attributed to Shakespeare. Writers and critics, actors and scholars, including Mark Twain, Sigmund Freud, Charlie Chaplin, and many others have struggled to reconcile England's "Star of Poets" with the grain dealer from Stratford. Why?
- StarsFergal KeaneRoy FosterTom Ó LoughlinShowcases Irish history, charting the origin and impact of the myths that have been passed off as history in the past.
- StarsJanina RamirezScot McKendrickIan MortimerThrough this three part series Art Historian Dr Janina Ramirez tells the story of the Medieval monarchy as preserved through stunning illuminated manuscripts from the British Library's Royal Manuscripts collection. Dr Ramirez uses her in depth expert knowledge to explore the extraordinary art and culture of the period and decode the manuscripts which remain as vibrant today as when they were first penned. Embellished with gold, painted in jewel-like colours, they took months, even years to produce, and were priceless beyond compare. The series runs chronologically beginning with the unification of England under King Athelstan in the 10th Century, covering the 100 Years War with France, and ending with the brutal magnificence of Henry VIII. Spanning 800 years these amazing documents capture the dynastic struggles each ruler faced.
- DirectorAshley GethingStarsJanina RamirezSigurdur AtlasonVilborg DavíðsdóttirWhen we think of the roots of European civilization it's to Greece and Rome that our thoughts turn. But there is a culture whose effect may be even more profound. Hundreds of years ago in faraway Iceland the Vikings began to write down dozens of stories - called sagas. These sagas are priceless historical documents which bring to life the Viking world.
- StarsAlice RobertsStuart PriorCat JarmanDr Alice Roberts visits archaeological excavations around the UK, linking together the results of digs and investigations the length and breadth of the country to build up a picture of the year in British archaeology.
- StarsJeremy PaxmanMichael PalinAshley JacksonWritten and presented by English broadcaster, journalist, and author Jeremy Paxman, this richly detailed documentary follows the rise of the British Empire. At its height, the small island nation ruled over a quarter of the world's population. Examining what is often considered a dark stain on British history, it shows how greed and a lust for power marginalized numerous groups across the Empire's vast expanse.
- StarsNeil OliverAlison SheridanFrancis PryorNeil Oliver tells the epic story of how Britain and its people came to be over thousands of years of ancient history - the beginnings of our world forged in ice, stone, and bronze.
- StarsNeil OliverChris PackhamShini SomaraNeil Oliver, Chris Packham, Andy Torbet and Dr Shini Somara follow the work of archaeologists from around the world who are working on one of Europe's largest digs that is reshaping the map of Stone Age Britain.
- StarsNeil OliverScott GlynnJames FlemingA documentary charting the birth and growth of the Scottish nation.
- StarsRobert BartlettProfessor Robert Bartlett examines the extraordinary expansion and unchecked ambition of the Normans, and shows how they transformed the history of Europe.
- StarsAndrew Graham-DixonSøren MallingAlexander AhndorilAn examination of the relationship between art, history and landscape in Norway, Denmark and Sweden from the Middle Ages to the present.
- StarsBirthe Kjølbye-BiddleMartin BiddleJulian RichardsThe Vikings were an ambitious, daring and frightening people who left an indelible mark on the British psyche. Yet archaeology has revealed very little about their time in Britain and even less about what happened to them afterwards. Archaeologist Julian Richards finds new evidence about what really happened during the dramatic period when Vikings roamed the seas around Britain. And in a ground-breaking genetics research project designed specially for the BBC series, internationally renowned geneticist, Professor David Goldstein, sets out to answer some of the most intriguing questions about the Vikings. Samples taken from around 2,000 people in Britain, Ireland, Scandinavia and Northern Europe have been processed and the results are revealed during the series.
- StarsDan JonesSuzannah LipscombRob BellHistorians Dan Jones and Dr Suzannah Lipscomb and engineer Rob Bell explore how London faced daring invasions, catastrophic fires and deadly plague. Also, how it grew from a small Roman trading post, to the capital of the British Empire, and ultimately to the thriving mega-city we know today.
- StarsJeremy PaxmanIan MaineAlasdair BruceJeremy Paxman, presenter of the BBC's current affairs program Newsnight examines the life and times of the Victorian era. In the first program he focuses on the styles of Victorian artists and their stark contrast between the dreams and nightmares of the age. Victorian artists painted cozy, opulent interiors of domestic happiness without any of the hardships of the poor. Many artists however rebelled against this in the mid Victorian era and painted what happened was happening to the unfortunates and the destitute and depict the dark, lingering fears and anxieties that threatened too destroy the calm of home which the Victorians had insulated themselves with.
- DirectorGiulia ClarkStuart ElliottStarsThomas PennBarry CookShawn CunninghamAuthor Thomas Penn takes an extraordinary journey into the dark and chilling world of the first Tudor King, Henry VII. From his victory over Richard III at the Battle of Bosworth, to his secret death and the succession of his son Henry VIII, the film reveals the ruthless tactics Henry VII, and how he used them to win and hold onto the ultimate prize, the Royal Throne of England.
- CreatorJamie BrownStarsTom AnnikoBrian HartiganAlana LogieTwo couples assume the lives of early settlers to the West. Using only the resources and tools of the period, they will attempt to build homes, raise livestock, hunt and grow crops.
- DirectorAlex GibneyStarsMikhail KhodorkovskyVladimir PutinLeonid NevzlinThe strange case of Mikhail Khodorkovsky, once believed to be the wealthiest man in Russia, who rocketed to prosperity and prominence in the 1990s, served a decade in prison, and became an unlikely martyr for the anti-Putin movement.
- StarsDan JonesJames Oliver WheatleySteffan BojeUsing a combination of documentary and drama, historian Dan Jones tells the story of the War of the Roses - the 30 year civil war between the House of York and House of Lancaster that saw the crown change hands seven times.
- CreatorMatthew GinsburgStarsJeff DanielsJoanne FreemanAlan TaylorThe life story of George Washington, the first President of the United States.