The Andes are the biggest mountain range in the world. Peaks of up to 7000 metres in height, do not only offer an imposing view, but also influence the climate by being the drainage and meteorological divide.
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In the middle of the Antarctic Ocean, an entire mountain range arises from the water: South Georgia, the nursery of the Antarctic. Hundreds of thousands of penguins, elephant seals, fur seals and their young overcrowd the beaches. The rough weather and the extremely difficult access to the island cause filmmaking to be an endeavor requiring much of the film crew around Roland Gockel and Rosie Koch and the state of the art cameras. A lot of patience and sensitivity over a period spanning some five years now offers unknown and poignant insights into the life of the King Penguins on South Georgia Island
When food supply in the Serengeti dwindles, the Masai Mara is a paradise for predators. As the black wildebeests, gazelles, zebras and antelopes make their yearly trip from the south of the Serengeti to the north, nature's best laid trap, the Mara River in Kenya is waiting ahead. Captivating shots filmed under water show how crocodiles prepare for the Big Hunt while other predators lurk on the banks awaiting their bounty. The biggest problems for the migratory animals are the Mara and the Tarek River, where they have to put their lives at risk to get to the other side. A great number of them die as they jump into the river and break their legs, while others are carried away by the drift or drown. Those who are not victims of the river itself risk falling prey to the crocodiles. We entered this unchartered territory, the crocodile domain by heading under water. Follow these predators in and around their habitat and watch prides of lions map out their game plan. In slow-motion, we show you the final showdown between predator and prey. Will it be a successful hunt or will the hoofed animals persevere?
Wide open heaths, windswept and barren in winter, are transformed into wonderful carpets of white, fluffy cotton grass in summer. Large bears and wolves roam alongside delicately fluttering butterflies, the bubbling calls of black grouse and the enchanting trills of the great snipe. Moors, bogs and wetlands can be found all over in Europe. Everyone has at least heard about this habitat but most know little about it. It is an ancient yet largely unknown set of landscapes that is full of enchanting surprises. On a warm spring day, poisonous adders emerge from hiding to perform their impressive mating dance. As dusk falls, snipe gather on traditional leks, leaping and singing to impress the opposite sex. And deep down in the boggy marshes, glittering emeralds of sticky dew lure insects into the deadly arms of meat-eating plants. Magical Moors captures the quiet beauty of a spectacular landscape, and its often elusive wildlife, in stunning detail.
2.000 rivers and streams dig deep into the underground and transport their water into reservoirs or "Germany's Wild Amazon", the Wupper. These forests and rivers, together with heathlands and moors, are home to a diverse fauna. Martens, badgers, wild boars, hares, roe deer, and red deer, even black grouse and hazel deer find shelter in these parts. Wolves also have a dominant presence, not to mention those who live underground, such as lizards, bats, and snakes. Accompany us on a journey where we explore every corner of this rugged land. Climb underground into the Bergisches Land, through the vast hidden cave systems that sprawl far beneath the forests. There is also much to be discovered in the water, dive with us in crystal clear streams and rivers with their diverse flora and fauna.
The Andes are the biggest mountain range in the world. Peaks of up to 7000 metres in height, do not only offer an imposing view, but also influence the climate by being the drainage and meteorological divide.
Sri Lanka stands for colourful diversity in all respects. If it's spirituality or Ayurveda you're looking for, here it is. Adventurers and nature lovers can also satisfy their needs here. No one must travel far to discover exotic worlds on this drop-shaped tropical island. "mareTV" delves into the day to day lives of the is-landers, some of whom pursue the most unusual pro-fessions: Uditha Lakmaal is a palm tree climber. He harvests the sap of the trees, known as palm wine, by climbing to the top of them. Sri Lankan stilt fishermen now actually have very little to do with fish and func-tion more as models receiving payment from tourists for acting the part. Anulawathie runs a small floating hoop business, offering car inner tubes for adults and tuk-tuk tubes for children. Different varieties of tea can be found on Herman Gunaratnes tea plantation. Just four carefully selected women are allowed to harvest the exclusive white tea grown there. Each tea leaf is cut individually from the bush by gloved hands and with golden scissors.
We follow the rescue of a baby elephant. Once rescued, it will be transported by plane to the breeding station and raised with love and commitment. In order to satisfy the little pachyderm's urge to move while in the breeding station, there is sometimes an adorable football match between the animals.
It is a musical film a a tributeto the Nordic forest: it shows its development from a primeval wood to a cultivated forest. Once populated by wild animals such as wolves, bears, eagles, deer and musk oxen, complex re-enactment-scenes shot by dollies and helicopters vividly depict the colonization of the forest by the Celts and Germans. But as time progressed, the northern forest has on numerous occasions fallen victim to environmental degradation and overexploitation. Several provisions were made to protect this wild beauty. The Helsinki resolution of 1993, which stipulated that the woods be used in a way and in a magnitude which guarantees their biological variety and productiveness and vitality, is but one measure put in place to secure the preservation of the natural gem. Time-lapse photography and breath-taking shots show our main protagonist – the woods – in its stunning glory. This beautiful wooded land, changes throughout the seasons. Our woodland is a world-renowned ecological jewel. It is famous, well-known and loved by tourists, forest economists, environmentalists, historians and intellectuals alike.
There are sparkling palaces from ice and snow, like those found in a fairytale. The icy castles are the phenomenal work of Mother Nature but man had a hand in the magnificent stone castles of the region. The spectacular and histrionic mountains of the Bavarian Alps challenge wildlife and the people who live there and the rocky ramparts of this mountain kingdom are built of limestone and fossil rocks that tell of its origins beneath the sea. Millions of visitors from all over the world come to Bavaria every year to witness the mysticism of the landscape. Kings and Queens, tourist and locals, all are welcomed in the fantastic alpine kingdom. Early summer often comes with the threat of storms that bring floods that scour the land and threaten many creatures. But farmers risk these dangers to take their herds to the highest pastures, where they can graze on the sweetest flower-filled meadows. And later from the high-quality milk produced by their herds, the famers make highly prized cheese. Humankind lives among eagle owls, chamoix, wild cats, stoats and ravens up in these mountains.
Fuerteventura, the second largest of the Canary Islands, is located just 120 kilometres off the coast of West Africa. The climate is extremely dry and the struggle for water has always been a major setback. Then, around a century ago, returning US emigrants brought what were then modern wind turbine water pumps from the Aermotor Windmill Company with them to Fuerte-ventura. Today, the environmentally friendly and so-called “Chicago's”, experience a renaissance. Unfortu-nately, original spare parts in good condition are diffi-cult to come by. When Leocadio Araya Sanchez began planting countless cacti on a barren hillside a few years ago, people thought he was mad. His idea was to make a healthy juice drink from the prickly pears – with great success. But getting the fruit to release its pre-cious superfood juice is no simple task. On an almost daily basis, Marcos Tapia is magnetically attracted to one of the paradisiacal beaches of the island. The 44-year-old is Spanish champion and vice world champion in para-body board surfing. When he was 28. Marcos was involved in a serious motorbike accident and has been paraplegic ever since.
Tenerife is outstanding among the Canary Islands. If only because of the volcano Pico del Teide, which rises exactly 3.718 meters above sea level and is thus the highest mountain in Spain. But not only scenically Tenerife, the largest of the Canary Islands, stands out...
The film celebrates the diverse natural heritage of the Dutch delta region while sketching the cultural context that has played such a vital part in shaping it. Using cutting edge cinematic techniques ranging from eagle's eye aerial views to unprecedented underwater scenes, 'Wild Holland - The Living Delta' presents a portrait of this unique wetland area of Europe as never seen before, capturing it in an important moment of change - a time when new life is flooding back into the delta.
Gigantic fjords and over 5,000 small islands: In Alaska's south there's a lot of wilderness and little civilization. The region between the capital Juneau and the Canadian border is also known by locals as the "Last Frontier", the last outpost. Michelle Masden, for example, has come to terms with the harsh conditions here. She is the only seaplane pilot in the region. She earns her living with her 65-year-old Beaver: as an air taxi, transport plane and now and then as a rescuer in last necessity. Michelle flies anything and everything: spare parts and food, doctors, hikers and hunters. For the fishermen of southern Alaska she searches for large shoals of fish and guides the captains to the next good catch. Ray Rusaw was a car mechanic by profession, but in his old age he was gripped by gold fever. With a self-built special raft and a highly creative selection of equipment from the DIY store, he sets off in search of the precious metal that his predecessors overlooked two centuries ago. For four years he has been happily obsessively combing through sandbanks and river courses. For Ray, the search for gold has little to do with luck and much to do with meticulous research. He is certain that he has found the perfect spot.
They run through deserts, through ice and snow, deep into the jungle, along the water and over the mountains. The landscapes through which these routes wind are unique and exert their never-ending fascination even on regular travellers. In our documentary “Hot Roads – An Icebound Road” which is part of the five-part film series “Hot Roads” we want to tell the stories that take place along the route itself, of the people who live along it and for whom the road is part and parcel of their personal destiny.
Butterflies surely are the most fancied species inside the insect world. Their beautiful colouring and their graceful flight appeal to everyone. There are close to 4000 types of Butterflies – today many of them are endangered due to the loss of their habitat.
Almost unnoticeably, spring turns into summer. The days become longer and longer, with a never-setting sun. People who have spent their winter and spring working hard can finally enjoy their own nature, even though the temperature is only slightly warmer. Lofoten is sparsely populated, just 24,000 people live here. Unstad is one of its smallest communities with only 15 inhabitants, but despite that, it has become a hotspot for arctic surf and is host to the northern-most surf center in the world. Surfers from all over the globe come to surf in the arctic water.
Winter means more than just the beginning of the year for the people of Lofoten: For more than a thousand years, Lofoten has been a hub for cod fishing, with seasons lasting from February to April as huge shoals migrate from the Barents Sea to these waters. During these hectic months, more than 65,000 tons of fish are brought to shore, securing the income for the whole of Lofoten for years to come. Around a quarter of the fish caught ends up on lines to dry upon racks. From a young age, the children from the fishing villages get to earn some pocket money by cutting cod tongues and selling the produce as a delicacy appreciated by the locals.
As one of Germany's beauties, the river was the gem of Germanys landscape. But with industrialization it became the country's hardest working river and like everything that has been overworked, it lost it magnificence and charm. Due to tender love and care, the river is now a reigning example of one of the most successful and outstanding renaturation projects in the country.The film shows never before seen shots of the river now pulsing with life. We will show you the winding river bed, spawning salmon, mating crabs and still-growing anchor ice. You will see dipper birds searching for food under water, kingfishers catching fish, a family life of badgers, foxes and a wide variety of birds. Come and meet the resurrected river Wupper!
Alluvial forests, roaring waterfalls, steep canyons and sunny slopes flank the river Rhine. The variety of habitats is the reason for the large biodiversity along the stream.There is hardly any other river in Germany that is surrounded by as many myths and legends as the river Rhine. No other river has been the topic of songs, has been painted and travelled equally frequently. Despite this it still seems to be true today what the French poet Victor Hugo once said about this river – the Rhine is a river everybody talks about, nobody explores, everybody visits but no one really knows. The film follows the water against the stream. It starts at the river's delta in the Netherlands, flows through six countries and ends in the Swiss Alps.
The light of the Balearic island of Ibiza is magical and its trademark: The "Island of Light" is tiny compared to its sister island Mallorca, but offers the most beautiful sunsets in the world. That's what they say. They attract sun worshippers and party people from near and far. To the sounds of the famous "Balearic Sound" they turn night into day. This documentary documents the island in the balancing act between luxury yachts and traditions. Hippie culture, celebrities, pine forests, bays with turquoise water and villages with bright white houses: Ibiza has many faces. Mora (80) and Djin (67) have been drawn to the island for 55 years. They are the uncrowned kings of the hippies. But only love, light, air and laziness, these times are also long gone on Ibiza. Mora knits sexy jerseys for young hippies from morning till night. Djin helps her sell at the famous Las Dalias hippie market and works as a construction worker: chilling and no pension in sight. The virgin Carmen is the patron saint of the sailors. On her day of honour, a mass is celebrated in the port city of Eivissa. Afterwards, fishermen carry the Virgin through the narrow streets of Ibiza City down to the quay. And then Carmen sets sail. Several places on Ibiza claim to offer the most beautiful sunset in the world: In front of Cala de Benirrás, the sun sinks right next to the iconic rock Cap Benat, which the locals awefully call "God's Finger". The typical soft beats over the sea sound from almost all the bays and provide deep relaxation worldwide under the term "Balearic Sound". Some of the famous DJs are jetting around the globe for huge fees. But in the small beach bars, the Chiringuitos, the island sound is celebrated further. On the beach of Cala Salada the Brit Joe Burnley has the command over a troop of mermaids. The ladies squeeze into the tight mermaid costume for the good cause. With great grace they swim towards yachts that are forbidden to anchor on sea grass meadows. Charming but unyielding, they point out the offence to the captain and crew a creative environmental action to save the endangered Neptune gas, green lung of the sea and habitat for Ibiza's seahorses. The underwater photographer Manu San Felix is also committed to the endangered seahorses. Using a probe, he maps the coastal area around Ibiza and feeds the data into a GPS app. No skipper should be able to say that he didn't even know that his anchor was clawing into Neptune grass. On land, Manu is dedicated to breeding seahorses. His plan: He wants to expose the animals in the Mediterranean to Ibiza and Formentera in order to secure their population. Garages on the beach? Many bays on the island still have Casetas Varadero, boat garages threatened with decay. Fishermen once built them illegally. The picturesque sheds are therefore only tolerated, but may no longer be restored. The 83-year-old Toni Salvado still drives straight out to sea from his garage. He fishes for his own needs and a few friends, he is
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