On July 23rd, 2012, a massive eruption on the sun hurls a colossal cloud of solar matter into space. It's the most severe sunstorm in 150 years. Fortunately, the Earth is not in the direct path of this solar ejection. But it's only a matter of time before a violent solar storm hits us. When these clouds of charged matter reach our planet, they can wreak havoc in electrical systems.
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Some risks on these car routes have natural causes: Extreme weather, avalanches and landslides. In some areas, the locals even believe that evil spirits kill travelers. But many of the dangers are man-made: robbers or terrorists lie in wait for travelers, and tough labor pressures, social hardship and greedy mass-transit businesses also cause tragic driving accidents around the world. In the 20th century alone, 35 million people died on roads worldwide - plus 1.5 billion injured!
Some risks on these autoroutes have natural causes: Extreme weather, avalanches and landslides. In some areas, the locals even believe that evil spirits kill travelers. But many of the dangers are man-made: robbers or terrorists lie in wait for travelers, and tough labor pressures, social hardship and greedy mass-transit businesses also cause tragic driving accidents around the world. In the 20th century alone, 35 million people died on roads worldwide - plus 1.5 billion injured! With the two-part "Death Roads - On the Road at the Limit," phoenix offers a documentary road movie along the world's most dangerous car routes.
Roads are more than just gray strips of asphalt that allow us to travel and trade. For centuries they have been lifelines of mankind, full of stories and history - and in certain countries and areas they also hold great dangers, much human suffering and death. Documentary filmmaker Oliver G. Becker ventured onto the dangerous roads of Afghanistan's Hindu Kush Mountains, the infamous Moloto Road in South Africa, along the vertiginous slopes of the Bolivian Andes and other "roads of death" in India, Georgia and the Ivory Coast
We are on the verge of a new age of exploration: besides the plans of NASA and other space agencies, over the next years also privately financed teams are going to send unmanned vehicles to the Moon. The goal is to find a cheap and efficient way to travel there on a regular basis, and in the long term to build a permanent human base.
On July 23rd, 2012, a massive eruption on the sun hurls a colossal cloud of solar matter into space. It's the most severe sunstorm in 150 years. Fortunately, the Earth is not in the direct path of this solar ejection. But it's only a matter of time before a violent solar storm hits us. When these clouds of charged matter reach our planet, they can wreak havoc in electrical systems.
On February 15th, 2013, out of the blue, a meteorite exploded in the earth's atmosphere above the Russian region of Chelyabinsk. The event is a reminder of the ever-present 'Meteor Menace' and the need to understand more about these missiles from outer space.
Europe has experienced catastrophic earthquakes – even though the 'old continent' is not the most notorious region on Earth for strong quakes, the danger from below is very real. Autumn 2016 tragedy strikes north-central Italy. A series of four earthquakes cracks a mountain and flattens a historic town.
ALMA – the Atacama Large Millimeter Array – is the ultimate space observation facility. Here, 66 leviathan parabolic antennae trap cosmic rays in the previously unobservable long-wave range. It can only happen in Atacama, far away from civilisation's pollution of the night sky with artificial light.
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.
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