Roads are much 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 dangerous roads in New Zealand, Scotland and Australia for phoenix.
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Thundering waterfalls, ancient forests and an impressive volcanic landscape with black beaches: La Palma is a dream island for nature lovers. It is by far the island of the Canary Islands with the most green, almost half of it is covered with forest. But once a year the green island is dominated by the color white. On Rosenmontag (Rose Monday), the inhabitants have for decades been targeting those ancestors who returned from abroad wealthy and ostentatiously demonstrated their wealth with powdered faces. The carnivalistic approach culminates every year in a white chaos, with tons of talcum, flour or paint trickling down the uniformly white dressed islanders. On the Roque de los Muchachos, La Palma's highest mountain at 2,400 meters, stands one of the largest reflecting telescopes in the world. Astrophysicists love the island because it is the perfect place to look into space. Researchers and star lovers look spellbound to Beteigeuze. The giant star is probably in front of a supernova and could become a second moon in the firmament.
All over the world men and women fight for the protection of nature reserves and endangered species. This is their story, a story of bravery and stamina. We visit scientists in Central Europe who monitor the offspring of the rare lynx nearly 200 years after these elusive cats were extinct in the wild. We follow the work of the moose detective in Sweden on the island of Oland who tries to solve the riddle of increasing numbers of dead moose calves. In the heart of Africa one woman and her guards try to protect rare lowland gorillas and forest elephants but the increasing bush meat trade and the ongoing ivory smuggling makes their work extremely dangerous. Last but not least we meet US conservationists who rescue manatees in Florida - they have all dedicated their life to make a change. Without their work our world would be poorer.
Wildlife filmmakers often risk life and limb trying to capture unique images of their dangerous protagonists. In the Kruger National Park Josef Jozefowicz steps into a lionesses' den to film her cubs, in Alaska Andreas Kieling mingles with giant elk bulls in order to film them in action, and in Florida his colleague Zoltan Török gets very close to an alligator mother guarding its nest. The life of the film-makers is also threatened by elemental forces, and failing technical equipment: the strong and tearing current of the Yukon River throws Andreas Kieling's boat onto a gravel bank, in the Democratic Republik of Congo camerawoman Heike Grebe is separated from her colleagues in the dense rainforest, in Kamchatka a film team only just escapes a gigantic landslide, and in Finland a hot-air balloon catches fire and becomes the nightmare of Oliver Goetzl and Ivo Nörenberg. The last episode "Wild Moments - Dangerous and Deadly" follows wildlife film-makers on their adventurous journeys throughout the world.
Wildlife filmmakers often risk life and limb trying to capture unique images of their dangerous protagonists. A cunning grizzly grabs a salmon off Andreas Kieling's fishing rod, in the depths of the Amazon River a diving team has a spooky encounter with piranhas, in the Mediterranean Sea the currents nearly push Thomas Behrend into the mouths of angry sperm whales defending a newborn - and cameramen who want to film jaguars in the dense jungle of South America become easy prey for the well camouflaged cats. The life of the film-makers is also threatened by elemental forces and failing technical equipment: In the swamps of North Australia violent storms hold up the crossing of tearing rivers, a volcano in the South Seas spits burning lumps of lava into the base camp, and in Siberia a camera team breaks through the ice and has to camp at minus 30°C in the middle of nowhere. The second episode "Wild Moments - Dangerous and Deadly" follows wildlife-filmmakers on their adventurous journeys throughout the world.
Wildlife film-makers often risk life and limb trying to capture unique images of their dangerous protagonists. In Alaska a cunning grizzly threatens the son of Andreas Kieling, on the remote Wrangel Island in northern-east Siberia his colleague Uwe Anders is taken by surprise by a a polar bear, and off the coast of South Africa a diving-team is unexpectedly surrounded by white sharks. But the life of the film-makers is also threatened by elemental forces, life-threatening diseases and failing technical equipment: Deep in the vast rainforests of West Africa cameraman Klaus Scheurich nearly dies of malaria, and in South India a film team narrowly escapes death in a hot-air balloon accident. But they also meet remarkable people such as a zoo keeper in Cameroon who feels at ease playing with half-grown and adult gorillas - the most powerful of all great apes. The first episode "Wild Moments - Dangerous and Deadly" follows wildlife film-makers on their adventurous journeys throughout the world.
This is a story about a remote island in the pacific.
The 115 islands and islets that make up the Seychelles present a breath-taking variety of plants, rare animals and beaches laced with palms. This is where the leg-endary Coco de Mer palm nuts grow with fruits weigh-ing up to 20 kilos and giant wild land turtles nibble away at mangrove fruits to their hearts content. The archipelago was first settled at the end of the 18th cen-tury. Today, a very colourful potpourri of peoples in this dwarf state proves just how peacefully different cultures can live side by side. Three times a week, the steamer "MV Espoir" completes the trip from the main island of Mahé to Praslin and back. A ship for every-one and practically everything: Used cars, toilet paper, horses, bicycles, furniture - you name it, the Espoir transports goods of all kinds. Coconuts sometimes pose a problem as there are far too many of them. What to do with them? The best place to send them is undoubt-edly Hubert Roumien's Virgin Coconut Oil Laboratory, hidden away in the Mahé jungle. Straw turns into gold at Seaweed Seychelles! There, Benjamin Port Louis collects seaweed and extracts liquid fertiliser from it.
At 117 square kilometres, the Müritz is the largest lake on German territory, but it's far from the only one in the north east of the country. Even the Mecklenburg Lake District, between Waren and Feldberg, contains around 2 lakes alone. Thanks to the Müritz National Park the species diversity is particularly high in the region: half of the German crane population breeds in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern the osprey is typical of the Müritz area the lively Eurasian otter hunts here and the endangered red milan circles the skies above. Fred Bollmann knows the national park like hardly any other. The former ranger and voluntary nature conservationist is actively involved in the preservation of ‘his' wildlife world. Filming for this production took two years. The outcome is a unique portrait of this stunning region.
What ideas are people on the 15th meridian east developing to shape the future and leave tomorrow's generations a home worth living in? This consequence leads us to four future designers. From the barren Namib Desert to the glacier worlds of Spitsbergen, Sicily and the Croatian Mediterranean.
The journey leads from the Norwegian Vesterålen to Chad, the Aeolian Islands and the Polish Giant Mountains. As different as the landscapes and cultures may be, all people are united in their love for their children and their desire to give something to tomorrow's generation.
This episode focuses on people from five countries who share a common passion: The production of their own food and food. What culinary treasures are hidden in the different regions, from Spitsbergen to Sweden, Austria, Poland and Chad?
Almost 11000 kilometres lie between the northernmost and southernmost point of the 15th meridian east. Here you will find extreme landscapes such as the shimmering heat of Africa or the eternal cold of northern Scandinavia. Five people from Spitsbergen, Namibia, Slovenia, Germany and Poland dedicate their lives to environmental protection.
As contrasting as the landscapes of the 15th meridian east, so different are its animal inhabitants. What are the living conditions like in the heat of the Namibian Damaraland, in Lusatia or on the coast of Norway? Which challenges do elephants, whales or kingfishers have to master together with their companions from north to south?
The cornfield - just an area for producing food… or a land full of secrets? This doc portrays a little recognized habitat right next door. The spectacular visuals filmed with state of the art equipment introduce the surprisingly large diversity of field inhabitants. We follow a hamster family through a season full of adventures and are drawn into an unknown world – a world of which we thought we knew everything about. In the western industrial nations cornfields and woods take up the greatest proportion of rural land. But how much natural life dwells in a cornfield? Why are some cornfield inhabitants harmful and others useful and what do the colourful flowers at the edge of the field promise us? We follow a hamster family through a season full of adventures and are drawn into an unknown world – a world of which we thought we knew everything about.
One of the smallest dams in the Bergisches Land is the Panzertalsperre, with an area of just four-and-a-half football pitches. On the other hand, the Dhünntalsperre is the largest with the area of 660 football pitches. They all transform a stretch of flowing water into still and stagnant water. As a result, completely diverse ecosystems have developed there: where the dipper once dived for insect larvae, cormorants and gray herons now fish and swans and coots cavort. In recent summers, even greater challenges have emerged: the effects of climate change - from extreme drought to destructive floods. On a smaller scale, a rather industrious dam master is operating flood protection: The Beaver. However, the water masses of the Wupper tore away half of his majestic timber castle - and the four young beaver kids were not seen again afterwards. Have they survived the flood? Not everyone can cope with the constant change in the dams, but they still remain an important wonder of engineering for many: for us humans as well as for a number of animals. By combining water management, ecological requirements and tourism a worthwhile goal is possible: Because for the Bergisches Land, its dams are among the most valuable and popular infrastructures that the region has to offer.
Baby animals beguile with their innocent charm. But while some remain harmless, others have a deep-rooted instinct. It may take weeks or months of training to hone their skills. Their landscapes and lifestyles maybe very different, but these babies are born to hunt.
Roads are much 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 dangerous roads in New Zealand, Scotland and Australia for phoenix.
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
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