Beary Tales

Smart as a Fox

April 1946 •English

Smart as a Fox is a 1946 short documentary film supervised by Gordon Hollingshead. In this short film, a fox cub experiences life in the forest. It was nominated for an Oscar for Best Live Action Short, One-Reel.

Blue Suns

January 2010 •English

A walk in the woods become a metaphoric journey in Chloé Leriche's short film. As a solitary figure moves through the forest, the texture of stone, the movement of water, all the infinite pageantry of the natural world is captured in its richness and detail. With the help of an orchestrated soundscape and composed cinematography, Blue Suns catches the miracle and mystery of this world as it unfolds.

Beneath the Concrete, The Forest

February 2023 •English

“Beneath the Concrete, The Forest” is a short experimental documentary that takes us inside an ongoing struggle inside the city of Atlanta, GA between two sides to determine the future of Weelaunee, the biggest contiguous urban forest in the country.

Caterpillars

September 2020 •French

Elvis Sabin’s assured debut follows Albert and André, two Central African Aka Pygmies, as they attempt to establish a new education system in their forest community. The last in their village still attending school, they are determined to pass their knowledge on, holding classes for other Aka children every afternoon. But their project requires funding and they are counting on the year’s caterpillar (known as “Makongo”) harvest to provide much needed income. Evocatively capturing the visual and sonic textures of the forest, Makongo is a layered ethnographic study of two men working to build a sustainable future for their community.

Meteor

Invalid date •Spanish

A mysterious rumble splits the sky and reverberates in the middle of the forest. A man delves into its depths to discover its origin and answer the questions presented by the universe.

Establishing a Food Forest the Permaculture Way

January 2008 •English

Geoff Lawton demonstrates how to grow a food forest from start to finish. Geoff helps get you on the right track toward growing a productive garden paradise.

Timber Front

January 1940 •English

This black-and-white archival film outlines the importance of Canada's forests in the national war effort during the Second World War.

Lesné chrámy

January 2016 •Slovak

Muir Woods

January 2013 •English

This 20-minute DVD tour explores Muir Woods almost mystical forest with beautiful video, inspiring music and natural sound effects.

Silvicola

April 2023 •English

The human impact on forests is explored through breathtaking vistas and poignant vignettes set in Canada's Pacific Northwest. Those who rely on this precious resource highlight the tensions and dilemmas between commodification and conservation.

A Global Warning?

November 2007 •English

Global warming in context. What the climate of the past tells us about the climate of the future.

Square Fieldwork

February 2022 •English

Milah van Zuilen, visual artist and forest ecologist in training, uses the square to deal with the habit of people to construct nature. Square Fieldwork is filmed in the Bohemian forest in the Czech Republic and the concrete structure of Barendrecht, The Netherlands.

Amazonia Inc

January 2019 •English

This documentary explores an unknown civilization of the Brazilian Amazon, who risk their lives to protect their forest. In order to save the exploitation of the environment by big corporations, they have to create legal institutions.

Climbing Redwood Giants

September 2009 •English

They are giants—stretching more than 300 feet above the ground, with hidden gardens and mysterious predators thriving within their canopy. National Geographic reveals the unexplored environment of the California redwoods in an epic, year-long exploration. Obsessive redwood climber Steve Sillett of Humboldt State University explores their massive crowns, discovering new record-breaking trees, while escaping falling branches and crashing trees in the process. Down below, National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence Mike Fay charts the redwood range to size up the past and future of these primeval trees threatened in 21st century California.

Grandma's Eternal Forest

December 2013 •Japanese

A 49 minutes documentary on the footsteps of 87 years old "Grandma" Kuniko Shiiba, perpetuating a 4000 years traditional and sustainable form of agriculture. Shohei SHIBATA followed her a whole year through the forest and its medicinal plants, fire spirits and mountains.

The Last Season

April 2014 •English

In search of the lucrative matsutake mushroom, two former soldiers discover the means to gradually heal their wounds of war. Roger, a self-described 'fall-down drunk' and sniper in Vietnam, and Kouy, a Cambodian refugee who fought the Khmer Rouge, bonded in the bustling tent-city known as Mushroom Camp, which pops up each autumn in the Oregon woods. Their friendship became an adoptive family; according to a Cambodian custom, if you lose your family like Kouy, you must rebuilt it anew. Now, however, this new family could be lost. Roger's health is declining and trauma flashbacks rack his mind; Kouy gently aids his family before the snow falls and the hunting season ends, signaling his time to leave.

David Beckham: Into the Unknown

June 2014 •English

This documentary chronicles David Beckham and his friends' unforgettable journey deep into the heart of the Amazon rainforest in Brazil. Travelling by motorbike and boat, and guided by locals, he visits far-flung communities and tribes that live in this remote landscape.

A Tale of Two Critters

June 1977 •English

A bear cub and a raccoon become fast friends when they're swept away down a river, away from their families.

Nom Tèw

January 2009 •English

Juxtaposed to the hustle and bustle of city life on the diminutive Caribbean island of Dominica, Jerry Maka West works his garden in the island's lush interior, his Zion, growing and preparing his food just as his grandparents once taught him. Jerry is Nom Tèw, Man of the Soil.

Botanist Francis Hallé Explains...

September 2013 •French

14-part special in which botanist Francis Hallé explains forest science and processes. Part of the "Once Upon a Forest" physical release.