The Glass Ark

Kudzu

October 1977 •English

Kudzu, or Pueraria Thunbergiana, is a vine threatening to take over large portions of the Southern landscape. Imported from Japan by the Departement of Agriculture in the 30's for erosion control, its spreading growth has become a problem of menacing proportions. Kudzu is an off-beat, witty, informative documentary about the vine that is devouring the South. Featuring the Kudzu Queen, the Kudzu rock band, a cast of real-life characters and an appearance by former President Jimmy Carter, it illustrates how Southern cultural traditions have quickly grown up around a botanical pest. The eminent American poet and novelist James Dickey ("Deliverance"), recites three stanzas of his poem, "Kudzu."

The World According to Tippi

January 1997 •French

Tippi is no ordinary child. She believes that she has the gift of talking to animals and that they are like brothers to her. 'I speak to them with my mind, or through my eyes, my heart or my soul, and I see that they understand and answer me.' Tippi is the daughter of French filmmakers and wildlife photographers, Alain Degre and Sylvie Robert, who have captured her on film with some of Africa's most beautiful and dangerous animals. Tippi shares her thoughts and wisdom on Africa, its people and the animals she has come to know and love. Often her wisdom is beyond her years, and her innocence and obvious rapport with the animals is both fascinating and charming.

41 Dogs in a 3-Bed Semi

October 2015 •English

There are estimated to be 71 million pets in Britain today, and 45% of households now own at least one. However, for some, one is nowhere near enough. In this documentary, we learn all about their lifestyle and witness the effect it has on their lives and relationships. In this remarkable film, we reveal Britain's most staggering animal obsessives and witness what happens when animal obsessions get out of hand.... the animosity, the relationship breakdowns, the risk of losing everything and the tales of people who love animals so much they collect dozens of them in their homes. Lynn loves her pet dogs so much she shares her semi-detached home with 41 of them. We meet Britain's Got Talent performer Steve and his 60 animals, there's dog enthusiast Emmie who's so devoted to her 12 pets that she has spent £60,000 on pampering them – with two hounds even getting hitched and Mary's small house is overrun with cats.

Black Cockatoo Crisis

November 2022 •English

Western Australia's iconic black cockatoos are in crisis. Their numbers have fallen dramatically over the past few decades and all three species in the south west of WA could become extinct in just 20 years unless something is done to protect their habitats. With the loss of the banksia woodlands on the Swan Coastal Plain to housing, Carnaby's Black Cockatoos have come to depend on the once vast exotic pine plantations on Perth's northern fringe.

Island of Lemurs: Madagascar

April 2014 •English

The incredible true story of nature’s greatest explorers—lemurs. Through footage captured with IMAX 3D, audiences go on a spectacular journey to the remote and wondrous world of Madagascar. Join trailblazing scientist Patricia Wright on her lifelong mission to help these strange and adorable creatures survive in the modern world.

Land of the Bears

February 2014 •French

Set in the wilderness of the Kamchatka Peninsula, the land of legends and the kingdom of wild brown bears, we follow the daily adventures of five wild brown bears.

Le Refuge

May 2023 •French

Animals Under Anaesthesia: Speculations on the Dreamlife of Beasts

May 2018 •English

Part lyrical document, part farce, Animals Under Anaesthesia: Speculations On the Dreamlife of Beasts explores the imaginary unconscious minds of animals. Images of sex, death and the natural world are made manifest in the murky and disquieting dreams of a dog, a cat, a pig and a rabbit.

New Zealand: Earth's Mythical Islands

July 2016 •English

Isolated from the rest of the world since the time of the dinosaurs, New Zealand’s magnificent wildlife has been left to its own devices for 80 million years, with surprising consequences. This series reveals New Zealand’s rich and intriguing wildlife stories, from the bustling communities of penguins hiding away in giant daisy forests to the kakapo – Earth’s only species of flightless nocturnal parrots. New Zealand was also the last place to be discovered and settled by people who brought with them new animals, like merino sheep and new predators like the stoat. Finally the series meets the pioneering conservation heroes who are fighting to save some of its most endangered species.

Kimana Tuskers

December 2021 •English

There are fewer than 20 tuskers left on earth, where ivory still sweeps the ground. Filmed throughout the Greater Amboseli ecosystem in Kenya, Kimana Tuskers is a short film of epic proportions. Follow the famous tusker known as Craig, and the younger elephant bulls who entrust their lives to him as they navigate a vanishing landscape through the Kimana Wildlife Corridor. This is the passage of experience, a brotherhood, built on respect, trust and loyalty, and what awaits them is the promised land, so that one day their sons will rise to be kings…

The Return of the Bears

August 2019 •French

Guerra das conchas

February 2013 •Portuguese

A documentary that intimately follows the life of six fish as they fight for their right to live in a shell-bed.

Rats

September 2016 •English

Based on Robert Sullivan’s bestselling book, Morgan Spurlock and his team travel around the world to bring viewers face to face with rats while delving into humans’ complicated relationship with the creepy creatures.

John Muir in the New World

April 2011 •English

The life and the career of John Muir come to life through this inspiring and beautiful documentary set against the magnificent landscapes of the American West. The Scottish-born naturalist was one of the first nature preservationists in American history, inspiring others through his writing and his advocacy to keep the wilderness wild. Shot in high definition in the spectacular landscapes that shaped Muir - and were, in turn, shaped by his devotion.

Heart of an Oak

February 2022 •French

Once upon a time, there was a pedunculate oak (Quercus robur), born in 1810, 210 years old and a pillar in its kingdom. This spectacular adventure features an extraordinary cast: squirrels, barnacles, jays, ants, field mice... This vibrant, whirring, marvelous little world seals its destiny around the majestic tree that welcomes them, feeds them and protects them from its roots to its crown. A poetic ode to life, in which nature alone expresses itself.

The Secret Life of Cats

June 2014 •English

It is believed that cats are just indifferent and egotistic; but they are more complex, interesting and even cuter than is commonly imagined. The astonishing process by which a newborn kitten becomes a fully grown cat reveals the amazing and true secret life of cats.

Freshwater

February 2022 •English

Freshwater is a documentary that dives into the cold waters of Lake Superior along Minnesota’s North Shore. Despite the fact that it contains ten percent of Earth’s freshwater, this massive force of nature remains largely unexplored. One group of people, however, is intimately aware of its power. From the surfers who catch its waves to the scientists who study its depths, learn why Lake Superior is a precious resource that should never be taken for granted.

Loon

October 2021 •English

Is wilderness more valuable than money? It depends on who you ask. Loon is a through hiking naturalist who understands what’s truly valuable in life. At 80 years old with more than 2,000 acres of wilderness to his name, he must decide what to do with this precious asset.

Cows, Cash & Cover-ups? Investigating VCJD

March 2019 •English

Variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD) is the human version of mad cow disease and has been described as a "ticking time bomb" in Britain. This documentary explores the claims by families of vCJD victims that a criminal inquiry should be held to examine the possibility of a cover-up by authorities of BSE in farming and the food industry.

A Road in India

February 1938 •English

Life on the road in India, showing the traffic, people and animals.