Education & Learning Videos - The Documentary Network

Kolyma – Birthplace of Our Fear

Documentary.net staff — Wed, 12 Jun 2019 11:35:26 +0000

Film about the brutal Soviet penal camps under the rule of the dictator Josef Stalin. The 32-year-old Juir Dud travelled from Magadan on the Pacific to Jakutsk in Siberia to speak with descendants of Gulag prisoners. Gulag is an abbreviation for "main administration of the camps" and still symbolizes the reign of terror of Stalin. Prisoners had to build roads in all weathers and also mine gold or uranium. 20 million prisoners were accommodated in the camps, about two million people died.

The Happiest People on Earth. North Korea: Rulers, citizens & official narrative

Documentary.net staff — Mon, 03 Jul 2017 05:28:23 +0000

North Koreans say they’re the happiest people in the world. Their great leader is like a father who takes care of them and all their needs. They’re told that he’s made their country the most powerful and economically developed on the planet. A quick look at the World Wide Web or any international media might lead to a different conclusion but in North Korea, they’re banned.

The real value of your personal data

Documentary.net staff — Mon, 12 Jun 2017 15:43:42 +0000

The personal data that is being collected by internet companies has turned into a goldmine. The applications for this enormous mountain of data is endless, from health care uses to marketeers who can accurately predict your behavior. But who is making money from your data? And who owns your personal data? Personal data is being collected constantly. Smartphones send your location data, internet browsers store which websites you visited and credit card companies carefully register your buying patterns. One would say that all this personal data is being used to send you advertisements and banners. But that’s just the start. Your data is not only used to understand who you are right now, but also what your life will look like in the future, because that is where the big money is. Could we regain the control over our own personal data, so that we can share in the profits? Due to huge flow of information, one can tell who we are today and what we will do tomorrow. Can we get control of our own data? Information is collected and stored on your behalf. Via mobile phone and computer, every step you take is saved and analyzed. By companies like Google, Facebook, Apple and Twitter, among others. This precious personal data is not just saved. There are now new valuable uses for your data, giving your personal data the worth of gold. Data centers full of your personal data are the heart of what is called Big Data. A treasure of valuable new insights, derived from your location data, emails, photos, text messages, and more from your digital production. Because your personal data is not only used to send customized ads. Your data is used to predict your future behavior. Through smart analyzes of all your behavior that you leave behind on your mobile phone and computer, it’s easy to find out who you are. And that's not that hard, it turns out. For example, the University of Cambridge just by looking at which buttons you click on Facebook, can see if your parents are divorced, whether you are gay, and so on. Predicting human behavior, possible thanks to all your personal data, can help to design cities better, combat diseases and prevent wars. But if all of your personal data is so valuable, then shouldn’t it be time for you to get control of it? And also take part of that profit for yourself? Credits: Directed by: Martijn Kieft Research: Marijntje Denters/ Jasper Koning/ Chris Vijn Production: Jenny Borger, Hellen Goossens Editors in chief: Henneke Hagen/ Frank Wiering English, French and Spanish subtitles: Ericsson. French and Spanish subtitles are co-funded by European Union.

See The Most Bombed Place On Earth

Documentary.net staff — Sat, 13 May 2017 13:53:29 +0000

Building The Bomb: Extremely rare access to the Nevada test site for nuclear weapons. From 1951, over four decades, the US government carried out almost a thousand nuclear tests at this test site, earning it the nickname of the “most bombed place on Earth”. Here, they took the crude nuclear weapons that had been dropped over Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945 and honed their destructive power. A hundred of these tests, known as atmospheric shots, took place above ground, creating the characteristic mushroom clouds that have become synonymous with nuclear detonations. The government still carries out classified work on the site, and access is limited to a small number of carefully vetted visitors each year, who are not allowed to take photographs.

Climate Ribbon – Brickell City Centre Miami

Documentary.net staff — Wed, 27 Jul 2016 08:28:43 +0000

Located in in the heart of downtown Miami, Brickell City Centre is a brand new $1.05B construction project that is reshaping south Florida. This mixed use project spans 3 city blocks and has 5 high-rises including the well known “East” brand hotel. Developed by Swire Properties and constructed by Americaribe, this project promises to bring a whole new lifestyle to the residents of Brickell. The Climate Ribbon is a first-of-it’s-kind steel structure made of glass, steel, & fabric. Arguably one of the largest art installations on the southeast United States, it functions as a canopy to protect shoppers at Brickell City Centre from the natural elements. Many years of architectural planning and scientific research has gone into creating a functional piece of art that actually harnesses the air coming off of Biscayne Bay and channels it into the retail area. Using the newest technologies available, the Climate Ribbon shows that A.C. is not necessary even in the hottest of areas in the US like Miami. Chibi Moku & Americaribe gives you an in-depth look at the architectural and scientific facets of the Climate Ribbon and shows the world what is possible with a little bit of ingenuity.

Why did England’s North vote to leave the European Union?

Documentary.net staff — Wed, 06 Jul 2016 15:35:17 +0000

Outside of metropolitan cities, a majority of people in the small, disenfranchised towns in Northern England voted to leave the European Union. In the fallout from the referendum, many Remain voters have since accused those in the North of being racist or uninformed for voting Leave. We visited the town of Wigan in the North of England to speak to people about the outcome of Brexit and find out if claims of racism and bigotry informing the Leave vote were accurate.

Taxidermists

Documentary.net staff — Wed, 29 Jun 2016 14:25:00 +0000

For some, taxidermy is a practice about art, science and a love of wildlife. There is something supremely uncanny about taxidermy: the hyperrealism of its representation makes the inanimate seem animate, and – for some – uncomfortably real. That sense of eerie realness is the exact quality that makes for a superior piece of taxidermy – the kind that wins awards at the World Taxidermy Championships. Nicole Triche’s short documentary provides a balanced look at an uncommon profession, addressing the relationship between taxidermists, animals and nature, and the practitioners’ struggles to be taken seriously as artists.

The breakthrough in renewable energy

Documentary.net staff — Mon, 27 Jun 2016 02:03:57 +0000

It’s not in the papers but a silent revolution is moving across the world. Renewable energy is becoming cheaper than energy from fossil fuels. It means that progressively the choice for wind and solar energy is no longer an ethical one but an economic one. And this will speed up the transfer to renewable energy.

The Antarctica Challenge: A Global Warning

Documentary.net staff — Fri, 20 Nov 2015 17:11:27 +0000

Al Gore’s Academy Award-winning documentary An Inconvenient Truth has done a lot to raise the international awareness of the environmental issue of global warming. But where do things stand today? The Antarctica Challenge: A Global Warning is a one-hour HD documentary that will go to the source of the climate change crisis: Antarctica. Here we will explore first-hand the environmental challenges facing that frozen continent and, by extension, the world. The International Polar Years 2007-2009 represent an incredible opportunity for the world to work together. This film will meet these brave scientists working at Vernadsky Station and with the British Antarctic Survey as they concentrate their efforts living in often harsh and life-threatening conditions in their heroic attempt to save the world. This documentary will also provide support interviews from polar experts and research scientists around the world as well as rare footage of wildlife including penguins in their hatching season. The film reports on the new phenomenon of suicide among penguins, the imminent rise of the world’s sea level due to ice melting and show amazing footage of new vegetation growing in the world’s largest desert. These new discoveries were considered so valuable that this film became the only one invited by the United Nations tom screen to world leaders during the Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen, December, 2009. The Antarctica Challenge: A Global Warning provides audiences with a rare glimpse of the Earth’s most undiscovered continent through the eyes of award-winning cinematographer, Damir Chytil, CSC, one of the world’s foremost polar cameramen and a pioneer of HD film photography. It is the mandate of this documentary to bring to light the theories and statistics first brought to the public’s attention in An Inconvenient Truth with hands-on exploration of the continent, its wildlife and the brave men and women who have given up the comforts of civilization in order to save it. Winner of three international environmental film awards: The Silver Sierra Award (Yosemite International Film Festival, USA), Best Environmental & Ecology Film (International Film festival Ireland) and Best Climate Change Film (New Delhi Environmental & Wildlife Film Festival, India).

Fungus: The Plastic of the Future

Documentary.net staff — Sat, 22 Aug 2015 06:46:51 +0000

In this episode of Upgrade, Motherboard dives head first into the R+D world surrounding the development of fungi as a viable replacement for plastic, and the people who hope it can lead to a better and more sustainable future.

The Secrets of Sugar

Documentary.net staff — Mon, 27 Jul 2015 17:46:47 +0000

We’ve heard for years about the dangers of eating too much fat or salt. But there have never been recommended limits for sugar on Canadian food labels, despite emerging research that suggests the sweet stuff may be making more of us fat and sick. Gillian Findlay digs into the surprising science — and the reaction from the food industry — to reveal The Secrets of Sugar. Has the sugar industry been hiding an unsavoury truth from consumers? A small but influential group of medical researchers is stirring up the health debate, linking sugar not just to rising obesity rates but also to a host of diseases including cancer, heart disease and Alzheimer’s. We put a family of four on a healthy diet to try to beat their sugar habit and track the surprising results. We talk to leading scientists – and their critics. And we ask the food industry why those ingredient labels are far from clear when it comes to how much sugar is really on your plate.

The Rise of Political Clickbait Farms

Documentary.net staff — Sat, 25 Jul 2015 06:44:12 +0000

A brief documentary showing the growing problem of left and right manipulation of the easily influenced masses, controlled through the use of relatively new technology and advertising methods.

Collaboration – Changes in research and knowledge creation

Documentary.net staff — Wed, 24 Jun 2015 09:52:04 +0000

A new culture of learning is together with the Internet pushing the boundaries of research and knowledge creation. On a journey from Danish biology garages to Google's headquarters, the film explores how the Internet is changing the ways in which we do science and create knowledge. 'Collaboration - On the Edge of a New Paradigm?' explains the philosophical and scientific development from the idea of the isolated geniuses or science created in isolated paradigms, to how interdisciplinary collaboration seems to be a requirement to face the grand challenges of todays society . The documentary ask the essential question: Are we on the threshold of a revolutionary paradigm shift? Get these insights yourself from some of the leadings minds of modern research. The film is an experiment in collaboration and created as part of Alfred’s Birkegaard’s PhD in Philosophy. Produced and directed by Alfred Birkegaard & Katja Gry Birkegaard Carlsen http://collaborativesociety.org/about/ The cast includes: Vint Cerf Elizabeth Stark Douglas Thomas Hubert Dreyfus Terry Winograd Howard Rheingold Heather Heino Joseph Jackson Cameron Neylon Hugh Rheinhoff Malthe Borch Gernot J. Abel Ejner B. Jensen Eddan Katz Birger Lindberg Møller

Drone Rangers

Documentary.net staff — Mon, 15 Jun 2015 17:32:01 +0000

Meet the people pioneering new careers as drone pilots, from the South African savannah to the building sites of California. Drones are the unmanned miniaturized aircraft of the future. Today these planes and helicopters are on the verge of revolutionizing the civilian workplace. From agriculture to industry, the specialized skills of the people who fly them are in ever higher demand. Ready-to-fly drones are now available from around $1,000. Some have been developed from radio-controlled model aeroplanes. But their ability at low cost to operate autonomously comes from the use of commodity electronics developed for consumer gadgets. Mobile phones, for instance, contain a number of devices useful in making drones, such as gyroscopes, accelerometers, wireless transmitters, signal processors and GPS units. As a result the use of drones is spreading rapidly beyond their now familiar military roles. Civilian drones are being used by businesses ranging from surveyors to utilities, delivery firms, news organisations and farms.

Institutionalized: Mental Health Behind Bars

Documentary.net staff — Wed, 08 Apr 2015 16:15:54 +0000

America’s relationship with its mentally ill population continues to suffer as a result of inadequacies in the country’s mental health care system. For the mentally ill in Chicago, the effects of this inadequacy are felt on a magnified scale, as budget cuts and a lack of community-based mental health resources have left these individuals with minimal support. More often than not, this means being repeatedly swept up into the criminal justice system for low-level, non-violent crimes