The secret of Alexandria

The Freedom of the Sea

January 2025 •English

The Freedom of the Sea is a short documentary highlighting the freedom of living in the UK - in contrast to a more restrictive life in Iran - through the joy of daily sea swimming in Brighton.

Riding Giants

July 2004 •English

Riding Giants is story about big wave surfers who have become heroes and legends in their sport. Directed by the skateboard guru Stacy Peralta.

Kapitäne

June 2017 •German

This documentary film portrays five captains. It shows their everyday life on board, and how they fulfill their duties and make decisions. But it goes far beyond: Viewers get to know the captains as people with values, as human beings that also deal with topics such as family and home. The captains' stories tell a lot more than about life at sea. The narrative style is documentary in the classical sense: It is only the captains who speak, there is no voiceover. Their own words and the pictures let viewers gain a very close insight into the captains' lives. Hamburg, the German port known as "gate to the world", creates the cinematic parenthesis of this documentary. All captains portrayed have a close relation to Hamburg - they live or work there or come to Hamburg with their ships every now and then.

Devalar (C)

May 2019 •Galician

In Galician, Devalar means “the passing of time over things”. This short movie is a portrait of a seaside Galician village, on the edge of the Atlantic ocean, drawn by the memories of the director.

Deep Blue

May 2003 •English

Deep Blue is a major documentary feature film shot by the BBC Natural History Unit. An epic cinematic rollercoaster ride for all ages, Deep Blue uses amazing footage to tell us the story of our oceans and the life they support.

The Pearl Fishers

May 1960 •Japanese

Documentary about Japanese pearl fishers.

Plastic: The Real Sea Monster

January 2013 •German

Reila

May 2023 •Dutch

Under the Sea 3D

February 2009 •English

Imagine a world of incredible color and beauty. Of crabs wearing jellyfish for hats. Of fish disguised as frogs, stones and shag carpets. Of a kaleidoscope of life dancing and weaving, floating and darting in an underwater wonderland. Now, go explore it! Howard Hall and his filmmaking team, who brought you Deep Sea and Into the Deep, take you into tropical waters alive with adventure: the Great Barrier Reef and other South Pacific realms. Narrated by Jim Carrey and featuring astonishing camerawork, this amazing film brings you face to fin with Nature's marvels, from the terrible grandeur (and terrible teeth) of a Great White to the comic antics of a lovestruck cuttlefish. Excitement and fun run deep Under the Sea!

Oceans

January 2010 •English

An ecological drama/documentary, filmed throughout the globe. Part thriller, part meditation on the vanishing wonders of the sub-aquatic world.

Seafighters

October 2017 •Galician

Living among the percebeiros of the Coast of Death (Galicia), this documentary shows a unique relationship between man and his surroundings, man and the sea. At the end of Europe, years after the Prestige oil spill disaster, these fishermen face an uncertain future.

With the Ship 'Macedonia' from Rijeka to New York

August 1952 •Macedonian

A travel documentary about the ship "Macedonia" which sets sail from the port of Rijeka, travels along the Mediterranean Sea stopping at Alexandria, Genova, Marseilles, Algiers and arrives at the final destination in New York.

Egypt Speaks

January 1951 •English

This James A. FitzPatrick's People on Parade series short takes the viewer to Alexandria, Egypt, with emphasis on the modern nature of the city.

Half Moon

November 2020 •English

A dance between moon and ocean, forests and rivers. A short film by Scott Barley, originally made for a "half moon phase" sequence for Tadhg O'Sullivan's essay film, 'To the Moon' (2020). Shot on iPhone Xs with various rephotographing techniques, combined with superimposed drawings and paintings by Scott Barley. Released as a standalone short film in 2024 as part of 'Short Films (2012–2020): Solo Works by Scott Barley' on Blu-ray.

Tide Pools

October 2023 •English

The sun rises over the tide pools of coastal Maine.

Ama-San

April 2016 •Japanese

A dive, the midday sunlight filtering down through the water. The air in her lungs has to last until she can dislodge the abalone. Dives like these have been carried out in Japan for over 2000 years by the Ama-San.

PQ17: An Arctic Convoy Disaster

January 2014 •English

Jeremy Clarkson tells the dramatic story of the Arctic convoys of the Second World War, from Russia to the freezing Arctic Ocean.

Alexandria: The Greatest City

June 2010 •English

Bettany Hughes goes in search of this lost civilisation, revealing the story of a city founded out of the desert by Alexander the Great in 331 BC to become the world's first global centre of culture. The documentary also looks at the role of astronomer and philosopher Hypatia, and incorporates stunning footage from the feature film 'Agora'.

The Seafarers

October 1953 •English

Members of the American Federation of Labor, the Atlantic & Gulf Coast District of the Seafarers International Union commissioned budding filmmaker and magazine photographer Stanley Kubrick to direct this half-hour documentary. The director's first film in color, it is more of an industrial film than a documentary, it served as a promotional tool to recruit sailors to the union.

Jalpi

June 2023 •Korean