The Conquest of Light

The Cable That Changed the World

August 2024 •English

The first transatlantic communications cable, traversing the ocean floor from Valentia Island, County Kerry, to Newfoundland, Canada, 165 years ago was an 8 year endeavor that helped lay the foundation of the modern technology industry and explains the fragility of undersea cables today.

Le côté obscur de l'ampoule

April 2017 •French

Atomic Hope: Inside the Pro-Nuclear Movement

February 2023 •English

Is nuclear energy the solution to the climate crisis? Whether it is the only carbon-neutral technology capable of tackling the crisis or a fatally convenient stopgap, time is running out.

Éclipse 73

Invalid date •French

Is Genesis History?

February 2017 •English

A fascinating new look at the biblical, historical, and scientific evidence for Creation and the Flood. Learn from more than a dozen scientists and scholars as they explore the world around us in light of Genesis. Dr. Del Tackett, creator of The Truth Project, hikes through canyons, climbs up mountains, and dives below the sea in an exploration of two competing views... one compelling truth.

Cormac McCarthy's Veer

February 2023 •English

Cormac McCarthy has spent the last 25 years writing his novels at the mountain top retreat of the Santa Fe Institute (SFI) in New Mexico. An institute dedicated to the formal analysis of complex systems. In this documentary filmed at the library at SFI (and in the desert), Cormac in conversation with his colleague David Krakauer, reflects on isolation, mathematics, character, and the nature of the unconscious

Bill Nye: Science Guy

April 2017 •English

Bill Nye is retiring his kid show act in a bid to become more like his late professor, astronomer Carl Sagan. Sagan dreamed of launching a spacecraft that could revolutionize interplanetary exploration. Bill sets out to accomplish Sagan's mission, but he is pulled away when he is challenged by evolution and climate change contrarians to defend the scientific consensus. Can Bill show the world why science matters in a culture increasingly indifferent to evidence?

Physics at Half Past Nine

January 1971 •Russian

A physicist, a director of popular-science films, and a sports fan talk about the structure of the atom between periods of a hockey game they watch on TV.

Rich Media, Poor Democracy

January 2003 •English

Robert McChesney lays the blame for the US's current state of affairs squarely at the doors of the corporate boardrooms of big media, which far from delivering on their promises of more choice and more diversity, have organized a system characterized by a lack of competition, homogenization of opinion and formulaic programming.

Attacking the Devil: Harold Evans and the Last Nazi War Crime

June 2014 •English

Before the internet. Before social media. Before breaking news. The victims of Thalidomide had to rely on something even more extraordinary to fight their corner: Investigative journalism. This is the story of how Harold Evans fought and won the battle of his and many other lives.

The Divided Brain

April 2019 •English

A film which explores a radical new idea - is there an imbalance between our brain hemispheres that is affecting how we live in our modern society?

Einstein's Universe

January 1979 •English

A documentary produced in 1979 to celebrate the centenary of the birth of Albert Einstein. Narrated and hosted by Peter Ustinov and written by Nigel Calder.

Close-Up on Planets

September 1982 •English

Computer animation and footage from NASA space missions explain how our solar system evolved and the place Earth has within the system.

Bread

March 2014 •Russian

A unique project, the popular science series "Bread" is shooting around the world, interviews with scientists and world-class experts. There are 4 series in the project: "Immortality", "Money", "Hunger" and "Gene". This is a story about how bread controlled the destinies of continents and empires, how the rise of some civilizations and the fall of others depended on it, how in different countries and at different times it performed the function of money. This is the first time such a complete study of bread and grain is being carried out on a television screen. The focus is on the most interesting events in the history of Russia, Italy, France, Germany, England, China, Egypt and other countries.

Bread. Gene

April 2014 •Russian

Each grain crop - wheat, rye, rice and corn - has been "creating" a special type of person for centuries. For example, rye formed the Slavic culture, wheat influenced the inhabitants of almost all of Central Europe and a significant part of Asia, corn formed the inhabitants from Mexico to Nicaragua, and rice - representatives of Japan, India and China. Today, genetic engineers are trying to create the bread of the future. It is likely that after some time we will have three-dimensional food printers in our kitchens that will be able to "print" buns, loaves or confectionery. However, scientists are convinced that only part of the components for the "printer" will be chemical, and the rest of the components will continue to be grown on earth. At the same time, some researchers believe that genetic engineering may turn out to be a "Pandora's box", while others are sure that they can no longer do without it.

Theory of Light

March 2022 •English

Theory of Light is a documentary centred on the climate emergency through a climate justice lens. It's committed to uplifting the perspectives of communities already being impacted by climate change and representing those who feel excluded from the climate movement.

Microcosmos

September 1996 •French

A documentary of insect life in meadows and ponds, using incredible close-ups, slow motion, and time-lapse photography. It includes bees collecting nectar, ladybugs eating mites, snails mating, spiders wrapping their catch, a scarab beetle relentlessly pushing its ball of dung uphill, endless lines of caterpillars, an underwater spider creating an air bubble to live in, and a mosquito hatching.

A Brief History of Time

October 1991 •English

This shows physicist Stephen Hawking's life as he deals with the ALS that renders him immobile and unable to speak without the use of a computer. Hawking's friends, family, classmates, and peers are interviewed not only about his theories but the man himself.

Our Mr. Sun

November 1956 •English

One entry in a series of films produced to make science accessible to the masses—especially children—this film describes the sun in scientific but entertaining terms.

The Pleasure of Finding Things Out

November 1981 •English

Richard Feynman was a scientific genius with - in his words - a "limited intelligence". This dichotomy is just one of the characteristics that made him a fascinating subject. The Pleasure of Finding Things Out exposes us to many more of these intriguing attributes by featuring an extensive conversation with the acclaimed Nobel Prize winner. During the course of the interview, which was conducted in 1981, Feynman uses the undeniable power of the personal to convey otherwise challenging scientific theories. His colorful and lucid stories make abstract concepts tangible, and his warm presence is sure to inspire interest and awe from even the most reluctant student of science. His insights are profound, but his delivery is anything but dry and ostentatious.