Countdown to Survival: Tornado

National Geographic: Inside the Mega Twister

November 2015 •English

The tornado that struck El Reno, Oklahoma, on May 31, 2013, defined superlatives. It was the largest twister ever recorded on Earth.

Wake of '38

September 1978 •English

Personal experiences of Northwest Ohio residents during the January 1978 blizzard that disrupted daily activities. Stories include the helicopter rescue of an expectant mother, effects on emergency services, and methods people used to survive without electricity and heat.

Wild Weather

Invalid date •English

An innovative documentary that illustrates how weather works by performing brave, ambitious (even unlikely) experiments that show how nature transforms simple ingredients like wind, water and temperature into something spectacular and powerful.

Your Chance to Live: Winter Storm

September 1972 •English

Intercuts scenes from Jack London's To build a fire with modern urban and rural winter scenes to point out the dangers of winter storms and low temperatures. Designed to stimulate discussion on civil preparedness for winter storms.

Your Chance to Live: Nuclear Disaster

February 1974 •English

Portrays the challenges of creating a film about nuclear disaster amid public apathy. It captures behind-the-scenes moments as the crew discusses the gravity of nuclear threats, the importance of preparation, and the emotional impact of a nuclear attack. The narrative emphasizes the need for individuals to take responsibility for their safety and community in the event of an attack, blending factual information with a call to action.

Your Chance to Live: Hurricane

March 1972 •English

Released by the Defense Civil Preparedness Agency in 1972, Your Chance to Live is a series of films which cover threatening events, from forest fires, to floods, tornadoes and nuclear disasters. Hurricane tells the story of two parents who revisit the beach town where their children were killed in a violent storm the previous summer.

Your Chance to Live: Heat Wave

June 1973 •English

The film highlights the dangers of extreme heat and the importance of staying hydrated and cool. It portrays a conversation between two friends, one of whom insists on playing basketball despite the oppressive heat. The narrative emphasizes that heat-related illnesses can be avoided by recognizing the body's signals and taking necessary precautions, such as drinking water and staying indoors. The film concludes with a report of record-breaking temperatures, underscoring the seriousness of heat exposure.

Your Chance to Live: An Instructor's Guide

November 1973 •English

The Defense Civil Preparedness Agency began an informational campaign in 1972 called Your Chance to Live. As part of the campaign, a series of films was released along with a companion book. Each installment covers a different disaster scenario, including tornadoes, blizzards, earthquakes, forest fires, blackouts and a nuclear disaster. The California Department of Education helped produce the films and hosted a workshop of educational professionals to discuss the best ways to present the desired emergency preparedness information to school age audiences. The process was filmed and assembled, along with clips from each production, and distributed as an Instructor's Guide in 1975.

The Weirdest Weather in the Universe

October 2016 •English

Horizon visits state-of-the-art laboratories and uses CGI to recreate the science-fiction-worthy weather experienced on other planets.

The Echo

February 2024 •Spanish

In the remote village of El Echo that exists outside of time, the children care for the sheep and their elders. While the frost and drought punish the land, they learn to understand death, illness and love with each act, word and silence of their parents. A story about the echo of what clings to the soul, about the certainty of shelter provided by those around us, about rebellion and vertigo in the face of life. About growing up.

Mr. Tornado

May 2020 •English

Meteorologist Tetsuya Theodore "Ted" Fujita spent ten months studying The Super Outbreak of 1974, which was the most intense tornado outbreak on record. Mr. Tornado is the remarkable story of the man whose groundbreaking work in research and applied science saved thousands of lives and helped Americans prepare for and respond to dangerous weather phenomena.

Into the Okavango

April 2018 •English

A passionate conservation biologist brings together a river bushman fearful of losing his past and a young scientist uncertain of her future on an epic, four-month expedition across three countries, through unexplored and dangerous landscapes, in order to save the Okavango Delta, one of our planet's last pristine wildernesses.

Twisters: The Real Story

July 2024 •English

In 1996, Universal Pictures released 'Twister', a film about tornado researchers. This documentary revisits the topic, exploring the motivations of those risking their lives to study dangerous weather. With never-before-seen footage and interviews, it delves into the lives of Storm Chasers.

Gulf Stream and the Next Ice Age

January 2007 •English

As co-created by environmentalists Stephan Poulle and Nicolas Koutsikas, the documentary Gulf Stream and the Next Ice Age argues and provides evidence for the idea that mankind is wreaking permanent and potentially irreversible damage on the ecosystem by interfering with the natural course of the Gulf Stream. Koutsikas and Poulle suggest that this interference, in turn, will prompt a new Ice Age that virtually destroys the modern world.

Earth: The Inside Story

April 2014 •English

Earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions, and extreme weather. Has Earth always been this way? Featuring footage of top geologic hot spots on every continent, the film traces the scientifically-based story of the 4.5 billion-year-old Earth, from the core to the crust and up into the atmosphere.

Twisted

September 2016 •English

In Thorold, Ontario in the summer of 1996, a movie legend was made when a real-life tornado hit a drive-in theatre during a screening of Twister. But how much truth really lies inside this tale of life (or weather) imitating art?

A Day in the Life of Earth

December 2018 •English

Presenter Hannah Fry reveals how much our planet can change in just a single day and how these daily changes are essential to our existence.

Okavango: A Flood of Life

February 2021 •English

A great flood arrives in a desert kingdom, transforming a dustbowl into a vast and lush wetland, in one of the most diverse habitats on earth. This breath-taking blue-chip natural history film is a journey through Okavango’s seasons, seen through the eyes of an indigenous River Bushman. Our storyteller guides us through the course of Okavango’s flood and into a savage drought, interweaving intimate and spectacular wildlife stories. The arrival and disappearance of precious water determines the destiny of the millions of animals that call Okavango home. For many, the flood is a lifeline. For others, it brings the greatest challenges. Everyone lives or dies by this epic event. It is the heartbeat of the Kalahari.

Le Peuple des airs

July 2022 •French

Bacteria, viruses, but also fungi, algae, pollen, and even insects: micro-organisms thrive and circulate constantly in our sky. How can so many living beings find their way into the air and circulate? How do they survive? And what influence do they have on our lives and the living world? Biodiversity, health, climate: it is only recently that scientists have begun to understand how this discreet aerial "plankton" affects our lives and our ecosystem. But despite their many virtues, some of these micro-organisms are now threatened by human activities. With the help of experts and 3D models, this scientific investigation plunges us into the heart of a still mysterious world, and reveals the diversity and fragility of the air we breathe.

Météores

June 2014 •French