Sometimes Even the Shore Drowns

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 Silent World

February 1956 •French

Join renowned explorer Jacques-Yves Cousteau as he investigates aquatic habitats worldwide, showcasing whales, sharks, and diverse marine life. The film highlights the brutal realities of nature while capturing the wonder of underwater exploration, as the team ventures into previously unseen ocean depths.

My Octopus Teacher

September 2020 •English

After years of swimming every day in the freezing ocean at the tip of Africa, Craig Foster meets an unlikely teacher: a young octopus who displays remarkable curiosity. Visiting her den and tracking her movements for months on end he eventually wins the animal’s trust and they develop a never-before-seen bond between human and wild animal.

Ocean Wonderland 3D

February 2003 •English

Shot on the Great Barrier Reef in Australia and in the Bahamas, Ocean Wonderland brings to you the amazing beauty of the many varieties of coral and the immense diversity of the marine life thriving there.

World Without Sun

September 1964 •French

Fascinating underwater documentary filmed with hand-held cameras by frogmen and mostly filmed in deep-water seas from within a special designed batiscaff, by the Cousteau family of sea explorers. Preserved by the Academy Film Archive in 2010.

Abysses, la conquête des fonds marins

December 2021 •French

Shore Things

July 1996 •English

People love going to the beach for lots of different reasons. The sun. The sand. The salt-water taffy. In this slightly wacky documentary, we consider all kinds of things that draw people to the coast: board walks, seafood, lifeguards, even metal-detectors and roller skates. From Nantucket to Venice Beach, people relax and bounce in the waves. From the Outer Banks to Oahu, beachgoers bring along their fishing gear and hope to catch some dinner.

Deep Ocean: Descent into the Mariana Trench

July 2018 •English

Exploring an unknown world 10,000 m beneath the waves. After capturing a giant squid on film, NHK's deep-sea film crew explores our planet's deepest point The Mariana Trench is nearly 7 miles deep. The water pressure is immense, and it's a world that's long been out of our reach. What creatures could survive such hostile conditions? This is an expedition to explore the earth's deepest frontier. Narrated By David Attenborough.

Cephalopods: The Reign of Suckers

November 2020 •French

Life in the Blue

December 2016 •English

This films reveals the extraordinary variety of life found in the vast blue expanses of the
open ocean. Here, all the action takes place in a 10 metre deep band of water, just under the surface. Many species use this section of water to migrate and hunt while others use ingenious ways to stay hidden where there appears to be no shelter.

Wild Window: Bejeweled Fishes

June 2016 •Spanish

Bejeweled Fishes captures the spectacular beauty of the myriad fishes inhabiting coral reefs of the Tropical and Eastern Pacific. This Wild Window was captured in the Maldives Islands, Fiji, the Philippines, Mexico, California, and Indonesia.

Castro's Secret Reef

January 2016 •English

Cuba's enforced isolation has resulted in the unlikeliest of marine reserves: a huge, rambling archipelago known as Jardines de la Reina, or "Gardens of the Queen." Stretching around 140 miles along the southern coast of Cuba, it's one of the longest barrier reef systems in the world. Get an up-close look at Fidel Castro's diving playground, a forgotten ocean paradise unseen for half a century, and witness exotic species rarely seen elsewhere in the region. It's the lost jewel of the Caribbean, but how long can this pristine wilderness survive?

Where the Bay Becomes the Sea

December 1985 •English

This is a documentary about the fragile and complex marine ecosystem in the Bay of Fundy. The film traces relationships within the food chain - from tiny plankton to birds and seals and finally to whales and humans. The film is a plea for careful management of our ocean resource and was first telecast as part of CBC's Nature of Things series.

Swimming with Legends

August 2014 •English

A biographical documentary about the Belgian free-diver Fred Buyle and his art of silent diving.

A Calling to Care

September 2001 •English

A Calling to Care is the inspiring story of 55 year-old Grace Stanley, a Canadian nurse who left her home and prestigious career behind to answer a calling halfway around the world in Karachi, Pakistan. Teaching nursing to local women in a strict Muslim culture that forbids them to even to touch men is a formidable task. However, Grace challenges her own values and belief systems to find common ground with her students, helping them to excel and feel respect for themselves in a culture that doesn't respect them. Whether it is getting her hands painted with henna, swimming fully-clothed in the ocean, or marching bravely with them on International Women's Day, Grace bonds with her students in a very special way, and ultimately discovers how the West can learn a lot more from the Third World than she ever thought.

Waves

January 1973 •English

Waves is a visually breathtaking film about the power of the sea. Capturing the Atlantic Ocean in various moods as it crashes against the Irish coasts, the film is a hymn to the relentless power and endless beauty of this elemental force of nature. With coastal scenes harking back to the majesty of Flaherty’s Man of Aran (1934), Carey offers a unique sea-centred depiction of the islands as his painterly cinematography offers mesmerising images of roiling seas, waves crashing against the Aran rocks, sunsets and a golden full moon. John Taylor, friend and colleague of Carey, had originally worked on Man of Aran and filmed some of the additional photography in Waves.

Hearing from the Dolphin

October 2022 •Chinese

Hundreds of offshore wind turbines are being built in proximity to the habitat of endangered white dolphins, as a cetacean scholar tries to find a balance between development and marine ecology.

Ishq e Qalandar - The Beautiful Sindh

March 2020 •English

Ishq e Qalandar - The Beautiful Sindh is a travel film that takes viewers through one of the most ancient civilizations on Earth called Sindh. Shezan Saleem Jo-G takes a journey of self-realization, the discovery of his roots, and building a connection with people and spirituality in Sindh.

Perween Rahman: The Rebel Optimist

April 2016 •Urdu

A documentary on Pakistani architect and urban planner Perween Rahman and her remarkable work for Karachi’s poor.

Wonders of the Sea

October 1922 •English

A film by John Ernest Williamson