30 Years of National Geographic Specials

Tiger on the Rocks

September 2022 •English

The Tasmanian Tiger twists and turns depending on how it's seen. Sheep-killing beast or tragic victim of human induced extinction. Ancient painting on a rock or vivid ancestor spirit. Lost forever, or a timely reminder to respect the connection between human and animal, culture, nature and country. In stunning landscapes across Australia where Thylacines once roamed, people from wide-ranging traditions share their experiences: First Nations artists, rangers and custodians; biologists, bone hunters and archaeologists. Multiple insights combine to throw light on Australia's most wanted animal.

March of the Penguins

January 2005 •French

Every year, thousands of Antarctica's emperor penguins make an astonishing journey to breed their young. They walk, marching day and night in single file 70 miles into the darkest, driest and coldest continent on Earth. This amazing, true-life tale is touched with humour and alive with thrills. Breathtaking photography captures the transcendent beauty and staggering drama of devoted parent penguins who, in the fierce polar winter, take turns guarding their egg and trekking to the ocean in search of food. Predators hunt them, storms lash them. But the safety of their adorable chicks makes it all worthwhile. So follow the leader... to adventure!!

Out of State

November 2017 •English

Out of State is the unlikely story of native Hawaiians men discovering their native culture as prisoners in the desert of Arizona, 3,000 miles, and across the ocean, from their island home.

Život v lese

January 1949 •Czech

Planet Without Apes

June 2021 •German

Humans hunt for baby apes. But things are not always done properly when chimpanzees and orangutans are acquired for zoos or shows. And even the endangered bonobos are no exception.

The Color of Fear 2: Walking Each Other Home

January 1997 •English

In THE COLOR OF FEAR, eight American men participated in emotionally charged discussions of racism. In this sequel, we hear and see more from those discussions, in which the men talk about about how racism has affected their lives in the United States. We also learn more about the relationships between them, and about their reactions during some of the most intense moments of that discussion.

Hunt for U-479

April 2009 •English

Two Finnish filmmakers and an international team of divers embark on a quest to find the lost WWII German U-boat, U-479, in the Gulf of Finland. Despite Soviet claims of its sinking by the submarine Lembit, unanswered questions prompted the filmmakers to investigate the mystery firsthand.

The American Southwest

September 2025 •English

The American Southwest is a feature length blue chip natural history film narrated by indigenous environmentalist Quannah Chasinghorse. The movie journeys down the mighty Colorado River, examining the astonishing beauty and biodiversity of the region, while confronting the environmental destruction from dams and the perilous fate of the river. The story is told through never-before-seen wildlife sequences such as beavers building wetlands, condors recovering from the brink, and the potential return of Jaguars to American soil. The film beautifully advocates for better management of the river and increased wildlife conservation efforts in the iconic landscapes of The American Southwest.

Le Grand Désert

December 1950 •French

In 1950, the explorer Roger Frison-Roche made a crossing of more than a thousand kilometers on the back of a camel with the photographer Georges Tairraz II, in the heart of the Sahara, from Hoggar then Djanet in Algeria to Ghat in Libya. From their journey they brought back a large number of color films and documents. Among thousands of photos, they selected 47 images which reflect the various aspects of these immense spaces which occupy a third of Africa in the book "The Great Desert". “The Great Desert, 1000 kilometers on camelback” is the eponymous 85-minute documentary of this epic, released in 1950.

Shark Beach with Chris Hemsworth

July 2021 •English

Chris Hemsworth has a real passion for sharks. The Hollywood star talks to experts to find out more about the apex predators of the oceans.

Juzo Itami: The Man with 13 Faces

January 2007 •Japanese

A documentary about the legendary Japanese filmmaker.

Niok, The Orphan Elephant

August 1957 •English

Near the region of Angkor Watt, a group of children capture a baby elephant and are just growing attached to it when it is sold to a travelling safari. Pursuing the new owner, a boy manages to steal it back, and the children free it to return to its mother.

Some of the Best

January 1944 •English

This film features highlights of MGM's productions from 1924 through 1943, in honor of the studio's twentieth anniversary.

Shark Vs. Whale

July 2020 •English

A routine drone survey turns deadly when Ryan Johnson, a marine biologist based in South Africa, films a humpback whale being attacked and strategically drowned by a Great white shark. This is a total perspective shift for the creature.

Titan: The OceanGate Submersible Disaster

June 2025 •English

OceanGate's Titan tourist submersible imploded in 2023 on a deep-sea dive to the Titanic. This documentary details how a bold vision ended in tragedy.

Orca Vs. Great White

July 2021 •English

Researchers investigate whether orcas have begun hunting great white sharks off the coast of New Zealand.

Rogue Shark

July 2021 •English

A series of shark attacks that happened in the same patch of ocean, the remote islands of the Whitsunday in Australia.

World's Biggest Bull Shark?

July 2021 •English

How one of the largest Bull Sharks ever caught off the quiet coast of Florida grew to become a giant of the ocean.

Jane Goodall's Wild Chimpanzees

May 2002 •English

Showcased in beautiful IMAX format, this documentary takes viewers into the hearts, minds and world of chimpanzees as it profiles legendary scientist Dr. Jane Goodall's work among the chimps at Gombe Park on Africa's Lake Tanganyka. Dr. Goodall and other researchers give us an up-close look at the daily lives of the Gombe chimp families -- Fifi and sons Freud and alpha male Frodo, along with Gremlin, Gaia and the endearing Galahad.

Searching for Skylab, America's Forgotten Triumph

February 2019 •English

The first American space station Skylab is found in pieces scattered in Western Australia. Putting these pieces back together and re-tracing the Skylab program back to its very conception reveals the cornerstone of human space exploration.