Completed:
"A Sea of Surprises"
- Lying on the northern tip of Sulawesi, Indonesia, the rich and diversified ecosystem of
Bunaken sustains an array of different and bizarre marine creatures, making it a centre of
great bio-diversity. Eccentric animals, tricksters, impersonators, carnival creatures have
been caught on film, with descriptions of their unique behaviour patterns.
"Tides of
Aldabra" - about the lives of the creatures revolving around the tides occurring
twice a day on the biggest raised atoll of the world. Fish, sharks, turtles are all
flowing in and out of the huge lagoon as millions of gallons of water flood or escape it
at amazing speed. 150.000 giant tortoises live on the atoll making it unique and
spectacular.
"Guardians
of Aldabra" - A film showing not only the splendid wildlife of this World
Heritage Site, but also the work of a few dedicated researchers to safeguard the atoll of
the Indian Ocean.
"Islands Without Frontiers": Thousand of tourists from all over
the world flock every summer to the beautiful mediterranean islands of Corsica and
Sardinia. They mainly gather in the region called the "Bouches de Bonifacio" by
the French, and "Bocche di Bonifacio" by their Italian neighbours. The wildlife
riches of the "Bocche" persuaded both Italian and French authorities to
establish huge protected reserves in their respective domains. This film will describe the
conservation work of the mixed team of researchers, while celebrating the wildlife wonders
of the region.
Pre-Production:
"Somewhere in an Empty Ocean" - The Seychelles
Arcipelago's Unique Natural History. A film about how and why a prime tourist destination
is aslo a laboratory experiment in evolution. Once upon a time, a mega-continent started
to crack, its pieces edging apart. One of these land-masses, now known as India, broke off
from mainland Africa, starting a slow but steady voyage towards its present position.
On this journey it left behind a plethora of "debris" in the form of inslands.
These now form the only granitic archipelago in the world: the Seychelles.
"The Valley - "A
journey into the Nature of the Great Rift of Africa"
Africa's Great Rift Valley is one of the planet's most conspicuos landmarks. But the Rift
is not only a geological wonder. Most scientists believe that the valley is the Cradle of
Mankind. Climatic and geological mutation have done their work since the era of the first
hominids, but the Rift remains largely the Garden of Eden where evolution gave rise to an
immense biodiversity.
The
Malawi Connection - Lake Malawi is the centre of the explosive evolution of a
single family of fish, the Cichlids.
On the lakeshore, rolling hills of montane grassland host an array of African animals in a
different environment from the much-abused setting of the savanna.
A unique eco-region encompassing a natural ark. An episode of the Series Forgotten
Edens.
On the Slate:
"A Bump in the Med"
- The "bump" of Libya into the Mediterranean forms an isolated ecosystem of
unsuspected riches being, as it is, on the edge of the Sahara.
Rainfalls over average on the elevations near the coast make it possible a cover of forest
and Mediterranean woodlands.
The sea is also particularly rich and researchers are looking after one of the last
remaining colonies of monk seals in the whole med-basin.
The ancient cities of Cyrene and Apollonia stand half-submerged allowing portraits of
marine life in a unique architectural environment. A Forgotten Edens episode.
"Beetles
rule !" - about the most successful and numerous family of animals of the planet.
Beetles, besides being somehow bizarre in their shapes and structure, have colonised every
single corner of earth from glaciers to desert and show an adaptability unknown to other
organisms. The latest macro filming techniques will be used to describe the behaviour and
the ecology of this unique group of insects.
This is a joint project between Aldabra Productions and Oxford Scientific Films - UK.
"Libraries
of the Desert" - A journey of adventure and discovery in search of ancient
manuscripts buried in the sands of the Sahara. Concealed inside the stone houses of the
Oasis of Chinguetti, Mauritania, a precious historical treasure can be found: thousands of
manuscripts that the Mauri families handed down from father to son for centuries.
The film will follow the trip of a researcher along the old caravan routes with a
detective-movie style.
A joint project between Aldabra Productions and GA&A - Italy.
"The Potato" - The Story of a Vegetable which changed
History. From the Incas peasants who first dig it out of the earth some 5.000 years ago,
the potato has made a journey into our society which encompass richness and poverty,
population explosions and famine, power and despair.
The documentary will follow the story of the humble spud that had a role in the making of
our History far more important than that we imagine.
