Knockhatch Animal Conservation: A Short Documentary

Herbicide Trials

1984

In 1983, fifteen Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, landowners went to court to stop the spraying of herbicides by the local subsidiary of a Swedish multinational on forests adjacent to their properties. They found that the testimony of scientists and the support of public opinion, both here and abroad, were not enough to win their case. The film shows their ordeal and the landmark Sydney trial. Concerns raised included potential conflict-of-interest situations where a government must protect citizens' health while supporting certain kinds of industry; the relative value of the political and judicial processes in mediating social problems; and the need for a public forum for debating environmental issues. The film contains outstanding footage from chemical-industry films of the 1950s and recent material about Vietnam veterans affected by Agent Orange.

Simona

2022

Ida, the grandniece of Simona Kossak, travels to the Bialowieza Forest at the Polish-Belarussian border. Sorting through the photos left by Lech Wilczek, Ida uncovers the life he had with Simona, captured in the photographs, footage and memories. A moving and powerful documentary about the life of Simona Kossak, a biologist, ecologist and activist known for her efforts to preserve the remnants of natural ecosystems in Poland and for living among the animals in the Białowieża Forest for over 30 years.

Birds of America

2022

In the first half of the 19th century, the French ornithologist Jean-Jacques Audubon travelled to America to depict birdlife along the Mississippi River. Audubon was also a gifted painter. His life’s work in the form of the classic book ‘Birds of America’ is an invaluable documentation of both extinct species and an entire world of imagination. During the same period, early industrialisation and the expulsion of indigenous peoples was in full swing. The gorgeous film traces Audubon’s path around the South today. The displaced people’s descendants welcome us and retell history, while the deserted vistas of heavy industry stretch across the horizon. The magnificent, broad images in Jacques Loeuille’s atmospheric, modern adventure reminds us at the same time how little - and yet how much - is left of the nature that Audubon travelled around in. His paintings of the colourful birdlife of the South still belong to the most beautiful things you can imagine.

Top Rider

2024

An in-depth look into the isolated sport of Motocross in the much more isolated island of Bermuda.

Invisible Revolutions

2014

2012: Time for Change

2010

2012: Time For Change is a documentary feature that presents ways to transform our unsustainable society into a regenerative planetary culture. This can be achieved through a personal and global change of consciousness and the systemic implementation of ecological design.

Phone

1974

A primer on proper phone manners produced for the New Zealand Post Office.

Dominion

2018

Exposing the dark underbelly of modern animal agriculture through drones, hidden & handheld cameras, the feature-length film explores the morality and validity of our dominion over the animal kingdom.

Garfield: Bringing the Cat to Life

2004

A short documentary on the making of the first live-action Garfield movie.

Endangered

2021

United by the planet's biggest conservation project -- The Red List -- conservation heroes around the world are risking everything to save giraffe, gorillas, big cats and other endangered wildlife.

Man & Wife: An Educational Film for Married Adults

1969

Hosted by some unnamed escapee from a twelve-step program, Man and Wife, moves from anatomy charts and Asian erotic art into actual footage of two couples demonstrating nearly fifty different sexual positions.

Earth: One Amazing Day

2017

An astonishing journey revealing the awesome power of the natural world. Over the course of one single day, we track the sun from the highest mountains to the remotest islands to exotic jungles.

Planet Earth: A Celebration

2020

David Attenborough, Hans Zimmer and Dave unite for a special Natural History event – Planet Earth: A Celebration. The special one-hour programme brings together eight of the most extraordinary sequences from Planet Earth II and Blue Planet II including racer snakes vs iguana, surfing bottlenose dolphins and rare footage of the Himalayan snow leopard. Featuring new narration from David Attenborough, new compositions and arrangements from Hans Zimmer, Jacob Shea and the team at Bleeding Fingers and performed by the BBC Concert Orchestra, accompanied by Brit and Mercury Award-winning UK rapper Dave. In these extraordinary times, there is one thing that can offer solace to everyone – the wonder of the natural world.

The White Planet

2006

The White Planet or in French, La Planète Blanche, is a 2006 documentary about the wildlife of the Arctic. It shows interactions between marine animals, birds and land animals, especially the polar bear, over a one year period. The fragility of the Arctic is hinted at as a reason to prevent climate change. It was nominated for the Documentary category in the 27th Genie Awards in 2007.

Herbstfeuer

2026

A passionate hotel manager is obsessed with a clairvoyant's claim that he is to blame for the unexplained fire at his legendary grand hotel. To free himself from this burden, he teams up with an astute detective inspector to expose a former employee as the arsonist. This unexpectedly puts him at the centre of the investigation – and he must face the truth.