1. Kunashir (Kounachir)
Kunashir, one of the biggest islands of the Kuril Archipelago, is situated 16 kilometers from Japan. It was occupied by the Soviet army in 1945. One year later, after a short period of cohabitation, 17.000 Japanese and Ainu people who were living in the Kurils and on Sakhalin were deported to the island of Hokkaido. Since that time Japan has been demanding the return of the Kuril Islands. A peace treaty between the two countries still has not been signed.
2. Underwater Iceland
Marko Röhr's film crew takes the viewer to Europe's last unexplored area: Iceland's unique underwater world. We explore the geysers of boiling waters and the crystal clear lakes off the coast of Iceland. We dive under the icebergs, into the tears between the continental plates and into the deep caves.
It has an average vote of 5.5 on TMDB.
3. Kon-Tiki (Kon-Tiki)
"Kon-Tiki" was the name of a wooden raft used by six Scandinavian scientists, led by Thor Heyerdahl, to make a 101-day journey from South America to the Polynesian Islands. The purpose of the expedition was to prove Heyerdal's theory that the Polynesian Islands were populated from the east- specifically Peru- rather than from the west as had been the theory for hundreds of years. Heyerdahl made a study of the winds and tides in the Pacific, and by simulating conditions as closely as possible to those he theorized the Peruvians encountered, set out on the voyage.
It has an average vote of 7.528 on TMDB.
4. Koh kood
A young lad solo traveling to the end of Thailand hidden Gem Island known as Koh Kood. A fiery of storms and uncontrollable waves appear while departing off this island after a couple of nights of unimaginable paradise, beautiful landscapes, sceneries and breathtaking adventures.
It has an average vote of 10 on TMDB.
5. Top Rider
An in-depth look into the isolated sport of Motocross in the much more isolated island of Bermuda.
6. I Wish
Hong Kong started and flourished as a fishing port in the past, and its people have long been committed to worshipping ancient deities for their blessings. With over a hundred Tin Hau temples in Hong Kong, there are three on Lamma Island alone, located respectively in Sok Kwu Wan, Luk Chau and Yung Shue Wan. The film documents the states of Tin Hau temples on the island and beyond, as an attempt to contextualise the everyday practice of the fishing community, islanders and city dwellers visiting the temples.
7. Nature Amazing Places Hawaii
Program One KILAUEA: MOUNTAIN OF FIRE Ecosystems on Big Island Face No Small Challenge Kilauea, violent and beautiful, destructive and creative, continually molds Hawaii's Big Island. Kilauea: Mountain of Fire explores the incredible power of the volcano and the challenges of like in its shadow. Academy-winner F.Murry Abraham narrates. TV-G Program Two VIOLENT HAWAII From Rivers of Lava Springs Bedrock of Life Imagine a lost word with lava flowing down mountainsides, violent storms, monster waves, rock sides and even heavy snows. This isn't science fiction. It's Hawaii-where spectacular beauty was forged by fire, and created by Turbulent natural forces. Tony Award-winner James Naughton narrates this riveting HD visual journey. TV-G
8. Sons from Afar
New Zealand hip-hop artist Che Fu and his father Tigi Ness travel to their island homeland Niue for the first time to unravel the shared histories. There they also wow the locals with a performance at the Niue Arts and Cultural Festival.
9. Shaping Bamboo
For the 'Are'are people of the Solomon Islands, the most valued music is that of the four types of panpipe ensembles. With the exception of slit drums, all musical instruments are made of bamboo; therefore the general word for instruments and the music performed with them is "bamboo" . This film shows the making of panpipes, from the cutting the bamboo in the forest to the making of the final bindings. The most important part of the work consists in shaping each tube to its necessary length. Most 'Are'are panpipe makers measure the length of old instruments before they shape new tubes. Master musician 'Irisipau, surprisingly, takes the measure using his body, and adjusts the final tuning by ear. For the first time we can see here how the instruments and their artificial equiheptatonic scale-seven equidistant degrees in an octave-are practically tuned.
10. Niue: This Is Your Land
A third generation NZ born Niuean Female surfer, visits her Island of heritage for the first time only to discover there is no surf on Niue. But Mella's visit opens her eyes to the island's other beautiful qualities, the magical water, warm people, and clean unpolluted land. However she also discovers the low population has left the countries future hanging by a thread. This documentary is a record of Mella's journey to regaining her identity and first steps at becoming part of the solution in Niue's restoration of itself.
It has an average vote of 6 on TMDB.
11. Tuna: A Fish with a Special Place in My Heart
The director explains his love for tuna meat which was in his family for generations.
12. Mou Piri: A Rarotongan Love Song
How a South Pacific love song touched hearts around the world.
It has an average vote of 10 on TMDB.
13. A Nativa Solitária (A Nativa Solitária)
The life of Luz del Fuego, her artistic performances and involvement with naturism. One of the great Brazilian feminists and precursor of the Brazilian naturist movement.
14. Someplace with a Mountain
One hour documentary about a special group of pacific islanders. The Lapita Navigators. The proud forefathers of many cultures in the tropical Pacific. They are losing their homes and crops because of sea level rise. Their livelihood and culture are dramatically threatened as the islands they live on are flooding day by day. By chance, a sailor, Steve Goodall, came across them on his travels and discovered they knew nothing about the current forecasts for sea level rise. Once informed they asked for his help. The outcome and conclusion of this story will be told in the context of an event celebrating their living culture, a culture at a cross roads of great importance for all of us.
It has an average vote of 8 on TMDB.
15. Galapagos with David Attenborough
Two hundred years after Charles Darwin set foot on the shores of the Galápagos Islands, David Attenborough travels to this wild and mysterious archipelago. Amongst the flora and fauna of these enchanted volcanic islands, Darwin formulated his groundbreaking theories on evolution. Journey with Attenborough to explore how life on the islands has continued to evolve in biological isolation, and how the ever-changing volcanic landscape has given birth to species and sub-species that exist nowhere else in the world. Encompassing treacherous journeys, life-forms that forge unlikely companionships, and survival against all odds, Galápagos tells the story of an evolutionary melting pot in which anything and everything is possible.
It has an average vote of 7.2 on TMDB.
16. Patutiki the Guardians of The Marquesan Tattoo (Patutiki, l'art du tatouage des îles Marquises)
First-time feature filmmakers Heretu Tetahiotupa, Christophe Cordier delve into the ritual art of Marquesan tattoo, sharing its cultural and historical significance by reenacting the past and challenging the present.
17. Man of Aran
A documentary on the life of the people of the Aran Islands, who were believed to contain the essence of the ancient Irish life, represented by a pure uncorrupted peasant existence centred around the struggle between man and his hostile but magnificent surroundings. A blend of documentary and fictional narrative, the film captures the everyday trials of life on Ireland's unforgiving Aran Islands.
It has an average vote of 7.271 on TMDB.
18. Fratello mare (Fratello mare)
The Work completes the "quadrilogy" of South Seas seen over a twenty-year period. This film, tells the choral story of an island that in the short time of a generation loses its identity.
19. Return of the Islander (An tOileánach a d'Fhill)
Through economic necessity, an Aran Islander is forced to travel to England to work on building sites so that he can earn money to support his family back on the Islands.
It has an average vote of 5.3 on TMDB.
20. Silence of the Tides (Silence of the Tides)
The passage of time is spellbinding in this cinematic tour de force about the Wadden Sea. A film that inhales and exhales along with the tides as it explores the fragile relationship between man and nature.
It has an average vote of 8 on TMDB.