Episode #1.9

Envoy: Shark Cull is a fascinating, deeply moving documentary narrated by Eric Bana, which sheds light on the real story behind the coastal ‘shark safety’ programs in Queensland and New South Wales. The current methods of baited drum-lines and nets have not only been scientifically proven to be ineffective in protecting swimmers and surfers, leaving them at risk in the sea, but these outdated solutions continue to be allowed to negatively impact entire marine ecosystems—including the Great Barrier Reef. Follows some of the biggest names in ocean conservation, such as Sea Shepherd, Ocean Ramsey and Madison Stewart. We will join these experts as they explore and expose this scarcely understood topic. We will also learn the importance of sharks in our oceans while uncovering the longest marine cull in history.

Documentary which uses the latest, most detailed imagery to reveal the monthly life cycle of the moon. From Wales to Wyoming, Hong Kong to Croydon, the programme finds out how the moon shapes life on Earth, as well as exploring its mysterious dark side and discovering how the moon’s journey around Earth delivers one of nature’s most awe-inspiring events – a total solar eclipse. And at the end of a remarkable year of lunar activity, we find out why so many supermoons have been lighting up the night sky.

In Botswana’s Okavango Delta, an ostracized lioness and her two cubs must fight alone to survive – overcoming all manner of hazards. Their only defense is to escape to Duba Island — and with that, an unknown future. The setting for this epic tale is one of the last regions where lions can live in the wild. Faced with dwindling land and increasing pressure from hunting, lions – like our lone lioness and her cubs – are approaching the brink of extinction.

The political murder of a Moscow lawyer and the cancellation of 259 pending American adoptions of Russian orphans are seemingly disparate events found to have a deep and insidious connection. Connecting the dots from Russia’s warehousing of abandoned and special needs children to the cross-borders dealings of a billionaire investment banker to one American family’s tragedy, the film explores how Russian political corruption is linked to a single adopted child, whose accidental death becomes the declared reason behind Putin’s Russian Adoption Ban.

Follow the rise of the largest and most well-funded blackjack team in America — made up entirely of card-counting, churchgoing Christians. The players don’t see blackjack as a sin; they take from casinos and give to their families and churches.

Documentary portrait of Carl Boenish, the father of the BASE jumping movement, whose early passion for skydiving led him to ever more spectacular -and dangerous- feats of foot-launched human flight.

Covering the dire elephant poaching crisis: poachers, rangers, victims and those who save the elephants. An unbridled terrorist-driven slaughter of the African elephant; weighs both the human and environmental toll.

Who is the bloody figure wielding a meat cleaver, seen racing through the alleys of British Columbia’s Chinatown? Whoever he is, he has terrified dozens of witnesses, who have never been the same afterwards. The brutal history of Cornwall Jail, Ottawa’s most notorious prison, lives on as ghostly apparitions of tortured inmates terrorize modern visitors. In its heyday it was home to vicious criminals, and sadistic guards. Hangings, whippings and torture were daily affairs and spirits from that era still linger on in the maze of cell blocks and corridors. Many male criminals were hanged at the Northwest Mounted Police outpost known as Fort Saskatchewan, but only one woman. Florence Lassandro was dubbed the Mob Princess, and her spirit is one of many seen on the grounds and in the preserved buildings of this historic site. Journey through several of the world’s most haunted prisons and experience real portals to hell on earth.

Three people try to start a pilot program to document the health benefits of a plant-based diet.

If you ever find yourself traveling down Interstate 49 through Missouri, try not to blink—you may miss Rich Hill, population 1,396. Rich Hill is easy to overlook, but its inhabitants are as woven into the fabric of America as those living in any small town in the country. This movie intimately chronicles the turbulent lives of three boys living in said Midwestern town and the fragile family bonds that sustain them.

When National Geographic photographer James Balog asked, “How can one take a picture of climate change?” his attention was immediately drawn to ice. Soon he was asked to do a cover story on glaciers that became the most popular and well-read piece in the magazine during the last five years. But for Balog, that story marked the beginning of a much larger and longer-term project that would reach epic proportions.

Six young black men from Akron, Ohio, enter college, determined to redefine society’s images and low expectations. Despite their confidence, the stark reality of being away from home brings a series of crises. Well trained in critical and metaphorical thinking, and unusually articulate about their inner lives, each of the protagonists guides us to his core. Since sixth grade, they have been part of an innovative mentoring program called ‘Alchemy, Inc.’ that uses mythological stories, drumming and writing. In the twice-yearly reunion workshops everyone speaks of his trials and his triumphs with authenticity, intelligence, honesty and heart. In turns quiet, thoughtful and exuberant, the six protagonists grow before our eyes, whether navigating racial provocations, or seeking support with new friends, estranged fathers and wise grandmothers.