What forms might life take in the Solar System and beyond? In the Academy's newest original planetarium show, see how a deeper understanding of Earth might help us locate other living worlds, light years away.
José Maza, Sky Traveller (2010)
A short documentary interviewing a renown astronomer and astrophysicist.
Human Nature (2019)
The biggest tech revolution of the 21st century isn’t digital, it’s biological. A breakthrough called CRISPR gives us unprecedented control over the basic building blocks of life. It opens the door to curing disease, reshaping the biosphere, and designing our own children. This documentary is a provocative exploration of CRISPR’s far-reaching implications, through the eyes of the scientists who discovered it, the families it’s affecting, and the genetic engineers who are testing its limits.
WEED (1971)
This 1971 color anti-drug use and abuse film was produced by Concept Films and directed by Brian Kellman for Encyclopedia Britannica. “Weed: The Story of Marijuana” combines time-lapse, montage, illustrations, animation (by Paul Fierlinger and emigre Pavel Vošický) and dramatized, documentary-style interviews to survey the evolving role of cannabis in U.S. society, with emphasis on the legal risks faced by young people. A unique score of experimental synthesizer music is provided by Tony Luisi on an EMS VCS 3 “Putney”
House of Grucci (2023)
An illuminating look inside the lives of the Grucci family, whose Long Island-based fireworks business has been lighting up night skies around the world with spectacular displays since the 1800s.
Searching for Planet 9 (2022)
At the edge of our solar system supposedly lies an immense planet. Five to ten times the size of the Earth. Several international teams of scientists have been competing in a frantic race to detect it, in uncharted territories, far beyond Neptune. The recent discovery of several dwarf planets, with intriguing trajectories, have put astronomers on the trail of this mysterious planet. Why is this enigmatic planet so difficult to detect? What would a ninth planet teach us about our corner of the universe? Could it help us unlock some of the mysteries of our solar system?
Microcosmos (1996)
A documentary of insect life in meadows and ponds, using incredible close-ups, slow motion, and time-lapse photography. It includes bees collecting nectar, ladybugs eating mites, snails mating, spiders wrapping their catch, a scarab beetle relentlessly pushing its ball of dung uphill, endless lines of caterpillars, an underwater spider creating an air bubble to live in, and a mosquito hatching.
The Biggest Dream (2021)
The loss of the Bill E. Gordon radio telescope has left a void in the world of radio science, the mountains that cradled it, and the hearts of many visitors and enthusiasts who appreciated the beautiful engineering marvel. It’s a difficult time for the scientists and those who grew up seeing the telescope every day in the fields of atmospheric science, planetary science, and Radio astronomy. Experience the legacy of a 57 year journey, from the small island of Puerto Rico to the deepest regions of the galaxy with the world's most powerful telescope.
Curse of the Man Who Sees UFOs (2016)
Christo Roppolo claims to have been videotaping and communicating with UFOs around Monterey, California, for several years. He contacted filmmaker, Justin Gaar, in 2013 to begin creating a film about his sightings. Skeptical of the footage but intrigued by Christo's eccentricities and wild stories, Justin begins spending time with Christo hunting UFOs along California's beautiful central coast. When a crop circle appears in Monterey County and becomes international news, Christo is validated in his belief of alien contact and Justin, shocked, begins investigating the source of the crop circle and how Christo knows beyond a doubt that he's being contacted by his "brothers from space."
Beyond Hubble: Launching the Telescope of Tomorrow (2021)
Following engineers and scientists on a groundbreaking mission as they build, test and launch the James Webb Space Telescope, the most powerful observatory ever constructed, and discovers the astonishing cosmological mysteries it will investigate.
The Real Death Star (2002)
This documentary examines theories behind the creation of gamma ray bursts, destructive explosions in space that can wipe out entire star systems.
Our Mr. Sun (1956)
One entry in a series of films produced to make science accessible to the masses—especially children—this film describes the sun in scientific but entertaining terms.
Universe the Cosmology Quest (2004)
A group of renowned cosmologists and astrophysicist are in search of a realistic picture of the universe. Their research and observational discoveries point in a direction diametrically opposed to the predominant Bog Bang theory - this leads to a series of sociological situations that verge on the extreme dogma controls wielded against Copernicus and Galileo in the past; only now against our protagonists of the 21st century. This is a controversial science documentary touching on the nerve of everything astronomers and cosmologist claim they know about the universe today. - Written by Meyers, Randall
A Symphonic Odyssey with Professor Brian Cox (2024)
Explore the secrets of the universe with Professor Brian Cox in this special event that combines ground-breaking science with the power of the Sydney Symphony Orchestra.
Plastic People (2024)
Are we becoming Plastic People? Our ground-breaking feature documentary investigates our addiction to plastic and the growing threat of microplastics on human health. Almost every bit of plastic ever made ends up ground down into "microplastics". These microscopic particles drift in the air, float in the water and sit in the soil. And now, leading scientists are finding them in our bodies: organs, blood, brain tissue and even the placentas of new mothers. What is the impact of these invisible invaders on our health? Ziya Tong, author and science journalist, makes it personal by visiting leading scientists and undergoing experiments in her home, on her food, and on her body.