Tag: National Geographic

National Geographic’s SHARKFEST 2025 Begins On July 6

National Geographic’s gill-ty pleasure of the summer, SHARKFEST, returns for its wildest season yet! With over 25 hours of jaw-dropping programming, this year’s lineup dives deeper than ever into the science, power and beauty of the ocean’s most misunderstood predator. Making a splash at the top of this year’s lineup is the brand-new special SHARKS UP CLOSE WITH BERTIE GREGORY, which follows the Emmy- and BAFTA-winning cinematographer and National Geographic Explorer Bertie Gregory (@BertieGregory) on a high-stakes, cage-free mission to film great white sharks off the coast of South Africa.

SHARKS UP CLOSE kicks off SHARKFEST beginning July 5 at 8/7c on National Geographic. Select series and specials will stream the next day on Disney+ and Hulu. Additionally, shark-infested content will air on Nat Geo WILD, Nat Geo Mundo, Disney Jr., and DisneyXD throughout the month. A 24/7 live stream of 2024 content will also air on YouTube.

The SHARKFEST slate continues with the thrilling original JAWS @ 50: THE DEFINITIVE INSIDE STORY—the only authorized documentary celebrating the blockbuster that redefined Hollywood and launched a cultural fascination with sharks. Featuring exclusive interviews with Steven Spielberg, rare archival footage, and reflections from Hollywood’s top filmmakers, Peter Benchley’s family, shark scientists, and conservationists, the documentary revisits the film’s legacy and explores how it shifted public perception from fear to awe.

This year’s SHARKFEST features leading marine scientists and experts, offering critical insights into shark behavior and how we can coexist with these extraordinary creatures. From myth-busting science to cinematic underwater adventure, SHARKFEST is a global deep dive into the awe-inspiring world of sharks.

From California shores to the seas down under in Australia, SHARKFEST will take viewers on an epic ocean adventure across the globe with the following:

  • SHARKS UP CLOSE WITH BERTIE GREGORY
    Premieres July 5 at 8/7c on National Geographic
    Streams July 6 on Disney+ and Hulu

Bertie heads to South Africa for his most audacious mission yet. The wild waters here are a hotspot for one of the ocean’s most famous and feared predators, the great white shark. Diving in the shallows without a cage, Bertie will attempt to film these huge sharks. By entering their domain, he discovers the challenges they face on our rapidly changing planet.

  • INVESTIGATION SHARK ATTACK
    Premieres nightly beginning July 5 at 9/8c on National Geographic
    Streams July 6 on Disney+ and Hulu

Delivering an in-depth look inside the mind of these apex predators, the six-part series explores shark behavior from their unique perspective. An intense forensic investigation at the innovative Shark Headquarters by a panel of scientists analyzes key theories and ultimately dissects each encounter to determine what leads sharks to strike.

  • SUPER SHARK HIGHWAY
    Premieres nightly beginning July 5 at 10/9c on National Geographic
    Streams July 6 on Disney+ and Hulu

Sharks have ruled our oceans for over 400 million years. In comparison, humans are relatively new visitors. So, how do we keep both parties safe when our worlds collide? In the six-part series, two elite shark research teams infiltrate two of Australia’s busiest shark migration routes to unlock the mysteries of these apex predators. One will follow white sharks along Australia’s southern shark highway, while the other team tracks the big and elusive sharks along the tropical north. Dive in with elite scientific teams as they study their mysterious movements, witness new behaviors, and determine how humans can coexist with these incredible creatures.

  • JAWS @ 50: THE DEFINITIVE INSIDE STORY
    Premieres July 10 at 9/8c on National Geographic
    Streams July 11 on Disney+ and Hulu

JAWS @ 50: THE DEFINITIVE INSIDE STORY is the authorized documentary celebrating the film that redefined Hollywood, 50 years after its premiere. Alongside Steven Spielberg, JAWS @ 50 charts the extraordinary journey from Peter Benchley’s bestselling novel to one of the most iconic films ever made. Featuring rare archival footage and interviews with acclaimed Hollywood directors, top shark scientists, and conservationists, the documentary uncovers the behind-the-scenes chaos and how the film launched the summer blockbuster, inspired a new wave of filmmakers, and paved the way for shark conservation that continues today.

  • SHARKS OF THE NORTH
    Premieres July 12 at 10/9c on National Geographic
    Streams July 6 on Disney+ and Hulu

Sightings of great white sharks have been on the rise on Canada’s Atlantic coast. Alanna Canaran, a passionate science educator and dive instructor, embarks on a mission to unravel the enigmas surrounding these magnificent creatures and is determined to dispel fear of sharks in Nova Scotians. As the journey unfolds, Canaran and her team dive into the history of human-shark relationships along the coast. Facing numerous challenges, including elusive sharks and treacherous weather conditions, the team perseveres. With sheer determination and a stroke of luck, they gather invaluable knowledge of these magnificent creatures, contributing to a better understanding of white sharks in Canada.

  • SHARK QUEST: HUNT FOR THE APEX PREDATOR
    Premieres July 13 at 9/8c on National Geographic
    Streams July 6 on Disney+ and Hulu

As shark populations are declining, finding ways to share the seas is more critical than ever. In a series of jaw-dropping stories, survivors recount their harrowing encounters with massive sharks … where some emerged miraculously unscathed and others were less fortunate. By studying the key hot spots that make up the most shark-infested waters in the world, we can learn what attracts these massive predators to frequent these areas. Video evidence can show us how these incredible hunters lean on their highly evolved skills and reveal how we can minimize our risks when entering their domain. Sharks have adapted over 400 million years to become the perfect sea predators, and our survival on land is interlinked with theirs in the sea.

FREE SOLO – Review

Free solo climber Alex Honnold on the rock face of Yosemite’s El Capitan, in National Geographic’s FREE SOLO. Photo courtesy of National Geographic Documentary Films (c)

Climbing a sheer mountain face is scary enough, but imagine doing it without even a rope. FREE SOLO follows just such a daring feat, as Alex Honnold scales Yosemite’s El Capitan…. without a rope. This National Geographic documentary offers breath-taking, dizzying views as the climber tackles the peak.

Yosemite’s daunting 3,000 foot high El Capitan rock face had never been climbed free solo when Alex Honnold set his sights on it. The documentary follows Honnold as he becomes the first person to climb it with no ropes or other safety gear, perhaps the greatest accomplishment in rock climbing history.

FREE SOLO follows Alex Honnold over about two years as he prepares for this never-before feat. The documentary was the winner at the 2018 Toronto International Film Festival 2018 for the People’s Choice Award for Documentary, and it is easy to see why. The film not only gives viewers those thrilling mountain vistas and nail-biting climbing footage, but goes beyond covering the technical details of Honnold’s preparations for the monumental task. It also takes us into his personal life, what makes him take such risks and his unique story. We end up as charmed and intrigued by him as we are impressed with his climbing prowess and icy nerves.

It isn’t just the rope that this remarkable athlete does without – it is all climbing safety equipment, apart from special shoes. Just the climber and the mountain. There is a purity in that, as strange as it seems to us ordinary folks.

The documentary is more than climbing footage, offering a range of interviews with friends, family, and film crew that give us insight on climbing and how the film was shot. The film features interviews with other climbers including Tommy Caldwell and Peter Croft, plus commentary from filmmaker Jimmy Chin, cameramen /climbers Cheyne Lempe and Mikey Schaefer, Alex’s girlfriend Sanni McCandless, and Alex’s mother Dierdre Wolownick.

Alex. Honnold also speaks about climbing, offering a bit on why he pursues such a dangerous avocation. No, not avocation, but profession, as Honnold also is an author, writing about his exploits, funding the next climb. Of course, there is no equipment to buy for Honnold.

Honnold left home at 19 after his dad died to become a climber, living in a van he purchased while he traveled around climbing.. His parents sent him to an international school, and apparently he is quite bright although he tells us he was always shy and a bit of a loner. As soon as he discovered climbing, it was all he wanted to do, and with his solitary tendencies, free solo climbing felt natural.

Although Honnold still lives in a van at the beginning of the film, he has a new girlfriend Sanni McCandless, a budding romance we watch grow as the film unfolds.

Honnold has a reputation for focus and for fearlessness. Some of his famous climbs include Moonlight Buttress at Zion National Park and Half Dome at Yosemite. Alex asserts he feels no fear despite the obvious danger of free solo. He contends it is safe, despite how it looks, because he knows what he is doing and is thoroughly prepared for each climb. Interestingly, the film includes a segment where an MRI confirms his lack of fear.

While Honnold isn’t afraid to climb sheer rock faces without a rope, even he considers Yosemite’s El Capitan scary, due to the pure difficulty of it. Honnold calls El Capitan “the most impressive wall on earth.” Nobody had ever free soloed it for good reason.

As he prepares for the El Cap climb by tackling other peaks, workouts and repeatedly climbing El Cap itself with ropes, we get to know Alex. He is brutally honest yet has an appealing, open personality. He is a quirky character who lives to climb but has a surprising boyish charm.

Climbing El Cap with ropes, over and over, is key to learning the rock face to free solo it. Alex picks the route known as Free Rider as the best one to climb El Cap. He is joined by one of his childhood idols, climber Tommy Caldwell, as he practices for the ascent. Caldwell offers some of the film’s best observations on the upcoming challenge, as well as a professional and personal perspective on Alex.

The climbing challenge is unique and so is the film-making. No Go Pro here. Filmmaker Jimmy Chin is a climber too, which is necessary in order to get the best shots. At the same time, they do not want to get in Alex’s way, and certainly not endanger him. Free soloing is a solitary thing and takes concentration, and there is concern that the presence of a camera crew could distract Alex and endanger him by some accidental slip. The camera crew, all climbers themselves, as also concerned about interfering with Honnold’s enjoyment of the unique historic experience, and discuss how best to ensure that and his safety.

While Honnold is fearless about free soloing, it is obviously the most dangerous kind of climbing. Many famous climbers have fallen to their deaths, and the risk of seeing someone die is a reason some of the camera men hesitated to join the project.

The film culminates with bracing, harrowing and glorious footage of Alex Honnold’s historic ascent, capping to documentary with a thrilling moment.

Whether one cares about rock climbing or not, FREE SOLO is a thrillingly entertaining film, filled with unexpected set-backs and triumphs, as well as an appealing personal portrait of a rare and supremely gifted human being.

RATING: 4 out of 5 stars

SCIENCE FAIR – Review

Students entering International Science and Engineering Fair at the Los Angeles Convention Center. Photo courtesy of Univision and National Geographic

SCIENCE FAIR is a crowd-pleasing, entertaining look at a group of high schoolers competing for the top prize in an international science fair. And forget that baking soda “volcano” from grade school science fairs. These kids are doing real science, with research projects on real-world topics like the tackling the Zika virus, creating an improved stethoscope, and developing innovations in aeronautics.

Not kidding about the crowd-pleasing: SCIENCE FAIR won the Audience Choice Awards at both Sundance and SXSW. SCIENCE FAIR The film is a celebration of science kids, of geek culture in all its quirky and funny glory, but also of the smart kids who know how to work hard and will go on the have a real impact on out world.

The National Geographic documentary has a similar structure others about student competitions, for spelling bees or choirs or dance troupes, following a selection of young people as they prepare and finally participate in a top competition. Neither the audience nor the filmmakers know if the likable, talented kids they are spotlighting will win in the end, which is part of the excitement of these films. SCIENCE FAIR has an extra element that makes it even more intriguing: these young people are doing real science research and preparing for careers that can impact society directly. Spelling is important but it is hard to top finding a vaccine against the Zika virus.

It is that real world application that sets science fairs apart, and makes the kids featured so interesting. SCIENCE FAIR follows nine teenagers from diverse backgrounds, including two from other countries, as they work towards competing in the International Science and Engineering Fair. As smart, hard-working and creative as these kids are, there can be only one winner for Best in Fair.

Emmy-nominated filmmakers Cristina Costantini and Darren Foster selected an intriguing group of nine young people set on winning and fascinated by science and engineering. Some students submit projects as part of a team and others individually, and the film follows both teams and individuals. And of course, these are teens, so there is all the drama, rivalries and hormones of that age. The documentary also spotlights an inspiring teacher, Mrs. McCalla, who serves as a coach to several science fair hopefuls.

Anyone who as even gone to one of these high school science fairs know that these budding scientists are doing serious work, with months of experimental research represented in the small display space allotted to them. As the teens themselves explain, it is not just the research and analysis that matters but how that is presented.

Not surprisingly, students who attend high schools that specialize in science and engineering have an edge. The documentary follows two projects from one such school in Kentucky, one by a team of three boys and another by a determined young woman.

Anjali is kind of the veteran of the documentary, having entered science fairs before and strategizing her campaign like a general. A child prodigy who scored a perfect 36 on the ACT as a 13-year-old freshman, sophomore Anjali has a sparkling, outgoing personality and is working on an arsenic testing device, addressing a threat that can be found in some drinking water.

Ryan, Harsha and Abraham are seniors who has banded together to create what they hope will be a science fair winner, an electronic stethoscope that connects to a database of heart sounds, an advance on the traditional doctor’s instrument.

Other students come from schools with little or no interest in science, and have to work more on their own. Kashfia is a Muslim girl at a South Dakota high school that is much more about sports than science. The daughter of immigrants, she is socially isolated at school but a strong and self-reliant person focused on her educational goals. She finds unexpected ally in the football coach, who becomes her sponsor for the fair, and her well-educated immigrant parents provide the support and encouragement she needs.

Robbie is another student out of place, and one of the most interesting kids in the documentary. Living in West Virginia, he stands our like a giraffe in a herd of cows in his poor, rural community. A socially easy-going, mathematically-gifted computer whiz with quirky taste in clothes, Robbie finds little to interest him at his public school that is totally unprepared to educate gifted students like him. There is a heart-breaking scene where his math teacher tells about how he would ask her questions about advanced mathematical concepts, to which she responded by telling him to just focus on his homework. Not surprisingly, his grades are low even though his test scores are high, the hallmark of a gifted-student not challenged by an inadequate school. While his parents are emotionally supportive and committed to backing his ambitions but they lack the educational background and experience to do much more than cheer him on.

The three international students featured are a study in contrasts and must win their country’s science fairs to reach the International Science and Engineering Fair. One is a German boy, Ivo, with an enduring interest in aeronautics whose supportive parents and country provide him all the resources he needs for his project to redesign and improve an old single-wing aircraft. The other two are a team from Brazil, Myllena and Gabriel. The film focuses mostly on Myllena, a girl from a little rural village in an area of Brazil hard-hit by the Zika virus, Myllena’s family are poor farmers but they and her cash-strapped school do what they can to support her, as she and Gabriel work on their science project researching a solution to combat Zika.

SCIENCE FAIR is a total winner. We get wrapped up in the stories of these likable, brilliant kids, and cannot help but root for all of them, both at the science fair and in life. So often it is the athletes who get all the attention so it is a treat to see the smart kids get their chance to shine. The documentary opens Friday, Sept. 28, at the Plaza Frontenac Cinema.

RATING: 4 1/2 out of 5 stars

JANE – Review

Jane Goodall in JANE. Photo by Hugo van Lawick. © National Geographic

In 1957, famed anthropologist Louis Leakey chose three young women to study the great apes in the wild, as a way to understand early man. To study, gorillas, he picked Dian Fossey, for orangutans, he picked Birute Galdikas, and to study chimpanzees, he chose Jane Goodall.

It was Jane Goodall who first captured the public imagination, in part through a National Geographic film highlighting the groundbreaking work of this blonde, slim, pretty young English woman living among with chimps. While news reports spoke breathlessly about the bravery of this young English woman alone in the wild, the fact was that living in African and studying animals had been Jane Goodall’s childhood dream. And she wasn’t alone: she took her intrepid middle-aged mother with her.

These are among the startling surprises revealed in the delightful documentary JANE, which is sure to boost your admiration for her hard work and for her cleverness. The documentary combines long-lost footage of young Jane Goodall, shot by National Geographic photographer Hugo van Lawick, her future husband, and narrated by the present-day Jane with a soaring score by Phillip Glass. Directed by Brett Morgen (KURT COBAIN: MONTAGE OF HECK, THE KID STAYS IN THE PICTURE), JANE has more to reveal about this familiar figure and her work than you suspect. You may think you know Jane Goodall but this documentary reveals there is far more to her story than you think.

The documentary features film footage shot by van Lawick of Goodall in Gombe, Tanzania, in the early 1960s, early in her work but after her initial ground-breaking discoveries about chimpanzees. Van Lawick’s footage, long believed lost but recently found in storage, is beautiful to look at, showing a lush green landscape and a 26-year-old Goodall hiking through it in search of chimps. The color footage is intercut with black and white stills, and contemporary shots of present-day Goodall. Goodall herself tells of growing up dreaming of doing the things men were allowed to do and which were forbidden to women, of loving the outside,animals and climbing trees, reading Tarzan and dreaming of Africa. Her family didn’t have the money to send her to college but she worked and saved so she could go to Africa.

 

It is clear from Goodall’s telling that she was born for this job, living in the Gombe forest studying chimpanzees. Leakey chose Goodall and the others for his ape studies because he wanted researchers who had not been to college and so were free of the preconceived notions about how research should be done and about apes common at the time. He also was looking for people with endless patience, as Goodall recounts.

Unaware of the usual rules for wildlife study, Jane Goodall set about to get the chimps used to her presence, gave them names instead of numbers and was open to recognizing their emotional, social and intellectual capacity. At the time, it was thought that only man made and used tools. Jane Goodall’s careful observations and meticulous documentation lead to the astounding discovery of that apes altered twigs and used them to retrieve termites from holes, an example of tool use and pre-tool making. The discovery astonished the scientific community and brought Goodall and her research world-wide attention.

The interview footage with the now 83-year-old Jane Goodall is as fascinating as watching the 26-year-old researcher climb trees and play with baby chimps. The film tells Goodall’s personal story, her romance and marriage to Hugo van Lawick (which made her a baroness), their establishment of a research station and training for new researchers, and so forth. Along the way, Goodall earned the degree that would give her standing in scientific community to publish her astonishing work. The film also describes Goodall’s canny use of the public fascination with her good-looks and unlikely story to raise funds for her work.

The combination of her work and little-known personal side makes JANE a must-see for anyone ever interested in the work of Jane Goodall and chimpanzees. The beautiful vintage footage and Phillip Glass’ striving, uplifting score make the film a pleasant journey as well as a delightful, insightful one.

RATING: 5 out of 5 stars