ARTE Distribution

You have always thought that fish were mute, amnesiac, or insensitive to pain? Well you’re wrong. Scientists are discovering that fish have astonishing cognitive abilities, hectic social life, and even emotions. What if, fish were not so stupid after all? An investigation in the heart of the sea… 

Chameleons' way of life, a masterpiece of adaptation to nature, unknown and rarely filmed. In Madagascar, the perfect reptile’s home-island, discover their incredible abilities: sleeping techniques, dancing, camouflage, 340° peripheral vision, catapult tongue, seduction, fluorescence... 

The first aim of this film is to shed new light on these unique reptiles, on their anatomy, which remains a masterpiece of adaptation, very different from other reptiles, on their private life, which is as violent as it is quirky, and on certain little-known behaviors and performances, rarely filmed in the wild.

An immersion in the heart of the mountain wild fauna. Each episode follows an animal living in a specific landscape’s altitude: the wild cat, the bear and the eagle, from the lowest to the top! 

Discover wildlife filming behind the scenes and find out that more often than not, animals are much more cunning than men. Unfortunately, this lush world is still not very accessible – the animals fear the presence of man in this emblematic massif. To discover them, you have to investigate, find clues, follow tracks and be very patient before you finally get the chance to see them.
Luckily, the journey proves to be just as exciting as the objective: chance upon a mountain-size game of hide-and-seek where man must understand nature and tame it in order to discover its secrets.
 
Also available : 3x43' and 52'

Beneath the oceans’ surface, thousands of volcanoes have yet to be discovered or explored. Mount La Pérouse is one of these sleeping giants, off the coast of Reunion Island. It is a genuine oasis of life that could be sheltering sprawling coral reefs.

The scientific expedition “La Pérouse” has made it its goal to reveal the sunken haven's secrets. This geological anomaly is only known to a few    Réunionese longline fishers who regularly enjoy miraculous catches there. But as for oceanographers, they still consider the area to be a true “terra incognita”, a mystery to solve. To date, no diver has ever approached it.
What kind of species lives there and at what depth?  What predators feed there? Are there any rare, or even unknown, fish? To what birds and marine mammals is it home?
Underwater GPS, photogrammetry, environmental DNA, 3D cartography, with the help of the most modern scientific techniques, all will be revealed about one of the last virgin territories on Earth, located in the French economic zone. Embark on an unprecedented human and scientific adventure.

In the heart of the Amazon forest, hides a strange animal we do not expect to see thousands of kilometers from the ocean: the Amazon Pink River Dolphin. Is it a simple descendant of the marine species, or a distinct species that has survived through the ages and adapted to this lush environment?

Where does it come from? How has this animal come to acclimate to this tropical rainforest environment? What links do they have to marine dolphins?
Unknown for a long time, the pink dolphin remains a mystery to the scientists struggling to reconstruct its evolutionary course. Now thanks to a recent discovery, scientists are finally able to understand more about the mystery of the pink dolphin and its origins.
Join them on this remarkable scientific adventure...

Discover the heart and diversity of our living planet. With stunning images and unique stories of mankind's relationship with these natural wonders, Season 2 will reveal never-before filmed volcanoes.
 

Together, for the scientific aspect of the episode, we explore the very diverse range of questions raised by volcanic phenomena in such varied fields as earth sciences, climatology, biodiversity, oceanography, geography, agronomics, and archaeology. The cultural part of the show delves into mythology, religion, philosophy, folk and artistic traditions, cooking, and ways of life. No two volcanoes are alike; each one has its own distinctive landscape, climate, and geological context. Just as unique are the people we meet along the way who help us comprehend how greatly our planet – and our lives – have been shaped by volcanic phenomena.
 
SEASON 2 COMING SOON (15x26')

Arthur de Kersauson, a young city-dweller hooked on extreme sports, sets out in search of the winds of the world, collecting facts, fiction and amusing anecdotes.

The wind carves out the landscape of a country and shapes its inhabitants, customs and culture. These incisive, entertaining mini-road movies document our travellers' encounters with local people - moving, instructive, sometimes bizarre and always exotic. Wherever the wind blows,
 
 

In the heart of the Pacific, between the lagoon and the ocean, unrolls one of Nature’s greatest spectacles. This is the story of a little surgeon fish who will have to go through the greatest ordeals from the moment he is born.

He will survive the greatest dangers and cross paths with the ocean’s worst predators. Only one out of a million will make it to adulthood.
 
Filmed in UHD and extreme slow motion, this film captures exclusive wildlife behavior of sharks, whales, manta rays, groupers, and more.

French author Sylvain Tesson pays tribute to the heroes of the Russian Revolution as he crosses the Pamir mountain range in Tajikistan, which boasts a multitude of peaks at more than 7,000m. They will have the occasion to look back on some of the major figures and events of the Revolution.

Lenin Peak, Revolution Peak, Karl Marx Peak, and also the October Glacier and the Soviet Officer range – all names which evoke the Revolution in these remarkable yet little-known locations.
He is accompanied by two friends, author and lover of all things Russian, Cédric Gras, and the former Soviet mountaineering instructor, Nicolay Taran. Along the way, the author and his traveling companions observe the traces left by the former USSR on daily life here, and they listen to the memories of the populations who live in the Pamirs, whether Kyrgyz nomads on the high plateaus or Ismailis in the valleys. For Sylvain Tesson, the journey will serve as a source of inspiration for his future writing.

In the mythical Eastern Ethiopian city of Harar, Youssouf Mume Saleh feeds a clan of spotted hyenas every evening. Elsewhere in the Horn of Africa, these animals can terrorize populations...

Youssouf is one of the last guardians of a tradition that is over one hundred years old. Long ago, Harar signed a non-aggression pact with the hyenas, and that pact still exists today. The wild hyenas roam the streets of the city freely, and locals are not worried. They need these natural “rubbish collectors”. In addition, the hyenas of Hara protect the population from attack by foreign hyenas.
 
At a time when all over the world conflicts between man and wild animals are increasing, here exists a unique relationship of cohabitation between man and a major carnivore. This film recounts the story of this exceptional and fascinating man-animal relationship.

An original look at contemporary gardens focusing on examples of the most recent landscaping efforts. We learn from those who find innovative solutions that provide us with those poetic breathing spaces in an increasingly urbanized world.

Landscape architect Jean-Philippe Teyssier takes us on a discovery of the most beautiful gardens in France and the world. The gardeners, landscapers, horticulturalists, architects, historians and estate managers he meets unveil the art of gardening.
They show us how gardens have been designed, planted and maintained over the centuries. The exceptional gardens Jean-Philippe Teyssier visits make up a myriad of passions, journeys, colors and shapes.
ALREADY AVAILABLE IN ENGLISH : 
29 - BLENHEIM - GRANDE-BRETAGNE
38 - PETERHOFF - RUSSIE
 
 

This series is a 10-episode journey around the world, combining nature’s finest tree specimens with the unique stories of the people that live alongside them. 

The trees that are featured across Europe - from Greece to Sweden - stand as references to time, witnesses of collective life and sources of spirituality. Others represent, quite simply, aesthetic encounters. From the ends of their roots to the tips of their crowns, ten trees recount stories and converse among themselves, in this beautiful blending of nature and culture. 
 
Episode 01 - THE WATER LORDS and 06 - THE SURVIVORS already available in English.