looking for movies / documentaries / short films that make you feel awe about nature and/or human creativity (something in the same vein as the Emergence Magazine short films - I rec those if you haven't watched) - about place or process and wonder!

Question

Daisye · Answer

Rivers and Tides - documentary about Andy Holdsworthy

KG · Answer

Painters Painting 1973 documentary about the New York School: Inspiring but also the parts with Robert Rauschenberg totally sloshed on top of a ladder are 😘👌

KG · Answer

Rivers and Tides, the Andy Goldsworthy documentary: I must’ve seen this like 20 years ago and it has stayed with me all this time. I think I used to have it on DVD— time to watch again!

Shawna Rabbas · Answer

silent friend: delves into that feeling where when you see a really old tree and think about all the people who came before you in the past who also saw that same tree

Liz Migliorelli · Answer

“Watch This In A Yurt” list of films: This is a very special google doc of links to free-films that range in subject from building a birch bark canoe, Maud Lewis, native craft traditions and so much more. Many of the films focus on nature. The list is curated by Geoffrey Holstad and is one of the true treasures of the Internet.

I  haven’t viewed any of these films in the actual yurt yet, (only on my couch!) but I absolutely want to.

JV · Answer

Time And Water (Disney+): A visually stunning doc for a Tuesday evening…or if/when you’re in the mood to watch something that is at once heartbreaking and beautiful. A story that contemplates whether natural wonders will exist so that future generations can admire them. Dir. Sara Dosa of Fire of Love.

Emily Teague · Answer

The Queen of Trees: A fascinating documentary about an extraordinary African fig tree and the remarkable relationship it shares with the animals that depend on it. I loved how it reveals the interconnectedness of life in the wild and how one tree can play such a vital role in an entire ecosystem.

Emily Teague · Answer

STRANDBEEST- Theo Jansen- kinetic sculptures: Theo Jansen’s Strandbeests are kinetic sculptures, towering, skeletal creatures that move with an uncanny, wind-driven grace. They resemble giant, otherworldly animals striding along the Danish shoreline, alive in motion yet entirely engineered. Inspired by these wind walkers, I wonder: how might we design everyday objects that blur the line between engineering and creativity, using mechanics not just to function, but to evoke emotion and wonder?

Photo © Lena Herzog

Tin · Answer

Spaceship Earth: In this doc, you follow an alternative, almost cult-like crew of artists and scientists who practice intentional living and communal art making at first — like building a wooden sailboat. After many odd years, a group of 8 lock themselves away in a giant indoor biosphere, an enclosed ecosystem with no physical contact or aid from the outside. The structure is still in Arizona today.

Asiram · Answer

Origami revolution on Nova: This is one of my very favorite films. Someone in this thread mentioned Between the Fold, which is also fantastic, but this film is about the use of origami in health science and industry as well as art. So amazing.

Asiram · Answer

The color of ink: This film focuses on the ink maker and forager Jason Logan but also people who use his ink in their art. It’s a brilliant film about something we might take for granted, how it can be made, and all its many variations.

Asiram · Answer

Have you seen the Apple series Home?: I strongly recommend the first season especially. It’s all the things you’re looking for. It’s about more than houses, it’s about community/connection and how we live, and most of the homes were a revelation. There’s so much originality and heart.  Enjoy!

zoë · Answer

“women and the wind”:  You’ll have to buy or rent on Vimeo but I still think about it constantly. 3 women, the Atlantic, the sea, and a sailboat. Human spirit.

This media genuinely like reset my soul.

Sarah · Answer

Biggest little farm: It makes you think about the farming industry as a whole but focuses on how everything works together. It’s heart warming, exciting, and is one of those films I’d love to see again

Tricia B · Answer

Songs Of Earth (Margreth Olin): It’s called a visual and auditory poem. Director Margreth Olin documents a year with her octogenarian parents at their ancestral village home in glacial Norway. Words cannot describe the natural and human expanse of this film.

Eric F · Answer

A New View of the Moon 🌝: “Do you want to take a look at the moon?”

Anna Songsong · Answer

The Beaches of Agnès: An incredibly creative soul who has dedicated her life to art.

Abbie Winters · Answer

How Deep is Your Love: I love ocean docs! This one has a very unique, poetic vibe. It's about the unknown risks of deep sea mining and the creatures that may be under risk.

The animals they discover are magical, wow wow wow. I also loved how we see the scientists: we see them them knitting or drawing in their downtime, we see them react to things with pure awe, we hear about dreams they've had while sleeping on the boat.

She also used animation and stop motion in playful ways. Not your run-of-the-mill info graphics etc.

You can watch it on Kanopy, which you can access with your library card for free.

(The narration was a little strange to me at first but I got over it.)

Kate · Answer

Secrets of Bees: National Geographic series is visually stunning and the storytelling compelling. The bees will blow your mind.

Marlo · Answer

Mary Oliver Saved By the Beauty of the World

even*cleveland · Answer

Andy Goldsworthy - Rivers and Tides: Really enjoyed watching this with my kid when he was smaller. Inspired a lot of leaf-collage-making and artful snowball stacks.

Anna · Answer

Hundreds of Beavers, dir. Mike Cheslik: A piece of true original creativity that was made against all odds! Other animals can use tools, but what sets humanity apart is intentional joyful nonsense. In my opinion.

day · Answer

dave made a maze: i don't do horror, and yet i think about this weird little horror comedy CONSTANTLY. they hired artists who all specialize in cardboard as a medium and the entire sets were made from cardboard. it's so stunning and cool, i wish there was a second movie just about the production.

Tin · Answer

Taming The Garden: No words are narrated in this documentary of an ancient tree uprooted from its native soil and transported to a royal’s garden collection. Feels like a funeral procession for Earth. Who are we to make any decisions for a life form that’s seen our civilizations rise and fall?

Arne · Answer

I Swear: This is the true story of John Davidson, a British man that has Tourette syndrome. The movie is about how he navigates his way into living with tourettes and its struggles and how he is an inspiration for everybody in the future. It's emotional, hardwarming and even won a BAFTA. I gave it 5 stars, so you are absolutely in for a ride.

JaperMoon · Answer

JANE (Jane Goodall Documentary): The nature part is obvious here. The creativity part is more surprising because the camera man fell in love with Jane Goodall. They got married and had kids, and continued working in the jungle as a family.

The footage of her earliest work was discovered after being presumed lost for decades. It’s really something.

eva h · Answer

emmett otters jugband christmas (1977): growing up i always thought this was set in washington, meanwhile my mom thought it was set in new england (where she grew up). jim henson is from mississippi so maybe it’s based on the south. the power of his mind.

eva h · Answer

The history of concrete: would highly recommend trying to watch this in theaters or watching with a group of friends. i’m not even the biggest john wilson fan but this was so so good.

A Rose · Answer

the documentary My Octopus Teacher: see a common sea creature in a whole new light

Anisha · Answer

Ruth Asawa: documentary on an artist: Watching this video about Ruth Asawa’s drive and passion for everything she did, to feel inspired when you are procrastinating and want to be productive