Sally Aitken

History is taking to the seas and walking in the footsteps of Captain James Cook. 250 years after Cook began his epic exploration of the Pacific, Sam Neill (Jurassic Park, The Piano) journeys in his wake uncovering stories that resonate from those times on both sides of the beach. Sam begins with a disclaimer – he is merely an actor – but the story of Cook, and the impact he has had on the Pacific in the 250 years since his first voyage, has always fascinated him.

A compelling personal journey with David Stratton, as he relates the fascinating development of our cinema history. David guides us from his boyhood cinema experience of Australia in England, where he saw the first images of this strange and exotic landscape via the medium of film, to his migration to Australia as a ‘ten pound pom’ in 1963 and onto his present day reflections on the iconic themes that run through our cinematic legacy. All of this reflects a passionate engagement in a uniquely Australian medium. Parallel and at the heart of the series is the story of an industry whose growing pains David has witnessed over a lifetime. Alongside David, the protagonists of this history are the giants of Australian cinema – both behind the camera and in front of it.

Chris Hemsworth has a real passion for sharks. The Hollywood star talks to experts to find out more about the apex predators of the oceans.

Hot Potato is a backstage pass to the global phenomenon, The Wiggles. The documentary chronicles the story of three preschool teachers, Anthony, Murray and Greg, and their friend Jeff, as they triumph over the odds to become one of the most successful children’s acts of all time.

Pools are a defining part of our national identity. Evoking deep nostalgia and childhood memories, this two-part documentary takes a look at the Australian identity through the prism of the pool.

Two dozen modern-day time travelers find out the hard way what early American colonial life was really like when they take up residence in Colonial House. The colonists negotiate personal and communal challenges as they deal with the demoralizing weather, rustic living conditions and backbreaking labor.

Valerie Taylor is a shark fanatic and an Australian icon – a marine maverick who forged her way as a fearless diver, cinematographer and conservationist. She filmed the real sharks for Jaws and famously wore a chainmail suit, using herself as shark bait, changing our scientific understanding of sharks forever.

Revered critic David Stratton tells the glorious story of Australian cinema, focusing in on the films that capture the nation’s true nature with candour, emotion and humour.

A look at the aesthetics of our suburbs. Tim Ross – comedian, broadcaster and aficionado of the Modernist era – is tour guide for this very personal journey exploring how and why our suburbs look the way they do. Travelling the country gaining unprecedented access to some of our most epic homes, meeting their owners, peeling back their history and revelling in their beauty Tim poses the question: from Modernism to McMansionism – how did we get here?

Claudia Karvan embarks on a literary journey to celebrate our love of books, meet some of our most beloved and brilliant writers, and explore our Australian identity through the place, its people and the power of our stories.

The Week The Women Went is a television show produced by Paperny Films, and based on a BBC Three program of the same title. The show was part documentary, part reality television, that explores what happens when all the women in an ordinary Canadian town disappear for a week and leave the men and children to cope on their own. The first season of the show was taped in Hardisty, Alberta from June 2 to June 9, 2007 and consisted of eight one-hour episodes. The show first aired on CBC Television in Canada on January 21, 2008 and concluded on March 10, 2008. An estimated 1.2 million viewers watched the debut episode. The second season of the show was shot in Tatamagouche, Nova Scotia from September 8 to September 15, 2008 and began airing on January 21, 2009.

Amid the glamour of Hollywood, a woman finds herself on a transformative journey as she nurtures wounded hummingbirds, unraveling a visually captivating tale of love, fragility, healing, and the delicate beauty in profound acts of kindness. Meet Terry Masear, a retired UCLA professor who rescues the hummingbirds that descend on Los Angeles every spring in a seasonal frenzy of breeding. Wounded hummingbirds find their way to Masear as her mobile hotline rings off the hook from callers who find them and require her expertise. Among Masear’s diminutive patients are Cactus, Jimmy, Wasabi, Alexa, and Mikhail, whose lives are brought into sharp focus through breathtaking, beautifully detailed photography. The compassion and empathy that Masear shows her Lilliputian charges serves as a lesson to us all — the delicate beauty in profound acts of kindness.

Amid the glamour of Hollywood, Los Angeles, a woman finds herself on a transformative journey as she nurtures wounded hummingbirds, unraveling a visually captivating and magical tale of love, fragility, healing, and the delicate beauty in tiny acts of greatness.

A fascinating look at the colorful career of architect Frank Gehry who despite being well into his eighties remains one of the world's most celebrated and famously provocative creative forces. From the iconic Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao to LA's Walt Disney Concert Hall, Gehry's buildings both intrigue and ignite. For Frank, rules are there to be broken. Alan Yentob explores Gehry's remarkable journey from poor outsider in Toronto to global 'starchitect' and follows the construction of a characteristically audacious new Gehry building in Sydney - his first in Australia.

WARRIOR EMPIRE: THE MUGHALS is a sweeping, in-depth portrait of India's most colorful, violent, and majestic era. From 1526 to 1858, this dynasty of nomadic warriors indulged their appetite for territorial expansion, spreading their rule throughout the Indian subcontinent. Though they conquered their kingdom with crushing brutality, the Mughals were also brilliant technological innovators and masters of art and architecture. This program offers lush, detailed images of Mughal accomplishments such as the glorious Taj Mahal, palaces, forts, water systems, elaborate gardens, and richly crafted artwork. Step-by-step scientific recreations of advanced Mughal metallurgy and weaponry show the meticulous production of chain mail armor for a battalion of elephants, lethally flexible composite bows, rocketry, and swordsmith techniques passed down through the generations, and still alive today.

Journalist Sarah Dingle goes on a journey where she digs through hospital files, chases leads, and takes a DNA test to uncover the truth about who made her and how, but the discoveries are more disturbing the deeper she delves.

Sidney Nolan is one of Australia's greatest artists. His iconic images are treasures of the Australian visual language. This film explores the artist and the man from his early years to his extraordinary international career.

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