2) The Ancient Sea

Temples under the Sea

We are in the Gulf of Naples, just a few meters under the surface. The seabed is a mosaic, ruins of old columns and enormous  square blocks of marble (the legend of The Herculean Route) are only some of the ruins of this  splendid antique bay: the Acapulco of the Roman Empire. In this submerged city, the incredible discovery of  the Nymphaeum of Ulysses  with its extraordinary collection of enormous marble statues, makes up one of the most exciting pages of  underwater archaeology. In the sea along the Ionic coast of the Puglia region  lies a spectacular expanse of gigantic marble objects that makes one relive the fascinating legend of Atlantis; even if it is really only the sinking of a “navis lapidaria “ – one of the many that can be found along the antique routes of the Mediterranean - here reality seems to exceed the imagination. In the middle of the Gulf of Taormina, which is the backdrop of the scene of the antique theatre, we dive in search of the ruines of a spectacular Greek temple.

3) The Giant Octopus  

Afetr 15 years we return in the frigid depths of a hostile ocean,  home to one of the biggest octopus ever filmed in the wild. This is the terrifying, tentacled monster of ancient legends and myths: the Giant Octopus of the Pacific...

new projects

natural history

archaeology

science

5) Amazonia: Otter Girl (52')

(Brazil, Colombia)

The extraordinary adventure of an European girl, who only apparently seems rather frail, that has decided to live in the heart of the Amazon drawn there by the irresistible charm of the infinite surprises of a world in which there is a continual cycle of wonders and also dangers

9) Beyond the Blue (52’)

(Indonesia)

Thanks to a brand new lighting technique, underwater wonders never seen before can now be revealed. In the evening twilight, schools of fish are springing up between the submerged peaks like silver javelins; the interstices of the coral reef become a science fiction world where terrible monsters, anchored down with the help of their suckers and helping themselves with tubes and pliers, are awaiting their prey. At the borders of the range of visible light, nocturnal fluorescence of green and blue paint thousands of creatures with disquieting contours. The sea bottom is an immense dark labyrinth, crossed by mysterious living forms. Our special lamps reveal the last secret treasures of the ocean.

8) Monsters of the White Sea (52')

(Siberia)

The limpid waters of the White Sea, framed by the tundra and the glaciers, unexpectedly pullulate a huge amount of life: bright colours, huge animals, spectacular scenery. Narrow and branched out inlets, enclosed by more than one hundred islands, hide a whole world mainly unexplored. The dives are real adventures which often begin with a jump in the dark, at the edge of a little square cut out of the  ice.

 

planet wonders in high definition

these high end documentaries planned for the next season will be realized in HDCAM 16:9  

1. 6) The Island of the Mooray-eels
   

2. (Colombia)
   

3. 

   Islands have always cast a spell over the human mind. But in the heart of the Pacific ocean, a few degrees north of the equator, there is a remote peak which seems to be the product of a painter’s imagination This dot in the ocean is a restricted and inhospitable place, home to a limited number of living species. A disquieting spectacle is awaiting for us: a huge gathering of moray eels. A multitude of these serpent-shaped fish has assembled all around.  Is it a phenomenon involved with reproduction, or should we argue that it is due to the particular characteristics of the island? Morays are usually solitary animals, but the shelter of the currents and the abundance of food could have instigated this gathering in such extraordinary numbers. The extreme isolation of this place has favored the development of endemic species, living under the constant menace of the huge schools of hammer-head that patrol these waters.

   

   

4) The Tiger and Mark (52’)

(SouthAfrica)

Incredible adventures in the depths of the Indian Ocean along with a daring diver. The only species which seems to be increasing in numbers is the tiger shark, thanks also to its great strength and voracity. This splendid animal is capable of devouring various types of prey roaming the ocean at all depths from the bottom to just under the surface. We are immersed in a sea tormented by huge waves which effects can be felt even 30 m down. The number of sharks and their “exhibitions’” are incredible; even the white shark and the bull shark and the Zambezi shark swim among a great variety of marine fauna, drawn there by the rich currents sometimes cold, sometimes warm that cut through this Ocean.

1) Return at Turtle Island

(Malaysia)

Ten years after our first visit, we return to a remote small island in the lukewarm weaters of Borneo. Many inhabitants of the reef live their whole lives in the space of a few centimetres. Others are visitors from far away, voyagers who have travelled thousands of kilometres. After a long journey through the ocean, a sea turtle reaches the shallow waters of an island of Borneo, and rests on a low coral hill. Its instinct had led it along the path to its

birthplace. The coral kingdom is an immense underwater garden filled with inexhaustible marvels. No other continent on land is home to so many varied forms of life. The turtle has faced many dangers to arrive here, guided by the memory of a time when its kind lived on dry land. At a depth of only 8 metres, it seems as though a mysterious ritual is being performed; the leading role is played by the most ancient of reptiles that live in the sea: the marine turtles swam in the oceans of prehistoric times!

7) Axolotl, a monster in danger of extinction (52’)

(Mexico, Usa)

Scientists have raised the alarm: another species risks disappearing from the face of the earth, this time one of the strangest and most enigmatic creatures in existence, an aquatic amphibian unlike any other in the world, the axolotl. Given its extraordinary biological and genetic features, and that its habitat is confined to a single tiny area – one small water-course near Mexico City – this animal is under study in numerous laboratories and is the subject of much unresolved debate among scientists. Our story begins in a small swamp, on the outskirts of the endless urban sprawl that is Mexico City. Using a special camera we manage to film one of these amphibians. With its blank gaze, and a body resembling a large transparent bean-pod, it truly looks like a creature from another world. If it wasn’t for its limited dimensions – little more than 40 centimetres long – its appearance would be monstrous indeed…

 

NEW

AMAZONIA: OTTER GIRL

✔ based on a true story

✔ format: HDCAM

✔ shootings in Brazil, Colombia

✔ starring Viviana in the role of

   Emanuela