Get curated editors’ picks, peeks behind the scenes, film recommendations and more.
‘There are many ways of being wounded, yet many ways of being cured.’
The documentary The Lady and the Owl (1975) highlights the work of Kay and Larry McKeever, a retired Canadian couple who dedicated themselves to caring for orphaned, injured and starving owls. From their home in Ontario, they could provide safe haven for up to 100 owls at once, serving creatures of varying sizes and needs. At first glance, one might mistake the couple’s commitment as a form of obsession with their avian brood. However, the Canadian director William Canning’s gentle film shows that deep knowledge and understanding underpin their humane care, right up to the bittersweet moment when an owl is well enough for release back into the wild. While the McKeevers are no longer living (Larry died in 2002; Kay in 2019), their passion endures in the Owl Foundation, a nonprofit sanctuary and rehabilitation centre that they established the same year as the film’s release.
Director: William Canning
Website: National Film Board of Canada
video
Biology
Journey deep into the Philippine forest in search of the world’s largest, rarest eagle
95 minutes
video
Art
What does an AI make of what it sees in a contemporary art museum?
15 minutes
video
Fairness and equality
How the first woman of colour to be elected to the US Congress remade education
21 minutes
video
Personality
Wesley wants to solve the rooftop mystery – but does he have what it takes?
14 minutes
video
History of ideas
Tantra is, and was, a subversive philosophy of feminine power
19 minutes
video
Rituals and celebrations
From roaring fire and molten glass an artist creates a healing ritual
13 minutes
video
Ecology and environmental sciences
Producing food while restoring the planet – a glimpse of farming in the future
7 minutes
video
Archaeology
Ancient Greek sculptures were colourful. Why does the white marble ideal persist?
6 minutes
video
Economics
We all play by economic rules set by men. What could a feminist economics look like?
30 minutes