Get curated editors’ picks, peeks behind the scenes, film recommendations and more.
Filmed in Ireland, on some of the world’s most violent coastlines, Dark Side of the Lens profiles a surf photographer who takes to the waves looking for ‘little glimpses of magic’ to record for posterity. The job may sound glamourous, but it’s a dangerous one. To be a surf photographer, you have to fend off near-drownings amidst cliff-battering waves in frigid waters. The film uses these risky aspects of surf photography as a metaphor for the trade-offs that a life of creativity requires.
Director: Mickey Smith
Producers: Helen Hayden, Revie Verran
video
Oceans and water
A stunning visualisation explores the intricate circulatory system of our oceans
5 minutes
video
Consciousness and altered states
‘I want me back’ – after a head injury, Nick struggles with his altered reality
7 minutes
video
Sports and games
Havana’s streets become racetracks in this exhilarating portrait of children at play
5 minutes
video
Earth science and climate
There’s a ‘climate bomb’ ticking beneath the Arctic ice. How can we prepare?
8 minutes
video
Biology
A spectacular, close-up look at the starfish with a ‘hands-on’ approach to parenting
5 minutes
video
Biotechnology
It’s our responsibility to engineer corals that can weather the world we’ve created
11 minutes
video
Cities
A lush, whirlwind tribute to the diversity of life in a northern English county
3 minutes
video
Subcultures
Drop into London’s eclectic skate scene, where newbies and old-timers find community
5 minutes
video
Values and beliefs
A Zen Buddhist priest voices the deep matters he usually ponders in silence
5 minutes