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As a teacher for mostly disadvantaged teens in Harlem, Zee Pacifici coaxed poetry from her students in the form of rap lyrics. Now retired at age 86, she takes comfort in mementos from her time in education, including photos from her classroom and books of her students’ writings. The Guatemala-born, US-based filmmaker Vivian Rivas’s short film Ebb Tide follows Zee as she attempts to track down one of her favourite students, Melvin Coleman – an enthusiastic pupil, who, despite struggling to read, possessed a knack for words and music. Refreshingly earnest in story and in form, the film summons the persistent trickle of time as it captures Zee and Melvin’s first encounter in decades.
Director: Vivian Rivas
Producer: Magali Capi
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Rituals and celebrations
A beginner’s guide to a joyful Persian tradition of spring renewal and rebirth
3 minutes
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Love and friendship
Love looks a bit different for a chain-smoking couple in a small apartment
11 minutes
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Work
A Swedish expat in the Philippines wonders: what’s up with people sleeping at work?
14 minutes
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Biography and memoir
The unique life philosophy of Abdi, born in Somalia, living in the Netherlands
29 minutes
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Cognition and intelligence
What’s this buzz about bees having culture? Inside a groundbreaking experiment
8 minutes
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Earth science and climate
The only man permitted in Bhutan’s sacred mountains chronicles humanity’s impact
22 minutes
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The ancient world
An ancient Roman’s hilarious (and perhaps relatable) response to a social snub
2 minutes
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Love and friendship
After his son’s terrorist attack, Azdyne seeks healing – and his granddaughter
25 minutes
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Art
More than breathtaking, ‘The Birth of Venus’ signalled an aesthetic revolution
19 minutes