Upon moving to the Philippines, the Swedish director Samir Arabzadeh noticed something that seemed quite peculiar about everyday life in the country. Rather than feeling the need to always look busy, employees often quite openly and unabashedly slept while on the clock. In his short documentary Powernapper’s Paradise, Arabzadeh sets out to understand this practice as someone from a culture that places a premium on productivity. Collecting a series of portraits of said on-the-job sleepers, Arabzadeh collates a broad range of perspectives that swirl around a single, shared understanding – a bit of shuteye on the job is really no big deal. And, tugging harder at the roots of the phenomenon, he finds a society that seems content to move at a leisurely pace, and uninterested in being rushed into a rushing world.
video
Art
In his poem ‘London’, William Blake crafted a bleak vision of the city he loved
9 minutes
video
Ageing and death
We’re not the only animals that appear to grieve. What are the implications?
6 minutes
video
Archaeology
How researchers finally solved the puzzle of the oldest known map of the world
18 minutes
video
Love and friendship
For two brothers who rely on one another, love is a daily act of devotion
11 minutes
video
Art
A prisoner in Guantánamo finds some escape in building intricate model ships
6 minutes
video
Meaning and the good life
A Japanese religious community makes an unlikely home in the mountains of Colorado
9 minutes
video
Sex and sexuality
From secret crushes to self-acceptance – a joyful chronicle of ‘old lesbian’ stories
29 minutes
video
Making
Forging a cello from pieces of wood demands its own form of virtuosity
27 minutes
video
Education
Scenes from a school year paint a refreshingly nuanced portrait of rural America
25 minutes