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For two decades, Odense Zoo in Denmark has been performing public dissections of animals that they have put down to control certain populations and prevent inbreeding. In the short documentary In a Lion (2018), the Polish director Karol Lindholm captures the zoo’s educational event, called ‘Animals Inside Out’, without sparing the viewer the graphic details. Throughout, the adults and many children observing seem to look on with a combination of fascination, horror and disgust, as the cheerful zoo employees reveal ever more layers of the animal’s innards. While the film’s end titles reveal that Lindholm sees the display as inhumane, his portrait can also be read as something of a provocation to audiences who would much rather not see an animal dissection, even when animal exploitation is often an unspoken undercurrent in their everyday lives.
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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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Politics and government
How it looked to Afghan women to see the Taliban return to power
33 minutes
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Metaphysics
Simple entities in universal harmony – Leibniz’s evocative perspective on reality
4 minutes
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Biography and memoir
Passed over as the first Black astronaut, Ed Dwight carved out an impressive second act
13 minutes
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The ancient world
The six priestesses who kept the flame of ancient Rome alight at risk of death
5 minutes
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Engineering
A close-up look at electronic paper reveals its exquisite patterns – and limitations
9 minutes
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Architecture
West Africa was once an architectural laboratory. Is it time for a revival?
12 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