Get curated editors’ picks, peeks behind the scenes, film recommendations and more.
Agent Orange was widely used as part of the United States’ herbicidal warfare programme in the Vietnam War, deployed as a means of exposing the positions of Viet Cong and North Vietnamese soldiers through defoliation and destroying their crops. These attacks became emblematic of US military recklessness in its interventions in Southeast Asia, leaving massive environmental and humanitarian catastrophes in their wake. Some five decades later, the lasting impact of Agent Orange still reverberates throughout the region, as the chemical dioxin is increasingly believed to be responsible for a wide range of health problems across generations – a claim that the US government largely denies. The short documentary Chau, Beyond the Lines spans eight years in the life of a Vietnamese teenager named Chau, born with deformed limbs believed to be the result of intergenerational Agent Orange exposure, as he chases his dream of becoming an artist despite little encouragement from his caretakers and family. Impressive in its scope and humanity, the film by the US director Courtney Marsh was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary (Short Subject) in 2016.
video
Wellbeing
Born in China, Zee seeks a gender-affirming life in the American Midwest
11 minutes
video
Chemistry
Why do the building blocks of life possess a mysterious symmetry?
12 minutes
video
Cosmology
Tiny, entangled universes that form or fizzle out – a theory of the quantum multiverse
11 minutes
video
Rituals and celebrations
A beginner’s guide to a joyful Persian tradition of spring renewal and rebirth
3 minutes
video
Astronomy
The history of astronomy is a history of conjuring intelligent life where it isn’t
34 minutes
video
Love and friendship
Love looks a bit different for a chain-smoking couple in a small apartment
11 minutes
video
Metaphysics
Simple entities in universal harmony – Leibniz’s evocative perspective on reality
4 minutes
video
Biography and memoir
Passed over as the first Black astronaut, Ed Dwight carved out an impressive second act
13 minutes
video
Engineering
A close-up look at electronic paper reveals its exquisite patterns – and limitations
9 minutes