Get curated editors’ picks, peeks behind the scenes, film recommendations and more.
Located on a small peninsula in northern Scotland, Scoraig is an off-the-grid settlement accessible only by boat or a five-mile walk. Its remote location and cold, wet climate makes for a harsh lifestyle for its fewer than 100 residents – but it’s one that they fully embrace. The UK director Alex Nevill’s short documentary Fishcakes and Cocaine (2013), which profiles four Scoraig residents, offers a compelling account of life on the tranquil peninsula. Although disparate in their interests and personalities, each resident seems to share a few key things in common – a general scepticism of modernity, an interest in creative work, and a love of the lush Scottish scenery that greets them there each day. And, despite the small population, Nevill’s portrait captures a sense of tight community that, for Scoraig residents, offers a welcome alternative to the more alienating aspects of urban life.
Director: Alex Nevill
video
Family life
The precious family keepsakes that hold meaning for generations
10 minutes
video
Neuroscience
This intricate map of a fruit fly brain could signal a revolution in neuroscience
2 minutes
video
Information and communication
Coverage of the ‘balloon boy’ hoax forms a withering indictment of for-profit news
17 minutes
video
Childhood and adolescence
Marmar is living through a devastating war – but she’d rather tell you about her new dress
8 minutes
video
Meaning and the good life
Wander through the English countryside with two teens trying to make sense of the world
10 minutes
video
Art
A puppeteer makes sense of an overwhelming world by shrinking it down to size
5 minutes
video
Anthropology
Does Mogi’s future lie with her horses on the Mongolian steppe, or in the city?
16 minutes
video
Art
The sprawling mural that depicts an unflinching people’s history of Los Angeles
7 minutes
video
Personality
A ‘dumpster archeologist’ reconstructs strangers’ stories via what they’ve discarded
14 minutes