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
The ancient world
What wine vessels reveal about politics and luxury in ancient Athens and Persia
16 minutes

video
Art
David Goldblatt captured the contradictions of apartheid in stark black and white
15 minutes

video
Philosophy of mind
Do we have good reasons to believe in beliefs? A radical philosophy of mind says no
5 minutes

video
Love and friendship
When drawing your muse hundreds of times becomes an exercise in love
7 minutes

video
Biology
A dazzling slice-by-slice exploration of wood exposes hidden patterns and hues
2 minutes

video
Family life
In Rwanda, Sébastien finds traces of personal history in the wake of national tragedy
21 minutes

video
Dance and theatre
Leaf through Shakespeare’s First Folio for a riveting journey into theatre history
13 minutes

video
Love and friendship
A decade after his wife was swept away in a tsunami, Yasuo still searches the sea
9 minutes

video
Architecture
Modern architecture should embrace – not ignore or repel – the nonhuman world
8 minutes