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Created by placing 2,400 different leaves in a stop-motion sequence, The Book of Leaves flickers through the collection of hues, shapes and species that the US animator Brett Foxwell found while collecting samples for his short film LeafPresser. The result is a worthy watch in its own right, drawing out the rich diversity, shared traits and natural beauty of the leaves we so often step over or otherwise take for granted.
Director: Brett Foxwell
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Earth science and climate
Images carved into film form a haunting elegy for a disappearing slice of Earth
3 minutes
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Biology
Butterflies become unrecognisable landscapes when viewed under electron microscopes
4 minutes
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Nature and landscape
California’s landscapes provide endless inspiration for a woodcut printmaker
10 minutes
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Engineering
Can monumental ‘ice stupas’ help remote Himalayan villages survive?
15 minutes
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Virtues and vices
Why Bennie tried to disappear, and what happened when he was found decades later
16 minutes
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Cognition and intelligence
A father forgets his child’s name for the first time in this poetic reflection on memory
4 minutes
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Animals and humans
Join seabirds as they migrate, encountering human communities along the way
13 minutes
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Stories and literature
Two variants of a Hindu myth come alive in an animated ode to Indian storytelling
14 minutes
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Food and drink
The passage of time is a peculiar thing in a 24-hour diner
14 minutes