Get curated editors’ picks, peeks behind the scenes, film recommendations and more.
According to local tradition, Bhutan’s highest terrain is considered the sacred domain of gods and spirits. Due to this belief, mountaineering is illegal in Bhutan, making the country’s Himalayan highlands one of the most unspoiled places on Earth. However, this doesn’t mean our impact isn’t felt at all. Indeed, as a result of climate change, the glaciers on these mountaintops are melting, threatening the lives of those below.
The short documentary Mountain Man chronicles the life and work of Phuntsho Tshering, a glaciologist who, accompanied by his team, is the only person permitted to climb high into the mountains. Leaving his family for more than a month to measure changes to remote glaciers and lakes, he sends video dispatches to his daughter, who fears his presence might provoke the spirit of the mighty ‘Snow Lion’ that inhabits these lands. For his part, Tshering performs rituals both scientific and spiritual to assess threats and assure safe passage. With his rare access to these sublime scenes, the Bhutanese director Arun Bhattarai creates a film that, like the mountains it captures, possesses a hushed power and beauty.
Director: Arun Bhattarai
Website: Guardian Documentaries
video
Oceans and water
A stunning visualisation explores the intricate circulatory system of our oceans
5 minutes
video
Social psychology
What happened when a crypto scam swept over a sleepy town in the Caucasus
18 minutes
video
Human rights and justice
Surreal, dazzling visuals form an Iranian expat’s tribute to defiance back home
10 minutes
video
Language and linguistics
Do button-pushing dogs have something new to say about language?
9 minutes
video
History of science
Ideas ‘of pure genius’ – how astronomers have measured the Universe across history
29 minutes
video
Values and beliefs
Why a single tree, uprooted in a typhoon, means so much to one man in Hanoi
7 minutes
video
Consciousness and altered states
‘I want me back’ – after a head injury, Nick struggles with his altered reality
7 minutes
video
Meaning and the good life
Why Orwell urged his readers to celebrate the spring, cynics be damned
11 minutes
video
Making
On the Norwegian coast, a tree is transformed into a boat the old-fashioned way
6 minutes