At an unidentified container terminal, giant cargo containers are lifted and lowered by mechanical arms, and moved between land and sea on extra-wide truck beds. Without a single human in sight, the machines seem to move of their own volition, carrying out the most complex tasks with complete precision. Depicting a human-created world devoid of humanity, Terminal is a poetic observation of the oft-forgotten transport infrastructure at the heart of our global economy.
The workflow at a container terminal becomes a mesmerising mechanical ballet
Director: Jörg Wagner
Producer: Dirk Manthey

videoOceans and water
Not quite ashore – the in-between world of a cargo-ship rest stop
8 minutes

videoProgress and modernity
From the Red Sea to Hong Kong in 10 minutes – a stunning cargo-ship timelapse
10 minutes

videoCities
The city of tomorrow is here – and it’s in the studio of US artist Chris Burden
6 minutes

videoCities
Time dilates and people flow in and out of each other in a hallucinatory urban commute
3 minutes

videoSpace exploration
Mind-bending speed is the only way to reach the stars – here are three ways to do it
5 minutes

videoDeath
In 2009, a man arrived in an Irish town with a plan to disappear forever
19 minutes

videoEconomics
The Swiss warehouse where the rich hide assets and wealth leaves no trace
11 minutes

videoSports and games
Thrill to the motorbike hellriders who make their living on the wall of death
9 minutes

videoThe environment
Surgeons with chainsaws – the breathtaking craft of logging on a Swiss mountainside
13 minutes