Get curated editors’ picks, peeks behind the scenes, film recommendations and more.
As armies of white-collar workers funnel out of office buildings at the close of their working day, many janitors are just beginning theirs, preparing for long shifts that must be finished while their cities sleep. Lessons from the Night follows Maia Wallner as she reflects eloquently on the nature of her low-paying, under-appreciated and often solitary job, and the particular window it gives her into the psyches of those she cleans up after but rarely sees. Once an Arabic translator in her native Bulgaria, where she worked with world leaders, political turmoil forced her into exile while on assignment in Melbourne, Australia. Still living in Melbourne, she now gets through the lonely nights by finding humour and quiet dignity in her work.
video
Biology
Journey deep into the Philippine forest in search of the world’s largest, rarest eagle
95 minutes
video
Art
What does an AI make of what it sees in a contemporary art museum?
15 minutes
video
Fairness and equality
How the first woman of colour to be elected to the US Congress remade education
21 minutes
video
History of ideas
Tantra is, and was, a subversive philosophy of feminine power
19 minutes
video
Rituals and celebrations
From roaring fire and molten glass an artist creates a healing ritual
13 minutes
video
Ecology and environmental sciences
Producing food while restoring the planet – a glimpse of farming in the future
7 minutes
video
Archaeology
Ancient Greek sculptures were colourful. Why does the white marble ideal persist?
6 minutes
video
Economics
We all play by economic rules set by men. What could a feminist economics look like?
30 minutes
video
Ecology and environmental sciences
Yo-Yo Ma performs a work for cello in the woods, accompanied by a birdsong chorus
4 minutes