fungi: web of life
40 min. | photography nature documentary | australia | english
Much of life on Earth is connected by a vast, hidden network, that we are only just beginning to understand. Out of sight, between the world of plants and animals, another world exists - the kingdom of fungi.
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Through the eyes of passionate biologist and writer Merlin Sheldrake, join us on this brilliant round-the-world journey into the secret world of fungi. Through dazzling images of fungi under the microscope, and all around us in the forest, Merlin unravels the many secrets of these essential organisms in the web of life. So much more than mushrooms, not only do fungi shape the weather and support life on land, they are at the cutting edge of medical research and even have the power to break down plastic waste.
preceded by the short film | planetwalker
31 min. | documentary | usa | english
In 1971 John Francis, known the world over as ‘Planetwalker,’ witnessed an oil tanker collision in the San Francisco Bay. The sight of oiled birds on the shoreline caused him to give up motorized transport and rely solely on his own two feet. Months after that he took a vow of silence convinced that listening rather than adding fuel to any fire was the way ahead.
At 78 years old, John both talks and rides in cars. Now he memorably recounts much of his interior journey, his thoughts, and desires as he intuitively crafted a unique life focused on environmental activism.