S4.E11 ∙ Maroush, Recklinghausen

'For a tree to grow straight, you have to help it stay straight when it's still a small plant'. Jacques is thirteen. He loves sports. He plays the drums and the balafon. He has Down's Syndrome. 'Guiding Rhythms' is about his relationship with his parents who, despite some rocky moments, hope to ensure that nothing is ever really out of his reach.

Ground water levels in the National Capital Region of India, which includes Delhi, Gurgaon and Faridabad, is depleting at an alarming rate of around 1 meter every three years. The problem is, not many people realize that at this rate in another 20 years or so, these sprawling cities will have no groundwater worth mentioning. Combined with the Yamuna drying up due to erratic monsoons, that is an open invitation to the adjoining Thar Desert, just across the Aravallis, to creep in and take over these metros. The signs are disturbingly obvious in Gurgaon, the premier IT and Industry hub. In this satellite town, the loss in ground water level is close to 2 meters every year.

This film documents the time shared by four high school students and four elderly mountain sages. The students are typical Japanese teenagers who share a deep anxiety about the future. The sages represent a rural, mountain-based life that Japan has all but discarded in search of rapid economic development and material prosperity. The eight lives sketched herein provide us with a window on the fundamental contrasts to be found in Japan - urban vs. rural, modern vs. traditional, the young and the old - and show us what can happen when these radically different worlds meet.

A 10 year old girl attempts a very long hike with mom and dad. 2650 miles on the Pacific Crest Trail.