National Geographic Specials

John Rhys-Davies leads us back into a darker time to discover this tale of saints and sinners, power and passion. The greatest translation of the Bible emerged into a world and culture that would never be quite the same again.

June, 1615. After several months at sea, ploughing through the turbulent waters of the North Atlantic, three whaling vessels from San Sebastian land on the far north of frozen Iceland. There the scholar Jón Guðmundsson, Jón the Wise, has been expectantly awaiting the arrival of the Basques. Eighty-three weather-beaten sailors, captained by Martín de Villafranca, Pedro de Aguirre and Esteban de Tellería. Autumn arrives, and the Nordic cold brings with it famine and want, leading a young Icelandic man to rob a large piece of whale blubber from the whaling station. The act leads to a confrontation. Furthermore, just before the Basque crew sets out to return to San Sebastian, a huge storm sinks three of its ships, leaving the Basque men trapped on the island. Faced with the impossible task of surviving the frozen winter without suitable facilities, as well as local legislation that prevents them from staying on the island over winter, the 83 whalers spread out in vain to search for vessels in which to travel home. In the meantime, protected by King Christian IV's legislation, Ari Magnússon sees a chance to assert his authority and gain reputation, by leading the peasantry to capture and murder the Basques The time is now right to explore this intrepid adventure of extreme survival, through the eyes of the erudite Jón Guðmundsson; the scholar who publicly denounced the death of his Basque friends and the biggest massacre in Iceland's history through his writings. An accusation he would pay for dearly, by being condemned to exile until his death.

'Olmo and the Seagull' is a poetic and existential dive into an actress's mind during the nine months of her pregnancy as she must confront her most fiery inner demons while trying to rewrite a new philosophy of life, identity and love. Underlying this hybrid film is mounting tension over what is real and what is enacted when one is performing one's own life.

The in-depth tale of the “low-rock” nineties Boston band who blazed like a comet across the global music scene….

Two Danish-Korean adoptees return for the first time to the country they were once born in. Confronted with the spirit of their Motherland and the personal stories of the fellow adoptees they meet in the city of Seoul, Karoline and Thomas are hurled into an emotionally disorienting journey that forces both of them to question and face their own destiny and identity. Operating in a hybrid field THE RETURN is partially based on director Malene Choi's personal experience as well as stories shared by adoptees that Malene encountered in Seoul while shooting the film.

The peace agreement between FARC guerrillas and the Colombian Government throws the country into chaos. What happens to a fragile peace in an unequal country if doing the 'wrong' thing may easily be justified as the only means of struggle?