Sharjah: A City Full of Culture in UAE

The streets of Sharjah, UAE, are filled to the brim with magnificent architecture, delicious cuisine, and vibrant communities. The city is a living, breathing relic still standing in the modern world with old temples across the street from construction sites. The inhabitants have learned to navigate this liminal world and express their love for their complex, unique city. This video, shot and directed by Mike Beech, explores the different facets of Sharjah, entrancing the eye, making it hard to look away.

Gateway to the Ganges

Daily life in the Indian holy cities of Rishikesh, Haridwar, and Devprayag. This region lies in the foothills of the Himalayas where the Ganges River descends from the mountains. The beauty of nature and the Hindu ceremonies contrasted with the poverty and suffering on the streets. Filmmaker Brandon Li says the people he met had a high-spirited resilience that seemed to stem from surviving and maintaining their devotion through a challenging life.

Wander in Turkey

Filmmaker Lee Hang Gab travels through Turkey and documents the beauty of the country. This short film shows Turkey's natural beauty in the mountains and unique culture in the cities. The majority of the film was shot in Istanbul and Cappadocia. The filmmaker was fascinated by Turkish culture and the natural scenery. He felt that there is a variety of cultural sensibility from Asia and Europe.

Bloom: Japan

In April this year, director Julian Lucas went on holiday to Japan - his camera came with him.

The result is the film Bloom.

He discovered a peculiar sense of quiet, desolation, and loneliness among the people.
In a country so packed with lights and trains and crowds and experiences, from the theatrical to the serene to patently bizarre, Bloom captures this lovely dichotomy between the people and the cities they inhabit. Inside the noise and the chaos, Julian captures people alone, wandering the streets, buried in telephones - a dull, menacing and peaceful nothingness below the surface.

What’s most inspiring about the footage is the way that it doesn’t struggle or form its way into any kind of narrative - Julian just lets the film be exactly what it is. But in that loose process, which is unlikely an accident, there’s this dizzying repetition that tells us something quite profound about Japanese culture. The score, too, by Matt Hadley, dances with the vision. At times intense and jarring, edited cleverly to interplay with the captured audio. At times serene and beautiful, with layered synths and string lines that dance softly up and down the keyboard.

“I wanted the soundtrack to be it's own character,” says Julian. “I wanted the viewer to be as audibly stimulated as they are visually. And I wanted sounds from the real world to contribute to the rhythm and pacing of the piece.”

Quarantine Brainstorm

Adriano Maffei Scatimburgo offers us a chance to experience the freedom of travel even as we ficar em casa, stay at home.

How Curious George Escaped Nazi Germany

Curious George is the mischievous child that still lives inside us all, a swinging catastrophe with an envious joie de vivre. But everyone’s favorite chimp almost didn’t make it to the page. The story goes way back to 1940 as Nazi forces prepared to invade France. German-Jewish artists H.A. and Margret Rey fled Paris by bicycle, carrying the original manuscript that would later become “Curious George.” From there George traveled the globe, trekking down to Lisbon, sailing across the pond to Rio de Janeiro, finally making his home in New York. The rest, of course, is history, as our primate protagonist climbed his way into our hearts and onto the world’s stage.

A Cafe Run by Heroes

The Sheroes' Hangout is a cafe in India that is operated entirely by acid attack survivors. Located a few minutes from the Taj Mahal, it is a place of self-growth and empowerment for its employees. While many of India's acid attack survivors struggle to find employment, Sheroes' Hangout offers them a job and a supportive community.

Venezia

Much has been made about the wonders of Venice, but few ever venture deep enough across its less touristy, yet still historical hidden places. Beyond hundreds of canals and a diverse architectural style, a secret facet of Venetian life lives on, in which the journey of hand crafting gondola wooden oars and loomed fabrics remains rooted in ancient folk traditions.

Morocco

There is more to Morocco than the gorgeous sand dunes of Merzouga in the Sahara, or the majestic Atlas mountains of the Maghreb region. Morocco’s music can take you on a journey through Spain, with flavors of Berber, hints of Arabic, and the Saharan style. It’s architecture is showstopping features of pisé buildings, the finesse of Moorish exiles, and a glimpse into the Islamic influence of the Idrisid dynasty. The people bring craftsmanship and skill to their communities, combining history and culture in a way only Morocco can do.

Beyond The Kasbah

In Morocco, the word Kasbah is used to reference a bustling city center, a citadel, something kept apart from its rural counterparts. As travelers, we often want to hit those places; the ones with hip-cafes, and street vendors, and museums. But in Morocco, out past where the old-world souks engage with city life, there is still so much wonder to behold. From witnessing the equestrian arts, to experiencing the beauty of rural farming, there is always more out beyond the Kasbah.

Lost in Kyrgyzstan

Sara Izzi and Timur Tugalev, digital nomads and authors of the Travel blog The Lost Avocado.com document for the first time incredible country of Kyrgyzstan. The dreaming sceneries of the lake of Song Köl, from Orto Tokoy, a reservoir of turquoise water in the Kochkor District, up to Issik Kul, UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, and Karakol, with its canyons, wild parks and colourful markets.

India - Land of Kings

A journey across the Land of Kings "Rajasthan, India". See the wonders of Agra, Jaipur, Jodhpur & Jaisalmer through the videographer’s eyes.

I am Congo

Get to know the Congo before you walk through the streets yourself. In this immersive experience, you'll see the vast forest of the congo, the countries colorful style, and break taking shots of life in the city. As part of the "I am" series, videographers spent time in the Congo meeting local artisans, traders and musicians. Their experience, laid out for you here.

Islands of Aloha

There's more to Hawaii than beaches and volcanos. In this video, you'll see waterfalls, stunning mountain ranges, star studded skies and even temples. "Islands of Aloha" captures what makes the most isolated inhabited landmass in the world so special.

Deserts of Chile

Explore the desert of Chile like you've never seen before. This video highlights the vibrate night sky of the chilean desert; you'll see breathtaking star-scapes, constellations and eclipses. Some of the best views of our galaxy, here.

Mexico

The videographer is Face du Monde and these are his comments on the video:

“Since I was a kid, it always has been a dream of mine to see "El dia de los Muertos" in Mexico. So last October my friend Max and I decided to travel there. It was my second time in this country I really fell in love with. We spent 3 weeks travelling around Quintana Roo, Yucatán and Campeche states. I made this video to show how this country has his own culture, his own history that you will find nowhere else in the world. "El dia de los Muertos" is an event everybody should see once in his life, it really represents the Mexican soul. I would like to thank all amazing people I met there who made this journey unforgettable.”

Shanghai Forever

'Urbanologist' and media artist JT Singh has captured the vibrance and massive scale of Shanghai’s skyline, streets, and infrastructure through a series of experimental projects viewed by millions (This is Shanghai, Walk in Shanghai, etc); hence, contributing greatly to the city's growing global status. With this new film, he turns to the Shanghai of its residents, the lives that revolve not around the city’s 4000 skyscrapers, but around the simpler ways of living, the local charm, and the familiar corner.