The Invisible Zoo
2024
178 min
de
Across the seasons, the film gives an account of life and work and the animals and visitors at Zurich Zoo, an institution that is one of the leading zoological gardens in Europe. Animals in their cages, humans in the cinema. What lies between them?
Documentary
More Like This
Cher & the Loneliest Elephant
"The World's Loneliest Elephant" Kaavan will finally experience freedom, thanks to his biggest champion, the one & only Cher. We'll follow Cher, Free The Wild, Four Paws International, and Kaavan on every step of the trip.
Add to Watchlist
An Apology to Elephants
Elephants are among the most majestic and intelligent creatures on Earth--but for hundreds of years, they have suffered at the hands of humans. Narrated by Lily Tomlin, this documentary short traces our long history with elephants and explores the many problems that arise when they are brought to live in captivity in zoos and circuses.
What The Durrells Did Next
Hosted by Keeley Hawes, star of the popular television series The Durrells, this documentary reveals the adventures of the eccentric Durrell family once they left Corfu, Greece.
Koko: A Talking Gorilla
A documentary that follows Dr. Penny Patterson's current scientific study of Koko, a gorilla who communicates through American Sign Language.
Born to Be Wild
Born to Be Wild observes various orphaned jungle animals and their day-to-day behavioural interactions with the individuals who rescue them and raise them to adulthood. The film unfurls in two separate geographic spheres. Half of it takes place in the rain forests of Borneo, where celebrated primatologist Dr. Birute Galdikas assists baby orangutans; the other half takes place on the arid savannahs of Kenya, where zoologist Dame Daphne Sheldrick works with baby elephant calves.
Dominion
Exposing the dark underbelly of modern animal agriculture through drones, hidden & handheld cameras, the feature-length film explores the morality and validity of our dominion over the animal kingdom.
Beyond the Enclosure
The documentary investigates the challenges and practices of animal welfare in the Rio de Janeiro Biopark, addressing how different species are cared for outside their natural habitats. The production reveals the work of specialized Biologists and Veterinarians, highlighting essential aspects such as the population plan and environmental enrichment.
Night on Earth: Shot in the Dark
This look behind the scenes shows how worldwide camera crews climbed, dived and froze to capture the documentary's groundbreaking night footage.
The Zoo
A perfect, fast and hilarious montage. Using images from Artis (Amsterdam Zoo), Bert Haanstra shows that a couple of similarities can be discovered between human and animal. Particularly the manner in which human and ape are confronted with each other, is significant. The images speak for themselves, human voices or commentary is absent. The ironic music of Pim Jacobs does add an extra dimension to the whole. With regards to human and animal Haanstra limits himself for the time being to this short film, recorded with a hidden camera. Later on, in several big films, he would return to this subject.
Tiergarten
A film portrait of Schönbrunn Zoo, a modern zoo that represents the radical change in the relationship between humans and animals like no other.
Poto and Cabengo
Documentary by Jean-Pierre Gorin about twin girls who spontaneously developed their own unique language as children.
Lion, London Zoological Gardens
A male lion, right next to bars that are about 6 or 8 inches apart, keenly watches a uniformed zoo attendant toss small morsels of food into the cage. The lion alternates between finding the food on the cage floor and reaching through the bars to swipe at the man, who stays alarmingly close to the beast. In the background are the large rocks and brick wall at the back of the lion's habitat.
Savages: The Story of Human Zoos
For more than a century the great colonial powers put human beings, taken by force from their native lands, on show as entertainment, just like animals in zoos; a shameful, outrageous and savage treatment of people who were considered subhuman.
Koko: The Gorilla Who Talks to People
Documentary telling the extraordinary story of Koko, the only 'talking' gorilla in the world, and her lifelong relationship with Penny Patterson. Project Koko started as a PhD project to teach sign language to a baby gorilla, but as Koko began to communicate with Penny, an intense bond formed between them. Penny has now been with Koko for over 40 years and claims Koko can reveal fresh insights into the workings of an animal's mind. Koko's unique life with Penny has been filmed every step of the way. Over 2,000 hours of footage chart the most dramatic moments - Penny's battle to keep Koko from being taken back to the zoo in which she was born, Penny's clash with academic critics who doubted her claims and the image of Koko mourning the death of her kitten.
Curiosity and Control
Curiosity and Control examines our complex relationship to nature itself. A multi layered look at the world of Museums of Natural History and Zoological gardens, with voices from historians, authors, architects and zoo managers. It raises questions about how we perceive nature and our contradictory behavior of caging what we fear may be lost.
Zoofobia
The tragic death of a polar bear triggers the end of the Buenos Aires Zoo. A superhero lover lawyer asks a court to declare the orangutan Sandra a Non-Human Person and revolutionizes the planet. A very Argentine story, full of passions, embarrassing missteps and memorable characters.
Checkpoint Zoo
In the early stages of the Russian-Ukrainian War, almost 5,000 animals were trapped behind enemy lines in a wildlife park. The film relates the story of their dramatic rescue.
Glimpses of Western Germany
This James A. FitzPatrick Traveltalks short visits the West German cities of Hamburg, Bremen, Munich, and Heidelberg. Included are scenes of World War II destruction that lingered at the time.
Garden, Zoological
The keepers are kept busy with animals under their care. These animals, although they've got the hint of their natural instinct left, are unlikely to survive if released back to the wild. It'd be difficult for them to take part in the pack and they lack the skills to find food. Nevertheless, the ultimate goal for everyone at the zoo is to send the animals back to where they truly belong.
Baby New at the Zoo
Meet the babies of the National Zoo -- the golden lion tamarin, the Sumatran tiger, the kori bustard, and the sloth bear -- cute, cuddly and born to be wild!