A Blank on the Map

Dec 29, 1971

1h 0m

★ 8.2

A journey in Central New Guinea described by David Attenborough

Overview

In his now well-known role of narrator of wildlife expeditions, Attenborough accompanies a government-sponsored trek into the central New Guinea highlands to make contact with a group of natives never before seen by Europeans.

Genres

Documentary

Production Companies

Australian Broadcasting Corporation

BBC

A Blank on the Map Trailers

No Trailers found.

Cast

Himself - Presenter

David Attenborough

The island of New Guinea is the setting for this film, which focuses on the landscape, the life of the Papuans and their ritual festivals and spirit dances. The colorful birds of paradise are the pride of the islanders. Among the more than 40 species, the smallest, the "Little King" with blood-red plumage, can also be found on the island.

6.8

Amazon

Jan 1, 1997

Explore the mysterious Amazon through the amazing IMAX experience. Amazon celebrates the beauty, vitality and wonder of the rapidly disappearing rain forest.

0.0

AMAZON 3D

Jul 1, 2013

No overview available.

0.0

Itapoa - Un proyecto que camina

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No overview available.

7.5

Forest of the Dancing Spirits

Nov 29, 2013

“In the beginning, women lived apart, unaware of the existence of men. Until one day, when the first woman, Toli, who was brave and adventurous traveled deep into the forest. Toli discovered solitary creatures with big muscles who knew how to climb trees and harvest wild honey. When Toli tasted their honey, she thought they should all live together….” That is how one of the creation stories of the Aka people from the tropical rainforest of the Congo Basin goes. Akaya, Kengole, Dibota and their friends and family are hunters-gatherers (and also great story-tellers) who guide us through their world. They explain their origins, myths, and the very spiritual meaning of life.

7.8

Song from the Forest

Sep 11, 2014

25 years ago, Louis Sarno, an American, heard a song on the radio and followed its melody into the Central Africa Jungle and stayed. He than recorded over 1000 hours of original BaAka music. Now he is part of the BaAka community and raises his pygmy son, Samedi. Fulfilling an old promise, Louis takes Samedi to America. On this journey Louis realizes he is not part of this globalized world anymore but globalization has also arrived in the rainforest. The BaAka depend on Louis for their survival. Father and son return to the melodies of the jungle but the question remains: How much longer will the songs of the forest be heard?

10.0

Takayna

Invalid Date

takayna / Tarkine in northwestern Tasmania is home to one of the last undisturbed tracts of Gondwanan rainforest in the world, and one of the highest concentrations of Aboriginal archaeology in the hemisphere. Yet this place, which remains largely as it was when dinosaurs roamed the planet, is currently at the mercy of destructive extraction industries, including logging and mining. Weaving together the conflicting narratives of activists, locals and Aboriginal communities, and told through the experiences of a trail running doctor and a relentless environmentalist, this documentary, presented by Patagonia Films, unpacks the complexities of modern conservation and challenges us to consider the importance of our last truly wild places.

7.0

Born to Be Wild

Apr 8, 2011

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.

5.2

Tropical Rainforest

Feb 1, 1992

The story of the evolution of tropical rain forests, their recent and rapid destruction, and the intense efforts of scientists to understand them even as they disappear. This film gives viewers a better appreciation of the importance of tropical rain forests on a global scale.

No Image Available

6.3

Green

Oct 29, 2009

Her name is Green, she is alone in a world that doesn't belong to her. She is a female orangutan, victim of deforestation and resource exploitation. This film is an emotional journey with Green's final days. It is a visual ride presenting the treasures of rain forest biodiversity and the devastating impacts of logging and land clearing for palm oil plantations.

6.9

Secrets of the Tribe

Jan 22, 2010

What happens when western anthropologists descend on the Amazon and make one of the last unacculturated tribes in existence, the Yanomami, the most exhaustively filmed and studied tribe on the planet? Despite their "do no harm" creed and scientific aims, the small army of anthropologists that has studied the Yanomami since the 1960s has wreaked havoc among the tribe – and sparked a war within the anthropology community itself.

7.3

Surviving Progress

Nov 4, 2011

Humanity’s ascent is often measured by the speed of progress. But what if progress is actually spiraling us downwards, towards collapse? Ronald Wright, whose best-seller, “A Short History Of Progress” inspired “Surviving Progress”, shows how past civilizations were destroyed by “progress traps”—alluring technologies and belief systems that serve immediate needs, but ransom the future. As pressure on the world’s resources accelerates and financial elites bankrupt nations, can our globally-entwined civilization escape a final, catastrophic progress trap? With potent images and illuminating insights from thinkers who have probed our genes, our brains, and our social behaviour, this requiem to progress-as-usual also poses a challenge: to prove that making apes smarter isn’t an evolutionary dead-end.

5.0

The Labyrinth

Aug 2, 2018

A voyage into the labyrinthic memories of a Uitoto man, who worked for the drug Lords in the Colombian Amazon back in the 80s. Following his path between the forest and the ruin of a Narco´s mansion imitating the Carrington mansion in the soap opera Dynasty, the film unfolds the hallucinatory account of a near-death experience.

4.0

Secret Life of the Rainforest

Apr 1, 2012

Join scientists, as they visit Barro Colorado Island in the centre of the Panama Canal, travelling deep into nature’s most stunning habitats.

0.0

Yanuni

Jun 14, 2025

Indigenous chief Juma Xipaia fights to protect tribal lands despite assassination attempts. Her struggle intensifies after learning she's pregnant, while her husband, Special Forces ranger Hugo Loss, stands by her side.

No Image Available

0.0

Mabu: Saving the Secret Forest

Jul 16, 2024

We follow a team of scientists on a gruelling expedition into a remote rainforest in Mozambique. They're hoping to prove that Mount Mabu's animals and insects are unique and in need of official protection.

0.0

Primitive Paradise

May 26, 1961

A documentary following famed explorer Lewis Cotlow traveling into the heart of New Guinea in search of unknown tribal cultures.

6.8

Baka: The People of the Rainforest

Jan 18, 1989

Intimate story of a Baka family living a traditional life in the rainforests of Cameroun.

8.0

Attenborough's Paradise Birds

Jan 29, 2015

David Attenborough tells the remarkable story of how these " birds of paradise " have captivated explorers , naturalists, artists, filmmakers and even royalty.

A Blank on the Map

Overview

Genres

Production Companies

A Blank on the Map Trailers