Whether the world be finite, and whether there be more than one world...

Aug 22, 2025

0h 10m

★ 0.0

To describe the world is to create another.

Overview

To describe the world is to create another. A disembodied narrator recounts the life and death of Pliny the Elder, author of the first encyclopedia. Excerpts from Pliny’s "Naturalis Historia," echo between past and present, real and virtual, tracing the evolution of knowledge from written encyclopedias to modern AI algorithms.

Genres

Science Fiction

Documentary

Production Companies

Expanded Views

Whether the world be finite, and whether there be more than one world... Trailers

No Trailers found.

Cast

Narrator

Federica Ferro

Pliny

PTE 003.2

A lone passenger is reflected in the windows of a train crawling through layers of textures towards Minsk. During his absence, the city has not changed: all the streets are frozen, long-gone voices can be heard in the empty rooms and around the corner you can find yourself in a video game from your childhood.

6.0

The Secret of Life on Earth

Oct 14, 1993

A breathtaking adventure across five continents and through time to reveal nature's most vital secret. Watch a flying fox gorge itself on a midnight snack of figs. Climb into the prickly jaws of insect-eating plants. Witness a mantis disguised as a flower petal lure its prey to doom.

7.7

Charles Darwin and the Tree of Life

Feb 1, 2009

Darwin's great insight – that life has evolved over millions of years by natural selection – has been the cornerstone of all David Attenborough’s natural history series. In this documentary, he takes us on a deeply personal journey which reflects his own life and the way he came to understand Darwin’s theory.

3.7

Max Knight: Ultra Spy

Feb 25, 2000

A master of espionage is hot on the trail of a new kind of computer criminal. Lindsay is a scientist whose latest discovery in energy transformation has the potential to revolutionize the world; it also attracts the attention of Zachary, the leader of a cyber-savvy gang, and Zachary kidnaps Lindsay in order to learn her secrets. Lindsay's sister Ricki soons becomes concerned about her sister's disappearance, and contacts super sleuth Max Knight to find her. As Max searches for Lindsay, he discovers Zachary and his cohorts have strange plans for Lindsay's innovation, which could make it possible for them to leave their bodies and travel wherever they wish through the Internet.

0.0

Chain-Link

May 21, 2022

In order to escape a prison under constant and total surveillance, a jaded clone and a sensitive art forger must strike an uneasy alliance with their malevolent AI surveiller. Along the way they encounter a sentient program enslaved in the prison’s lab-grown meat farm, a tormented being who may hold the key to their escape.

7.2

The Journey of Man: A Genetic Odyssey

Jan 21, 2003

Many geneticists and archaeologists have long surmised that human life began in Africa. Dr. Spencer Wells, one of a group of scientists studying the origin of human life, offers evidence and theories to support such a thesis in this PBS special. He claims that Africa was populated by only a few thousand people that some deserted their homeland in a conquest that has resulted in global domination.

6.6

Grand Theft Hamlet

Dec 6, 2024

Two unemployed friends have a fresh idea: they want to stage Shakespeare's 'Hamlet' in Grand Theft Auto. But even in a virtual world, reality intrudes in a wild and trippy film shot entirely inside the ultra-violent video game.

5.5

Origins of Life

Jun 26, 2001

A documentary that explores the natural world of the sea, from the single-celled organism to more complex forms of life, OCEAN ORIGINS was originally filmed in the IMAX large format, which adds a crispness and clarity to the images. This documentary film seeks to examine the process of evolution by looking at the many creatures of the sea that can illustrate the way multi-cellular life emerged over the course of four billion years. OCEAN ORIGINS is a creative film that uses fascinating documentary footage to look at scientific theories and principles in an interesting manner

6.4

The Botany of Desire

Oct 28, 2009

Featuring Michael Pollan and based on his best-selling book, this special takes viewers on an exploration of the human relationship with the plant world — seen from the plants' point of view. Narrated by Frances McDormand, the program shows how four familiar species — the apple, the tulip, marijuana and the potato — evolved to satisfy our yearnings for sweetness, beauty, intoxication.

0.0

This is Not a Game

Jun 25, 2021

Angela Su’s fictional artist Rosie Leavers is the last remaining person to upload her consciousness to a video game. Contemplating during a pandemic year which also saw people’s resistance movements in many parts of the world, the work pinpoints the uncanny affinities between gaming and warfare strategies. They have mutually informed the infrastructure of both worlds since time immemorial when diplomatic conflicts played out on the battlefield of the 64 squares of a chess board to flight simulation technologies which were adapted to shape gaming experiences as we know it now. When the conflict is between the state and its people, she speculates that gaming strategies empower civilians in resistance movements to counter imperialism through its own operative logic. But once we upload our consciousness, are we able to return to the sensibilities and political motivation that inspired the revolution to begin with?

6.2

Clear Skies

Jan 1, 2008

Clear Skies follows a trio of down-and-out misfits who've seen no end of bad luck. John Rourke is the obstinate captain of the Clear Skies, a Tempest class battleship manufactured by the downtrodden Minmatar race of New Eden. Rourke's attitude toward his hazardous chosen lifestyle is cavalier, although this does not sit well with his friends among the crew.

5.2

Clear Skies 2

Jan 1, 2009

These likeable dropouts from the entrenched corporate lifestyle of New Eden eke out a meager living on trade runs and the odd courier job here and there. Still, they manage to find humor in their grim lot as they narrowly avoid being blown out of the stars by pirates, hired thugs, or whatever threat awaits them on the other side of the next jump gate. This is life aboard the Clear Skies.

6.2

Genesis

Sep 26, 2004

An African narrator tells the story of earth history, the birth of the universe and evolution of life. Beautiful imagery makes this movie documentary complete.

10.0

The Zone

Mar 20, 2025

In times of conflict, a companion can be the final thread linking one to human connection. In Call of Duty: Warzone, communication is fractured, making it even harder to truly know those you play with. Dialogue is just a series of terse exchanges of orders and instructions; everything revolves around the game, everything is subsumed by war. Forming a meaningful connection with an anonymous player seems nearly impossible. In The Zone, the protagonists confront this challenge, pushing beyond the fleeting interactions dictated by random matchmaking. They seek to reclaim their humanity, engaging with pressing themes — religion, terrorism, and representation — subtly embedded in the game’s mechanics and geography.

9.0

What Darwin Never Knew

Dec 29, 2009

Earth teems with a staggering variety of animals, including 9,000 kinds of birds, 28,000 types of fish, and more than 350,000 species of beetles. What explains this explosion of living creatures—1.4 million different species discovered so far, with perhaps another 50 million to go? The source of life's endless forms was a profound mystery until Charles Darwin brought forth his revolutionary idea of natural selection. But Darwin's radical insights raised as many questions as they answered. What actually drives evolution and turns one species into another? To what degree do different animals rely on the same genetic toolkit? And how did we evolve?

0.0

Minnesota: A History of the Land

Mar 8, 2005

Minnesota: A History of the Land vividly brings to life the epic story of the people and landscapes of Minnesota. From the retreat of the last ice sheets to the growth of today’s suburbs – the series seeks to entertain as it enriches our understanding of Minnesota’s past, present, and future. A visually stunning and groundbreaking 4-part documentary series featuring nature videography from across the state, never before seen historic images, state-of-the-art animations and historic recreations. Original soundtrack by award-winning composer, Peter Ostroushko.

7.4

The Genius of Charles Darwin

Aug 4, 2008

A documentary series from Channel 4, hosted by professor Richard Dawkins, well-known darwinist. The series mixes segments on the life and discoveries of Charles Darwin, the theory of natural selection and evolution, and Dawkins' attempts at convincing a group of school children that evolution explains the world around us better than any religion.

5.0

Darwin's Struggle: The Evolution of the Origin of Species

Feb 2, 2009

Documentary telling the little-known story of how Darwin came to write his great masterpiece, On the Origin of Species, a book which explains the wonderful variety of the natural world as emerging out of death and the struggle of life. In the twenty years he took to develop a brilliant idea into a revolutionary book, Darwin went through a personal struggle every bit as turbulent as that of the natural world he observed. Fortunately, he left us an extraordinary record of his brilliant insights, observations of nature, and touching expressions of love and affection for those around him. He also wrote frank accounts of family tragedies, physical illnesses and moments of self-doubt, as he laboured towards publication of the book that would change the way we see the world. The story is told with the benefit of Darwin's secret notes and correspondence, enhanced by natural history filming, powerful imagery from the time and contributions from leading contemporary biographers and scientists.

6.5

Clear Skies 3

May 29, 2011

If you have everything, you have everything to lose. John Rourke and his crew run the shiny new Maelstrom. But when Mr. Smith has a new job offer, everything changes and pushes New Eden again to the edge of chaos. JR, Charlie, and Sol are back for one more adventure, that takes them from a dull daily grind to trying to save an entire star system that's been taken hostage. Time to trust in rust for one last time.

0.0

Second Nature: Gender and Sexuality in the Animal World

Jun 23, 2024

From homosexual penguins and sex-transitioning fish to pregnant male seahorses and sexually dominant female bonobos, thousands of species defy our expectations of gender and sexuality. Director Drew Denny takes the nature documentary to a whole new level in this eye-opening and entertaining expedition to the places David Attenborough overlooks, where giant duck penises and corkscrew vaginas take center stage. Debunking myths that females are “inferior” and being queer is somehow “unnatural,” Second Nature explores the 1500+ animal species that engage in same-sex sexual behavior and parenting, change sex, form matriarchies, and more.

Whether the world be finite, and whether there be more than one world...

Overview

Genres

Production Companies

Whether the world be finite, and whether there be more than one world... Trailers