Flight of the Butterflies

Oct 1, 2012

0h 45m

★ 6.2

Overview

It takes two or three generations for the monarch butterfly to reach the Canadian breeding grounds, but it is one "supergeneration" that makes the 2,000 mile return trip back south into central Mexico. The documentary film covers Dr Fred Urquhart's interest in monarch butterflies, with perspectives of Urquhart as a child wondering where the butterflies went, his years of research and study into their life and migration, to his time decades-later as a senior scientist looking back at his investigations and discoveries about the insect's life pattern.

Genres

Documentary

Production Companies

Thillaye Productions

Footsteps Post-Production Sound

SK Films

Sin Sentido Films

Spence-Thomas Audio

Flight of the Butterflies Trailers

Cast

Narrator

Megan Follows

Dr Fred Urquhart

Gordon Pinsent

Ken Brugger

Shaun Benson

Norah Urquhart

Patricia Phillips

Chloe

Sofía Sisniega

Catalina Aguado

Stephanie Sigman

Ice cream boy

Jayden Greig

A group of people are standing along the platform of a railway station in La Ciotat, waiting for a train. One is seen coming, at some distance, and eventually stops at the platform. Doors of the railway-cars open and attendants help passengers off and on. Popular legend has it that, when this film was shown, the first-night audience fled the café in terror, fearing being run over by the "approaching" train. This legend has since been identified as promotional embellishment, though there is evidence to suggest that people were astounded at the capabilities of the Lumières' cinématographe.

6.9

D-Day: Normandy 1944

Mar 21, 2014

June 6, 1944: The largest Allied operation of World War II began in Normandy, France. Yet, few know in detail exactly why and how, from the end of 1943 through August 1944, this region became the most important location in the world. Blending multiple cinematographic techniques, including animation, CGI and stunning live-action images, “D-Day: Normandy 1944” brings this monumental event to the world’s largest screens for the first time ever. Audiences of all ages, including new generations, will discover from a new perspective how this landing changed the world. Exploring history, military strategy, science, technology and human values, the film will educate and appeal to all. Narrated by Tom Brokaw, “D-Day: Normandy 1944” pays tribute to those who gave their lives for our freedom… A duty of memory, a duty of gratitude.

0.0

Neil Young: Don't Be Denied

Jun 10, 2009

This television special is a first for the reclusive singer with the BBC documentary gaining new interviews with Young, nine months apart in New York and California. The documentary also looks back over the singer's archives, with some never-seen-before material.

4.8

Shannon Amen

Sep 26, 2019

Shannon Amen unearths the passionate and pained expressions of a young woman overwhelmed by guilt and anxiety as she struggles to reconcile her sexual identity with her religious faith. A loving elegy to a friend lost to suicide.

5.0

Swinging Light

Mar 21, 2025

An experience of a camera swinging in different gestures facing the optical distortion of the Sun. The last appearance of the smudge.

No Image Available

0.0

Photogenies

Jan 1, 1925

Lost short film.

0.0

Wolfe

Jan 1, 2016

"Wolfe" is an intimate confessional from Nick, who learned through puberty that the imaginary friend in his head was real, and violent.

5.8

Killer Shark Vs. Killer Whale

Aug 6, 2021

Scientists dive deep on the mysterious and unusual predatory behavior of orcas attacking great white sharks, and the disappearance of the other sharks after these attacks.

0.0

NiiSoTeWak: Two Bodies, One Heart

May 25, 2017

NiiSoTeWak means “walking the path together.” Tapwewin and Pawaken are 10-year-old brothers trying to make sense of the world, their family and each other. They’re already grappling with some heady questions about identity. What does it mean to be a twin? What does it mean to be Cree? How do you define yourself when you’re forever linked to someone else? The twins discuss these questions with their two elder brothers — 22-year-old actor Asivak and 20-year-old basketball player Mahiigan — and their parents, Jules and Jake.

7.5

A Fire

Apr 1, 1961

The National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC), formed upon nationalization of the British Anglo-Iranian Oil Company, employed film systematically, producing many films on oil and petrochemical subjects. It also made films depicting Iran's progress and modernization, highlighting the role of the Shah and NIOC in that direction. Under its auspices, Ebrahim Golestan directed A FIRE (1961), a highly visual treatment of a seventy-day oil well fire in the Khuzestan region of southwestern Iran. This film was edited by the Iranian poet Forough Farrokhzad and won two awards at the Venice Film Festival in 1961.

5.0

Visions of Europe

May 1, 2004

Twenty-five films from twenty-five European countries by twenty-five European directors.

5.0

Reflection

Jan 1, 2014

Eerie images of landscapes after the Fukushima nuclear disaster shot on black and white 8mm.

10.0

Calçada

Mar 7, 2024

No overview available.

7.0

Wingsuit Warrior

Jan 1, 2013

Base jumper Jeb Corliss sustained grave injuries on a crash in South Africa. Through rehab, Jeb relearns the sport to tackle mountains in Europe.

6.0

PBS Nature - An Original DUCKumentary

Dec 18, 2012

Ducks are true originals. There are more than 120 different species of ducks in all, a fantastical group of complex characters. Ducks have a talent for survival, and life stories filled with personality and charm. Each bird is more fun than the last, and will leave you wanting more.

7.2

Mysteries of the Unseen World

Nov 1, 2013

Mysteries of the Unseen World transports audiences to places on this planet that they have never been before, to see things that are beyond their normal vision, yet literally right in front of their eyes. Mysteries of the Unseen World reveals phenomena that can't be seen with the naked eye, taking audiences into earthly worlds secreted away in different dimensions of time and scale. Viewers experience events that unfold too slowly for human perception

6.1

John Was Trying to Contact Aliens

Jan 23, 2020

John Shepherd spent 30 years trying to contact extraterrestrials by broadcasting music millions of miles into space. After giving up the search, he makes a different connection here on earth.

7.0

The Shawl

Jan 24, 2020

After years of long distance, a pair of big and beautiful boyfriends celebrate their reunion at a Stevie Nicks concert, where they share a brush with magic.

0.0

The Starr Sisters

Sep 16, 2019

Patte and Randa Starr are fun specialists. After growing up in an abusive household set above their father's candy store, they spent their lives fighting to find joy and freedom. Now in their 70s, these sisters do exactly as they please: they live together near the beach, they always have a movie on, and the candy drawer is fully stocked.

9.0

Novena

Aug 14, 2013

In 2012, Stephen Vaughan and Kay Ferreter are invited to address the congregation at St. Joseph's Redemptorists Church in Dundalk, Ireland for the Solemn Novena Festival. In a powerful speech, the pair describe their experiences being gay and lesbian in Ireland, feeling excluded by Catholic doctrine, and the importance of a more inclusive church.