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CHANNEL 4 | 2025: THE YEAR FROM SPACE

”𝘍𝘢𝘴𝘤𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘪𝘭𝘮 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘦𝘹𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘳𝘺 𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘴” – 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗚𝘂𝗮𝗿𝗱𝗶𝗮𝗻

“𝘝𝘪𝘴𝘶𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘢𝘤𝘶𝘭𝘢𝘳 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢 𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘲𝘶𝘦 𝘨𝘭𝘰𝘣𝘢𝘭 𝘷𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯… 𝘓𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘈𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘕𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘎𝘦𝘰𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘱𝘩𝘪𝘤 𝘈𝘯𝘯𝘶𝘢𝘭 𝘣𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦” – 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗧𝗶𝗺𝗲𝘀

“𝘚𝘵𝘶𝘯𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘦 𝘪𝘮𝘢𝘨𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳 𝘢 𝘧𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘩 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝟤𝟢𝟤𝟧’𝘴 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘴” – 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗢𝗯𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗲𝗿

“𝘌𝘺𝘦 𝘱𝘰𝘱𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘨. 𝘙𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘨𝘭𝘰𝘣𝘢𝘭 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴” – 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝘂𝗻

Watch the full film on 4oD or YouTube

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In 2025, satellites captured wildfires devastating the hills of Hollywood, battlefronts being redrawn in Ukraine, and 600m gathering for a sacred festival on the River Ganges. From space, images revealed the scale of the millions displaced in Gaza. Spy satellites tracked the clandestine movements of arms from North Korea to Russia. And scientists have counted wildebeest and walrus to keep tabs on the health of our planet.

These are the stories that defined our year, told from the only perspective that reveals their magnitude and the truth behind the headlines. Unpacked through news archive, witness testimony, user-generated material, and expert analysis - this is the unseen story of our year on Earth.

Narrator: @davidharewood

Broadcaster: @channel4
Production Company: @atlantic_studios

Director: Ben Harding
Executive Producers: Nick Catliff + @anthony_geffen
Commissioner: Jonah Weston

Senior Editor: @thump.edit
Editors: Mark Graham + Eleanor McCrone

Archive Producer: @halbear91
Assistant Producers: @ollyfrenchsmith + Mark Browne
Researchers: milliemgillard + Gabriella Gordan
Junior Researcher: Joe Woodward

VFX Artists: Mike Woodruff + Rob Britton
Senior Edit Assistant: @mirainrichards
Edit Assistant: @gauntlettmax

Picture Post Production: @thefinishline.pro
Post Producer: @sarahpackham_
Finishing Artists: @emmajohnsoncolourist + Peter Wilson

Production Executive: @zoeglover
Production Manager: Ann Dixon Dyer

THE SPEECHES - 50 YEARS OF SPEAKING UP FOR THE PLANET

🥈Cannes Media & TV Awards – Silver

His Majesty The King first highlighted conservation issues in February 1970 and has since made dozens of speeches raising awareness of environmental problems.

Contributors:
@idriselba
@itsoliviacolman
@woodyharrelson
@glennclose

@fatoulaminjeng - Founder @cleanearth_gambia & adviser to UN Sec Gen
@jackharries - Documentary Film-maker & Environmentalist
@patrickholdensft - Founder @susfoodtrust
@melissa.hemsley - Author & Chef
Leah Thomas - Environmentalist @greengirlleah
Janine Benyus - Founder @biomimicryinstitute
Danny Clarke - Garden Designer & TV Presenter @theblackgardener
Tayshan Hayden Smith - Gardener & Footballer @manliketaysh
Thomas Crowther - Founder @crowtherlab
Richard Barley - Director of Gardens, Royal Botanic Gardens @kewgardens
Dr. Moses K Langat - Research Leader, Royal Botanic Gardens @kewgardens

Executives: @zad_rogers + @dan.wattsmith

Director: @anatolesloan
Producer: @3oejones
Production Manager: @alanabanana31
Production Coordinator: @becky_robinson

Director of Photography: @harrybasey
Editor: @thump.edit
Composer: @nkcomposition
Sound mix: @we_are_audio
Colourist: @anna.grades
Animation: @jordanbezants

Picture Researcher: Ana Truchanva
Reversions: @eugene__magee
Edit Assistant: @ninazs

Commissioner: @retv_smi
Production Company: @atomized_studios

THE HUMAN SIDE OF PLASTIC - BABACAR THIAW

🥇@viennainternationalfilmawards – Best Documentary
🥇@safilm – Jury Prize for Best Documentary
🥇@festivalcinemasalerno – Best Documentary
🥇@soholondonfilmfest – Best Environmental Documentary
🥇@siffa_uk_ – Best Directors
🥇@worldindiefilmawards – Best Documentary Short
🥇@impactdocsawards – Award of Excellence
🥇New York Film & Cinematography Awards – Best Director Short Documentary
🥇Accolade Global Film Competition – Award of Excellence
🥇Documentaries Without Borders International Film Festival – Outstanding Excellence
🥇The IndieFEST Film Awards – Award of Excellence
🥇International Celebration of Cinema – Best Documentary Short
🥇Darkland Munich Film Awards – Best Film Essay
🥇🥇🥇Global Indie Film Awards – 3 × Gold Awards

🥈@thefilmgala – Honourable Mention Best Short Doc
🥉@myheroproject – Finalist

⚪ @adriaticfilmfestival – Official Selection
⚪ @kendalmountainfestival – Official Selection
⚪ @mecalfestival – Official Selection
⚪ @intloceanfilmfest – Official Selection

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As plastic left in the sun breaks down into microplastics, a lifelong surfer, Babacar, has turned his passion into purpose by tackling plastic pollution in the ocean and his community. Filmed along the coastline of Dakar, Senegal.

Contributors:
@babscopa
Claire Stragier, @surfridersenegal
Babacar Thiaw Snr.
Abdoulaye Seck, National Waste Management Senegal

Production Companies: rainshadow_films @riverrootsproductions

Directors: @lynch_pinz @jetbutterflies @rushsturges
Director of Photography: Matt Baker

Producer: @charlierollins_
Senegal Producer: @chloeortole
Production Executive: elaine.nankervis

Editor: @thump.edit
Colourist: Jake Davies
Dubbing Mix: @tristanpowellaudio
Online Editor: @jd.jamesdwyer
Post House: @molinarepost

Composer: @cyrus_reynolds
Title Sequence: @aelive.ignite

Commissioner: @scj

OUR FATHERS | RECLAIMING THE NARRATIVE

Colin James is nominally a gang mediator, behavioural mentor, and founder of @streetfathers. However he prefers to describe himself simply as a father. Literally to four sons, and figuratively to many youths living in gang affected communities.

Colin’s appraisal of Black fathers is sobering yet rallying. His battle-hardened experiences have not yet yielded to despondency, but there is much work to be done.

Director: @andrew_t_efah
Director of Photography: @aspirealways
Editor: @thump.edit
Online: @run.vt

Executive: Derren Lawford
Line Producer: @sabina.sattar
Production Coordinator: @jamila_films

Production Company: @darepictures_
Distributor: @diversitymediasales @reclaimingnarratives_official
Commissioner: @bhm_uk

Thanks to: @gangsunitecic

WIRED - DE-EXTINCTION

Jurassic Park may have first put the idea of bringing dinosaurs back from the dead into people's heads, but the question of whether we can resurrect more recently extinct species is still very much alive and kicking.

From Wired’s What If series, the film looks at the three techniques to potentially bring extinct animals back to life: breeding, cloning, and CRISPR-cas9.

Contributors:
Richard Grenyer, Associate Professor in Biodiversity and Biogeography @oxford_uni
Melanie Challenger, Author and Bioethicist
Dr. Britt Wray, Author and Fellow in Human and Planetary Health @stanford
@helen_pilcher, Science Writer & Author

Director: @brchiecco
Producers: @geri_kinde + @annaodonohue
Production Manager: @jasmingoken

Director of Photography: @thomasterminet
Sound Recordist: @matteodicugno

Editor: @thump.edit
Graphic Design: @lizziewylson
Animation: @carlallinson95
Sound Design: @signalsound.co.uk

Production Company: @thebigsky_productions
Commissioner: @wireduk

WIRED - THE FUTURE OF ROBOTICS

With A.I. as the unequivocal technological frontier, @wireduk invited us to investigate the future of robotics and the concept of shared autonomy. Can robots and humans really work together?

Narration: bfarzanarahman

Contributors:
romina.ie
@langanronan, Neurological Physiotherapist @dublincityuniversity
Dr. Sandra Wachter, Professor of Technology and Regulation @oxford_uni
Dr. Sethu Vijayakumar, Professor of Robotics @edinburghuniversity

Director: @brchiecco
Producers: @ford.rory + @annaodonohue

Director of Photography: @thomasterminet
Sound Recordists: @sound_designed, @robbiejelder, @jonathangregorysylviastrand
Runner: Coleen Estenzo

Editor: @thump.edit
Graphic Design & Animation: @runzebra.run
Colourist: @anna.grades
Sound Design: @signalsound.co.uk + @thump.edit

Production Company: @thebigsky_productions
Commissioner: @wireduk

HUAWEI - VOLUCAP

Volumetric capture is an emerging form of video technology which combines photography with the immersion and interactivity of spatialised content. It could prove to be the most important development in the recording of human performance since the creation of the moving image.

One of its pioneers is Volucap: a German startup that is pushing the limits of what is feasible. The firm’s main customer is currently the film industry, counting ‘The Matrix Resurrections’ as one of their credits. @huawei manages and streamlines its vast data transfer, storage, and processing.

Featuring:
@bliedungsven - CEO @volucap
Kashyap Vinodchandra Fruitwala - Engineer
@by_momoradi - Industrial Designer
@mehran.tirooni - Head of Design
Mirko Morgenstern - Engineer

Andre Woroshazi - Snr. Account Manager, Huawei
Jackie Gong - Product Manager, Huawei

Director: @anatolesloan
Producer: @jennysongjy
Director of Photography: @harrybasey
Sound Recordist: @adamasnan

Editor: @thump.edit
Colourist: @anna.grades
Mix: @we_are_audio

Huawei Creative Director: Susie Song

Agency: @ogilvy
Production Company: @ren_studios_

HUAWEI - SIGNS FROM HEAVEN

🥈🥉@clioawards – Silver + Bronze
🥉🥉@cannes_lions – Bronze x2
⚪ @theoneclubforcreativity – Merit Award Asia
⚪ @d_and_ad – Shortlist

Meet Toky Sylvestre, a visionary from Madagascar who dedicates himself to outpacing cyclones, saving lives, and improving livelihoods. Leveraging @huawei Pangu AI weather model, Toky and his team can now provide timely and accurate forecasts to distant fishing communities 10 days ahead.

The design of the weather boards was heavily influenced by hand-drawn Madagascan icons, patterns and characters as well as beautiful one-line drawing techniques. Pushing the boundaries on how we communicate through visual storytelling.

Featuring: @tokysylvestre

Director: @anatolesloan
Producer: @jennysongjy
Director of Photography: @harrybasey
Sound Recordist: @thesloanlife

Editor: @thump.edit
Assistant Editor: @thesloanlife
Animation: lokyu_judith
Colourist: @anna.grades
Mix: @we_are_audio

Ogilvy:

Account Director: @sue0627
Creative Directors: @tommylythbb + Jimmy Wang
Associate Creative Director: Tongfei Li
Creative: Eve Liu
Art Directors: @stellatsakiris + Jaye Wu

Agency: @ogilvy
Production Company: @ren_studios_

HUAWEI - RISING FROM THE RUBBLE

On February 6 2023, a 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck southern and central Turkey and western Syria, causing extensive loss of life, injury, and property damage. To honour the first responders, @huawei released this documentary about their recovery work.

Its main focus are the employees who rushed to the disaster zone to restore wireless networks that had been wiped out when building-mounted antennas collapsed. This work was vital to restore communications to the rescue teams.

Featuring:
Bora Binen - Wireless Program Director
Aybike Tunç - H&S Specilast
Mehmet Serdar Sungur - H&S Manager

Director: @anatolesloan
Producer: @jennysongjy
Director of Photography: @harrybasey

Editor: @thump.edit
Colourist: @anna.grades
Mix: @we_are_audio

Huawei Creative Director: Susie Song

Agency: @ogilvy
Production Company: @ren_studios_

NAT GEO - SHARK QUEENS

From great white sharks in South Africa to tiger sharks in the Maldives, scientists look to uncover if female sharks are the rulers of the ocean.

Narrator: Amuche Chukudebelu

Contributors:
@alisontowner, Marine Biologist
@thomasvignaudphotography, Shark Scientist
George Burgess, Ichthyologist
@ericclua, Veterinarian & Marine Biologist
@clemyshark, Marine Biologist & Conservationist

Directors: @benwylson + @jackwylson

Executive Producers: Jeff Garcia, Kevin Bartel, @benwylson, @jackwylson
Producers: Tamira Connolly + @dougalpaterson

Underwater Directors of Photography: @devonmassyn + Mark Van Coller
Director of Photography (South Africa): Falk Eggert
Sound Recordist: @soundslikeharris + @henau.marais.sound

Editor: @thump.edit
Additional Editing: @maria.barsu
Graphic Design: @lizziewylson + @patkinsillustration
Animation: @carlallinson95
Assistant Editor: Philip Michael
Post Supervisor: Meghan Garcia

Colour Grade: @revpostinc
Sound Mix: @ugosound

Fixers: @inah_shark + Robin Matthews

Production Company: @thebigsky_productions
Commissioner: @natgeo @disneyplus

CHANEL - TUBEROSE

France’s master perfumer Olivier Polge guides us through the process of creating @chanelofficial inimitable blend, while director Toby Amies evokes the mystery of scent by merging the flesh-like forms of the tuberose flower with their own X-rays.

Chanel Perfumer: Olivier Polge

Director: @tobyamies
X-Ray Artist: @hughturvey
Producer: @perfectmotion
Director of Photography: @haridas_stewart
Editor: @thump.edit
Sound Mix: Sam Cook

Commissioner: @nowness @nownessasia

HYDREAMIA - CATCH 22

“Catch 22 is about the tediousness of the rat race and how people might rebel against it in their own little beautiful way.” – Bruno Chiecco, Director

Starring: @eddarnold

Director: @brchiecco
Producer: @yann_selak
Director of Photography: @thomasterminet
Choreographer: @jakubfran

Editor: @thump.edit
Colourist: @vladb.c @cheat_it
VFX: @vbaudry
Music: @hydreamia_
Sound Design: @thump.edit

Production Coordinator: @cerysimo
1st AD: Tom Patrick Coley @tompatrickcoley
1st AC: Sinan Yilmaz @snnyImzac
2nd AC: Arla Albertine @arla_albertine
Production designer: Lara Ferro @falsiany
Costume Design: Jess Fowler @jessica_kai_
Gaffer: Alex Rice @alrice.gaffer
Spark: Marcus Kartal @marcus_kartal

Film Processing: @cinelabuk
Filmlab Dailies Producer / Sales Manager: @aarti_mahtani
Camera Equipment: @theunitbag
Lighting Equipment: @alrice.gaffer
Location: John Veness, Sneath Studios, London, Mile End
Special Thanks: @officialronnies Charitable Foundation Artist Fund, @kodak_shootfilm