CICADA FILMS
Filmography
Science, History, Archaeology & Anthropology
LIVING WITH THE KOMBAI TRIBE
Extreme travellers Mark Anstice and Olly Steeds make a unique expedition into the remote rainforests of West Papua - their goal: to track down and live with the remarkable KOMBAI tribe - a people whose way of life has not changed since the Stone Age. 6 x 60’ for Discovery/Travel Channel, 2007
LIVING WITH THE MEK TRIBE
Extreme travellers Mark Anstice and Olly Steeds embark on an expedition to the highlands of West Papua - to track down and live with the magical Mek tribe. 8 x 60’ for Discovery/Travel Channel, 2008
CRIME SCENE WILD
Wildlife crime investigator Steve Galster cracks down on criminal gangs poaching the world’s endangered species. 6 x 60’ for Animal Planet, 2007
Winner Best Environmental Film, Jackson Hole 2007
Winner Best Conservation Film, Telenatura 2007
EUROPE’S SECRET EARTHQUAKES
New science has uncovered a hidden threat in the heart of Europe. Evidence shows that large earthquakes could devastate some of Europe’s largest and most historic cities. Millions are at risk. New techniques which involve investigating ancient faultlines drive the story and uncover a turbulent seismic history. The film examines what could happen when the next one strikes. National Geograhic & ZDF/Arte, 2006
Winner Best Popular Science and diploma of honour, Telenatura 2006
I AM MY OWN TWIN (CHIMERA)
Can a DNA test really prove if you are the true parents of your child? Not always, according to the startling story of Lydia Fairchild. She was told her own children could not be hers according to a DNA test and risked having them taken away. This film unravels the medical mystery behind Lydia’s story and reveals how she is genetically two completely separate people. Channel 5 & Discovery Health, 2006
TIGER TRAFFIC
A look at the work of a new generation of animal conservationists who are finally making a difference when it comes to tiger protection.
BBC This World, 2005
Winner Best Investigative Film, Telenatura 2006
ALLERGIC TO EVERYTHING
We take a look at the extraordinary lives of people who discover that they are allergic to life. How do they cope with day to day tasks, and what are the problems they face?
Channel 4, 2005
YEAR WITHOUT SUMMER
Almost two hundred years ago, on April 10th 1815, Mount Tambora in Eastern Indonesia became a merciless killer. It unleashed the most deadly volcanic eruption in human history, wiping out at least 117,000 people. And the killing didn’t stop there. Now considered the most violent volcanic eruption in 10,000 years, it is believed that this blast could have triggered an extraordinary and little known cataclysmic event: worldwide climate change. Horrific details of this sinister human disaster are coming to light for the first time. BBC 2 & Discovery, 2005
Finalist, Best Earth Sciences Award Jackson Hole Wildlife Film Festival, USA
Finalist 18th International Mountain & Adventure Film Festival, Graz, Austria
Finalist, Earth Science Award Wildscreen 2006, Bristol, UK
FAT FIANCEES
For the Bahima people of Western Uganda, fat is beautiful - at least for women. Men measure a woman's attractiveness by her obesity, so young women prepare for marriage by doing the least possible exercise and eating the most possible food. By the time these women make their vows, they have difficulty walking and cracks in their skin.
Discovery Channel, 2005
ANCIENT PLASTIC SURGERY
In this timely two-part series, we uncover the secrets of the ancient art of surgery. We discover that the medics in the ancient world had a deep understanding of physiology and healing, anaesthetics and operations. And for the first time, we uncover what is little known now - that in ancient times, plastic surgery was used to aid beauty. Channel 4 & Discovery Channel, 2005
THE ETRUSCANS
With access to an exciting new dig at Accesa, 'the Pompeii of Etruria' ,and the largest Etruscan settlement ever to be found, Cicada Films, reveals the secret history of this mysterious, hedonistic people for the first time. Discovery Channel & S4C, 2003
FIRE MOUNTAIN
One hundred years ago, on the island of Martinique, one of the most mysterious catastrophes ever known took place. Thirty thousand people vanished in just three minutes. The event itself was extraordinary enough. But what made this tragedy unique, was that while thirty thousand died, one man survived. National Geographic Channels & NDR 2002
THE REAL KING HEROD
King Herod is regarded as one of the most fascinating and terrifying figures in the Bible. New research is providing insights into the man apparently responsible for the Slaughter of the Innocents. Channel 4 & The History Channel 2003
THE EMPERORS ETERNAL ARMIES
Following the discovery of a new terracotta army, Cicada Films follows the story of the unknown Emperor, Jing Di and the court which he commanded, for the first time, piecing together the pages of a period of Chinese history as it unfolds. Channel 4 and The Learning Channel, 2002
SECRETS OF THE SANDS
Farouk el Baz, eminent NASA Scientist, believes he has found a lost settlement in Egypt’s Western Desert using satellite images. Were these the people who began the first great Egyptian Civilization – and was it the desert’s natural land formations that inspired the Pyramids and the Sphynx? Channel 4 and National Geographic, 2002
OASIS OF THE GOLDEN MUMMIES
Renowned Egyptologist Zahi Hawass discovers a cache of hundreds of Greco-Roman Mummies encased in gold in the middle of the Western Desert. Where have they come from and why were they buried here, in gold? Channel 4 and Discovery Channel, 2002
VATICAN: INSIDE THE ETERNAL CITY
A look inside the secret workings of the Vatican City. Discovery, 2002
THE OLDEST MUMMIES IN THE WORLD
Ancient Egypt was considered to be the origin of the practice of mummification. In Chile, however, spectacular graves containing mummies a thousand years older than those of the Egyptians, are being unearthed. Discovery Channel 2001
Silver Screen Award, US International Film Festival
THE HIDDEN SCROLLS OF HERCULANEUM
This film examines the literature found in the scrolls in the buried city Herculaneum, which give us a unique insight into the psychological life of the ancient world. The film also highlights the dangers faced by people living in the shadow of Vesuvius. Channel 4 Television/Discovery 2001
FIRST OUT OF AFRICA
This film follows the work of Dr Hagelberg as she pieces together the ancestry of a unique tribe who have lived in isolation on the Andaman Islands in the Bay of Bengal for thousands of years. A quest that reveals the startling history of a compelling group of people who still live a stone- age existence, and challenges the theory of single origins for mankind. Channel 4, To the Ends of the Earth. National Geographic, 2001
THE VOLCANO THAT BLEW A WORLD AWAY
The biggest volcanic eruption the world has ever known took place in the heart of Europe on the idyllic island of Santorini. Scientists and archaeologists revisit the island to piece together that moment in time when an entire civilisation was blasted off the face of the earth.
Channel 4 & National Geographic, 2001
THE BITE THAT CURES
A film about the use of leeches, maggots and bees in modern medicine. This film uses case-studies to show the cutting-edge science behind this extraordinary fledgling industry. The Learning Channel, Discovery 2000
US International Film and Video Festival: First Place “ Gold Camera Award” (Medicine and Health)
REVENGE OF THE LOST TRIBE
A group of students travel in search of Ecuador’s
Huaorani Indians to find out how they feel about the arrival of tourism. The students’ quest is subsumed by the Indians’ own agenda which has a sting in its tail. Channel 4 - To the Ends of the Earth, 1999
SEARCH FOR THE SONS OF ABRAHAM
Anthropology and genetics unite in a quest to uncover the lost history of the Lemba tribe. A team of scientists travel to Zimbabwe, South Africa, and the Yemen to conduct DNA testing and piece together the origins of the tribe. Could these black Africans be members of one of the lost tribes of Israel? Channel 4- To the Ends of the Earth, WGBH &
National Geographic Channel, 1999
SEARCH FOR THE SEA SERPENT
An expedition to Norway hopes to solve the mystery surrounding unusual sightings of a creature in Lake Seljord. The film follows a round-the-clock search for this legendary serpent and gathers important clues. Discovery Channel, 1999
THE ABYSS
In 1994 a British Army expedition failed disastrously in its attempt to conquer Low's Gully in Borneo. In February 1998, a team of the country's best climbers took on the challenge of Borneo's "Inverted Everest". A gripping adventure into the unknown. Channel 4, To the Ends of the Earth, 1998 and National Geographic
RESURRECTING THE MAMMOTH
A leading Japanese scientist sets out on to Siberia to find a frozen mammoth and remove its sperm. He is hoping to impregnate an Asian elephant and recreate the prehistoric giant. In a film that exposes the secret history of the mammoth, we explore the science of recreation and uncover a startling link between the plight of the Asian elephant and its extinct cousin, the Mammoth. Channel 4-Equinox/Discovery, 1998
Finalist for Best Investigative Film at
Jackson Hole Wildlife Film Festival 1999
VOLCANIC ERUPTION
On the Caribbean Island of Montserrat, an idyllic lifestyle has been submerged under layers of volcanic dust. A human drama, where the island's inhabitants have been forced to flee their homes and live under the threat of eruption in makeshift communal shelters.
Channel 4 - To the Ends of the Earth, April 1997
THE BEAST OF BARDIA
An adventure into the wilds of Nepal - to find the last survivors of an ancient population of Asian Elephant. We follow a team of scientists as they try to solve the mystery of their evolution, development and their possible link to the Mammoth.
Channel 4 'Encounters'/Discovery TX July 1996
JAWS IN THE MED
A scientific exploration into the incidence of Great White Sharks in the Mediterranean.
Channel 4's 'Equinox'/Discovery Europe/Discovery US, September 1995.
CALL OF THE BEAST
A satirical look at some of the colourful characters searching for the elusive Beast of Exmoor.
Channel 4 Encounters, 1995
WOMEN OF THE YELLOW EARTH
A film about the changing life of a remote community living in the desert of the Loess Plateau, China.
BBC2 Under the Sun, 1994
Bronze Medal Award - New York Film Festival
Social Documentary
FEMALE HOARDERS
Female Hoarders explores the lives of four ladies whose hoarding habits are out of control. Finally, they decide enough is enough: it’s time to make space. But what is at the bottom of all the buying?
Channel 5, 2008
TOURETTES ON THE JOB
A unique film which challenges misconceptions about tourettes syndrome, focusing on some remarkable sufferers who have fought and overcome the challenges of the condition.
Channel 5, 2007
PREACHERS TO BE
In this series we get under the skin of young, driven and ambitious people who have chosen one of the most difficult careers in our society. We follow young Muslims, Hindus and Anglicans through their training to become leaders in their Church. Filmed over 2 years, to capture all the important events of their training, this is a unique look at modern faith in multicultural Britain. Channel 4, 2005
THE REAL WITCH PROJECT
Witchcraft is steadily infiltrating British society. With high street stores selling spell books and potions, are we becoming a nation of witches? So, will our lives be any better for it? The Real Witch Project is a genuine experiment into the powers of witchcraft and magic, following a group of ordinary women as they form a coven and live as witches for one lunar cycle.
Channel 5, 2005
MIDDLE-AGED MUMMIES’ BOYS
In Mummy’s Boys, we meet the men who have never left home. The film follows the fortunes of four ‘boys’ in their mid to late thirties who are all still firmly tied to their mother’s apron strings. Can anything prise them away from their mothers? And do their mothers really want them to go? Channel 5, 2005
MY DEATH ROW LOVER
This film follows the stories of British women who have fallen in love with Death Row prisoners in the United States.
ITV 1, 2005
ONE LIFE: THE MAN WHO WHO CAN’T STOP LYING
A compelling programme from Cicada Films which follows a British bounty hunter as he trains with the world's most notorious Man-Hunter. We join our trainee at Scott’s Bounty Hunting Academy as he learns the tricks of the trade, follow him on his first case and see how he learns to spot the clues that let the fugitives down time and time again.
BBC1, 2005
NYPD ANIMAL SQUAD
Witness the training of some of the most important members of the NYPD- dogs and horses. These highly developed creatures play crucial roles in the police force, and we learn how they’re trained and used.
Animal Planet , 2004
FRIDAY NIGHT FIGHT CLUB
Filmed in Southend-on-Sea, this film illustrates how teenagers who drink to excess are ruining the reputation of our towns. This film captures the mindless aggression which unfolds every weekend across the country.
Carlton - First Edition, 2003
THE LAST POST
An affectionate, humorous film about the London Postal Service which exploring the reasons for its decline. Features disgruntled consumers, postmen and a post-dumper.
First Edition, Carlton 2002
IS ANYONE LISTENING?
A 20 minute film for SAVE THE CHILDREN about the plight of children in Iraq.
2002
STEAMERS
Gangs of youths intimidate shop keepers, railway passengers and pedestrians and robviolently. Cicada meets a group of London lads who “steam” for a hobby.
First Edition, Carlton, 2001
LOVE ONLINE
The net is set to become the singles bar of the 21st century. Meet some of the first to go on virtual dates, find online love and experience cyber heartbreak.
Carlton, First Edition, May 2000
PARENTS STALKING
What happens to your teenage children once they leave the house? Where do they go? Driven by worry, some parents go to extraordinary lengths to find out -employing Private Detectives to trail their wild children. First Edition, Carlton, 2000
SWINGERS
Does monogamy have a place in today’s society? Faithful to you in my fashion. A highly personal exploration of non-monogamous relationships, from partner-swapping to threesomes. ITV, February 1999
ROGUE MALES
"Some people are born with a silver spoon in their mouth. We were born with sod all". A startling insight into the lives of young males in depressed, urban Britain. In this world, getting a job is not an option, - to survive these men try their hands at anything. Channel 4, Cutting Edge, 1998
TROUBLE WITH DOCTORS
This programme examines the stresses and strains of a young, inner city GP struggling against increased working hours and an ever demanding schedule. Alarming statistics reveal the dwindling number of doctors prepared to work under these difficult conditions. Carlton – First Edition, 1998
THE COMPLAINERS
Alan complains for the financial reward. David complains against the injustice of the system. Barry complains when the service is poor. In a film which explores the psychology of seeking redress, we meet three dedicated 'complainers' who take their battle for satisfaction to the furthest extremes.
Channel 4, Cutting Edge, October 1997
POMMIES
A three part series about British people who emigrate to Australia, exploring their hopes, dreams and disappointments in their search for a new life. Channel 4 - November 1997
VALKENBERG
Life in Valkenberg Psychiatric Hospital, Cape Town. Channel 4- Witness, December 1994
INHERITANCE
A serious yet quirky exploration into the mystery of a mother and daughter were appointed as beneficiaries to a number of aging men.
Channel 4 Television 'Cutting Edge' - 1996
THE CLUB
An intimate and revealing observational film about a suburban Golf Club.
Channel 4 Cutting Edge - TX February 1994
Winner - BAFTA Award for Best Editing TV Documentary 1995
Nominee - BAFTA Award for Best TV Documentary 1995
SEX, DRUGS AND DINNER
50 minute film presented by Alexei Sayle on the absurdity and hypocrisy of the world food industry.
BBC2 One World season.
Winner One World Broadcasting Trust Awards '92.
Finalist Media Natura BEMA Awards 1992.
Finalist Okomedia Film Festival 1992.
Finalist New York Film Festival 1993.
MAKING THE GRADE
A documentary about people taking music exams for the BBC's 40 Minutes series. BBC2 - TX February l997
STRANGE NEIGHBOURS
A documentary about the Krogers: two American soviet agents who spied in Britain as part of the Portland Spy Ring in the 1950s. Channel 4 Cutting Edge
COMRADE PHILBY
A documentary about the famous spy Kim Philby. Channel 4 Cutting Edge
PARIS WAS A WOMAN
Feature length documentary film exploring the role of an international community of women in the literary circles of Paris in the 20's. The film challenges the myth of the Great Male Artist at the forefront of the 'Modernist' movement between the Wars.
Premièred at the 1995 London Film Festival
Natural History
GORILLA DIARIES
Mireya Mayor is National Geographic’s primate specialist. Hearing of a place in the Central African Republic where a team is habituating Western Lowland Gorillas – something that has long been thought impossible – she sets out to investigate. National Geographic, 2002
TRUE ORIGINALS: LATIKA
Latika Nath Rana studies tigers in Bandhavgarh National Park. She is also married to a Nepali Prince. How does she cope in two such very different worlds? National Geographic, 2002
SAFARI SCHOOL
In this popular and highly rated 15-part docu-soap, we follow the progress of the trainees at ‘Eco-Training”, South-Africa’s highly-acclaimed Safari Training school at Sabi Sands Game Reserve.
Discovery-Animal Planet, Europe, 2001
HIDDEN EUROPE
13-part travel and adventure series investigating the little known wildlife which survives in the shadows of Europe. Shot in the wild forests of Romania, the freezing ice of Svalbard, and the baking heat of Southern Spain, Hidden Europe visits brown bears, arctic foxes and the endangered Iberian Lynx. Britain also features as an unlikely host to a declining species.
Discovery Animal Planet, Europe 2001
GORILLA ENCOUNTERS
Italian biologist Chloe Cipolletta has undertaken one of the most difficult challenges in the animal world. Deep in the jungle of the Central African Republic, she is attempting to “habituate” Lowland Gorillas, that is, to facilitate their acceptance of humans.
Discovery-Animal Planet International 2001
RIDERS OF THE STORM
For two thirds of the year the Little Rann is a desert. But one day in August, monsoon winds whip up the Arabian Sea and carry it 100km inland. Indian Wild Asses living in the Little Rann retreat to the hillocks that dot the desert. These mounds soon become islands and home to high concentrations of wildlife.
Hit Entertainment / National Geographic, 2001
WALKING WITH WOLVES
Scientists uncover the secret lives of one of the Brazilian grasslands least known and most charismatic animals, the Maned Wolf.
National Geographic, 2000
SWAMP TIGERS
The Bangladeshi Sundarbans are home to around 300 Royal Bengal Tigers – one of the largest populations in the world. Because they have made their home in such dense mangrove swamps, their lives are shrouded in mystery. Hit Entertainment/National Geographic, 2001
Winner of Chinese Wildlife Festival in Sichuan
US International Film and Video Festival:
Gold Camera Award- Nature and Wildlife
IN SEARCH OF MANEATERS
The Bangladeshi Sundarbans are reputedly one of the last remaining strongholds of the Tiger, yet no one knew how many there really were. Tessa McGregor set out on an epic quest to find out, and to see if their reputation for man-eating is true. In the mysterious mangrove swamps, Tessa tracks down these secretive and majestic carnivores, never filmed before. Survival/Animal Planet, 2000
WILD FAMILY SECRETS
A series of intimate films following the fortunes of six very different animal families. The programmes reveal the ways in which diverse and extraordinary creatures adopt surprising and complex strategies to cope with adolescence, and show the importance of strong family bonds in the struggle for survival. HIT Wildlife, 1999
PAINTED HORSES
A natural history film shot on location in the Masai Mara, Kenya. This programme takes a close look at zebra evolution and survival. We follow the herd though the perils and rewards of the great annual migration. The Discovery Channel, Docstar, NHK, 1999
RHINO JOURNEY
A year in the life of the Indian greater one-horned rhinoceros. The story of Bachada from birth to adolescence. Shot on location in Kaziranga, India. Discovery/NHK/Telepool 1998
GRIZZLIES OF KAMCHATKA
Canadian Scientist Charlie Russell believes Grizzlies have a bad press. He wants to set the record straight. Travelling across the Kamchatka peninsula by micro-light plane and touching down amongst large bear communities, Charlie uses bear gestures and noises to study behaviour from a unique vantage point. WNET/Discovery Canada/Telepool, 1998
PHANTOM TIGER
A film following the search for the supposedly extinct Tasmanian Tiger, an extraordinary marsupial carnivore last filmed in 1936. Rumours of its survival persist...
Channel 4, To the Ends of the Earth,1998
PATAPARU - LIVING WITH STRANGERS
A film based on the work of American primatologist Dawn Starin which reveals the startling secrets of Red Colobus monkey family life in the Gambian Abuko Reserve. One of these is a radical approach to adolescence: young males are driven away from home whilst the females bond and live together.
Discovery US - TX July 1997 / NHK Japan - TX Spring 1997
GIANTS OF THE MEDITERRANEAN
Every summer, over a thousand Finwhales - the second biggest creature on the planet - gather off the coast of Italy to feed. The film explores the work of Italian scientists trying to unravel the mystery of these magnificent creatures, and fighting to establish a sanctuary for their welfare.
Finalist for Best European Wildlife Film
at the Wildlife Europe Festival 1999
SURVIVAL OF THE APES
An investigative 52 minute documentary examining the growing trade in 'Bush Meat' in the rainforests of West Africa. While Western charities mount rescue operations for captured primates, the population at large pays an increasing number of hunters to provide gorilla parts for food. The hunters say they are forced to kill, to compensate for their loss of livelihood due to the activities of Western logging companies. Channel 4 and National Geographic 1995.
Winner of Best Conservation/Environmental Film at the Jackson Hole Wildlife Film Festival 1995 & Japanese Wildlife Film Festival 1997
SHARK WARS
An investigative film about the hunting of Great White Sharks by Taiwanese gangs in South Africa. Channel 4 Encounters/Discovery 1994
TO KILL A WHALE
The argument between the Faroese people and the conservationists on the issue of Pilot Whale hunting. Channel 4 Fragile Earth
THE GIANTS OF NINGALOO
The incredible whaleshark aggregation in Australia. TVNZ & National Geographic. TX as "Dinosaur of the Deep" BBC1 - 1993
BIRDS AS PREY
A film about the slaughter of migratory birds in the Mediterranean. Channel 4 Fragile Earth
STORM OVER THE OKAVANGO
A 52 min film about the impending disaster facing the Okavango Delta in Botswana. Channel 4 Fragile Earth, 1993
Finalist - Best Documentary - Indies Awards 1993
Winner - Best Conservation/Environmental Film, Jackson Hole 1993
TEARS OF THE DRAGON
3 x 52 min. documentaries on the environmental problems facing the people and wildlife of China. Channel 4 and Television New Zealand
UNNATURAL DISASTER
The causes and disastrous effects of flooding in Bangladesh. Channel 4
BAIKAL: BLUE EYE OF SIBERIA
A two- part documentary about Lake Baikal, the oldest, deepest, lake in the world, situated in the heart of Siberia. Channel 4 Fragile Earth
Winner Rai Cup and Silver Gentian - Trento Mountain Festival, Italy / Silver Medal in New York Film Festival
Personal Quest
BEGINNER’S GUIDE TO YOGA
Jayne Middlemiss travels to India to develop her knowledge of yoga. Channel 4, 2007
KEEPING THE FAITH
An English Catholic is a rare creature. This is the story of English nobility who retained their loyalty to Rome despite imprisonment in the tower, loss of civil rights and enormous financial deprivation. Channel 4, Witness, 1998
REACH FOR THE GROUND
Jeffrey Bernard, the notorious wheelchair bound one-legged columnist with pancreatitis, reflects on the way alcoholism has ravaged his body and life. Channel 4, June 1996
JON'S JOURNEY
A film about Jon Bradley, a man in his 20’s who was adopted as a baby by a couple wanting a Jewish child. Raised a religious Jew, he discovers that his biological father is a Kuwaiti Arab. The film follows Jon's search for his true identity. BBC- Everyman, May 1994
THE LAST AFRIKAANER
Writer/Journalist, Rian Malan, presents a film about the future of White South Africans. Channel 4 Without Walls April 1994
Gardening & Factual
THE LOST GARDENS OF HELIGAN
A six-part series on the preservation and restoration of the amazing Georgian gardens of Heligan in Cornwall.
Channel 4, 6 x 30 min - March 1997
RETURN TO THE LOST GARDENS OF HELIGAN
Following the success of the first series on the ‘Lost Gardens’ we return to Heligan to explore the continuing story of the restored gardens.
Channel 4, 4 x 30 min 1999
TRUE ROMANCE
A thirteen part series unravelling the secrets behind long term loving relationships.
The Learning Channel - February 1996