Get curated editors’ picks, peeks behind the scenes, film recommendations and more.
The Christian pilgrimage known as the Camino de Santiago originated in the 9th century. Today, it remains a popular trekking route for pilgrims religious and secular alike, with a network of routes beginning in France, Portugal and Spain, and ending in the town of Santiago de Compostela in the northwest of Spain.
Maria’s Way (2009) chronicles a day in the life of an elderly Spanish woman living along a Camino de Santiago route. There, just outside of her home, she has for years kept count of pilgrims and offered them stamps, which help credential them along their trek. Filming from behind Maria’s small route-side stall as she goes about her daily routine, the Scottish director Anne Milne’s short captures Maria interacting with gold-toothed nuns, rude youngsters with cameras and kindly pilgrims who are curious about her life and work. A feisty woman who doesn’t suffer fools gladly, Maria’s presence lends the film humour and heart. But more than just a slice-of-life profile, Milne’s film demonstrates how even the most outwardly mundane tasks can have deep resonance.
Director: Anne Milne
video
Animals and humans
One man’s quest to save an orphaned squirrel, as narrated by David Attenborough
14 minutes
video
History
Hags, seductresses, feminist icons – how gender dynamics manifest in witches
13 minutes
video
Earth science and climate
Images carved into film form a haunting elegy for a disappearing slice of Earth
3 minutes
video
Meaning and the good life
Leading 1950s thinkers on the search for happiness in trying times
29 minutes
video
Biology
Butterflies become unrecognisable landscapes when viewed under electron microscopes
4 minutes
video
Nature and landscape
California’s landscapes provide endless inspiration for a woodcut printmaker
10 minutes
video
Virtues and vices
Why Bennie tried to disappear, and what happened when he was found decades later
16 minutes
video
Animals and humans
Join seabirds as they migrate, encountering human communities along the way
13 minutes
video
Stories and literature
Two variants of a Hindu myth come alive in an animated ode to Indian storytelling
14 minutes