Get curated editors’ picks, peeks behind the scenes, film recommendations and more.
In the early 1960s, Edward Dwight Jr was recruited into the US Aerospace Research Pilot School, training to become an astronaut and, perhaps, the first Black person in space. But just as quickly as the opportunity had been thrust upon him, it disappeared when NASA named its chosen men – all of them white. The Lost Astronaut features Dwight recalling how his life has been shaped by a love of flight, the racial dynamics of the United States and his persistence in the face of adversity, which culminated in a celebrated career as a sculptor later in life. The film is part of the Canadian filmmaker Ben Proudfoot’s short documentary series Almost Famous, which features stories of notable people who never quite became household names.
Director: Ben Proudfoot
Producers: Gabriel Berk Godoi, Abby Lynn Kang Davis
Website: Breakwater Studios
video
Consciousness and altered states
‘I want me back’ – after a head injury, Nick struggles with his altered reality
7 minutes
video
Meaning and the good life
Why Orwell urged his readers to celebrate the spring, cynics be damned
11 minutes
video
Making
On the Norwegian coast, a tree is transformed into a boat the old-fashioned way
6 minutes
video
Animals and humans
One man’s quest to save an orphaned squirrel, as narrated by David Attenborough
14 minutes
video
Computing and artificial intelligence
A future in which ‘artificial scientists’ make discoveries may not be far away
9 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
Biology
Butterflies become unrecognisable landscapes when viewed under electron microscopes
4 minutes
video
War and peace
Two Ukrainian boys’ summer unfolds just miles from the frontlines
22 minutes