The Invisible Zoo (2024)

London Zoo at Christmas

An exclusive, festive behind-the-scenes look at the iconic London Zoo, as they prepare for the most wonderful time of the year and make the holiday magic happen.

Lion, London Zoological Gardens

A male lion, right next to bars that are about 6 or 8 inches apart, keenly watches a uniformed zoo attendant toss small morsels of food into the cage. The lion alternates between finding the food on the cage floor and reaching through the bars to swipe at the man, who stays alarmingly close to the beast. In the background are the large rocks and brick wall at the back of the lion's habitat.

The Zoo

A perfect, fast and hilarious montage. Using images from Artis (Amsterdam Zoo), Bert Haanstra shows that a couple of similarities can be discovered between human and animal. Particularly the manner in which human and ape are confronted with each other, is significant. The images speak for themselves, human voices or commentary is absent. The ironic music of Pim Jacobs does add an extra dimension to the whole. With regards to human and animal Haanstra limits himself for the time being to this short film, recorded with a hidden camera. Later on, in several big films, he would return to this subject.

Mysore

Two sides of Mysore: down to earth with the field workers and an Indian spectacle for the Maharaja.

Savages: The Story of Human Zoos

For more than a century the great colonial powers put human beings, taken by force from their native lands, on show as entertainment, just like animals in zoos; a shameful, outrageous and savage treatment of people who were considered subhuman.

Tiergarten

A film portrait of Schönbrunn Zoo, a modern zoo that represents the radical change in the relationship between humans and animals like no other.

Cher & the Loneliest Elephant

"The World's Loneliest Elephant" Kaavan will finally experience freedom, thanks to his biggest champion, the one & only Cher. We'll follow Cher, Free The Wild, Four Paws International, and Kaavan on every step of the trip.

An Apology to Elephants

Elephants are among the most majestic and intelligent creatures on Earth--but for hundreds of years, they have suffered at the hands of humans. Narrated by Lily Tomlin, this documentary short traces our long history with elephants and explores the many problems that arise when they are brought to live in captivity in zoos and circuses.

Curiosity and Control

Curiosity and Control examines our complex relationship to nature itself. A multi layered look at the world of Museums of Natural History and Zoological gardens, with voices from historians, authors, architects and zoo managers. It raises questions about how we perceive nature and our contradictory behavior of caging what we fear may be lost.

Garden, Zoological

The keepers are kept busy with animals under their care. These animals, although they've got the hint of their natural instinct left, are unlikely to survive if released back to the wild. It'd be difficult for them to take part in the pack and they lack the skills to find food. Nevertheless, the ultimate goal for everyone at the zoo is to send the animals back to where they truly belong.

Zoophobia

The tragic death of a polar bear triggers the end of the Buenos Aires Zoo. A superhero lover lawyer asks a court to declare the orangutan Sandra a Non-Human Person and revolutionizes the planet. A very Argentine story, full of passions, embarrassing missteps and memorable characters.

Born to Be Wild

Born to Be Wild observes various orphaned jungle animals and their day-to-day behavioural interactions with the individuals who rescue them and raise them to adulthood. The film unfurls in two separate geographic spheres. Half of it takes place in the rain forests of Borneo, where celebrated primatologist Dr. Birute Galdikas assists baby orangutans; the other half takes place on the arid savannahs of Kenya, where zoologist Dame Daphne Sheldrick works with baby elephant calves.

Koko: A Talking Gorilla

A documentary that follows Dr. Penny Patterson's current scientific study of Koko, a gorilla who communicates through American Sign Language.

Milwaukee County Zoo

Take a tour with the staff of the Milwaukee County Zoo.

Dominion

Exposing the dark underbelly of modern animal agriculture through drones, hidden & handheld cameras, the feature-length film explores the morality and validity of our dominion over the animal kingdom.

What The Durrells Did Next

Hosted by Keeley Hawes, star of the popular television series The Durrells, this documentary reveals the adventures of the eccentric Durrell family once they left Corfu, Greece.

Poto and Cabengo

Documentary by Jean-Pierre Gorin about twin girls who spontaneously developed their own unique language as children.

In a Lion

On a particular day at a Danish zoo, a remarkable, mystic and unique attraction involving the body of a young lion awaits its spectator.

Hanna's Ark Christmas Special

The Hanna family sit around the Christmas tree and reflect back on scenes from the show Hanna's Ark. Co-starred Jack Hanna and his daughter Kathaleen – with regular appearances by his wife Suzi and younger daughters Suzanne and Julie.

The New Artis

Artis, the Netherlands’ oldest zoo, is about to undergo its most radical renovation in its 178 years of existence. The inspired managing director has a very clear mission – but, is this mission at the same time not a threat to himself, his employees and his animals? And also: how can we look after our environment whilst at the same time we wish to reduce our influence on it?

Med Lill-Klas i kappsäcken

The siblings Niklas and Anneli must accompany their slightly giddy aunt Tinne to the Zoo in Copenhagen. The visit to the zoo has quite different consequences than Aunt Tinne has ever dreamt of. When the children win a real pony in a lottery they have to bring it home to Stockholm without anyone noticing.

Ron the Zookeeper

With only one male grey panda left in the entire world, Ron the Zookeeper is sent in to get a sperm sample, no matter what.

Zoo in Budapest

Zani is an unusual young man who has spent his entire life in a zoo in Budapest. His only true friends are the zoo's animals. When Zani meets Eve, a young orphan girl, they fall in love. To be together Eve must somehow escape from her strict orphan school. When she does she and Zani must hide overnight in the zoo - where everyone is looking to find them.

The Falconer

Follows Tariq and Cai, two best friends who work together at a zoo, but their friendship is challenged when Tariq plans to steal animals from the zoo and sell them to save his sister from an abusive marriage.

The Foreign Duck, the Native Duck and God in a Coin Locker

A university student finds himself wrapped up in the bizarre world of his next door neighbor, learning about his history and relationship with a girl who changed his life.

Zebra in the Kitchen

A young boy lets the animals out of their cages at the Zoo, to set them free, but the animals start taking over the town.

At the Zoo

The animals at the zoo are fed up with thier treatment and have dicided to take matters into thier own hands.

Postcards from the Zoo

Little Lana was 3 years old when she was abandoned alone in the zoo. Raised by a giraffe trainer, the zoo is the only world she knows. Until one day, a charming magician arrives and Lana finds her love, for she is ready to leave the zoo. Lana embarks on journey, until one day, she decided to go back to the place where she was abandoned.

Madagascar: A Little Wild - Holiday Goose Chase

Melman the Giraffe meets Hank, a goose who has been separated from his family and along with his friends, they embark on a wild goose chase around the city to reunite Hank with his merry flock.

Brugklas - de tijd van m'n leven

Nola is badly screwed when a video is distributed at school showing her being dumped by her boyfriend Jesse. Her grief and jealousy get her into even more trouble: she is no longer allowed to attend camp. Popular Fenna takes advantage of this, as she wants to win over handsome Jesse. When Nola is at her wit's end and wants to avoid this, she gets help from an unexpected source. Boy, a rebellious boy from second grade, comes to the rescue. Together they set out to stop Fenna and win Jesse back... But is this still what Nola wants?

The Cremator

In 1930s Prague, a Czech cremator who firmly believes cremation relieves one from earthly suffering is drawn inexorably to Nazism.

Zoo

Martina lives in the Rome's zoo, because her father is the guardian. She becomes friend with a young Slavic escaped from a gypsy camp. When the police arrives searching for the kid, they run away riding an elephant!

The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys

A group of Catholic school friends, after being caught drawing an obscene comic book, plan a heist that will outdo their previous prank and make them local legends.

Alone

Maria is a student at the university of Essen, Germany, living and working in a gray, unpleasant, and anonymous environment. While she has little problem finding someone for a one night stand, she rebuffs her lovers in such a rude way that they actually don't know what's going on. But what seems to be a negative attitude at first glance is in fact much worse: Maria is suffering from borderline syndrome, a serious psychotic disease that makes her fail to develop a continuous, reliable personality, from her own perspective as well as from the perspective of those she meets. Then one day, she bumps into Jan, a student who falls in love with her without delay. He's awaiting a hard time when he has to learn how hard it is to stay loyal and faithful to a person who, in her own words, "has a different world inside of her head" and who feels that "there is something inside of me that eats me up."

Happy Feet

Into the world of the Emperor Penguins, who find their soul mates through song, a penguin is born who cannot sing. But he can tap dance something fierce!

UFO: It Is Here

Five film students are producing a documentary about the local zoo when suddenly the animals go berserk: The reason is a light ball flying by in the sky and crashing at the horizon. Convinced that they've just witnessed a meteor landing the students follow the trajectory to document the event with their camera. In a forest area they discover a burned crater. Since it's too dark to film they decide to spend the night in their van. The next morning one of them is missing. The remaining students find first a trail of blood and then the torn up pieces of what used to be their friend. Soon they realize that something is hunting them - something that's not from this world.

Gift im Zoo

Animals start to mysteriously die in a zoo in Hamburg. Is somebody poisoning the animals and with what purpose?

The Madagascar Penguins in a Christmas Caper

During the holiday season, when the animals of the Central Park Zoo are preparing for Christmas, Private, the youngest of the penguins notices that the Polar Bear is all alone. Assured that nobody should have to spend Christmas alone, Private goes into the city for some last-minute Christmas shopping. Along the way, he gets stuffed into a stocking

The Wild

An adolescent lion is accidentally shipped from the New York Zoo to Africa. Now running free, his zoo pals must put aside their differences to help bring him back.

Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa

Alex, Marty, and other zoo animals find a way to escape from Madagascar when the penguins reassemble a wrecked airplane. The precariously repaired craft stays airborne just long enough to make it to the African continent. There the New Yorkers encounter members of their own species for the first time. Africa proves to be a wild place, but Alex and company wonder if it is better than their Central Park home.

Gaspard at the Wedding

After keeping a careful distance for many years, 25-year-old Gaspard must renew contact with his family when his father remarries. Accompanied by Laura, an eccentric young woman who agrees to pretend she's his girlfriend at the wedding, he finally feels ready to set foot in the zoo owned by his parents, where he is reunited with the monkeys and tigers he grew up with... But with a father who is an out-of-control womanizer, a brother who is far too sensible, and a sister who is far too beautiful, he unknowingly sets himself up to experience the last days of his childhood.

An American Werewolf in London

American tourists David and Jack are savaged by an unidentified vicious animal whilst hiking on the Yorkshire Moors. Retiring to the home of a beautiful nurse to recuperate, David soon experiences disturbing changes to his mind and body.

Little Swee'pea

Popeye takes Swee'pea to the zoo and spends most of his time rescuing the tot from the various animals.

Tiger

Sabine and Natacha are 22. They live ‘here’, in the sticks, next door to each other. One day, Natacha has an opportunity: leave ‘here’ to go ‘over there’, thus abandoning Sabine. This act of treason will prove fatal.

A Day at the Zoo

A tour of the zoo, in typical Tex Avery style: a series of one-liners and sight gags, punctuated by Egghead teasing a lion at intervals, despite the admonishments of the narrator.

Zoology

Natasha is a lonely, middle-aged admin employee at the zoo who still lives at home with her mother. One day her life is turned upside down when she discovers she has grown a tail…

I Met Him in the ZOO

There are two different boys in the zoo. Ivoš is a small wrestler who wanders himself in the barracks when a blind boy throws it and squeezes it with lemonade. Out of a primordial friendship will spring up. Both of them love animals, and Ivoš decides to involve Sleppo, as he tells him, into the common child's world. It sneezes it to the animals and allows him to touch the turtles, elephants or camel - the animals he knew at the time only by the sounds.

Our Day Out

When a teacher takes a group of troubled school children on a school trip to Conwy in Wales, the children understand life outside of Liverpool.

Giraffada

Yacine is the veterinarian of the only zoo remaining in the Palestinian West Bank. He lives alone with his 10-year old son, Ziad. The kid has a special bond with the two giraffes in the zoo. He seems to be the only one to communicate with them. After an air raid in the region the male giraffe dies. His mate, Rita, won’t survive unless the veterinarian finds her a new companion. The only zoo that might provide this animal is located in Tel Aviv ...

Buddy

An eccentric socialite raises a gorilla as her son.