
Earth Untold: Philippines - Amazing Tales from the Visayas
The Visayas, the island cluster at the heart of the Philippine archipelago, provide the backdrop for this travel documentary. On Bohol, the camera gets close to Philippine tarsiers, primates that grow no larger than 13 centimeters, following researchers who study the tiny animals in the forest canopy. Off Cebu, divers swim alongside whale sharks, the largest fish in the world, before the film shifts to the city's street food stalls and their range of local dishes. On Siquijor, an island with a reputation for folk magic, a local healer demonstrates his practice and explains its place in island life. In the jungles of Negros, the crew joins locals for an unconventional adventure sport. Shot across four islands with hospitable residents as guides throughout, the film moves at a travelogue pace, mixing wildlife footage, food, and local custom rather than settling on a single storyline, and it works best as a portrait of the region's variety.