David Attenborough’s Light on Earth preview: A luminescent exploration of nature

Our eco-system is inhabited by bio-luminous life, creatures with a glow and an enchanting inner light, that has for long astonished and captivated our attention. Where does this luminescence come from? And what purpose does it serve? Is it a mere bio-chemical effect or an evolutionary accident? Joe Loncraine's 52 minute-long David Attenborough's Life on Earth delves into these questions and takes us on an evolutionary voyage around America, Australia, Brazil, to the depths of the Pacific Ocean and captures a wide array of creatures like maritime fungi, fireflies, to dragon fish, that use the “flash code”, each species in its own unique way.

David Attenborough's Light on Earth is a visually mesmerizing film that ties in new studies on bio-luminous species that has progressed since the advancements in scientific tools such as robots and submersibles. The film draws on on-site studies and interviews with experts and is able to capture the rippling light waves and circling flashes through latest cameras that can catch infra-red lights. These cameras that are highly sensitive to colour and can capture the most imperceptible changes in luminous creatures and bring to life a film that truly encapsulates the language of light.

Why you should watch the film

In line with naturalist David Attenborough’s comprehensive work on animal and plant life, in the film, director Loncraine becomes our guide on this quest into the unexplored realm of life, drastically “unlike our own”. The film is a visual delight that helps us witness enigmatic luminous creatures in a boundless universe of living lights — in creatures, in soil, and in the deep ocean. For the first time, a film brings you rare and mesmerizing images that are beyond the comprehension of human eye. The film touches on the relatively unexplored and complex subject of luminescence but makes it accessible to the viewer. If you have a scientifically curious mind, if you are drawn to enigmatic part of nature, or are simply interested in investigative narratives, David Attenborough's Light on Earth is not to be missed!

David Attenborough's Light on Earth will be shown at the Woodpecker International Film Festival on 12 November, 6.30pm, Siri Fort Auditorium- II