Entertainment

The 9th August marks International Day of the World's Indigenous People. Celebrate by watching this film produced by 'eight female Maori directors'. Waru dramatises 'eight connected stories, each taking place at the same moment in time during the tangi (funeral) of a small boy, Waru, who has died at the hands of a caregiver. The eight stories are all subtly linked and follow different female characters as they come to terms with Waru's death and try to find a way forward in their community'.

Did you know that despite representing less than 5% of the population, indigenous peoples defend 80% of global biodiversity? 'In this tense and immersive tour de force, audiences are taken directly into the line of fire between powerful, opposing Peruvian leaders... On the one side is President Alan Garcia, who, eager to enter the world stage, begins aggressively extracting oil, minerals, and gas from untouched indigenous Amazonian land. He is quickly met with fierce opposition from indigenous leader Alberto Pizango, whose impassioned speeches against Garcia's destructive actions prove a powerful rallying cry to throngs of his supporters'.

The 12th of August is World Elephant Day. Based on George Orwell's 'essay, Shooting An Elephant tracks the tragic steps of a day long rued, when a man's innocence was forever lost. A mature Eric Blair looks back to his younger self with regret; he was shamed into being the public executioner of a rogue work elephant while stationed in The British Foreign Service in Burma. Reprimanded by his ineffectual superiors, goaded on by the very Burmese who had grown reliant, yet distrustful of the English uniform, driven to blood lust to by his own false pride, Eric Blair, kills an elephant he did not wish to harm solely to avoid humiliation, and in the process loses his own humanity'.

Celebrate World Elephant Day! This 'is one girl's journey to inspire a movement. When Juliette West set out on a quest to educate herself she got far more than she bargained for... How I Became an Elephant follows this wide-eyed fourteen year-old from suburban California on her quest to save the world's largest land mammals; a quest that takes her halfway across the globe and face to face with the gentle giants she aims to save. On her journey Juliette meets Asia's famous "Elephant Lady," Lek Chailert who has risked her life and freedom for more than three decades to protect elephants from illegal trade and abuse'.

The theme for Science Week this August (17th - 23rd) is 'Deep Blue'. Celebrate humanity's connection to the ocean with this fascinating film. 'This acclaimed film tells the story of legendary explorer Thor Heyerdal's epic 4,300-mile crossing of the Pacific on a balsawood raft in 1947, in an effort to prove that it was possible for South Americans to settle in Polynesia in pre-Columbian times'.

Continue the oceanic theme with this documentary. 'The Last Ocean profiles the international battle over commercial fishing in the Ross Sea, the last pristine ocean ecosystem on earth... that teems with life - whales, seals and penguins carving out a place on the very edge of existence. But an international fishing fleet has recently made its way to the Ross Sea, targeting the highly lucrative Antarctic Toothfish. Californian ecologist Dr. David Ainley has studied the Ross Sea's unique ecosystem for more than forty years and knows that unless fishing is stopped, the natural balance will be lost forever'.

The week from 17th - 23rd August is (drum roll please) BOOK WEEK! Celebrate by watching this adaptation of Austen's wonderful novel, Pride and Prejudice. 'Mr Bennet is an English gentleman living in Hartfordshire with his overbearing wife. The Bennets 5 daughters; the beautiful Jane, the clever Elizabeth, the bookish Mary, the immature Kitty and the wild Lydia. Unfortunately for the Bennets, if Mr Bennet dies their house will be inherited by a distant cousin whom they have never met, so the family's future happiness and security is dependent on the daughters making good marriages'.

The novel Island of the Blue Dolphins 'tells the story of a 12 year-old Native American girl who was left alone for 18 years on San Nicolas Island, the most remote of California's Channel Islands, during the 19th century. She survived with her dog for before being 'rescued' and brought to Santa Barbara. The true story that inspired the book is even more extraordinary than the fictionalized retelling. This documentary travels to the island, visits her campsite and cave, and visually captures the adventure that she experienced all those years ago. Alone on the Island of the Blue Dolphins does this'.

Celebrate International Day of the World's Indigenous People with 'the epic and tragic story of Jandamarra, Indigenous hero of the Kimberley. A story for all Australians, providing a unique insight into an extraordinary man and a powerful slice of history. Set in the Kimberley region in north-west Australia, this is the story of a young warrior born to lead. To the settlers, he was an outlaw to be hunted. To the Bunuba, he was a courageous defender of his country'.

'Joy Harjo is a "poet-healer-philosopher-saxophonist," and one of the most powerful Native American voices of her generation. She has spent the past two decades exploring her place in poetry, music, dance/performance, and art. Soul Talk, Song Language gathers together in one complete collection many of these explorations and conversations. Through an eclectic assortment of media, including personal essays, interviews, and newspaper columns, Harjo reflects upon the nuances and development of her art, the importance of her origins, and the arduous reconstructions of the tribal past, as well as the dramatic confrontation between Native American and Anglo civilizations'.

'A child imagines all the fun he could have if only he had a pet elephant - from having water fights to building a time machine. And all the time, the fantasy just keeps on getting wackier! Having an elephant would be pretty great. If I Had An Elephant is a celebration of the limitless imagination of childhood, from creators Richard Fairgray and Terry Jones. Unique and hilarious comic-strip style illustrations add to wonderment of this story'.

'Aristotle characterized the elephant as "the beast which passeth all others in wit and mind" and the animal has long figured in cultural artifacts. Elephant provides an engaging look at the elephant's long legacy. The image of the elephant can be found throughout world cultures as a symbol of intelligence, strength, and loyalty. Wylie draws on a rich array of examples to document that symbolic power, ranging from symbols of the Hindu god of wisdom, Ganesh, to the beloved children's works Dumbo and Babar the Elephant'.

The ocean has long gripped the human imagination. Celebrate 'Deep Blue' in Science Week this year with 'The Wide, Wide Sea: A Chaos Walking short story to listen to with The Ask and the Answer. Set before the Spackle War in a small fishing village by the sea, this is a heartbreaking tale of love and loyalty in a divided world. Best listened to immediately after The Ask and the Answer, it features familiar characters such as Mistress Coyle, but will give a new perspective on the shocking events in the award-winning trilogy'.

'Tim Flannery's international bestseller The Weather Makers changed minds and hearts about global warming. We Are the Weather Makers is a concise and revised edition that will allow readers aged from nine to ninety to learn the facts about climate change. Read this book and help solve our climate crisis'.

Celebrate the power of books with this read. 'By her brother's graveside, Liesel's life is changed when she picks up a single object, partially hidden in the snow. It is The Gravedigger's Handbook, left there by accident, and it is her first act of book thievery. So begins a love affair with books and words, as Liesel, with the help of her accordion-playing foster father, learns to read. But these are dangerous times. When Liesel's foster family hides a Jewish fist-fighter in their basement, Liesel's world is both opened up, and closed down. The Book Thief is a story about the power of words to make worlds'.

'Books have wielded an immense power for good and evil throughout the history of the human race. Here is a thoughtful and probing discussion of sixteen of the most important works of all time which influenced history, economics, culture, civilization, and scientific thought from the Renaissance to the present day'.

Many indigenous peoples around the globe have come into contact with colonising forces at different stages in history. Read about some of those cultural interactions - which have so often been devastating for indigenous peoples - in the BBC History Magazine. Bear in mind this is the perspective of one of the world's most successful colonising forces.

Canada is another country with a colonial history that significantly and detrimentally impacted the land's indigenous inhabitants. Learn about its history with this magazine.

Celebrate World Elephant Day with this magazine about wildlife.

Love elephants? What other wild animals do you love? Learn about some in this edition of Focus Wild magazine.

Celebrate National Science Week's theme - 'Deep Blue' - with this magazine about maps and the process of mapping land and sea.

This edition of Australian Geographic celebrates 100 years of Antarctic exploration. For a long time, the only way to get to the Antarctic was by sailing over the ocean in a ship!

This edition of The Simple Things includes an article on the pleasure of reading forgotten fiction. Why not have a read during Book Week?

Celebrate Book Week with this magazine about poetry!