This month go travelling on Rialto Channel with a series of thought provoking and beautifully crafted documentaries that look at how people live their lives in some of the most famous cities in the world.

This fascinating collection of documentaries takes you from London to New York, Dhaka to Christchurch capturing the diversity of our world, its people and the challenges they face.



According to the World Bank, over the next 35 years, 2.5 billion people will be added to the current population of 6 billion. In Danish director Andreas Møl Dalsgaard’s documentary The Human Scale (Thursday 13th February, 8.30pm), Dalsgaard claims that 50% of the world's population lives in urban areas and by 2050 this will increase to 80%. Local and international migration will have a resounding affect on our cities and the way we live within them and this is just one of the issues addressed in this documentary.

Dalsgaard’s film is centered on the work of Danish architect Jan Gehl, who has studied cities and the way we live in them since the 1960s. Unlike the modernists who built cities around cars, Gehl believes we should build cities around people, giving them opportunities to live in a more intimate and inclusive environment.

Conversations take place in China, New York, Dhaka, and post earthquake Christchurch, making this documentary even more relevant. The questions posed here are worthy of discussion, even if they’re delivered in a rather dry, gently paced manner.



London is also on the itinerary this month as filmmaker and music-video director Julien Temple (Joe Strummer: The Future is Unwritten) takes us on an epic time-travelling voyage to the heart of his hometown London in London, The Modern Babylon (Thursday 6th February, 8.30pm).

Temple describes London as a vortex or whirlpool, and the centre of human life today. He proves it by going back to the film archives and taking us through the history and culture of this fascinating city. All sorts of Londoners share their experiences over the last hundred years or so (one of the most charming of participants is 106). It makes for a fascinating glimpse into how life in London has, and in some cases hasn’t, changed.



Director Richard Hankin takes us behind the scenes in one of the most controversial property developments in 16 Acres (Thursday 20th February, 8.30pm). 

The loss of the WTC Twin Towers has been immense, both on New York’s skyline and New Yorkers themselves. New York is defined by its architecture, and since the tragic events of 9/11 the question of what will happen to Ground Zero has consumed the city. This documentary looks at the long process of building what was originally called the Freedom Tower, now called the One World Trade Centre, and all the political manipulations, bickering and grandstanding of the last 13 years. 

Featuring interviews with all the major players - from New York’s Mayors, Governors, property developers and the controlling Port Authority - it’s a fascinating story of probably the most valuable 16 acres in the world and the difficulty of building a skyscraper that needs to be a dignified memorial for the victims of 9/11, a symbol of peace and resilience, and a money making commercial property. 



And finally this month on Rialto Documentary, is Ron Fricke’s remarkable Samsara (Thursday 27th February, 8.30pm). Stunning visuals set to emotive musical compositions make up this documentary that travels the world, exploring themes of birth, death and rebirth. There’s no narration or talking heads, just incredible images, ranging from natural wonders to urban ghettos and places of worship to sites of disaster. Shot over four years and across 26 countries by the filmmakers behind Baraka, Samsara is an incredible snapshot of humanity in the 21st century, and an extraordinarily beautiful film.

Rialto Documentary screens every Thursday evening at 8.30pm.