A black crested macaque sits in a lush forest on the islands, holding a baby macaque in its arms. The adult looks upward while the baby gazes forward, surrounded by green foliage and scattered branches.
A close-up of a Victoria crowned pigeon, hailing from the islands, showcases its intricate blue-gray feathers. Its distinct crest is fanned out with delicate patterns, while a striking red eye and dark beak complete the portrait. The background is softly blurred.
A close-up of a large Atlas moth resting among lush green leaves captures a moment frozen in time. The moth, with its vibrant brown, orange, and white patterns, resembles the mystique of distant islands as its impressive size dominates the surrounding foliage.
A large whale shark glides near a massive fishing net filled with fish. Sunlight filters through the clear blue water, casting timeless rays around the peaceful scene, reminiscent of idyllic islands in paradise.
Aerial view of a volcanic crater emitting white smoke on a remote island, surrounded by dark rocky terrain. In the background, a body of water and a patch of green vegetation are visible under a cloudy sky, as if time stands still in this rugged landscape.
A close-up of a lizard with textured skin, sitting atop a rough, brown surface. The background is dark, evoking the timeless allure of islands as the lizard's eye gazes intently forward.
A young orangutan with reddish-brown fur clings to a tree branch on the island, surrounded by lush, green foliage. It gazes curiously, with sunlight filtering through the leaves in the background. Time seems to stand still in this tranquil scene.

Islands in Time

Nature & Wildlife·3 x 50 min·Completed

Discover Southeast Asia’s stunning islands, where fire, water, and the sun shape extraordinary wildlife – from tree kangaroos to flying snakes – in a world like no other!

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Genre
Nature & Wildlife
Duration
3 × 50 min
1 × 90 min
Definition
4K
Audio
5.1
Status
Completed
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Synopsis

Southeast Asia is the most diverse region on our planet. Nature’s most powerful forces have combined to create islands of fire, a water world driven by the sway of the moon and rich forests fuelled by the tropical sun. An extraordinary array of plants and animals live here; many of which are found nowhere else on earth.

The islands of Southeast Asia are some of the most spectacular and diverse places on earth. They are home to the majestic, the beautiful and the downright bizarre. In the tropical forests that drape their rugged slopes, there are kangaroos that climb trees; pigs whose teeth grow through their heads. The biggest of cats rules, where rhinos have hair and birds hatch out of the sand.

 

Episode 1: BORN OF FIRE
A land forged by colliding continents and ruled by volcanoes, where change is the only certainty. Southeast Asia has more active volcanoes than any other region on the planet. Many of its islands were born by this most destructive of forces. Volcanoes rule all life on Southeast Asia’s islands of fire. For millions of years land has been built up, torn apart and destroyed. And that process is still taking place today.

For wildlife here, the only ever certainty has been change. But once the dust of these destructive forces settles, opportunities appear for those willing to take them. Volcano birds are an extreme adaptation to life on the islands of fire. Their nesting grounds and the surrounding forest are covered in new ash on a daily basis. Toba on Sumatra erupted 75,000 years ago. The explosion is thought to have plunged the earth into a volcanic winter that lasted for a thousand years. Some scientists believe it almost wiped out the human race. Toba has had a remarkable effect on Sumatra’s wildlife. Even today, the island remains divided, with different species found to the north and south of the lake. The south is the realm of Malayan tapirs and banded leaf monkeys, while white-handed gibbons and Thomas’s leaf monkeys live only to the north.

For those able to cross the sea, new volcanic islands are a world of opportunity. Plants are among the first to get there. The large seeds of Barringtonia can survive in seawater for up to two years. Some animals can swim across the gap to new islands. Water monitors are very capable swimmers and common across many of Southeast Asia’s islands.

New Guinea is part of Australia’s continental shelf. It was once connected by lower sea levels; allowing Australia to bestow its continental crown with some of its most iconic wildlife. Normally, kangaroos are not renowned for their tree climbing abilities. Tree-kangaroos may look alarming out of place but since no monkeys or squirrels live here, they’ve taken up the opportunity to feed on the abundant leaves.

Episode 2: BEWITCHED BY THE MOON
Southeast Asia was born of fire and is powered by the sun. But there is another world; a parallel world where the moon holds sway. It’s a world rarely seen and little understood. The influence of the moon is strongest on the many islands of Southeast Asia. Here, amongst the mangroves, and shallow seas, the moon reigns over her shadowy subjects. As the departing moon pulls on the water, the tide retreats, and Proboscis monkeys enter the coastal forest.

As the power of the moon wanes and the water slips away, the mud comes alive. First to appear are fiddler crabs. Crab-eating frogs and giant mudskippers go after them. But the giant mudskipper isn’t the top predator here. It has to stay alert; its strange eyes need to look for bigger beasts… like long-tailed macaques or water monitors, the longest lizard in the world. Offshore sea eagles are on the hunt. Their main targets are fish and sea snakes. The tide has flooded over the coral reef, pushing both into shallow water. The sea snakes have some of the most powerful venom in the world, but the eagle doesn’t care.

Episode 3: RULED BY THE SUN
There is one more force that has shaped Southeast Asia, one that today has the greatest influence over all life here. It makes snakes fly and apes sing. It turns plants into killers and jellyfish into farmers. It is the power of the tropical sun. Creatures as diverse as gibbons, great argus pheasants and draco lizards – they all live under the spell of the sun.

Flying lizards, flying snakes, flying frogs – Southeast Asia has more gliding vertebrates than anywhere else on earth. It is all to do with an astonishing family of trees and their monopoly over the life-giving tropical sunlight. Dipterocarp trees dominate Southeast Asian rainforests. The competition for sunlight here is so intense that some of these trees reach over 80 metres into the sky. Dipterocarps are amongst the tallest rainforest trees on earth, they are sun-seeking giants.

While many trees flower during dry season and fruit in the wet season, one tree disobeys the seasons altogether; the mighty fig. At any given time of year, there is always a fig tree in fruit somewhere in these rainforests. For those that can find them, figs provide a year round food supply. It is all because of the fig’s relationship with a tiny wasp. Which means that even during the lean dry season, those in the know can always find something to eat – like Sumatran Orang-utans.

The islands of Southeast Asia are some of the richest and most diverse in the world. The richest seas, mangroves and coral reefs also surround them. All of this spectacular burgeoning of life came about through the forces of the earth, the pull of the moon and the power of the tropical sun.

Team

Written and directed by Paul Reddish and Matt Hamilton
Executive producers Martin Mészáros, Sabine Holzer
Production companies A production of Terra Mater Factual Studios in co-production with National Geographic Channel and NDR Naturfilm/Doclights

Awards & Recognitions

Gödöllö, Hungary International Nature Film Festival Bronze Award Episode 01 (Category: Nature Films) 2018
61st CINE Golden Eagle Award for Professional Media Winner Category of Nonfiction Content: Series/Mini-Series
Bratislava, Slovakia IFF Ekotopfilm - Envirofilm Festival Main Prize of the Ministry of Environment of the Slovak Republic Episode 01 (Category: Nature) 2018
Montana, USA IWFF - International Wildlife Film Festival Best Environmental Film Episode 02 2018
New York, USA New York Festivals Gold World Medal (Category: Nature & Wildlife) 2018
Bolzano, Italy Trento Film Festival Nomination Episode 01 2018
Abbeville, France Festival de L´Oiseau - Bird and Nature Festival Nomination Episode 01 (Category: Birds/Wildlife) 2018
Sondrio, Italy Sondrio Festival First Prize Town of Sondrio Episode 01 2017
Bois-de-Villers, France FINN - International Nature Namur Festival Award for Best Picture Episode 03 2017
Innsbruck, Austria INFF - Innsbruck Nature Film Festival Honorable Mention in the Category of Nature Documentaries Episode 02 2017
Cannes, France Cannes Corporate Media & TV Awards Winner Gold Dolphin Series (Category: Nature, Environment & Ecology) 2017
Ludwigsburg, Germany Naturvision Film Festival Sonderpreis der Jury Episode 03 2017
Chicago, USA US International Film & Video Festival Gold Camera Episode 02 (Category: Craft/Production Techniques: Cinematography) 2017
Chicago, USA US International Film & Video Festival Silver Screen Episode 01 (Category: Nature, Wildlife) 2017
Graz, Austria Mountainfilm Graz Nomination Episode 01 2017
Ménigoute, France Festival International du Film Ornithologique de Ménigoute Nomination Episode 01 2017
New Delhi, India WIFF - Woodpecker Film Festival Nomination Episode 01 (Category: Forest and Wildlife) 2017
Rotterdam, Netherlands WFFR - Wildlife Film Festival Rotterdam Nomination Episode 02 2017
Lihula, Estonia MAFF - Matsalu International Nature Film Festival Nomination Episode 02 2017
Lihula, Estonia MAFF - Matsalu International Nature Film Festival Nomination Episode 01 2017
Eckernförde, Germany Green Screen Film Festival Nomination Episode 02 (Category: Bester Meeresfilm) 2017

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